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Title: Weaving the Way of Wyrd: An Interview with Brian Bates

Author(s): Janet Allen-Coombe

Published by: Shaman’s Drum, Number 27

Publish date: Spring 1992

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3 WeaaingtheWay of Wyrd: An Interoiew with Brian Bates

by Janet Allen-Coombe

Brian Bates, author of fr,r Wa, o/ the book provides a fascinating nar- people traveling on the shamanic path. Wwd and The way ol the Actot, is the rative aboul Anglo-Saxon shaman- This creation cosmoloty was perhaps leadinS exponent ol a movement thal ism-and serv€s as a focal point foi best preserved in Cermanicand Norse seeks to revitalize Europe's ancienl th€ lollowint interview. myths and sto es. It was also docu- sham.nic traditions. Workint from a mented by early Roman functionades scholarly and exp€rienlial approach, )anet Allen-Coombe: 14yru1 is tlcs.ribed who traveled throuth Western Europe. he has developed . contemporarysha- tut,,utnv ,]oy. it vout boolr. The Way of The meaninS of lvyrd can also be manic practic€ based on the oriSinal Wytd. WotLli vnll erplai tuhat uyrd is? understood throu8h the imaSe ofa vast AnSlo-Saxon and C€lti( lraditions as web of fibres, an ima8e thai appears documented in hjstorical terts, arl, Brian Bates: The term (yrd is theorig" ftequently in early European literature jnal fonn oftoday's a,.ird, which means and artwork. The European shamans Bom and raised in En81and, Bates slranS€ or une\plainable. Wyrd had visioned a web of fibres that flow lived in the Uniled Staies during the essentially the same meaninS more throuth lhe entire universe, linking 1960s. After eaming his do.torate in than a thousand years ago in shaman- absolutely ev€rything---+ach person, psycholoty from the University of ic Europe, but in sacred rather than object, event, thought, and feeling. This Oretor! he r€tumed to Entland to mundane realms- wyrd was the unex- web is so sensilive that any movement, serve as Resear.h Fellow at Kint's plainable force-the Sreat mystery thoughi, or happenint-no matter how College, Camb.idt€. He cutently underlyinS all of existence-that was small-reverberates throughout the teaahes (ourses in shamanic con- the cornertone of Anglo-Saxon sha- entire web. In some of the incanta- s.iousness and transpersonal psychol- manic practices. hons preserved in Anglo-Saxon manu' ogy at the University of Sussex, where The essence of wyrd is that the un; scripts in the Briiish Museum, thejour- he also dir€cts the Shaman Research velse exists within polarities ol forces, ney of the shaman's soul into the oth- Proiect. In.ddition to his academic rather like the Eastem concepts of/n erworld is facilita led by a spider spirit. car€et Bates directs pl.ys in London, and yang. According to Anglo-Saxon When an An8lo-Saxon,shaman want- teaches shamanic workshops for ac- betiefs, theuniverse origina lly consist- ed to undeEtand the complexity of tors, and leads experiential courses in ed of two mithty, unimatinably vast . forces affectint an individual, such as European shamanism. force reSions-one of fire, the other of during initiations and healings, the Bates is perhaps best known fot ice. When the fire and ice mel, they shaman visioned the patiem of Iibres his historical novel, frr? ltlay of ylgrd, exploded, crea ting a grea t mist charged entering that Person. which documents in Iictional form with magic force and vitality. This I i{'ill never forgel the firsl time I his research on ancientEuropean sha- "mist of knowledSe" exists beyond .onsciously experienced these fibres. mani. practic€s. Recently rel€ased in time, concealing wisdom about the One day in eaily summer, I was walk' pap.rba.k by Hirp€r San Francisco, nature of life that may be revealed to in8aione in a forest in EnSland, enjoy-

20 SHAMAN'S DRUM / SPRING.'1992 SHAMAN'S DRUM / SPRING, 1992 It has often struck me that most paths to wisdom-the ways that eri- able us to move forward in life-usu' ally involve toing "back" to the realm of inner experience. Most of us had vivid inner lives as children, but we t soon Ieamed to deny those realities, in favor of the consensually validated "real world." Followin8 the shamanic path involves reentering the imate world we knew as children and re_ turning to that source of wisdom which, as adults, we have forSotten. My quest to 6nd a Westem Path led me firct to learn about the Druids. Contemporary British Druids have a well-developed approach to sPiritual ity which rene.b a deep reverence for : the landscape and the sacred forces of nature. They look totheancientDruids of two thousand years ato as a source ing the flowerinB wild bluebells that ever, desPite the fact that I admircd of inspiration, althouth they do not descendence from them. blanleted the ground b€tween the oal.s these traditions very much,l felt handi claim direct with the Because my goal was to find a and beeches. Suddenly I sensed a Puls_ capped by my unfamiliarity Path ancient rng in my body, around mY navel, and cu lt u ra I backgrounds-lhe my thology, that was well rcoted in the wis- I felt sjck. At first I thought I would ima8ery, and physical landscaPes- Anglo-Saxon and Celtic ways of vomit, soI stopped and leaned against whjch tave birth lo these visionary dom, I set out to find historical docu- the Druidic be_ a tIee. Then I sawhundleds oflines of paths. I de(ided thatl needed to find a mentation on orignal liSht coming silently and b€autifully Westem or EuroPean aPProach. When Iiefs and practices but soon became paucity of available from aII direcrions and passinS through I met AIan Watts, whose writings had frustrated by the rny body. They were iike shafts of i.spired my journey into the Eastem material. Although I have a lot of re_ sunlitht hllering thouth the kaditions, he encouraged me in mY spect for contemporary Bitish Druids, tolden me. trees, only they w€re comint from search to discover a Westem PaEllei I realized their path wasn't for years studying al- every antle. The image was so clear to these treat Easlem Paths. I then spent two theoretically and and stront tlat I started to tollow some Of course, such life decisions are chemy, both Pmcti_ lines of light, walking riSht into them rarely intellectual ones. In tetrosPe(t, cally. The a lchemicat practices include on and alons them. They seemed like I can see thatmy path into Antlo-Saxon many meditative rituals focused and outer transfor_ warm fibres suPPortinS me, and I felt shamanism actually started during my processes of inner These plactices tautht me how as iflwere walkingonair. The lonBer childhood. From four up to about nine mation. how to the experience lasted, the more won- years of age, I had manY recurnng to be sensitive to inner chanSe, in d€rtul I felt. After a time, I lay down dreams involving wolves and eagles. observe the workings of the Psyche ima8ery, and on the ground and went to sleep among As a child, I had an especially vivid resPonse to archetr?al thebluebells. When I awoke, the sen_ imagrnation and I occasionally exPeri' how to use external objects and inter- work. sation had pass€d. I now know that €nced visrons, some during illnesses. actionsas metaphors folintemal this experience was only an introdu€- These experiences haunted my life and However, as an esoteric magical sys- my tion to 6bres, and that wotkinS lvith propelled me inwards to the ima8ery tem,alchemy failed toaddress Pri- them involves not only sensory exPe- of the unconscious. In the small, hadi_ mary concems-the Practices of heal dences but also ways of balancing life tional village where I Srew uP, the ing and divination. th€ with tleir help. adults were fairly acceptint of my in_ Eventuallyl becameinvolved in ner world. Latet when I moved to a path of Wicca, or Witchiratt I was Alle&Coombe: Anllo'Sarcn shanan' city, I found that most PeoPle were fortunate iobeable to study with some women, tauSht me ism ooer a lhousand years a8o l;ked intothe material world and had remarkable who floutished would be imPonant What fiode you decide to exPlore thst ofice' little time for the inner life, so I leamed many things that undeBtandint of wyrd. a tobe much more careful about sharing for my later f or go tt at shamani c p t h? my dreams and visions. Without mY In the process of researching the his- torical roots of Witchcraft, I cameacrcss Bates: During the 1970s, mY sPiritual knowing it, however, these early exPe- one- quest led me to become deePly in_ riences had sensitized me to the lsay a reference to lran rSr, an obscur€ v6lvp.l with 7en and Taoism. How- of the Anglo-Saxon shaman. thousand-year-old manuscriPt in the

SHAMAN'S DRUM/ SPRINC, 1992 Bitish Museum (ms Harley s85). foresl landscap€s at night and psychi, Ir.r!rga isessentially the spellbook cally into visionary landscapes. of an Anglo-Saxon shaman. lt con- From the start of the proiect, my tains a collection of maSical h€alin8 aim has been to reempo$ er the way of remedies, rituals, and incantations. wyrd as a living shamanic path. Historians estimate that the document Thrcuthout this process, I have t €d was written by Chnstians in the tenth to maintain absolute intetdty, so that or eleventh century, although the fia- readers and workhop participantscan terial had probablybeen passed down se€ exactly how the historical material orally for severalhundred yeart from is being used. For that rcason, I have the pre'Christian era. At that time, included in thebiblio$aphy ofThe Way writing was the almost erclusive prov- I o/ l{yrd well over one hundred refer- ince of Christian monks and mission- ences to the most accessible material, aries, and it was extremely unusual so that read ers can explore the sources For a collection of indigenous pagan for themselves- shamanic healing speils io be written in the Antlo-Saxon vernacular. Be- E Allen-Coomber L TheWayof Wyrd, .auseofihe pagan nature ofthe mate- E you prcsent Anslo-Sarcn shaftanisn rial, historians speculate that the manu- through the fictional expetie,rces ol wat script was written by a scribe or nov- Btu d,a Chtisliafi sctibe who applenlices i.e, and not by a monk. lo a pagan salcerer- Why did you choose Through researh, I learned that portions of lrcxlrSo had been irans- iated byAngio Saxon scholars, but that Bat€s: Oritinally I had intended to there had been very litile analysis of lvrite a nonfi.tion book that would lhe manuscript's overall content and cess is rather like weavint a tapestry, explain the nature of wyrd, but my meaning. I eagerly madearrangements only the materials are facts and ideas, first altempts failed to bring this won- to eramine the original document in images and stories. I have consulted derful material to life. I then decided rhe British Museum. Locfiu gn is a countless journals and books in sub- to use the format of a fictional story in beautiful book-a small, thick manu- Fcis as diverse as the hislory of medi' the hope that it wou)d speak more di script on vellum leaves. with little dia- cine; Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Cer- rectly to the imagination than to the trams and drawings carefully manic social hislory; Icelandic sagas; intellect. I felt that readers would be scraiched into the marSins to indjcate compa ra tive mythology, fol klore stud - better able to experience something of theend ofonespell and the beSinninS iesi archaeoloSy; and philolo8y. the nature of the shamanic quest if I of anoiher. Although most of ihe en' My research has showed that al- lold the story through one person's tries !,ere matical healinS remedies thouth there were somedifferences in joumey into the way of wyrd. and herbal treatments, I discovercd detajls of expression between the While conductinS my back8round amonB them some rituals forshamanic Antlo'Saxons and th€ C€lts the two research, I had studied a historically initiation and training. I immediaiely major cultural6roupinSs in early wesr docurhented mission from AnElo- re.ognized the manus.ript as a sha- ern Europe th€re was much overlap Saxon England, and I decided to use man's handbook a touchstone for beiween the shamanic practices of this settjn8 for depictint someone's entering the world of the anc,enl Eu- these peoples. The shamans served as initiation into the way of wyd. I had roPean shaman. healers, d iviners, spellcasiers (particu- leamed that when Christian mission- I became tremendously excited, larly through the use of lhe magical aries traveled into pagan areas oI Eu- Personaliy and prolessionally, at the languages of runes),leaders of sacred rope, they often sent a iunior m€mber prospect ofbreathint life back into the ritualsand celebrations,.ustodians of of the mission to ioumey throuSh th€ practices described in l-.cnun4l. The tribal wisdom, and advisors to warri- countryside, gatherint information manuscripl lilerally chanted my Iife, ors and chieftains. about lhe rituals, beliefr and practices as I took on the challenSe of rebujlding After several years of studyint re- of the indigenous shamans. Since a the practice of wyd throuSh an expe- search material in ord€r to u nd€rstand scribe called Wat Brand, had actually rjential, a s well as scholarly, approa ch. the system of shamanism rcpresented lived at the mission I studied, I tave I soon found lhat evidence for the in lr.rtr,gr,l decided to explorcsome his name lo the fictional scribe in my rvay of wyrd is substantial, but thai it of the healing rjtuals presenled in the book. Trle Way al Wytd descrlb.s is widely scattered in books, joumals, manuscript and to recreate the jour- Brand's experiences in gaininS the manuscrjpts, and museums throuth- neys described in its incantations and knowledBe of wyrd, and his initiation out Europe. One of my tasks over the narratives. My work included practic- by a shaman called wulf. years has been to pull together all this ing medjtations, m€morizint the sto- In preparinS the book, I wrote a information and integrate it- The pro- ries, and journeyinS-physically into series of essays for myself on fifty or

SHAMAN'S DRUM / SPRINC, T992 ?3 An Excerpt ftomTheWay of Wyrdby Brian Bates

'Do you realy belis€ lhat you cnn read qu€stioning. 'Is w)rd your fto$ impor- .bout his beliefs as conJidendy and flu- tutule events frch a hny snat.h of bird ently as Eappa o(plaining the teachings of fli8nt? Do all you p€ople believe in such No- Wyrd existed Mole the tods and our Saviour, I r6ted hy .hin on hy hands vrill exist after rhem. Yet w)rd l6t! only and tried to aMlys€ Wulrs ideas as Eappa wuU rolled on to his ba& and cupp€d tror an insaant, b€caE il is the constanl r^,ould h.ve wished. 'B€ sure you uder' his hands b€hind hi, he.d, squintin8 p at .reatioh of the forc6. Wyrd is ilself con- stand dearly der,'thint you e ad hear,' the sky. stant change,like the seasns, yei b€tause he h.d cautioned. "You can remernber only 'Omens ki8hten the ordinary p€rson ii is certed at every instart it is unchang- what you.ooFehend.' I tried io identify b€caus€ Iiey beli€ve thm to bG predic- in& like ihe still entre of a whirlpool. All th€ rnain tenets of Wuff's b€lids and sub- tions of evats Lhal are bould to haPFn: we can * are lhe nppl6 dan.in8 on toP i.rcr them io s.lutiny, one by one wamings from the realms of destiny. Bul Wulf lean€d closer to me and spoke into thisisromistakethetruenatureof ornen . I staEd at him in complele .onfusion. hy 6r as if sharing . se(rer: A srcercr.an read omens as Patt€m-Point- His conc€pt of wyrd, obvjously of vital "You are sEangling yoa life-force wilh ers, hoh which lhe weavinS of wyrd .an iEportance to him, reFatedly slipFd words. Do not live y'u life *archinS b€ admired and ftorn whi.h .onne.tions through my fintm like an eel. I wenl ba.k aroud fd answers in your word'hoard. between dirferent parts of patterns can be to the be8inni.8 of our conv.Ealion. You will find only words to ratioMus€ your ?!r wu[, you say that the fli8ht of exp€rien(e. AUow yourself lo open up to I was puzzled by his use of ihe tem bnds shows you lhe paiteh oI wyrd, of wyrd and it will .l€anse, renew, dange 'wyrd.' when used by nonk oraiing pc ih* fibres; if you can fedict events hom and develop your casket of reason. Your etry,it seemed lo denote lhedeslinyorfale wyrd, it must then operat€ a..o.ding lo word-hoard should serve yolrr dpeno.e, of a Frson. I explaircd lhis view to Wulf and he h@led wiih lauShter, sendinS the Wulf looked at me wnh kind, friendly I tumed on him in iEilation. 'I was sparows flappinS froh the shrubbery in eyes. He se€hed to be enjoying hy at- cho*n Ior lhis Mission be.ause I do noi tempts to unde(t.nd his myslenous ideas. swalow everylhing l hed like a sihpleton. 'Io undereland our ways, you must 'No, Brand, there are nolaws. The pa! I ah at hohe in the world of words.' leam lhe true meani.g of wyrd, not the tem of wyrd is like the Srajn in wood, or He smited tenily. 'Words can b€ polent version your masters have con.octed lo fit the llow of a stream, it is nerer repealed in ma8i( indeed, but they can also enslave us. ihen beliers. Remember that I iold you our era.tly the same *'ay. But the threads o1 we SEsp frcrn ,yrd liny pufis of wind world began wiih Ine and frost? By ther_ wyrd pass thro!8h all lhinSs and we can and store them in our lungs as words. But seller neithe, fne nor irosl accolnPlish opfl olrlelves to its p.ttern by obs€ring we have not thereby captured a pie.e of anyth,ng. Bur togelher they deate lhe lhe rippl6 as rt pas*s by. When you s€€ reality. io be pored over and eEmired as if sorld. Yet they musi mainiain a balance, ripples in a pool, you know that something it were a glimFe oI wyrd. w€ nay as well ror loo mlch ft€ would melt lhe frosl and has dropp€d into ihe water. And when I mistake our fisttuls oI air for wind itsell- or ex(essile frost Bould exringuish tle fire. see cenain npples in lhe flitht oi birds, I a pitcher of water for ihe sEeam iom which But iust as rhe trorlds of aods, Middle know tlat a warrior is going lodie.' it was dipped. That is the way we are Eanh and the D.ad are.onslantly replen- 'So wyrd makes thinSs happen?' enslaved by our own power lo narhe isled by rhe marryinS oI fire and fron, so 'Nothing may happen wilhoul eyrd, ihings.' ,t\/ly also ihey depend upon the balarce and for it is prent in everythin& but wyrd thorghis .re my FleBl affair.' I etemal rycle of nithi and day, winter and does not uake thinSs happen. W,.rd i3 said sulkily. I was here to listen to hjs and man, weak and created at every inst nt, and so *rrd is ihe b€lieft but nor io submit lo criticism oI my strcng, moon and sun, death and 1ife. The* happen'n8.' private conlemplation. forces, and .ountl6s others, ,orn the end Suddenly I &€d o, his cryptic 6poF 'Thousht! are lile raindrops,' he per- points of a Eiganlic web oI fibres whi.h es. 'l slppce lhe threads oI wyrd are too 3i!ted, inbodu.ing yet eother of his inler covers all worlds. The web is lhe @alion fine for anyon€ to s..?' I s.id sar.asti.ally. minable inags. They fall, Etal€ a splash of lhe forces and ils th.eads, shimherinS wulf chuckled goodnatlredly.'Some- and then dry up. But the wotld oI lyrd is with powe!, pass ihrough everythinS.' times they are thick as hemp rope. But the lile the mighty oceans ftom which rain- I was aslounded by Ihe ihage o, the threads oI iyrd are a dimasion of our drops .rise and to -hich lhey retum in web, which s€emed to me both siupen- *lves that we cannol SnsP with words. dous and terifying. I lrembled with er_ We spin webs of wordr yel syrd slips Edito/r Notc citement, Ior I krew thal Eappa' would throuSh like the wind. The ftrets of wy.d dnnk in such irtorFation lik€ a hunter do noi lie in our word'hoadt but are r, B'orh.' Eipp. *.r w.r Br.nd! brchenr ihr pinpointin8 the movem€nts of his prey. Iocked in the eul. We can only di*m lhe Mftnr Mlld.ry, eh.r Bn d {vd B. sib. o, his.Ilod b 6ubli'i r 6isi6 .r rhe s.ron is at of tle web, WulI? shadows ofr€alitywilh our wordt where- Fn 'What liecenhe od,^3 E:pp, e aiahd ro -Erv.l lhhu8h rh.ld.g Are your gods at lhe.entre?' as our suls are capable of €n@untelint dm,a.rhdinainllrm..ton m th. b.!i.l'.nd sup.Ett. WulI shiled, a littte condGendingly I tle realjties of wyrd di.Etly. This iswhy wyrd i5 ac.6sible io the sorcerer the sor- ihoutht. Frcn THE WAY OF WYRD b, Brian BatB with his soul, nol with eyes 'You maystan ar any point on lhe web cerer sG blinl- Copyn8ht @ 1992 by arian 8.t6, R.pnnEd by and Ii.d thatyo! areal the centre,' he said ered by the sha p€ of words.' Frmi$ion oi Harper san Franc,

24 SHAMAN'S DRUM / sPRING,1992 sixty different aspects oI the principles and practices of wyrd, based on my o(periential studies and the historical evidence available about the European shahanicpath. Theactual structure of 'thebook and the unfoldint ofBrand's quest were dictated by these accounts of my research.

Allen-Coombe: In your book, you de- scibe an idioiduol's life $ "o clolh uottn o a loofi ." Wal rcld)ance cloes lhis im- age haoe to &nlemporary lile?

Bat.s: Contemporary psycholoSical science t€aches us to imate our iives and psyches in terms of a machine-in particular, a computer. Although that model bears littie relation to the or- f,l f''} ganic, livint, breathing reality of the human experience, we continue to il lti, ake educational, professional, busi- ness, medical, and military decisions as though the computer model were a E close fit to our reality. ln contrast, Anglo-Saxon shamanic cultures viewed each person's life ex- pe enceasan artisticpattern evolving rii on a loom. The motif of Boddesses t'. spinning individual fates appears many times in th€ spells and stories which have survived and is one of the besi-documented aspects of Anglo- Saxon shamanism. Admiitedly, im- i aSes of spinning and weaving lvere morelamiliar in those eras, but ihe use of a creative rather than mechanical insertinS a nel\ prosranl inlo a com- tent ol his individual issues, \\'e sim- metaphor is wolth studying-espe- puter-to do so would bercbrenkvour ply mapped them out until lre snw an cially whenconsiderint how !o change life. You can't alford to iose the overall pallern to his Iile. Then he ex, ourlives. Instead ofchanging our "life stren8th inhereni in what you've al- pressed that pattern throueh art\\'ork protnm," we can chante our "life ready tot. You .an alter the pattern, and dance, creatjng a map of his psv, desitn," using metaphors of color, expressing previous i hemes iI] new a nd chological states shap€, texture, patlem, and theme. different ways, but developing a new We first choreographed a dnnce Be(omin8 sensilive to the fibres that pattern must be accomplished harmo- sequer\ce lhat expressed hjs past psv- pulseand rcverberate within our lives niously, in tune wiih the energies that chologicnl states and then choreo, is an impDrtant practice of the way of created the original desitn. Thereforc, graphed a ritual dance that enabled wyrd. Sometimes, in contemporary when working rrith individuals who him lo transcend his blo(ks. Thc first wyrd healing workshops, we paint want to make chantes in their hves, timp that he performed theentiredance images of the fibres penetrating our we help lhem to Bet a clear picture of was a lremendous ca tha rt ic e\F('rience lives, slarting with those influences of their existing life patterns, and then Ior him. Each subsequent tinr!'servcd which we are consciously aware- we guide thenr to rcdesign those pat- asa centerinB process, aliownrg him to people, events, hopes, and ,ears-and terns through use ofartistic mcdia. teach a stale of presence within lrim- then rnovint on to fibres which can be One man I worked rlith had manv sell and tr,as a ritual acr oi ra,rh in his P€tceived only though meditation and psycholotical blocks to deal r^,ith. lle liber.lion. O{ course- lile issups are inner visionint. had undertaken conventional psv.ho- complex and necd lo bc addresscd in Even ifyou arehithly motivated to therapy but still felt.onfused and para- delail, bul this process pro\.ided hiDi change you. overall life pattern, you lyzed by the multiplicity of his prob- trith .1 bird's evc viet! ()F his sitrratxrr, can't iust change it immedjately, as if lems. So, belbre delvinS into lhc con- allowing hin1 to Set his benrtrrils Th!'

SHAMAN'S DRUM / SPRING, I992 25 the real work in wyd begins-people research their animals, observe them in thewild ifpossible, paint them, write stories about them, and work with them expedentjally and dramatically. This process is very personal and im- portant, not something to be rushed. Some people training in wyrd shaman- ism find thal tuardian animal work becomes a quest of high degree-a susiained path ofexploration that illu- mjnates many aspects of their lives.

Allen-Coomb€: D?mrues ntd ginnts play a significant rcle nt'fhe Way of Wyrd. Cnh lat discuss these beings and lheir rcletiance lo shanlani plnclices?

Bates: Ciants and dwarves featured significantly in the initiaiory visionsof Anglo'Saxon and Cellic shamans, as may be seen in the accounts of sha- jmprovement in his general well'bein8 ''inside," we seem to be better able to mans' iourneys to the upperworld and deal with ii once it is translered onto underworld. They also play a role in somethinS "outsjde." some incantations in Ir.,,r,r,qo, but they Allen-Coombe: Mrch af Brotul's ltotk Oneof thecentra! pre isesof lvyrd are Siven pilrticular prominence in r',, The Way o, Wyrd d.nlswitlt d&,eloP' is thal, in .ertain states of conscious shamanic vision quesl slories in the ifig personnl pait'tr. Wnt is l1r,|t'cr in lhe ness, the boundaries betlreen inner and Norse sa8as. the A Blo-Soron !nditian,and ho1L,cn peoPle outer realities beconre permeable and Later, undcr influence of Chris- deulop this k d af N|L'et ? can be transcended. By i{orking i{ith tianjty, lhc inditenous Celtic and guardian aninrals, lve can 8et in touch Anglo-Saxon spirits were redefined as Batesr ln modern society, the concept !!ith abilities that t{ere formerly out antels or dcIils. Eventually, th€ sha- of power has been debased-jt is usu' side our as,areness. For example, rnanic imagery was preserved onl), in ally conceived ol as po\ler or.r oiher tuardian spirits can give us ac(ess lo stories for chi)dren, where it could be people. But in the EuroPean shamani( manv of thoseabilities that society has dismjssed as fantasy. sense, power is somethinS ihat one has label€d "paranom1al." By embodyinS ln pre-Christian European shaman- wiihin oneself. Ii is an enabling power the fibres of wyrd lhat reverberate ism, Siants lvere embodiments of the which helps people resistbeint "ol'er- throuth us, guardian animals can help clemenial tor.es that had created rhc to d1e unilerse, and they reprcsenled Porvered" b), olh€rs. us develop enhanced sensitivity trenren' Forming relaiionships lvith Suard- nrYriad inlluences which.onslantly dous, unbridled porv€r. Stories relate ian spirits is one practical way to nur_ afiect us but remain beyond ihe scope that the giilnts had both kno!\,lcdge ture shamanic power. Thereare many of olrr phvsical senses. and rvisdom, but as tiants were ol accounts in European literalure ofsha- One h,ay that I lvork ii'ilh individu- Ien aSSressive-this knowledte could mans transforminB into thcir Suard- als is to help them connect lvith their onl], begained by the shamans at greal ian animals, both spiritually during 8uardian animals. Many people ma), personal risk. initiations and ritually during celebra- be familiar with similar practices- Drvarvcs were the powers ihat lions and heaiints. $'here images of animals are induced lransfornred the elemenls ot the uni- An important asPect of shamanic and those animais danced-taughl in verse into mateial form. ln earl),Eu- work is finding externalized forms short-term workshops. However, in rop€an culiures, blacksmiths $,erc as' such as creatures, animals, or runes- coniemPorarywyrdsha anism,weBo sociated s'ith dwarves and ma8i. be- that nol only represent but give mani' much further in contactint this deep cause of their ability tb transform the festation to one's inner resources and source of insPirational energy. basic elements of Earth into tools, stren8ths. The process has parallels We beSin by asking people to re weapons, and jeu'elrv. when shinrans with contemporary creat,ve psycho- cord aniflaldreams that ihey remenr- iourneyed into spiritual realms, they therapies in which a personal issue is ber fronr childhood-nearly everyone oFlen encortnlered sacred smilhs, usu- given form through somethinS exter- has had lh€m. Then i1'e Suide indi_ ally imnged ns dNnrvcs, who mad€ nal, such as a paintinS or sculpture. viduals on imatjnal journeys to meet unbreakiblt, sB,ords and kniYes, i]nd Even though we know lhe issue is their guardian anin]als. That's whcre beauiiful i(,\{'elry with mngi.al prop

26 SHAMAN'5 DRUM / SPNINC, 'I992 erties- These dwarf-smiths were also responsible for transmuting the body, mind, and soul of the aPPrentice into that of the shaman. In ourworkhops, we work to act! vate the dwarf porvers of transforma_ tion inherent in our lives. First, Par- ticipants tell and enact stones of the dwarl powers that theY know from European mythology. Since over the have centuries most of these stodes € been altered and tumed intochildren's moml tales, weexamineand rcenchant the stories in their oriSinal shamanic velsions. Then we recast the stories in .E terms of our own lives, PuttinS these "dwarf enerty" aspects to work for our Personal tlansformation, , To tually enact our own transfor- 3 mational tales, particularly within a 8roup, is a remarkable exPerience. Many people discover ihat sto de- Earih. The carvint of runic mess.tes eqLra] status. They performed some tails they had Iorgotten become mani to thespirit B'orld i\'asan intetral Part functions in common, althouBh other fest as the experiences are Siven magi- ofmost healing and divining rituals. tasks weredivided alont tend er lines. cai power. lt is not psychodrama as Cortemporarv work in the way of For example, women had auihority 1'\'e know it in contemPorary Psvcho- h,vrd includes the use ot rlrnes as an over rituals dealint with childb€arint therapy but rather an infusion of trans- oracle. Of course, just as t\'ith other and $,ere specialjsts in divination-in formatjonal energv into ihose impor_ divinatory tools, the po$.er inherent readinS ihe future of individuals, tant life experiences l\'hjch have not in their use depends upon thesensitiv- communiiies, and the landscape. heen resolved or celebrated-or. even ity, skill, and journeying (aPacity of In Anglo'Saxon shamanism, both L,orce, which ha\e been locked into the person who is doinS the reading. male and female shamans practiced our psyches by denial or the $rong There are many hays of gettint in healin8 and presided over spiritual kind of analt'sis. This work often in touch with the other realms. and all rituals of various kinds, althouth usu- l,olves some suffering and sacrjfice, bu I shamanic culiures emplov ritualized ally separaiely. Men followed a male it ultimatet\, creaies beautiful, magical and sa.raliz€d means of communica- paih ofinitiation and women folloB'ed things from the elements ofour lives- tion w,ith spirit forces. Some cultures a female path, but both paths had equal ,ust as the dw'arres made beautiful, rse dancing, drumminS, and chanc status. Ente nt the shamanic world magical ihints from Earth s elements. jnt; oiher use paintinS or creaiing o{ the other Senderwas considered an sacred objecis. In the Eumpearl tradi' advanced form of shamanism. Those Allen-Coombe: i, The Way of \{yrd, tion, advanced shamans often traveled shamans $ho were able to acquire ele- wulf leoches Bnnd nbott lhe slfiDnni. with irained drxmmers and .haniers, menis of the wisdom, techniques, and sc aJ t Des. Cai v.n tcll ,rs dl,ori rrr.s who performed sound rituals to ajd insights of the other gender L'ere th€ ortt othrt lnrthotlsof canlt nicatiot) rL'ith the shamans in communicatint with most hithly admired. the spirit r^,orld durinS healints and When Christian missionaries came olher sacred ceremonies. There is a towest€m Europe, they presumed ihat jndjtenous was Bates: In recent years, many PeoPle manuscript d escriPtion from about one the spiritual structure have become familiar with the use of thousand years a8o of a Norih Euro vested in the male shamanic advisors runes as an oracular syst€m, Runes pean shamaness u'ho traveled h'iih to the tribal leaders. Itnoring the role were much more ihan an alphabet of thirty trained chanters-fifteen men of female shamans, the missionaries anSular shapes; thev were an impor- and fifteen lromen. concentrated on persuading the chief- tant form of sacred communication in ta;ns to outlaw male Shamans and the way of r{yrd and were used i\'ith Allen-Coombe: Wcre lherc t'ery nany replace them with Christian monks and grcat resPe.t and reverence- Runes Anglo Saron shamfl ,:ssrs? priests. Consequently, allhouSh the \{ere traditionallv carved into wood, male shamani( path was quickly rock, or occa sionallv bone, or inio metal Baies: A thousand years ago, s'hen driven underground, the female sha- jewe)ry and rreaponry. Theprocess of shamanic trad itions thrived in Europe, manic path continued lo flourish for carving runes r\'as a wav ol centerinS, maie and ferrale Pra(titioners \4'ere several hundred Years. Howevet, in med jtiltinB, and communj.:til18 wjth equally prorninent and were accorded order to control the still-ihriving sha'

SHAMAN's DRUM / SPRING.1992 27 ! E

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was seeing manic approach to Iife, the Christian psychic energy. The use of circles is immediately knew it a authorities eventually turned their well documented in Antlo-Saxon and stone. I have since used ii many times person's The stone wrath againsi lhe female shamans and Celtic literature and artwork. Even to read a energies. siSht ivhich al' instigated ihe infamous h'ilch hunis. Antlo-Saxon lewelry-rune_cut arm_ creates a channel of nngs, and tor(s !\orn around the Iowsme tovjsion a person's fibresand Allen-Coombe: l$nt sllannltic lool; neck-was used to aid in concentrat_ energychannels, rather than his or her physical form. ruo ld A]181a Sn].on shnnlans tuPicollv ing pow€r. As in many other culiures, the sha_ te|| us lnorc mans ol Europe usually Performed in Allen-Coombei Can lou ttl the A1ry10 Stxon Bates: Probably the most imPortant ritual costumes thai were rePresenta_ about shanatli heal.,tg tool of a European shaman was his or tive of their pos'er anjmals-their her staff. These staffs were can ed !t'i th sources of insPiration There are nu- of my un_ runi. inscriptions and decorated wjih merous liter;rry descriPtions of Euro- Bales: The historical basis metalilork and objects o, symbolic pea n shamans wearinS costuInes deco_ derstanding of rvyrd healing comes from AnBlo'Saxon manu- significan€e. rated h'iih feathers, stones, and other primarily and from satas from over a thorsand magical objects scriptsin theBritish Museum Norse in years ago describe shamanesses jn ln rese.rching ancient te.ls recorded son1e smaller manuscriPts housed museums northern EuroPe carryint statfs de(o- by medical historians, I also came various other EuroPean "medicine handbooks" rated with ornate stonework. AflonE across several references to shamans These work s.ci,rs slo,rcs These prcvide a piciure of ihe healing Prac- oiher uses, these Power siafis enabled workint \rith western EuroPean sha the shamanesses to journey to sPirji stones, usually narked \a'ilh a shaPe tices used in an eye, i\'ere used bY sha_ r€alms. The image in PoPular culture resemblinS healinSs started wjih a today of witches flYing on maSical mans to see into the sPirit world and Typicaliy, ihe This read_ broomsticks may have evolved from to vision the spirit state of a Person spirit read ing of Patient. be carried out eithe, by us- stories of these matical staffs. durint healinSs and initiations- in8 would drumming and European fairy tales ar€ rePlele !vrth The firsi time I personally encoun_ in8 seeing stonesorby the shaman had a vi. wrzards (arryrng magic wands and tered a seeing stone took Place durint chanting until AIPS. sion rcvealing the path to be follow€d staffs imbued i\rith healint Powers. a workshop I i,as leadint in the The healing Today. i,e drsmiss these stories as fan Our troup tlas standing undera huge in the healint. Process ta

SHAMAN'S DRUM / SPRING,1992 healrng iorces lrom the web of wyrd. own lives. Because I believe that it is ' iometimes it was believed that the very important to encourage the ex- patient had been possessed by harm- ploration of shamanic practi.es in tul spirits, and the shaman then had to nontraditional settings, where there is drive these sickness spirits away. This little cultural support for the role of work required great carq because con- the shaman,I am writing a book about frontinS dark spirits could be danger- some of these encounters. ous even for an expefienced shaman, The response to The Way ol Wfd In some cases of sedous illnest it has been very strong in Europe and was believed that the patient had Iost has enabled me to create the experien- his orhersoul. The shaman's task was tial Shaman Research Project at the then to ioumey to the spirit world to University of Sussex. The project is an retrieve the soul, Irffiungd contains unusual enterprise for a university, seveEl incantations for joumeying in becauseour aim is not merelv tobuil.l search of lost souls. It was usually academic knowledge of a'histo cal assumed that the soul had been stolen form of shamanism but to explore Brian Bates for a particular reason, or a combina- Anglo-Celtic shamanism at an exp€ri- tion of reasons, that had to do with the cient shamanic elements its concepis ential level. We now have six research- way ihe patient had been livinS his or of Iife force, spirit tuardians, and in- ers directly involved in the proiect, and her life. So, as a step in retneving the terconnecting fibres; its healing tech- part of our work includes studying soul, the shaman had to flnd out why niques; and its approaches to life and asF,ects of shamanism faom other tra- the person's soul had been stolen and death--are still directly applicable to ditions around theworld. We arealso who in the spirit realm had stolen it. ourlives. settint up a worldwide network of In our contemporary wyrd practi- The basic message of The WaU ol people who wish to be connected with .alhealing work. the shaman's job also Wyld is that we can recapture and te- the project on a regular basis. Ongo- includes helping individuals reweave vitalize a shamanic approach to wis- ing research includes work on guard- their lives into a foIm which develops dom that is based on Anglo-Saxon and ian animals, masks, masculine and their strengths and protects their souls. Celtic traditions. In reading about feminine shamanic paths, sacred land- wyrd, many people have a sense of scapes, and shamanic performance. Allen-Coombe: What lele.,ence does the re{oSnition-a sense thatit's all some- My overall aims are to recreate and M! ol uyd ha|,Y today? thinS they already knew, deep down, reenchant the wisdom inherent in En- but had forgotten. The way of wyrd is ropean shamanism and to apply its Bates: I consider wyrd to be as tele- the arche9?al shamanic wisdomof the Plactices to pelsonal development, vant and poweful now as it was for European peoples. I would like to see psychotherapy, and healing, as well as ourAnglo-Saxonancestors. Although this heritage tak€ its place alongside to the broader issues of the environ- our ancestors lived in a technologically the other great haditions of spiritual ment, education, and the arts. I am simpler world, they were more sophis- liberation, for anyone to leam from. interested in seeing that the insights of ticated in spiritual matters than we are, shamanism are introduced into as We can leam from their wisdom, be- All€n-Coombe: lNhat areyout plans for many appropiate settings as possible. cause they dealt with the same matters the f11ture, particularly in reyrd to yo t This work is in its early stages, and I oI mind, body, and spirit that we are hope that I shall be able to report our still grappling with today. Ifs impor- progress widely as the project unfolds. tant to remember that althouth our Batesi Recentl, my personal research It is time for the way of wlTd to take physical and cultural environments efforts-both scholarly and expeden- its place alontside the other great sha- have evolved gieatly over the last few tial-have been concentnted mainly manicpaths, so thatits traditional wis- centlrries.---our deep inner nature has on the processes of initiation and on dom can help us face the future. pobably not changed much over the the roles of male and female paths last several thousand yearc. through the shamanic realms. I am Janet Allen-Coombe is a research psy- I also believe that theshamanic path currently compiling this material-as chologist at the Shaman Research PrcjeC can play an importani role in solving well as my findings in other areas of Universily of Sussex, and is orrently writ- the crucial personal, social, and global wyrd shamanism-which I plan to ing a d(toral dissertation based on her issues that confront us today. Al- work into a number ofnew books. research on guardian animals. though the tual forms of shamanism Moteover, since The Way of Wyrd's Brian Bates may be reached at the Sha- needed to solve today's problems publication in Europe, I have met many man Res€arch Projeo Arts Building B, Uni won't necessa ly be id€ntical to those remarkable people who-without versit/ of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton/ Sussex, that flou shed in traditional hunting being knowledgeable aboui their Eu- Eneland BNl mN or ag .ultural communities, the holis- ropean shamanic heritage-have been tic vision of wyrd and many ofits an- explodng shamanic pEctices in their E

SHAMAN'S DRUM/ SPRING, 1992