Seidr: The Gate is Open: Working with Trance Prophecy, the High Seat and Norse Witchcraft

Written by Katie Gerrard

Narrated by Leslie Howard

Seidr is the intriguing and powerful early Norse system of shamanistic trance practices. In Seidr: The Gate is Open, Katie Gerrard has contributed a major work on the practices of seidr and trance prophecy, providing a practical manual full of dynamic group rituals and techniques based on known Seidr practices. Foremost amongst these techniques is the prophetic rite of the High Seat, where the Volva (seer) sends her consciousness to the underworld realm of Hel to gain answers to the questions posed to her.

Combining more than a decade of research and experimentation, this book is characterized by both its scholarship and its accessibility. Katie Gerrard shares her own experiences on the path of the seer, and also draws inspiration from original sources in the old texts of the Sagas and the Eddas, as well as contemporary researchers and groups working with seidr in Scandinavia, Europe, and America. Techniques for achieving trance, levels of trance possession, coming out of trance, the vardlokkurs (chants), necessary equipment, and the requirements for the roles of the different participants are all discussed clearly and concisely, as is the relevance of contacting the ancestors, the dead, and appropriate gods, including the goddesses Freyja and Hel and the Allfather god Odin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705278925

Reviews for Seidr

[Jake · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just wish she wouldn’t quote Kaldera and Flowers as much. Thorsson/Flowers appeared on a nationalist TV program during the Charlottesville riots and his work is overall unreliable because of plagiarism. Raven Kaldera is even more unreliable, transphobic, and has questionable at best ethics. In my opinion that shouldn’t justify quoting them because they have bits of evidence to support the claims in this book. Other than those two things, this is the most comprehensive and in depth book on Seidr I’ve read. I feel as if I understand seidr for what it actually is, without much of the “core shamanism” slant that some books tend to do (not that there’s anything wrong with core shamanism).

[James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great info. Where things are known, the author mentions the source material. Where things are not known or mearly guessed at, she says so. The Honesty is refreshing.

[CaroleWeaveLane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was an excellent book because of the extensive information provided herewith Katie, obviously had many years of working with the Seidr, and thus through her studies, and as a Profressor, was articulate and knowledgeable in this vast area. She produced many examples of how to work with the Seidr and was not afraid of citing evidence from other authors. It was not a text as such but based upon knowledge and practical experience. Thank you Katie you have piqued my curiosity again.

[Matheus DeCavalcante · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Seidr was practiced by all genders. I barely started the book and there was already a piece of misinformation.

[Tina Mueller · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Did not enjoy her voice and pronunciations. The whole vibe is off. I didn't listen for very long.