The Norse Shaman: Ancient Spiritual Practices of the Northern Tradition

Written by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Narrated by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

An experiential guide to the wisdom preserved in Europe’s far north

• Includes shamanic journeys to connect with deities and your ancestral shamans

• Provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony

• Draws on archaeological evidence and surviving written records from Iceland

• Reveals the long tradition of female shamans in northern European shamanism

Shamanism is humanity’s oldest spiritual tradition. In much of the Western world, the indigenous pre-Christian spiritual practices have been lost. Yet at the northern fringes of Europe, Christianity did not displace the original shamanic practices until the end of the Viking age. Remnants of Norse shamanic spirituality have survived in myths, folk traditions, and written records from Iceland, providing many clues about the ancient European shaman’s world, especially when examined in conjunction with other shamanic cultures in northern Eurasia, such as the Sami and the tribes of Siberia.

Reconstructing the shamanic practices of the hunter-gatherers of Scandinavia, Evelyn Rysdyk explores the evolution of Norse shamanism from its earliest female roots to the pre-Christian Viking Age. She explains how to enter Yggdrasil, the World Tree, to travel to other realms and provides shamanic journeys to connect with the ancestral shamans of your family tree, including the Norse goddess Freyja, the very first shaman. She offers exercises to connect with the ancient goddesses of fate, the Norns, and introduces the overnight wilderness quest of útiseta for reconnecting with the powers of nature. She explains the key concepts of Ørlög and Wyrd--the two most powerful forces that shape human lives--and provides exercises for letting go of harmful behavior patterns and transforming simple knowledge into profound wisdom by connecting with Óðinn.

Thoroughly examining the shamanic rituals of seiðr, the oracular magic of the Nordic cultures, the author provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony, including creating your own seiðr staff and hood, and explores the ancestral use of shamanic songs or varðlokur to accompany the ceremony. Woven throughout these exercises, Rysdyk provides archaeological evidence from Neolithic sites supporting the long tradition of venerating wise women, grandmothers, and mothers in ancient cultures and the important role of female shamans at the heart of northern European shamanism. Providing an accessible guide for anyone trying to fulfill their shamanic callings, these powerful rituals can provide personal healing and a clear path for finding our way into a harmonious relationship with the natural world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inner Traditions Audio
• Release date: Aug 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781644111857

Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Evelyn C. Rysdyk is an internationally recognized shamanic healer, teacher, speaker, and author of Spirit Walking: A Course in Shamanic Power, Modern Shamanic Living, and A Spirit Walker’s Guide to Shamanic Tools. She is a founding member of the Society for Shamanic Practitioners and a presenter for international events such as the Shamanism Global Summit and the Year of Ceremony. She enjoys living and working on the coast of Maine.

Reviews for The Norse Shaman

[allen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The one who was disappointed with this book was looking for justification for being on the wrong side of history, becoming the very same self-fulfilling "snowflake" they claim to despise.

This book is filled with truth, with knowledge, practice and experience.

It will help you come face to face with yourself, which, as Mattias is unwilling to do, will help you transcend and heal your un-earned confidence and poorly-inflated ego, to truly embody your ancestral heritage, teaching you to bring harmony, not division.

"Political propaganda" is exactly what your heritage is, Mattias, not Norse Mysticism. Open your eyes, open your ears, open your soul and receive truth. Was the Allfather "ergi" for his beliefs and seeking of wisdom and magic? Are you looking to further justify your supposed "supremacy?" Are you blinded by the trickster, Mattias?

Perhaps this book is not for you, and you lean more towards the mis-appropriation utilized in Mein Kampf.

This book will bring you life and healing if you should so choose to not exist on the wrong side of history, that's been the wrong side of history for nearly a century, if not more.

Bad take, Mattias, may the gods reach you and not spare your ego.

[Sunjye Fnord · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. I immensely enjoyed this book. High value exercises enable one to verify the data presented. Useful.

[Mattias L · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A large chunk of this book, is the more or less same ritual instructions (with few alterations) repeated over and over again, which gets repetitive in an audiobook - it's ok however.
There's a lot of interesting historical facts and curiosities here, BUT - the over all feel of this book, is sadly more or less some sort of "woke activist" guidebook, which is uncalled for and sad.

It pretty much starts off with contemporary political statements, that runs like a red thread through the whole book. Having these ideas themselves is ok, but it will age very badly. Mixing a decade old political agendas with thousands of years old traditions, will look very stupid in a near future. I am kind giving this three stars, as I am getting sick and tired of people appropriating my ethnic heritage for the sake of their political propaganda.

[Jake · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a physical copy of this book and this is a solid base of knowledge for those wanting to know Northern European traditions, particularly for those who have ancestral roots from that area.