SHAMANS SONG CALL OF THE OLD WAYS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

BY Sarah Braen Scott & Belgarath OldWolf

Started APRIL 10,2016 Finished JUNE 1,2016
I spoke to Belgarath OldWolf at length on the path of the Vitki. We covered many topics, this is
an article based on those conversations. On the path of the Vitki, Wikipedia is not your friend. There
are many misrepresentations. This article has been corrected by Belgarath OldWolf.
While many say that we walk the path of the old ways how many of us truly walk the walk
as well as talk the talk? Do we truly know what it means to look back in time and follow a path that
is true in form? If one is interested, truly interested, then maybe following the shamanic path is for you.
Belgarath OldWolf follows the Vitki or wise ones, which is an old Norse, Icelandic and
Teutonic style path that gives illumination to these principles. Vitki is not a well known path by
modern practitioners, and it bears a bit of explanation. The Teutons are the ancestors of, the English,
German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish people.
Because of the current Gregorian calendar, Its hard to pinpoint exactly when the Vikti actually
lived and practiced. They were thought to be around well before the fall of Rome. The traditions of the
Germanic Teutonic tribes influenced early Indo-European traditions, Gallic, Spanish and Italian
languages for example. Modern reconstructions of shamanic practices of the old Norse religions often
make references to the early iron age.
Vitki is a combination of the Troth, Rune Galdr and Seith. When someone specialized in a
certain area of this practice, they were given different titles.
The Priests of the tribes are both male(Godhi)and female (Gydhja) and practice their magic
through the use of Runes, which are a system of secrets and mysteries. The word Rune has two
meanings: to whisper or roar' and to inquire or ask. As time moved on it became a system of letters
for the common people.
Examples of inner magic are the seith (seidr) workers, who use a type of trance magic for
manipulation of reality. Seidr took a few forms. One of these was animal possession. In the workings of
the Norse Vanir and Aesir deities, Odin and Freya are prime examples of this. Odin used his horse,
Sleipnir, to travel the worlds and his ravens, Huginn and Muninn to see and hear all. Seidr was also
known as a form of "spinning" magic. The spinning of charms on a distaff was a way of ensnaring and
hexing enemies. This spinning could also be used to trap a soul inside an object, such as a poppet.
Additionally, seidr was controversial because it was often associated with sex magic, particularly
because sometimes practitioners were said to raise their energies through orgasm.Though practiced by
men and women, this art was viewed as the realm of females due to the association with spinning.
Males who practiced such were often viewed as "unmanly." The ancients believed they had to
fight to work, eat, and survive in a hostile world. Therefore they sought pleasure where they could find
it, and tried not to die or be killed in the process, though dieing in battle was an honor. Their
philosophy: Always do the best you can, to help others in your community, to be independent and
accomplish goals on ones own. One must work hard to make a living and take care of the elderly and
ones family. With the old practices, both the men and women practiced and performed the old
shamanic rites and lived their own truths or troth. There was no hierarchy as we know it currently.
In the Saga of Eric the Red, the Volva were often described as wearing a blue cloak trimmed
with ermine and a black headpiece. They walked between the worlds to perform soul retrieval magic.

A Vitki works with many aspects of the universe. Their working includes an anchor, a poem or
song, and a symbol. The Vitki positive aspects are of healing and protection, bringing in game, blessing
the warriors, and fixing ones fate . The negative aspects involved curses, causing poverty and injuring
livestock though fixing fate can go both ways.
One very well known Old Norse Galdrastafir, or magical stave is called the Helm of Awe or
Aegishjalmr It is a staff or symbol of Protection and victory or prevailing all enemies that stand in its
way. In the poetic Eddas, the Dragon Fafnir, from whom the Helm of Awe was re-won, states: I work
before the sons of man in defense of my treasure. Amongst all, I alone stand strong, I thought to
myself, for I found no power a match to my own The Helm of Awe is said to be placed in the center of
the forehead by heated lead or metal and be magically charged to inspire fear and awe in the face of the
enemy.
The use of Galdr is a kind of mantra, or chant, a calling or yelling out. In this day and age we
have access to books of knowledge our ancestors didn't. There are rune poems that abound. Some
authors use originals this is a good place to start but to make the runes your own you should write your
own poems based on what the runes are and mean to you. The Galdrs were incantations, often sung by
both men and women, which were used as spells. Galdrs served many purposes, as diverse as aiding
childbirth, to driving an enemy to madness, and destroying ships or armor to cause victory or defeat in
battle.
The most notable tool of the Vitki are the Runes. These are carved in wood, stone, metal and
bone these days. Belgarath prefers Runes carved in copper, as they last longer and hold the energy of
the Rune carved on them with little chance of them breaking. Runes should be blessed by your hand by
your blood. Through the use of the staves, they can influence and empower the world, and perform
deep inner magic as well as read the web of Wyrd.
In times of need the runes or bind runes can be carved on items for healing, prosperity and
protection. Ever use a walking stick? At one time they were actually used as weapons. Walking sticks
could have been charged by rune song or poems, the runes that may have been carved on them were
used for magical defense and enhanced their power. While runes or staves were often used or carried.
While looking at the sheath of a sword one can see the runes if one has the knowledge.
Tools such as the runes and galdrs may be used in concert with each other to further a difficult
working, such as a complicated healing process. Many of the deities mentioned herein may also be
called upon for such a working.
Belgarath OldWolf gave the example of a lady he recently worked with and worked to heal.
When she was approximately six or seven years old, her grandmother turned and had occasion to hit
her in the forehead with a shovel. Repeated tests have shown no brain damage, but this led to her
becoming an open gateway, allowing beings from many pantheons into her without any true control
over when, where or why it happened. What I did was to spiritually weld the main beings, including
herself, into one. This allowed her to partake of and be involved in the events when a spirit was present
within her, to be aware of her energies, and to feel more grounded in the process. This is a very rare
situation. People like these, when they were discovered in the past, were revered as a connection to the
deities.

Seidr work is performed in Finland by the Saami people and Siberians. The indigenous peoples
believed in the Jotuns(giants) and the gods and goddesses of the Aesir and Vanir. Modern people who
work with the Jotun tend to believe they are a balance to the Vanir and Aesir. The ancient believed that
every element and entity had a spirit attached, fire and ice, the trees and oceans, the mountains were
sacred beings. Ancient beings called the Rokkr were considered much much more dark and primal and
actually predated the later Aesir and Vanir gods and Goddesses of the northern pantheons. Rokkr means
twilight, shadow and darkness. Included in this grouping were: Hela, goddess of death, Loki, the
trickster god, Sur, the fire giant, Fenris the cosmic wolf, Angrboda, who is the mother goddess and the
teacher of seidir, and Jormundgind(or Iormunjaand), the world serpent.
The Aesir and Vanir deities derive from the Viking and iron age in history. Freya and Frey
represent a repository of many groups. The warrior, sexuality, agriculture and sacrifice, and trance
magic are among their many correspondences.
Odin, the main god of Asgard, represents shamanic power at its finest, the shamanic warrior, the
nine worlds, Mimir and the Norns. Some of his correspondences are Ravens, wolves, the Runes, and
almost impossible ordeals and tasks.
So who makes up the Vitki now? Many people; male and female, straight, wife and husband,
gay, straight and bisexual find a great connection with these deities through shamanism. Some people
choose to focus on the lighter side aspects, and some on the darker aspects of the practices and its
deities. Because there are darker aspects to it, some would consider this a left hand path tradition.
There are also many left hand path practitioners who are immersed in and find connection with
modernized shamanism. While many help the community, some are looking for an extra ego and power
boost. It all depends on what the individual is seeking. In many cases the Shamanistic connection is
very spontaneous. The individual is seeking stability in life, a deep search for knowledge, ascension
and enlightenment. They want to challenge the gods, not just blindly worship them. Left handed
practitioners realize that they have the power of the gods within them, and have certain qualities. They
recognize the powers of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence within their spiritual selves ,
practice and they have a deep need to learn. To them, with knowledge comes power. They practice what
they preach, and realize they are the magic. Their bodies are full of energy, they are knowledgeable
of their human potential and know that they can in fact be gods themselves. In that knowledge they
know they have to answer to no one but themselves.
Many neo-pagans and modern day shamans of both sides may very well be turning to a new
style of shamanic practice, affectionately known as Techno shamanism where urban modern views
are blended with ancient wisdom and mysticism. Ones oven may now become the hearth. A hand
written book of shadows may now be a disk of shadows. Sacred geometry is mixed with physics and
spirituality with modern science. Techno-pagans find modern skyscrapers, cityscapes, cars and modern
devices as totems and sacred objects. They also use modernized tools, such as a wand made from a
walkie talkie with a crystal installed in it, a mediation chair to assist in entering a trance state, and other
modern elements. These allow them to enhance their abilities and become one with their power.
Belgarath thinks that this allows the mind to expand but does not allow the body to grow with it as it is
mind, body, and spirit.
As a Modern day Vikti, its still possible to work with necromancy and the spirits, demons,
dragons and angels, herbs, crystal healing, and cancer cures and supplements.

For example, some people work with demons. In many cases its possible to bind a demon
through squares and sigils, sometimes with blood magic involved. Contrary to what people think,
however, demons are not evil in the traditional sense. They actually have something to teach the
modern practitioner, and those practitioners want to test their theory and activate it. Visions may appear
in red. They want you to practice, practice, and practice some more. From experience, Belgarath has
mentioned that a demonic energy is a very dense energy. It is important to show no fear because to do
so can lead to some unpleasant results, if one is not worthy to receive the information. It can screw with
ones head. Never summon anything if you can not banish it. Some would think a demon is the
opposite of an angel. Belgarath thinks that they are beings who exist but refuse to serve as angels do.
But every culture has its demons, all Belgarath can figure out so far on his path is that it is a being with
its own agenda.
Belgarath was asked once, on social media, about his views on curses. The individual
questioned how an individual would even know they are cursed or know to attribute some harm to a
curse unless they were told about it. But then the same individual wanted to remind him that There is
no such thing as a small curse, and that you must be willing to accept the consequences if you use
them. From this it can be seen that the same person can hold multiple views on some elements of this
practice.
In regards to his own path, Belgarath states that most of the curses he may need to use seem to
manifest shortly after they are done. But this also falls under spell work, know that it is done. He is
relatively new to what you may call dark magic, but takes requests and lets the person who requested
said spell watch and report the results. As for the spell sticking to you, you do change a bit, and he has
become more confident in his workings. Results seem to be faster and as he speaks to beings, he learns
more. He has found some beings are willing to help you to a degree if you are all love and light, but
when you are ready to get your hands dirty, they are more willing to help you all around. To some,
magic is about helping others. Belgarath says that I have found that if I cant help myself , I cant help
others, so I do some spell work that some people would definitely call dark. Now that Ive realized I
can't help others if I cant grow, I had to learn more about magic, well, healing will only take you so
far, so Ive learned more. Im still learning. I have worked with the runes since the age of 14. I am still
learning how to make them stronger. So to grow and be in balance you need to be in balance and
understand both the light and dark.
It is important to note that limiting ones knowledge is to limit ones path. A practitioner
expecting shamanism to be solely a healing path and to limit oneself to one pantheon can limit ones
experience.
On a more personal level, Belgarath OldWolf tells our readers that shamanism taps into the
healing aspects of the path. He currently practices as a Reiki master/instructor with about 23 different
Reiki styles that he began learning after having served in the U.S. Army. Reiki raises the vibrations of
the body. Some of his styles of Reiki include Usui, Sekhem-Seichim, Vibrational (which includes
tuning forks), and his own personal style called Bacchus Reiki, he expanded his knowledgeable start
after he had been injured in accident at his job.
Bacchus Reiki was created when Belgarath started thinking about ethereal herbs, ethereal
crystals , and ethereal flowers. He thought why not ethereal booze, as it has many healing properties?
Bacchus Reiki uses the drinks people are familiar with to help relax them and sends the ethereal drink
to help heal the person. Belgarath points out that not everyone responds to traditional modes of healing.
Using alcohol and even tobacco in a proper mode results in an extra boost of energy, and an increase in
vibration. By blessing tobacco people have noticed a change in flavor and energy. It is also important to

note that in many cultures tobacco is regarded by shamans as sacred medicine, and beer was used by
the ancients to tap into universal heritage and healing long before they knew what it was actually for.
Many modern pagans as well as the ancients enjoy and enjoyed Mead. The Vikings made mead
often, as it was a popular drink. Mead makers traditionally incorporated many of the hives components,
including the honey, pollen, royal jelly and bee venom into their fermentation. Mead was served during
weddings, and was thought to cure illness, and help women to conceive and was often used as
traditional medicine. The tradition was that an newlywed couple would be given one moon's worth,
or about 30 days worth of mead, which they would drink to encourage virility and fertility, hoping for
conception of a child in the first moon after the wedding. This has led to the modern term
honeymoon and the full moon in June is also called the Honey Moon. More modern tradition holds
that mead completed during this full moon has a greater potency. Vikings also drank it often during
their rituals, because they thought it promoted longevity.
Which leads to another point about shamanism and magic. Tradition is always a good starting
point for magic. Combined with science, it is ever expanding and evolving. Shamans can tap into more
than one type of universal energy including trees, crystals, herbs, elemental and animal energy. Look at
wild carrot, for example. It has many healing properties including the treatment of flatulence and colic,
it also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Because it is excreted out of the body it was used to
treat urinary infections and kidney stones. It was thought to be an excellent contraceptive and enhanced
cardiac function as a calcium channel blocker in the treatment of angina. Because of its photo chemical
properties it can be used to treat cataracts.
Many shamans have worked with both human and animal bones and skulls in the past and
though it is no longer appropriate in todays western society, some practitioners still do. Skulls at one
time possessed a face, and they carry certain properties and an ambient energy or force that we can use
to communicate with the spirits and the ancestors.
Today, it is perhaps much more appropriate to use crystal skulls to connect with the same
consciousness and vibration. When meditating on a crystal skull, it is possible to perform divination
and scrying. If you decide to use Crystal skulls for shamanic work, here are a few good suggestions:
Clear Quartz, which is used to ask specific questions and is good for any spiritual work in general;
Amethyst, good for the third eye, sobriety, scrying, furthering knowledge, occult, death, poisoning and
spell workings; Sodalite and Azurite, stones for the mind, thoughts, calming, clarity, and dispelling fear
and guilt; Lapis, a blue stone which is actually a combination of calcite, sodalite and pyrite, which is
good for relief of anger and negativity, also for opening the third eye, stimulating the pineal gland and
meditation; Jade, which is good for relaxation, stress reduction, luck, dream retrieval, wisdom and life
force; Maw sit sit, a rare green stone because of the chromium deposits, is known for its connection to
yin and yang and to the divine, as well as self reliance and bringing goals to reality. This is just a small
sampling of what crystal skulls can be used for.
One caveat to keep in mind is that, while some shamanic paths use mind altering substances or
alcohol, it is not recommended to use such substances until you are very well versed in the shamanic
traveling. It can take you further and faster than your body or mind can handle which can bring on a
dark night of the soul before you are ready to handle it. Use of mind altering drugs and over
practicing this kind of shamanism in an unhealthy way can cause an individual to experience a mental
breakdown or even bring them to the brink of mental illness. One must learn to separate and be able to
return back to reality.
In conclusion, a shamanic path is a journey, and not always the easiest path to follow. It is
composed of many parts, not all are traditional but they have the same results. The shaman works with
the essence of spiritual matters.

Belgarath OldWolf stated: I always try to be the best I can be. To be honest is the best policy
because it affects my vibration and abilities and greater truths. What we are presenting here is just a
basic guideline, a search to the practice of ones truth.
Veiztu hve rista skal

Do you know how to carve?

Veiztu hve rada skal

Do you know how to interpret?

Veiztu hve fa skal

Do you know how to color?

Veiztu hve freista skal

Do you know how to test?

Veiztu hve bidja skal

Do you know how to ask?

Veiztu hve blota skal

Do you know how to sacrifice?

Veiztu hve senda skal

Do you know how to send?

Veiztu hve soa skal

Do you know how to stop?

Havamal 144