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Voluspa: Seidhr as Wyrd Consciousness
 
 
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Voluspa: Seidhr as Wyrd Consciousness (Paperback)

by Yngona Desmond (Author)
Key Phrases: seething void, mystic metaphor, energy weavings, Pole Star, Hella's Hall, Mimir's Well (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
List Price: $19.99
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Seiðr is profound intuition and ineffable wisdom, Völuspá is the single most important text on seiðr - the European 'shamanistic' tradition. This is the only book that explains them both with remarkable depth and clarity. A must read for anyone who seeks to rekindle Heathenry's spiritual fire in their every day life!

Product Details

  • Paperback: 130 pages
  • Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (January 25, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1419618415
  • ISBN-13: 978-1419618413
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
seething void, mystic metaphor, energy weavings, verse commentary, inhaling breath, gods gathering
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pole Star, Hella's Hall, Mimir's Well, God's Doom, Gods of Victory, Open Sky, Nine Worlds, Gods of the Slain, Highest Cave, Nail Ship, Urd's Well, Hella's Way, Illustrious Bellower, Lunar Year Destroyer, Old Norse, Victorious Delight, Warder of Midgarth, Wolf Age, Against Surt, Atharva Veda, Axe Age, Choosers of the Slain, Cron Huel, Dark Moon Fields, Dashing of Surf
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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, February 7, 2007
By S. Thayer "MDraycott" (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I heard such good things about this book and was very eager to read it. However, my excitement evaporated with every turn of the page. While the author seems to have a thorough knowledge of the lore involved, and an above-average grasp of the academic perspective, it did little to outweigh the ongoing conjecture. The book is rather one-sided in presentation of the mysterious topic of seid and much of it is just opinion without any real supporting basis.
I can appreciate the author's attempt to illuminate, but for individuals who are looking to immerse themselves in seid as it is shown in the sagas and Edda, this book misses the mark. The author would be better to omit the `seid' from the title and text and simply present it as a treatise on her own speculative soothsaying practices based loosely on the Völuspá.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating, July 7, 2007
Voluspa: Seidth as Wyrd Consciousness, is one of the most frustrating books that I may have ever read. Granted, I'm not a scholar on her level, but the book is written only for people who are.

Desmond shows in this book that she has an amazing grasp on the scholarship of the lore, and a great deal of insight into the shamanic practice of Seidth. After reading this book, however I'm just not sure what I learned about it.

I consider myself to be pretty decent with language and vocabulary skills, but this book leaves me at a loss. The vocabulary is thick and off-putting, as Desmond prefers to use the most esoteric terminology possible in any situation. She introduces terminology without bothering to define it. As a heathen myself, I've read a decent number of books which use terms like wyrd, orlog, maegen and the like, but I've sure never heard of tivar before. If you decide to take on this book, make sure you bring a dictionary.

There is so much information and knowledge, but it feels like it's coming completely from left field. She makes broad generalizations based on specifics, but lists no particular rationale for why she feels that way. For instance, why does she choose to refer to Ymir as Aurgelmir, and what basis does she have for changing his name? Why does she assume that there must be 12 Hlidskalf-like ledges around the 9 worlds based on the fact that she knows of two?

She cites sources in a way that doesn't explain why she is using them, so the basis for the information is lost. For instance, on page 21 she states, after introducing Ymir "Connectedly, this relates to the Indo-European model of sound as the first of all things created, in conjunction with Fire and Ice (1)." OK, fair enough. That's a citation that I can understand. The following paragraph, however, contains a lot more information that is not cited : "Aurgelmir (Ymir), exclusively, is the triple enclosure, father to Thrudgelmir, grandfather to Bergelmir. These three are resonance chambers..." That, surely, was not to be found in the poem's lines, nor does it relate to the previous source in any way, nor have I encountered information like this elsewhere. How do you know the names of Ymir's children? If it's a UPG, fine, but please, please mention that so that we know! This is easily the most frustrating aspect of this book.

While Voluspa is an intense study on the poem of Voluspa, it is a frustrating read for anyone who is interested in approaching the subject from a purely scholarly level. This book intermingles a great deal of scholarly knowledge with what I can only assume is a great deal of UPG. Unfortunately, based on the way that she has cited this book, there's no way to tell which is which, and that is what leads me to give this book a low rating. If she would only have cited some of her sources!!!!!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars I wouldn't call it "scholarly", December 10, 2007
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars very confusing
This book is in my stack of books on their way to the used bookstore. I found it a very difficult and confusing read. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Amanda Hill

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the effort
I found the book definitely not scholarly, the grammar was horrible and totally drowned any sense of direction of the work. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sweet Swede

5.0 out of 5 stars Free Will
This book has opened up a whole new understanding, a whole new world to me personally!

I truly believe, had I not taken the time to read the lore, I would not have... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Shawnna Otten

4.0 out of 5 stars (finally) a good study of völuspá
It has been a while since I read this book, and this is the second time I'm reading it, and I have to agree with what the other reviewer said about the editing, it's worthless... Read more
Published 20 months ago by W. J. M. Cuijpers

5.0 out of 5 stars A call from well...
I loved this book,before I started I thought it might be just another stupid book on esoteric heathendom, how wrong. This is a little gem that I will read many times. Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Wishart

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Insight
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,... Read more
Published on April 25, 2007 by S. Plowright

5.0 out of 5 stars Seidr Study with Serious Substance and Style
This is a must have book for anyone studying Nordic shamanistic practices. Desmond is not only an astute scholar; she understands the practice from an experiential point of view... Read more
Published on May 31, 2006 by Misha Nogha

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book on Seidr
Yngona Desmond has really brought together the best of her abilities as Shaman, with scholarship and a true desire to present the practice of Seidr in context of Lore. Read more
Published on May 23, 2006 by A. Ashford-Trotter

5.0 out of 5 stars Strand by strand
Each page is like a strand of the grand weave of life and she explains with such detail, each strand within the weave. Read more
Published on May 16, 2006 by Sara Tholl

5.0 out of 5 stars Some problems with format but otherwise exceptional
Ok I have to admit I have been conflicted about this work. On the one hand, there are problems with format- there are no chapters, sections with endnotes ended and the next... Read more
Published on May 4, 2006 by Freysson

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