Heathen World Tree Shamanism


Heathenry Ásatrú was based on the indigenous ancestral Heathen faith of the Northern European, Germanic, folk group of Heathens who once shared a common culture, religion, and language.

There are 8,000 year old archeological findings that validate the existence of the ancient faith of Heathenry. Bronze Age rock art in Scandinavia has ancestral carvings depicting the Heathen dieties,  as well as the human events and rituals of the Heathens.

These organic nature carvings are Shamanic in nature and seem to be forerunners of the Runes, Animal Totems, and Norse myths. Graves from the Heathen Period contained large amounts of highly wrought, symbolic, Germanic jewelry in the form of metaphorical Animal Totem and Power Animal shapes

These essential, Power Animals were used as meditational focal points and shields to ward, to bless, and to heal. Each person discovered their Animal Totem animal fetch, a Spirit Guide in animal shape with powers.

Each Power Animal has different traits and powers that they can bestow upon their human supplicant. Common Animal Totems are Bear, Boar, Cat, Dog, Dragon, Eagle, Falcon, Horse, Raven, Snake, and Stag.

Ravens were a Power Animal, Animal Totem, Spirit Guide fetch animals that were often found in the legends and art of Heathenry. Magical birds and masters of transformation, they travel swiftly, seeing all through their eyes of wisdom. The Hierarch Odin has two ravens Muninn, Keen and Huginn, Awareness.

The traditional Shamanic roots of Heathenry stretch back at least 42,0000 years into the distant past. By 500 ACE, the Heathens had spread over the areas that would become Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France, Iceland, and England.

Within another two hundred years, the different dialects of the Germanic language became undecipherable and the offshoot Scandinavian, German, Dutch, English, and other languages emerged. An Animistic Earth based faith, Heathenry Heathen Ásatrú, followers believe that we are the offspring of the union of the Sky Father and the Earth Mother and live in one of the Nine Worlds, Midgard.

The Heathenry and Heathen Ásatrú gods and goddesses reside in Asgard, the uppermost world. The Holy Elves, the Alfar, are friends of mankind; the Dark Dwarves, the Dokkalfar, are sometimes friendly and sometimes unfriendly, and the Giants, the Jotnar, are catalysts for change for both the deities and humans.

The Landvaettir (Landwights) are Nature Spirits of earth, rocks, springs, streams, forests, and homes. Since they do not resonate with discord or loud noises, they will quickly leave an area that radiates entropy or negativity.

These Nature Spirits are friendly to humans who honor their purpose and reason for being. Since the presence of Nature Spirits in one's environs ensures prosperity and abundance, people often leave them gifts of food and drink. Although they may bear some superficial similarities to other faiths, Heathenry Heathen Ásatrú was not an offshoot of any other religion.

Followers refer to themselves as Heathen rather than Pagan to signify that they are a member of a tribe that reveres two groups of Heathen goddesses and gods. Many of these Heathenry goddesses and gods possessed highly developed shamanic and shapeshifting abilities.

There were the Aesir, goddesses and gods of the tribe or clan associated with crafts, order, and kinship; and the Vanir, goddesses and gods of fertility and the Forces of Nature, who are not part of the clan but associate with it.

Heathenry Heathen Ásatrú was an Ørlag faith of magic, fate, and destiny facilitated by Galðr, magical incantations, Galdrastafr, magical symbols, Gandr, magical staffs and wands, Spa, predictions, and Spákona, soothsayers.

The World Tree, Irminsul, was Odin's axis mundi horse. He hung there for nine nights, symbolic of the Nine Worlds of the Heathen Norse cosmology, in order to obtain the runes. The Runes are named after the Finnish word for song Runo. The ancients perceived a relationship between the Songs of Odin and the written figures of the Runic Alphabet, the Futhark.

Runes were used in rituals along with nature shrines, altars (harrows), and magical tools. In a Hávamál stanza, runes are mysterious and imbued with wonder and magic. Their whispered communications and powerful protective energies deserve utmost respect. They are to be used for divination and magical inscriptions, wooden calendars, and memorial stones.

The Elder Futhark had 24 runes which over time changed to become an Anglo-Frisian Futhark that ranged from 28-32 runes. The runes have magical properties, names, numbers, and are deeply connected to Germanic mythology and the goddesses and gods.

The entire universe depends on the World Tree which rises from the center of Midgard. Its roots reach into the world of human beings, the world of the frost giants, and Hel; while, its branches reach up over Asgard.

Niddhogg the dragon and many snakes gnaw at the roots and four stags gnaw at the bark of Yggdrasil but waters from the Urda Well of Wyrd sprinkled by the Norns, the three goddesses of Fate, healed it each day.

The Well of Wyrd from which the World Tree springs was guarded by three Fates. These Etin maiden goddesses were Urðr (the past), Verðandi (the present), and Skuld (the future). The Norns reach into one's past and sprinkle the Heathen World Tree with woven patterns of the future. Mimer's Well and Hvergelmer Well also feed Yggdrasil. All trees were sacred to the Norse, Germanic, and Celtic peoples.

On the shores of the primal sea, the gods Odin, Vili, and Vé made the first two humans, Askr and Embla, Ash and Elm, from driftwood tree trunks. The Man in the Moon in English literature refers to the Man in the Moon in Heathenry Heathen Ásatrú where the moon was always a masculine presence, while the Sun was always a feminine presence.

Od was similar to the concept of Shamanic Ecstacy. Od was the gift of ecstasy provided to humans by the Heathen goddesses and gods. It was what separates humanity from other animals, and was our eternal link with the Heathenry gods and goddesses.

A Sacred Symbol of Heathenry Heathen Odinism Ásatrú, the Valknot was either three separate entwining triangles or one continuous unicursal ribbon knotted upon itself. It also represented the sacrifice of the personal ego to the service of Odin and an alignment to his intentions.

This bond with the god Odin was viewed as spiritually liberating. The triple knot also symbolized several different triads: the Subterranean worlds, Middle Earth, and the Heaven worlds (the main divisions of the universe along the axis of Yggdrasil); the god Odin and his hypostases the gods, Vili and Ve; and thirdly, the high triple nature of Odin.

Heathenry Heathen Ásatrú as Shamanism focuses on the discovery and comprehension of the mysteries and magic of the land itself with the Heathens honoring the nature spirits of the waters, trees, and rocks, more than on the mythos of the goddesses and gods.

Gathering in kindred groups for bloats, the Heathen folk often make an outdoor altar of a cairn of stones and use images of the Heathen deities made of clay and wood. Holy tools of the Heathens include drinking horns that are deemed more traditional than a cup, blessing bowls and twigs, and the god Thor's hammer, for cleansing and blessing.

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