Voluspa: Seidhr as Wyrd Consciousness

I met Yngona many years ago in my youth. Her wisdom she shared with me stayed with me. I decided to look her up again to discover that she had written books and blogs about seidhr and wyrd. I found that the wisdom she imparted to me many years ago, she has refined it and continues to grow and teach.

This work suffers from one over-riding flaw: a mis-understanding of the All-father and a resultant mis-understanding of the Voluspa. For those who don't already know, the Voluspa is a work of prophecy recording a question and answer session between Odin and a dead volva (witch-seer-prophetess...kinda) that he summons to ask about the Wyrd (fate...kinda)of the Gods. Seidr is a northern "shaman-like" process of investigating the nine worlds and, obviously, their Wyrd. So...you can see why I had to purchase this book based on the title alone. Seidr IS Wyrd-conciousness...the direct experience of the inner workings of the worlds. And the Voluspa is THE most important piece of Seidr we have as it concerns the ending of the worlds.But early on I realised that Ms. Desmond was not going to discuss the Voluspa as it stands but through her own particular lenses of Theosophy and more obvious eastern philosophical influences. Everyone has such lenses and I wouldn't desire to deny Ms. Desmond hers, but I, personally, am Odin's man and looking at the Northern Gods through the lenses of Pure-Land Buddhism and eclectic paganism does me almost no good and furthermore, in this case, led to her errors of understanding.She begins by defining seidr as a form of magic identified with Odin. Actually, what Odin knows of seidr he learned from the goddess Freya. While Odin is definitely a great traveler between the worlds, for this task, even he consults an expert.There is also a recurring suggestion that Odin distrusts women and finds their uncontrolled sexuality "distasteful". Anyone familiar with Odin's travels would recall that most of them involve some sexual exploit also. Odin seems to be a great lover of women and appreciative of their sexuality. It is Ms. Desmond's Theosophy that demonizes sex, not Odin. (Which is why she states on pg 64 that "The most dedicated of seidhus will refrain from regular sexual relations, knowing that the body's sap, once depleted, takes time to replenish itself.")On pages 30-31, she advocates the use of "hemp" as an anodyne...seriously? "Hemp?" Her source for that little piece of Nordic Wisdom is "Siva, the Hindu Supreme Being."My final complaint is Ms. Desmond's perpetual insistence that she is right and other ideas are simply not worth considering. OVER AND OVER she uses the word exclusively...and uses it strangely...uttering such phrases as "...Seidus, exclusively, like shamans must be left bare and exposed, as a corpse..." pg. 11; "...exclusively, the Ensi did not want to mix their force with Jotunic form..." pg. 43; "...exclusively, Gullveig-Heid, 'golden brilliance' is Earth Mother..." pg. 61. And other places I don't want to look up, right now. And...by the way...The Ensi (most of us call them the Ase) mixed their force with the Jotuns all the time. Thor's mother is a Jotun and the mother of his sons is a Jotun. And I'm convinced that Heid is Freya...not Earth Mother.I'll hope that the use of "alter" instead of "altar" is an editor's mistake.Lastly...Ms. Desmond may be well respected in her circles, but she is not "Vinland's Volva". Exclusively, this work should be avoided by students of the Voluspa.

I thought this was not only an excellent read, but also an exploration, a dip into deep waters. Nearly every page gave me something to ponder or contemplate and I must admit it took me awhile to read just for that reason, I had to put it down and think about it. I very much recommend this book, but will readily admit that not all will find the waters inviting, but I urge you to try. You just might be re-awakened.

I really like this book. I wish the editing was better.

This book is one of a new wave of Northern Esoteric works now becoming available that have gone beyond the quaint 19th Century romanticism, Third Reich occultism, New-Age fantasy, and "post-modernist" drivel that has infected much of the Northern revival of the late 20th Century.Based on her academic study of Old Norse and the historical sources, Yngona has translated the Voluspa with care, accuracy, and insight. She has then applied her extensive practical experience of shamanism to gain deeper insights into this "Prophesy of the Seeress".Unlike many esoteric works, she does not make unsubstantiated claims about the historical record, but takes a good look at the facts and offers her interpretations honestly. Of course the process requires a reasonable amount of speculation, but she never seems to be pushing a political or philosophical agenda, as is so common in Northern Esoteric books of the 1980s & 90s.For anyone interested in a Northern esoteric path, this book is essential reading.SweynAuthor of The Rune Primer &  True Helm

I was disappointed by this book. I wish Yngona had just stuck to translating the Voluspa rather than injecting her bizarre interpretations into it. Although the translation seems nicely poetic, the original norse is not included and cannot be checked for accuracy. Apparently, she spends more time "actively monitoring ley lines", "assisting local Guardians with energy clean-up" and "reconnecting in a non-invasive manner with primal and ancestral energies" while communing with her "folk-soul" than she does performing scholarly research. This is definitely not a scholarly work as the first reviewer states, but is a new-agey, somewhat racist, poorly referenced work that left me wondering how anyone could possibly have mistaken this as a work of significant scholarship.

Truly a complete gem in the mass of Seidr books out now. This is the go to book to get real intimate and in depth.

This is an excellent book to read if you would like a deeper understanding of the Voluspa. Yngona Desmond delves deeper into the Voluspa than most authors and does a nice job of sighting her sources so the reader can follow up with further study if they so wish. I highly recommend this book.