Thank you Grinding.be.
Berzerkers and Odin as the Patron Saint of Outlaws
"Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who wore coats of wolf or bear skin and who were commonly understood to have fought in an uncontrollable rage or trance of fury; the berserkergang."
Here's an interesting paragraph on the use of berzerkers in modern society:
"Of what benefit is the berserkergang in a larger, societal sense? There are two ways this is possible. One is that such practices serve as "release valves" for those born too different to fit into society, who might otherwise employ their energies in a destructive manner. But the other use is the more important one, for it is the very function in society that Odin serves (his function as Lord of Valhalla is actually incidental and only secondary). This is the role of the seidh-man, the warg, the outlaw, a person who deliberately lives outside of society in order to grow along a different path. You see, that which is static is dead. Life needs change to sustain itself. But it is difficult to sustain real change from within, for in the long run society tends to the conservative, to the static. So there is occasionally a need for a real outsider, something which can bring the new, which is in the Utgards, to the Innangards.
An example of such in modern times is Einstein, a self-educated scientist at a time when science was at a standstill, unable to learn anything further. Much of modern scientific and technological development is because he came at things from a unique point of view. The berserkergang is a great torrent of power and inspiration that can be directed and focused in a number of ways. Any pursuit the berserk engages in can be rendered easier and more effective by it, including highly intellectual ones like art and poetry, science and math. But it has its price, and anyone devoted to benefiting from it must also devote his life to coping with it, a thing that is not always easy. I suppose it would be possible to learn the berserkergang without being born a berserk, but it would not in the long run be desirable. Berserks can easily develop strong emotional blocks and inhibitions involving the gangr, and find themselves with a strong mind-body connection that is working against them. All sorts of psychosomatic illnesses can develop as a result which can turn into serious long-term health problems."
There's a lot of interesting things in there, one of which is Einstein as an outlaw, but the other is Odin as God of the Outlaws. This may explain some of my affinity for the old man.
Here's a Barbelith thread on an experience one person had in their evocation of Odin.
Another personal anecdote:
My friend and I spent an evening out in the woods the other week evoking Loki and Odin. Loki, because that god has kind of chosen my friend, and I am interested in working with Odin, because there are a lot of attributes that he has that resonate with me. At any rate, the ritual was set up that we basically sat across from one another over a candle, and traded evokation poems, songs, and stories while drinking screwdrivers and keeping an eye out in the woods. And sure enough, the two of them started to appear on the edges of the forest, and as we continued to talk to them and enchant them closer they both came to within about fifteen feet of both of us. We invited them to drink with us, but they wanted to kind of stand there and observe.
Odin was this tall gaunt figure, semi-obscured by the trees, who wore a white cloak over black clothes and his one eye glowed like the moonlight. Loki was more difficult to pin down. He was constantly peeking out from trees and waving. I think part of what kept them at bay was that we had enlisted my friend's dog as a guardian spirit for our ritual, and I think they were a bit weary of him. He was fascinating to watch, because after we evoked a guardian spirit into him, his whole manner changed, such that for much of the ritual he was literally patrolling the perimeter, and when we ended the ritual, he actually vanished deep in the woods in the direction which Odin and Loki had gone, seemingly to make sure they were gone. It was very interesting.
Anyways. Since that ritual, I've had a much more focused approach to my magic, and I've swung into rune study with a lot of aplomb. I've also picked up a lot of scars, and have become more irritable than normal. But my ideas seem to be flowing much faster now and my understanding of magical systems seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. I'm finding a lot of resources now very quickly, and picking out of them the ideas that are most useful very easily. And I think some of that is to do with beginning to work with Odin.
I know the old man has a bit of a reputation, but I think since my friend is working with Loki, that his temper will be pretty good so long as that keeps up, because I think a lot of people have bad experiences with Odin when they deal with him on their own on his own. Odin generally needs Loki around to be in the best of spirits. I also think that you should be prepared for trials when working with any powerful God. You have to earn the respect of that entity. Odin hung on a tree for nine days for his magical knowledge. He's not going to think much of just handing over knowledge without any work. So one has to be prepared for that.
This is the Barbelith thread on Odin.
I really should get an account there.
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