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Neolithic Shamanism

Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition

Published by Destiny Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

A step-by-step guide to working with the spirits of ancient northern Europe

• Explains how to build relationships with Earth, Sun, Moon, Plants, Animals, Water, Fire, Craft, Air, and the Ancestors through 83 practical exercises

• Explores the role of altered states in spirit work

• Outlines the ancient cultural rules and taboos to avoid spiritual debt or offense

We are all surrounded by spirits. Many people feel called to work with them, but few know where to begin. Enjoined by the gods and spirits to fulfill this need, Raven Kaldera and Galina Krasskova have reconstructed the indigenous spiritual traditions of northern Europe and Scandinavia extinguished more than one thousand years ago by the spread of Christianity. Arising from basic survival needs, these practical traditions are fundamentally tied to the elements found in the harsh world of the ancient North.

Beginning with the skills tied to the Earth element, necessary for grounding prior to the more demanding aspects of the practice--working with Sun, Moon, Plants, Animals, Water, Fire, Craft, and Air--the authors explain, step by step, how to build relationships with each elemental spirit and the Ancestors. Offering 83 practical exercises, from cleansing with the Moon or borrowing the legs of Reindeer to making sacred space with Mugwort or creating an ancestor altar, they also explore building spirit relationships through altered states. Emphasizing the proper management of your spirit relationships to avoid spiritual debt or offense, the authors outline the ancient cultural rules and taboos that circumscribe these practices, essential knowledge for successful and fruitful spirit alliances.

Detailing the beginning set of skills needed to work with the spirits of this ancient world, this comprehensive workbook offers a unique ancestral spiritual outlet for those of northern European descent as well as an accessible guide for anyone trying to fulfill their shamanic callings.

Excerpt

Chapter 4
The Green World Plants


Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

Raven: Before each of my shamanic workings with a client, I light a flame and set the end of the silvery bundle of leaves and twigs on fire. I gathered these from my own land, bound them, and hung them to dry. I watched the Moon glint silver off their leaves, the Moon whose energy is so bound up with this plant named after the Greek lunar goddess Artemis. Her smoke drifts forth and she dances around me; I can see her drifting silver hair and silver-green skirts. I breathe her in and feel that moment of dizziness, of my inner eye opening. I wave her smoke around the room to purify it as I sing a small bit of a song of my ancestors that is a thousand years old, a song where she is the first power mentioned. Her smoke quiets the room and calms the client, and we can begin.

Mugwort is the herb that is most often burned as recels (pronounced ray-kels), the Old English word for incense. The act of burning it is referred to as recaning, which can be pronounced various ways, but the most graceful seems to be reek-en-ing; the verb recan is cognate to our work “reek.” Celtic-tradition people use the term saining. It’s an alternative to the Native American-derived term “smudging,” and the herb can be bound in lashed bundles and burned in the same way as white sage. It also has a clearing effect on the mind and a heightening of the extra senses, so it is a good way to start any working that is going to involve an altered or trance state. Eventually, the mind becomes keyed to the scent of the herb, and the smell alone becomes enough to spur some people into a light trance, or at least into the necessary headspace for sacred work.

Grandmother Mugwort is witchy, spooky, and incredibly powerful. Most report Mugwort as feminine, if ancient and mysterious. She is very lunar, but she is not the shining maiden new moon or the swollen full moon. She is the mysteries of the dark moon, the witchy crone with the wild mane of silver hair and the long, pointy fingers. Her voice is rough and cracking, and she cackles. She opens her arms and silvery magic pours forth in a cloud, and she can fill a space like no other plant we know, even beating out Juniper and American Sage. The only thing that comes close to Grandmother Mugwort’s power and presence requires a combination of several different herbs to achieve what she attends to by herself alone. She loves to work with psychic folk and lays very few rules; her attitude seems to be more one of “Knock yourself out! If you get screwed up, it’s your own fault and you’ll learn, now won’t you?” After which she cackles at you further. To her, your safety is not her problem, which can be good and bad.

Mugwort has a variety of magical uses, including aiding in dreamwork, divination, protection, and the creation of magical tools. She also adds a layer of refinement to some workings, particularly those relating to cleansing and banishing because she has a scrubbing effect that clears out all kinds of energetic and astral clutter without the muscle that other herbs, like Rue, have. Simply put, she doesn’t need the muscle to get the job done with a great deal less fuss. Galina and I both have used fresh sprays of Mugwort as a miniature flail to cleanse the body’s energy field; the slap of the leaves and twigs had a very pronounced effect.

Exercise: Recels I

Find some Mugwort growing in a field; it is often a weed by the roadside. Sit with the plant for a few minutes and try to call on Grandmother Mugwort; ask her to bless you and to aid the power of the herb that you are about to harvest. Ask permission to cut the plant--Raven has found that if he doesn’t have permission, his hand literally doesn’t want to go near it. Cut it just before it goes to seed. Let it sit for a few days inside until it is wilted but still soft, and then bind it together with natural-fiber string. As you bind it, try again to feel the presence of Grandmother Mugwort.

Make a loop on the end of the “stick,” hang it up, and let it dry thoroughly. When it is dry, take your recaning stick and light the end with a candle flame, just enough to smoke. Wave the smoking stick around the area and ask Grandmother Mugwort to cleanse the energy of the area. Breathe in the smoke--carefully, so as not to choke--and ask her if she will be your ally and what she wants for that service. What you want is for her to be there whenever you purify a space, adding power to the inherent energy of the plant itself.

It’s best to make first contact with Grandmother Mugwort through her smoke, but once you’ve done that, you can also make a tea with a few bits of Mugwort leaves brewed with it. Drinking herb tea literally brings the stuff of that plant into your body and allows the spirit to speak to you directly. Relax and imagine her silvery energy moving through you. Ask her for her wisdom and to aid you in opening your inner eyes at times when you are stressed and unclear. If she speaks to you and agrees to help, you can ask her for advice on what you can do to help your own signal clarity. She will likely have something to say on the matter; but if you ask, be prepared to grit your teeth and take her advice.

About The Authors

Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition Pagan shaman who has been a practicing astrologer since 1984 and a Pagan since 1986. The author of Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner and MythAstrology and coauthor, with Kenaz Filan, of Drawing Down the Spirits, Kaldera lives in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.

Galina Krasskova is a Heathen priest and Northern Tradition shaman with a master’s degree in religious studies from New York University. The author of many books, including Runes: Theory and Practice, and coauthor with Raven Kaldera of Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner, she is a columnist for Witches and Pagans magazine. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Destiny Books (November 20, 2012)
  • Length: 360 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781594774904

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Raves and Reviews

“Our modern world is hungry for Spirit, and this hunger leads to some dark places if it isn’t met by Spirit. The shaman’s path is the strongest means we have of addressing this hunger in a meaningful way. Kaldera and Krasskova offer a grand mix of tradition, magic, and reconstruction in service to a broad community. Those with a genetic, cultural, or spiritual link with northern European culture will find this book especially satisfying.”

– Kenn Day, author of Dance of Stones

Neolithic Shamanism is a primer in the finest sense; it will prime you to get well started on this path. It is so thorough it can well be the first book of any you read about shamanism. It is also primary in a touching, inspirational sense: Raven and Galina have an almost childlike belief in the work and spirituality they love and teach, and they have the simple courage to tell us all, ‘This is For Real.’”

– Crow Swimsaway, Ph.D., author of Spirit Knife, Soul Bone

Neolithic Shamanism approaches an ancient practice with modern sensibility; it is both a restructuring and reimagining of tribal practices for a modern world. Still, it is based on techniques as old as the human race, hallowing life in all its forms. I find that the book inspires hope as the authors gently lead their readers to one conclusion--there is no part of life that is not sacred.”

– Ócha’ni Lele, author of Sacrificial Ceremonies of Santería

Neolithic Shamanism is an outstanding book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about shamanism. For those who want to study other traditions, it’s a wonderful jumping off point. For those who want to study the Norse tradition, this will be a priceless treasure you will cherish on your path.”

– Terry Donahue, Psychic-Magic Zine, March 2013

“Never has a book had a more profound and positive impact on my personal spirituality, than Neolithic Shamanism; Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition, by Raven Kaldera and Galina Krasskova...All in all, this is a book I cherish above almost all others. It brings forth aspects of Norse spirituality most don't see, and gives information about it you really can’t find anywhere else. If you have any interest in Norse spirituality, I cannot recommend this book enough or more highly. Highly, highly recommend. This is a must read.”

– Jessica Elizabeth, Facing North, May 2013

“It is an entry-level book for anyone who wants to learn basic shamanic techniques from a northern perspective...While it is a very accessible book, there is plenty here to work with, especially if you choose to delve into a lot of the craft projects. These practices could provide years of experience and bring practitioners to the level where they can easily move on to a variety of intermediate books, or take further guidance directly from the spirits with whom they have built relationships.”

– Laura Gyre, Witches and Pagans, December 2013

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