Today we are interviewing Valúlfr Vaerulsson, the director and founder of the
Wolfbund. He is also a noted author especially on the subject of Germanic
Heathenism and has been published extensively on the subject. He and his wife, Swanhilde are also painters of the hexafoos, and we all share that interest in common. Anyway first question Valúlfr:
Hunter - What comparisons can be made between the Deitsch Hexafoos tradition
and the Icelandic Galdrastafir tradition? How closely related are they?
Valúlfr – Good question Hunter. On the surface they appear worlds apart, but
on closer examination there is a good deal that is similar. Structurally you
have 3 fields of operation in both systems, regardless of how many zones are
depicted; the center is the “core” of the practitioner, the center of the
universe if you will. The next section moving out from the center is the
subconscious field. This is the realm of emotions and inner desire, the inner
fire that gets things moving. The outer field is the “objective” field, the
world around you. Both the hexefoos and the galdrastafir can be used
for “sending” and/or “receiving”, and both are dependant on the human Will and
the Law of Attraction.
If we interpret the concept of ginnungagap from a metaphysical perspective, it
presents some very interesting potentials. When we consider that the "center"
of the universe is where you are at all times, each point expanding away from
the center, we can begin the process of understanding our place in it, and what
we can then do as magicians and hexenmeisters. Many years ago I learned a
meditation whereby you follow your thoughts, not to where they lead, but from
where they arise. The source is of course the realm of ‘all potential’, it is
the place where ‘creation’ and ‘destruction’ begin and end. Everything on earth
that involves mankind has its origin in the realm of ‘all potential’, the realm
of ‘first things’. This is also the realm of the ‘past’, or Urð (semantically
her ‘Well’), all thoughts, and thereby actions and words, arise from there into
the ‘non-past’, the now, or ‘that which is’. Actions taken that are driven by
thought and emotion begin the process of ‘layering’ reality, it is a shaping
principal and can be applied to both disciplines.
Hunter - How does Germanic Shamanism compare with Hexerei both here and in
Northern Europe?
Valúlfr - Shamanism is principally concerned with ecstatic states that result
in an apparent loss of control, whereby the shaman travels to the Upper and/or
Lower worlds, but the apparent loss of control is only that, apparent.
Techniques employed include drumming, chanting/galdor, entheogens, salves,
sensory deprivation and in some cases, sex. The purpose of these "workings"
range from healing, foretelling the future, communicating with the dead, and
causing death. I equate Germanic shamanism with seiðr, some of the very
specific practices of Woden as related in the Eddas, and whatever was borrowed
from the Sami tribes of Northern Sweden and Finland.
Hunter - Are Shamanism and witchcraft different words for the same thing as was
suggested to me by Berks County author Dennis Boyer?
Valúlfr – Both of these terms are problematic insofar as they mean different
things to people at different times in history. There are many aspects that
are the same, and some that are different. I think the further back in history
that we look we find that they are nearly the same. Once kristianity took hold
in Europe however, the shift to Mediterranean style dualism becomes more
apparent. From a kristian point of view though, the power behind both is of
course “Satan”. From my perspective they are the same; “Witchcraft” is simply
the European form of Eurasian “Shamanism”. The word “shaman” refers to the
traditional healers of Turko-Mongol areas like Siberia and Mongolia; “šamán” is
the Turkic-Tungus word for such a person and means "he or she who knows
(i.e. “the wise”). Witch-craft, or in Anglo-Saxon “wicce-cræft”, simply
means “wise-craft”, and functionally they are synonymous. “Wise-craft” only
became associated with the hordes of Hell with the advent of the Church as we
well know. This does not mean that malicious application of the “craft” was,
or is, unknown however, the difference being the source which is ultimately the
practitioner him/herself.
Hunter - What has drawn you to the Deitsch magical traditions; is it just blood
or is there something more?
Valúlfr – My interest comes from within, a compulsion that needs to be fed. I
have known since I was a young chap that I was different from my peers, and
that my great-grandmother held part of the key. About 13 years ago I
discovered my Deitsch roots and that it was indeed my GGM that had it in her
blood. Another aspect to my interest in Hexerei is the commonality of the
Principal of Eight. This is seen in the 8 Point Earth Star, seen so often in
Berks Co.( Barricks Kaundi), and the 8 points of the Aegishjalmr (Old
Icelandic / “Helm of Awe”) seen in the Icelandic grimoires. I think that both
blood and a person’s wyrd determine what one does in this life, mine just
happens to be the Zauberer Path.
Hunter - How has Germanic Heathenism today changed the way Hexerei is viewed
and practiced?
Valúlfr – I think that many folks that are “heathen” still shy away from
Hexerei today due to its perceived kristjan gloss and misunderstandings about
their function. Slowly but surely, this is beginning to change though. It’s
simply a matter of “back-engineering” the practice into a heathen mindset.
Hunter - What are your views on the eclectic xtian aspect of the Deitsch
magical traditions?
Valúlfr – This is a by-product of the early conversion from the “old” to
the “new” beliefs. There are many examples of healing, protection, and cursing
charms similar to those found in the “black books” that predate the kristian
times. I believe that the old charms were altered to accommodate the new
belief system. With a good foundation of what was, many of these practices can
easily be brought into the here and now for the post-modern heathen to use.
Hunter - Lastly, what observations have you made in using wood as a material in
the construction of your Hexafoos/Galdrastafir?
Valúlfr – The thing I like about using wood for both applications is the fact
that it is layered. The grain/layer itself can be compared nicely to an
interesting concept from our Norse cousins. This "layering" process, or lög
leggja (ON), is a process found in Völuspá. 20, where the Norns are said
to "make laws". Leggja means ‘to lay’, ‘to place’, or ‘to do’, suggesting a
physical action. And lög is the plural of lag meaning ‘strata’, or ‘that which
has been deposited or laid down’. So then lög leggja is ‘to lay down, or
implant strata’. This implication of physical action is reinforced through the
action of ‘scoring wood’, or in the case of Hexen-fertigkeit, painting on wood.
On that note, it is my understanding that in the earliest of times, Hexefoos
were actually carved into the wood of the barn before painting them; this
serves the same purpose and function. Lög occurs again in örlög seggja, ‘to
say or speak the ör-strata, the ör-things-laid-down, the ör-law'. Ör-lög is
the ‘primal law’ (in importance), a ‘highest law’ (in elevation), an’earliest
law’ (in time), and a ‘first law/principal’ (in numerical sequence). So then,
you have two ways to effect events that have been "laid down" in the ‘past’ -
physical action and speech.
The future is mutable, determined by lag, or ‘that which has been laid down’,
i.e. actions. When performing works of magic it is important to consider then
the use of past-tense in your formula, for example - "I have carved these
runes, and they have worked my Will". When spoken it becomes örlög seggja, when
written (risted) it is lög leggja, that is, a thought is ‘laid-down’ by virtue
of the rune(s) across an established layering that is the grain. Runes "shape"
the non-past, they do not ‘predict’ it, and they cannot change the past itself,
that has already occurred. These principals can also be applied to the whole
process of creating a Hexefoos; shaping and painting them is lög leggja, and
the “prayer”, “charm”, or galdor formula that activates them is örlög seggja.
