Patreon Topic 92: On Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Topics and Practices

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From Maleck comes this topic:

“Where do you draw the line between beginner/intermediate/advanced topics and practices? When is it appropriate to move from one to the other? Either forward or backwards?”

I went to look for when I last wrote about this, On The Need for Deeper Conversations. It feels buck wild to me that I wrote this two years ago. It feels a lot more recent than that!

In the comment section of the previous post Kaye said this:

“I don’t actually think the college metaphor works for the foundational stuff. It would make sense if the goal were to go to “college” and study, as it were, but a lot of people are not planning to do that. One of my big concerns is that we’re not welcoming enough to people without specialist interests, which is one reason for the attrition with second-gens, but it could also be a reason there isn’t more flow from spiritual-but-not-religious into polytheisms … it’s hard for a lot of people to see themselves in the communities when there are no models for what it looks like to be, let’s say, a car mechanic or nurse or second grade teacher who has a home shrine and goes to local rituals but has zero interest in specialist work beyond wanting to make sure that they’re seeing a competent divination specialist every now and then and getting house/apartment blessings and connecting with officiants for major life events. The esoteric/exoteric, specialist/practitioner bit makes way more sense here.”

One of my responses was:

“Your point on habit formation is also well-put. My kids don’t have to have specialized knowledge, they just have to carry out right relationship with the Gods insofar as what their roles and responsibilities are at their age, knowledge level, understanding, and what obligations they themselves show interest/engagement with. I will definitely agree with your point that for adults this is harder. In my own case, growing up Catholic, having to interrogate, deconstruct, work with, and where necessary ‘swap out’ the software, its an entire process my kids will never know, both having grown up Heathen. Being Heathen is just a part of how they understand the world.

Re the self-directed learning strategy is definitely what I am looking at with the 100-level and above stuff because that is where my focus lies as both a specialist and as a practitioner. Sometimes I need help parsing this language and nuance because I’ve been doing this so long that I can lose sight of it, if that makes sense! What is foundational in my mind and for me may not *actually* be foundational to polytheism. I definitely agree that your breakdown of self-study is what I am looking to foster with folks as the precursor to 100-level content, and maybe even 90-level content. The idea of collegiate level implies the necessary work prior to it from secondary school, primary school, and elementary education before it.”

In part, because of this conversation, it helped me modify the way I look at beginner/foundational topics and practices: they are similar to pre-college courses, with age-appropriate levels of topics, study, and engagement for folks at pre-adult age levels. I see the 100+ levels being for specialists and deeper dives on material, e.g. developing new cultus.

Beginner Topics

I see beginner topics and practice as foundational ones, and returning to them often is something I do. The basics of the cosmology, Who and What the Ginnreginn are, ways of relating to/with the Ginnreginn, the relationships established with the Ginnreginn, and maintaining right relationship are all examples of foundational topics and practice based in the beginner category. Teaching my children how to be Heathen has included all of this in different ways at different times.

As an example, this is the long version of our night prayer:

“Thank You Óðinn and Frigga for the world around us.
Thank You Freyja for the love in our lives.
Thank You Freyr and Gerða for the wonderful food.
Thank You Loki, Angrboða, and Sigyn for laughter, protection, and perseverance.
Thank You þórr and Síf for strength and generosity.
Thank You Skaði and Ullr for hunting and survival.
Thank You Heimdall for guarding the Gate.
Thank You Sunna and Máni for the cycle of our days.
Thank You Hela for the connection with our Dead.
Thank You Brighid and Bres for inspiration and truth.
Thank You Lykeios and Lupa for ferocity and kindness.
Thank You Bast and Anubis for pleasure and Opening of the Ways.
Thank You Sekhmet for Your fierceness.
Thank You Djehuti for wisdom and magic.
Thank You landvættir and húsvættir for our home.
Thank You Ancestors for our lives.
Be with us when we sleep. Ves þú heil.
Be with us when we wake. Ves þú heil.”

The short version:

“Thank You Gods, Ancestors, and vættir for a good day.
Be with us when we sleep. Ves þú heil.
Be with us when we wake. Ves þú heil.”

Both of these prayers establish a very basic cosmology. In the long version of the night prayer we have accorded thanks for specific things that we understand of Them, through Them, and with Them that They have blessed us with, demonstrated in Their myths, and/or otherwise embody. The second prayer is fairly straightforward, and through both versions of our night prayers we are continuously establishing the good things in our lives come through the Gods, and hailing Them for being with us when we sleep and wake. The night prayers are a continuation and maintainer of relationship. It being a rote prayer not only helps with words when we are tired, it also establishes and maintains what our hearth cultus looks like, and is accessible to all the members of the family and any guests who are present and/or care to join us, regardless of age.

I think that accessibility is also emblematic of what beginner/foundational material needs to be. Intermediate and advanced topics will likely not make as much sense without the beginning material, and additional learning and work at that level. Intermediate and advanced topics may not be accessible to everyone even if the information present at each level is. Intermediate and advanced topics may have gatekeeping which can depend on what the particular requirements of a practice or topic are, any initiatory requirements, or specialized knowledge and experience one has to have in order to engage with it. As beginner topics and practice are the foundation of everything else, I continuously revisit it whether through the prayers (such as morning prayers, meal prayers, night prayers, prayers during struggle, etc.) or through simple spiritual hygiene (cleansing, grounding, centering, and shielding) exercises.

I do not see that magic itself is an intermediate or advanced topic. There are several forms of magic that are incredibly accessible at the beginner level that require only a basic understanding of cosmology and a basic understanding of the Sálættr, such as how to bring together one’s Will to enact change through Megin or Önd, and any ritual items that might be needed to perform a spell or maintain the desired magical effect. Creating taufr, a physical magical charm, can be as simple as carving a symbol into a given piece of wood, metal, plastic, etc. If you want to add some more souls to the taufr you can breathe on it (working with Önd), chant over it (kvæði), or sing a Rune over it while carving it (galdr). A simple candle spell can be a word, such as protection, written on a piece of paper and placed beneath or near the candle’s holder while it burns.

Intermediate Topics

Intermediate topics do more than merely build on the foundation. A lot of beginner topics themselves build on the foundations, such as blót, which is built on the basics of one’s worldview, is accessible to anyone, and to do well requires a solid understanding of why and how to conduct a ritual. Up to now I have avoided a word that I think summarizes a key difference to both intermediate and advanced from beginner topics: risk. Generally speaking, unless someone is intentionally being wildly inappropriate in a basic blót ritual, there is little risk to the practitioner or their communities. As we get into intermediate topics, the risk of harm to oneself and others as a result of your choice to pursue the given topic, increases.

As an example: seiðr, a topic that I can easily see float between intermediate and advanced depending on what the objective of the seiðr work is, which vættir are involved with it, and how the seiðr is engaged with. The risks to seiðr vs that of a simple candle cleansing are immense. A simple candle spell for protection generally involves just you, the eldrættr (fire spirit), and whomever the protection is being done for. The interaction with the eldrvættr can pose a risk, spiritually and physically, but they are much safer and less risky, spiritually speaking, than engaging with seiðr.

Seiðr requires not only a firm grasp of the beginner topics that undergird Heathenry, it also requires a knowledge of and experience in working with magic and vættir. It also requires the person to know what kind of seiðr they wish to engage in, e.g. if they wish to employ gandr, involve galdr, to -riða (‘ride’), and/or if the purpose of the seiðr is for divination purposes, aka spá. To do well and as safely as possible, seiðr also requires a keen sense of discernment on the part of the seiðmaðr, what vættir one wishes to involve in the seiðr, and how one wishes the seiðr to come about. Each additional factor can add another layer of complication and risk. Each additional factor presents a possible point of failure to the ritual if it is done poorly, incorrectly, or the vættir are unwilling to cooperate.

When it comes to esoteric work with Runes, I tend to see Runework starting off as intermediate. This is because you need to have a good grasp of the place they hold in modern Heathenry, what the historical sources do and do not say, study of the Runes Themselves, study of the Rune poems, and a keen sense of discernment whether one is working with the Runevættir for magic or divination. As with seiðr, I see the increasing presence of complexity and risk a good reason that it can cross into an advanced topic.

Advanced Topics

As the complexity, depth, and nuance required to usefully engage with a topic increases, usually alongside the risk when it comes to esoteric subjects, is where I see the line between intermediate and advanced topics. While seiðr may start out as just working with vættir to affect a desired change or maintain a state of being, as it grows in complexity, risk, and points of failure, I feel it crosses from intermediate to advanced. Given how risky gandr work can be, I would tend to see it as advanced. This also goes for any of the various -riða, such as kaldriða (cold-rider), trollrið (troll-rider, ‘riders of witchcraft’ per Price, p78) as it requires specialized knowledge and skill to hamfara, fare forth in one’s Hamr.

Risk is not the only factor, though, in whether I understand that a topic is advanced. It may require specialized knowledge, or especially, in my view, experience. The difference between someone getting started in Runework and someone who has experience in working with the Runes can be quite stark. The beginner in Runework is at an intermediate topic level because they need to have the foundation of the Heathen cosmology, how magic in it works, what vættir are, how Ørlög and Urðr work, and in what manners Runes may operate through and with both vættir and with/through/in Ørlög and Urðr prior to doing anything of substance with the Runevættir. Learning the names of the Runes, the poems, and ways in which to work with Them on a basic level are part of that intermediate exploration and learning. However, advanced topics, such as how to apply Runevættir for an effective healing ceremony, require knowledge, practical experience with the Runes, and an understanding of how to effectively work with Them. In short, advanced topics require wisdom.

Why bother with Intermediate and Advanced Topics?

With so many potential points of failure, why would a person even bother engage in seiðr should candle magic be more reliable? Why would we put more of our souls at risk to harm if all that was needed to heal would be to do a small prayer, make blót, and move on? Sometimes we need more. It might be that we need the ritual drama to believe that we are actually able to heal. I would not discount this, as this is itself a powerful factor. However, when intermediate and advanced topics are needing to be engaged with, I find it is often because the beginner topics are not at a sufficient depth or level of skill to handle it.

I hasten to point out that many, if not most Heathens, have no need to engage with intermediate and advanced topics, such as Runework or seiðr. Often what folks need on the everyday does not rise to that level of risk/reward, or sink to that level of need for the kind of intervention that seiðr or heavy Runework calls for. Beginner topics are not ‘baby’ topics, they are foundational and everyone, regardless of how little or how long they have been a Heathen, engages in and with them regularly. You do not just stop engaging with foundational Heathen topics unless you are completely setting aside Heathenry. Everyone who is a Heathen actually needs the beginner topics because they are key to practicing Heathenry and getting anywhere with a given intermediate or advanced topic.

The direct answer to the question in this section is that for many folks there is no need to dig deeper, soar higher, or go within with regards to any of the intermediate or advanced topics one could think of. It is entirely possible to live a gratifying, beautiful, well-informed, and well-experienced Heathen life without so much as exploring soul lore, touching the Runes, doing seiðr, engaging in gandir, or even making taufr. I think that, between the wellspring of interest in the topics, among many, that there is much to be gained by engaging with them, but there is certainly not a need to. That is, until there is a need for them.

Going Forward

So with my view firmly that we are consistently engaging with, and going back to beginner topics, what about going forward? When is it ideal to go forward with an intermediate topic?

I think if you have the drive, desire, or determination to learn about a given topic then it is a good time to explore it. I find that it is far better to engage with a topic on these terms than need. Looking at the Rune Poems for Nauðiz, generally glossed as ‘need’ or ‘constraint’, provides good reason for why:

Icelandic Rune Poem:

Constraint

grief of the bond-maid
and state of oppression
and toilsome work.

Norwegian Rune Poem:

Constraint gives scant choice;
a naked man is chilled by the frost.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:

Trouble is oppressive to the heart;
yet often it proves a source of help and salvation
to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.

By the time you need something you are going to want to be able to address the need or constraint. Far better to have studied, learned, experimented, and experienced prior to needing to. Since so many folks have divergent interests in Heathen spaces, it is likely that someone has done research and/or has practical experience in whatever topic you want to engage with. While not everyone needs to learn Runework, seiðr, how to make taufr, etc., there is enough potential need within the Heathen communities that even if your personal slice of the communities never makes use of what you learn on a given topic, someone in the greater communities will sooner or later. It is no waste to learn, to try, to experiment, to fail, to succeed, and to grow in wisdom.

Going Back

I experience going from advanced to intermediate topics when I refresh myself, come at the sources I have with new eyes, or try a new technique or book on the topic at hand. I will still pick up beginner books on working with the Runes because it is entirely possible I have missed something or just do not know a given technique. It also helps to be able to give informed critiques and recommendations! I still re-read books on Runic inscriptions, such as Terje Spurkland’s Norwegian Runes and Inscriptions. I have enjoyed Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen’s YouTube series on the Runes and still return to them. I am wrapping up working through The Norse Sorceress by Leszek Gardela, Sophie Bonding, and Peter Pentz. I have found it to be much like The Viking Way by Neil Price: it is a wonderful treasure trove of historical and archaeological information, exploration, and bringing together of diverse, and wonderful insights.

I hope that, if anyone takes anything from this, it is that we do not just stay in one mode with beginner, intermediate, and advanced material. We are, to borrow a term from conversations between Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen and Tyson Yunkaporter, dialoguing with the past, present, and future as surely with the topic at hand as with ourselves, and likewise, with and between our communities. We are co-creating Urðr with our past understanding and experiences in the present, and into the future, both individually and communally. So of course, I also see us as at least potentially shifting at times between beginner, intermediate, and advanced modes of operating depending on the circumstances at hand. There are some areas in which I do not have any expertise at all despite having experience with certain vættir, such as herbalism, in which I trust others to have the requisite knowledge and understanding. I am very much a beginner here, and only have so much energy to devote to learning and experiencing things. While I have a long and solid relationship with Ama Una, (Grandmother Joy), Mugwort, I am no herbalist. Mercifully, I not only do not need to know everything, I do not need to be an expert in everything. Thank the Ginnreginn for communities!

So much of this dialogue is taking place between spiritual specialists that it is important to keep in mind that most folks are exclusively, or mostly, practicing exoterically. That is, most folks are engaged in and with the outward-facing portions of the religions, while only a relative few are esoteric practitioners, folks who engage with a religion or practice’s hidden or specialized knowledge. Of those that are engaging in esoteric practices, even fewer are actually specialists of any stripe, and because our numbers are so few, many specialists have to wear multiple hats out of necessity to our calling, interests, and/or communities’ needs. The lines of what constitutes a beginner, intermediate, and advanced topic is in fairly consistent flux, and depends on the communities involved, and the expectations those communities hold. While dialogues like this one can open up how we talk about these things, and how we might look at them going forward, these are ultimately inter-and-intra-community dialogues. This post, and those like it, are one in a series of conversations that are hashed out between individuals, communities, and between our communities as folks join, grow, develop, look at old material with fresh eyes, learn wholly new information, have experiences, and bring what wisdom is theirs to bear.