Book Review - Nine Worlds

[Labrys]

The book by ethnographer/practicianer Jenny Blain, "The Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North Europeon Paganism" is without a doubt the most thought provoking book on this subject matter that I have read in the last ten years.

It is, for  me, a rare pleasure to read a book on a magical-spiritual practice both from the point of view of one who practices said discipline AND studies such workings professionally.  For the skeptic in me, this makes the book have added impetus and validity.

She makes several points I feel are very needed in discussions of reconstructionism and shamanistic practice.

First, of course, is her proposition that seid-magic is indeed a form of shamanic practice.  She satisfies me that at least several of the practices do make the grade for saying certain seidkonas are indeed also worthy of being called "shamans"....as the word is used, loosely describing practices that have different names in every culture.

Second, I enjoyed her discussions and research into various threads of reconstruction, and where they suceed or fail and why-----this is one of my personal pet peeves, you see.  If something is not lifted into modern relevance with modern life-styles, to me it is pointless to raise from the grave of time.  It is nice to find that I am not alone in that feeling!

Third, she takes on the decriers of seid magic who say it is for women only, because men who do it are unmanly (ergi) at best and queer at worse.  Her discussion on both the history of this spiritual slander (her belief is it largely originated at near the end of the heathen period as Christianity filtered in, to the denigration of ALL feminine-heavy arts), and the current issues  revolving around it made many good points that I feel cannot help but affect the future of  both European and American Heathenism.

She ties all her arguments not only back to the sagas that are the basic source material, but to writings of those who study religious patterns and history, psychology and conversations with several actual practicing seid workers.

I absolutely recommend this book.  Even if the Northern Paganism sort of thing is outside your usual interests, this book is enlightening and good reading.  It will form the basis of much of my personal work over the next intense year of my life.