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HEATHEN
A Viking Grimoire of Norse Sorcery
Authored by Asbjörn Torvol
Illustrated by Alex Borisson
Three Ways Ancient Norse Magick Laid The Foundation For Modern Western Civilization, And How To Embark On A True Vitki & Völva Initiation
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| Asbjörn Torvol |
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Asbjörn innovates Norse Magick. Considered controversial by many, he courageously takes on taboos that others will not.
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Hey Friend,
My new grimoire Heathen: A Viking Grimoire of Norse Sorcery becomes available at midnight on the evening of March 5th.
As such, I have pondered the why behind it. When I first started putting together my Pathworking of the Vitki and Völva, I asked myself one very important question...
Is Norse Magick still relevant in our modern day?
It is a question that I had to seriously contemplate over a series of weeks to be confident in my answer for it.
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Through all the history and stories that exist Norse Magick seemed to be better fit for 1000's of years ago. They travelled by horseback and sailed on sleek longboats. They fought with swords, axes and shields and lived in wooden huts. What do we have in common with these people of the past?
I hate to say this, but in terms of their literal traditions, basically none of it is relevant in our technologically advanced world.
Yet, I found in my contemplation on this topic that the Viking people were not just an ancient group of settlers but rather a civilization with remarkably sophisticated values. It is their cultural values that make Norse Magick relevant. Let me explain why.
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How Did The Norse Civilization Become
The Fiercest Empire Of Its Time? |
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This is the question of questions.
Historians often identify one trait of the Vikings as the reason why they could transform from farmers to world explorers and conquerors.
1. Evolution. They could adapt to fierce climates and landscapes better than any other civilizations of that time. And thus they ambitiously innovated transportation and weapons technologies to harness the natural forces of their location.
2. Pragmatism. They used what worked, what got results regardless of its origin. They did not save obsolete technology for sake of nostalgia or romanticism. They replaced it with newer and better immediately. The crossbow is a perfect example of them integrating new technology into their military. It tore down their enemies.
3. Freedom. While they fostered communal traditions and common beliefs, they still allowed individual households to practice their faith as they wished. This individualism allowed their ideas to circulate and spread virally across the world. To this day the Norse Magick and Mythology remains the greatest known on earth.
To summarize, Norse Magick as an Initiatory Pathworking contains these three main values. It aspires to evolve, it concentrates on pragmatism, and allows the individual sorcerer or sorceress the right to personalize their experience.
When a civilization nurtures these three enlightened values in its people, how could it not become the greatest, fiercest, and most innovative of its time?
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This Is The True Spirit Of The Vitki & Völva... |
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The term Vitki refers to a Norse sorcerer or shaman. The term Völva refers to a female shaman, or more precisely, a seer who wandered the land and shared prophecies. As much as I love Norse History, when I reflect on their history and study the ancient wisdom texts, regrettably it does at times seem outdated.
For example, one magick text provides a sigil that guards a longboat at sea. That undeniably has become obsolete. However, why not modernize it so that it protects a car or airplane instead?
Magick needs to evolve and change as we as a people change. This is how I approached the path of the Vitki & Völva. My book, Heathen: A Viking Grimoire of Norse Sorcery, does justice to the noble values of the ancients. I evolved their archaic rites and spells so we can pragmatically fulfill our modern needs.
If the Norse pagans were still around today would they use swords? Would they still live in wooden huts? Of course not. They would almost certainly use the most advanced versions of both! They would innovate new technology!
So too will we with our Norse Magick. Download your free chapter of Heathen. The book becomes available at midnight on the evening of March 5th. Together we embark on an ancient initiation as modern Vitkis & Völvas.
Stay true,
—The Heathen
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