Vegvísir: A Practical Guide to Runic and Icelandic Magic by C.A. Smith

Foreword. 8

Introduction. 11

PART 1:
PREPARING FOR THE MAGICAL LIFE

First Exercises. 22

Taking it further 32

An Introduction to Rune-lore. 43

Taking up the Runes. 89

The Magician’s Toolbox. 99

Ritual Magic. 108

 

PART 2:
THE TECHNIQUES OF RUNIC AND ICELANDIC MAGIC

Appeals to Supernatural Entities. 122

Incantation. 128

Runes and Bindrunes. 131

Galdrastafir and Galdramyndir 137

The Methods of Delivery. 155

Time and Space. 161

Sendings. 172

Divination. 187

Washing Rituals and the Helm of Awe. 196

A Sample Working. 201

‘Instant’ Magic. 208

 

APPENDICES

The Rune Gild. 213

The Rune Rows. 215

Of Málrúnir and the Rune-Kennings. 222

A Brief Guide to the Gods, Wights and Worlds. 229

A Select Compendium of Traditional Icelandic Spells. 236

 

Bibliography. 246

 

Index. 249

 

C.A. Smith writes:

"This is, I hope, the only point at which I may have to disappoint and disillusion the reader. If you are expecting the kind of magic which features in popular fiction - hurling thunderbolts, levitation, psychokinesis etc. - then you need to rethink things. I am not saying that such things are not possible; after all, it is better to keep an open mind, and I have heard some creditable accounts of such occurrences from other magicians; but when they occur, they often happen spontaneously and tend to surprise the magician as much as anyone else. Various attempts have been made to define operative magic. Michael Kelly, in “The Book of Ogham”, defines it as: “A technique by which a human being is able, by the power of volition, to affect events in subjective and/or objective reality, which given ordinary means would be impossible.” In other words, it is the art of changing things, situations and perceptions by acts of focused will. Although such acts do not accomplish their ends by the ‘normal’ physical, chemical or biological means, they nevertheless work in harmony with the laws of Nature. In “Circles of Power”, John Michael Greer gives a hypothetical example of trying to move or levitate a stone by means of a magical ritual. Common sense tells you that the stone is not simply going to fly; stones just don’t do that unless propelled by some other agency. However, you may be able work things so that a passing small boy picks up the stone and flings it, by coincidence.Personally, I think of magic as the art and science of changing the Narrative[1]. Narrative is not just a matter of idly telling stories; it is a powerful force in its own right, exerting itself through mythic reality, in ancient folktales, and in the story you tell yourself, day in, day out. Some narrative themes have such power that we can find ourselves reliving a ‘fairy tale’, step by step, especially when another significant person in our life knows the same tale and, consciously or not, plays it out with us. In Nordic mythology, our fates are determined at birth by the Norns, whose names are Urð, Verðandi and Skuld, which respectively have the meanings of ‘what has become’, ‘what is becoming (now)’ and ‘what should become (in the future)’. What has become - also known by the Old English name of Wyrd - is the most solid of the three. She represents all the deeds and actions of the past which form and bind you. For example, if you are born into a lowly family with a poor reputation, it is likely that you will find it difficult at first to make headway, as you lack financial resources and are judged on the basis of your family’s reputation, however hard you try. Verðandi, what is becoming, is a single, ever-moving point in the timeline of your life. She relates to everything that you are doing right now, and everything that is going on around you at this moment, where ‘now’ is constantly turning into ‘what has become’ and being replaced by a new ‘now’. Verðandi may seem ephemeral, but she is crucially important. The decisions and actions taken today will become, and add to, your Wyrd. The third Norn, Skuld, says what should become in the future, based on what has happened in the past and what you are doing right now. Not shall become, mind, but what should become; it is conditional, and depends on decisions, actions and influences which still lie ahead. Skuld’s name is also related to ‘Schuld’, the Dutch and German word for ‘debt’. The future is in debt to the past. If you take out a loan, you will have to repay it in the future, or take the consequences. On the other hand, it may lie within your power now to gain the means for repayment so that it falls lightly.[1] “Changing the narrative” has become something of a buzz-phrase these days. All too frequently, it has been cheapened in practice to mean ‘spin’ and Orwellian Newspeak - in other words, lies. Here you get the real deal." 

 

 

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"Remembering starts with recalling and reinstating our ancestral myths. The word ‘myth’ is frequently interpreted these days as a false or fanciful story but, in reality, the role of myths is to convey a profound truth in a symbolic and metaphorical way. They are the primal narrative, the narrative that sets the tone and pattern for all other narratives. All cultures throughout time have had their creation myths, and the peoples of Iceland and Scandinavia are no exception. We are fortunate that theirs was committed to writing in the Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress), Hávamál (Words of High One, or Odin) and Rígsþula (Lay of Rig) sections of the Poetic Edda, and elaborated on in the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Were it not for these sources, we would be much the poorer; if the Germanic peoples elsewhere in Europe had similar creation myths of their own, these were eradicated and forgotten after the Saxons and Angles of England converted, and after Charlemagne’s imposition of Christianity on the continental Germans." 

Christopher Alan Smith (b. 1954) has been a practising magician for all of his adult life. As a child, he was deeply drawn to tales of magic and mysticism and, at the age of 19, when a student at Sheffield University, he discovered his first books on practical magic. Following the initial fervour of graduating with an upper second in Political Theory and Institutions, he found himself faced with a philosophical crisis. Turning to occult philosophy for answers, he radically questioned everything that he had been taught to believe. In doing so, he found the old Gods of England. At first espousing Wicca (and founding a coven in North Yorkshire), he soon became drawn to the path of Woden, the one-eyed wanderer ever in search of knowledge, and the patron of sorcery. After many years of isolated searching and practice, Christopher joined the Rune Gild in 2006. He presented his Master- work and he was raised to the status of a Master of the Gild at Yule 2014. That Master-work formed the basis of his first book, “Icelandic Magic” (Avalonia, 2015).

Christopher now has many careers behind him. For the past twenty-four years, he has been a freelance translator, and continues to operate as such. He has travelled extensively, covering many
countries from Iceland to South Africa, and from Turkey to Chile. However, he counts being a father as his greatest achievement, having co-created a wonderful son and a wonderful daughter. His
experience as a father has, perhaps, shaped him more than anything else, and it may be why so many now refer to him as ‘Uncle Wednesday’.