Diana L. Paxson - The Way of the Oracle: Recovering the Practices of the Past to Find Answers for Today

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I have always found it easiest to learn in a group context, and I could not have developed this material without the cooperation, suggestions, and dedication of those who have worked with me in Seidhjallr, our working group in the San Francisco area, and participated in our training workshops.

I would especially like to recognize the contributions of Laurel Mendes, Lorrie Wood, Jordsvin, Winifred Hodge, Rod Landreth, Patricia Lafayllve, and the many others with whom I have worked over the years. Thanks also to Lorrie and Azi Vajravai for help with the music files. And finally, my thanks go to all those who have asked questions at oracle sessions from Berkeley to Britain. Without people who are looking for answers, there would be no oracle work at all.

ALSO BY DIANA PAXSON

Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World

Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism

Taking Up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic

Celestial Wisdom for Every Year of Your Life: Discover the Hidden Meaning of Your Age (with Z. Budapest)

For a complete list of Diana Paxson's fiction and non-fiction work, please visit www.diana-paxson.com.

For more information on her Oracular practice, visit www.seidh.org.

AN APPENDIX OF SONGS

Hallowed Well of Wisdom

WORDS, MUSIC, LAUREL OLSON

Veil Song

WORDS, MUSIC, DIANA L. PAXSON

This We Know

WORDS, MUSIC, DIANA L. PAXSON

Spindle Song

WORDS, MUSIC, LEIGH ANN HUSSEY

Holy Three

WORDS, MUSIC, DIANA L. PAXSON

Paean

WORDS, MUSIC, DIANA L. PAXSON

The Summoning Song

LYRICS BY KONRADR TROLLMADHR AND ALFREDR INGVISSON
MUSIC ADAPTED FROM HEIMO OG NYKKJEN

Passage Song

LYRICS BY DIANA L. PAXSON
MUSIC ADAPTED FROM STOLI OLI

Returning Song

LYRICS BY DIANA L. PAXSON
MUSIC ADAPTED FROM MARGIT OG TARGJEI RISVOLLO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DIANA L. PAXSON was raised in California. After graduating from Mills College and receiving an M.S. from the University of California, she wrote educational materials before beginning a career as a novelist, resulting in 29 novels and 75 short stories, including the Avalon series (writing for Marion Zimmer Bradley) and the Chronicles of Westria. While a graduate student in Berkeley she started the Society for Creative Anachronism.

In the eighties Diana became active in the evolving pagan movement, founding a women's spirituality circle with Marion Zimmer Bradley, and later the Fellowship of the Spiral Path. She was ordained as a priestess in 1982. From 1990 to 1991 she served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. During the 90s her focus began to shift to Asatru (Norse paganism). In 1992 she joined the Troth, an international Asatru organization, in which she is an Elder and has served as a board member and Steerswoman (chair).

In addition to writing, Diana teaches regular classes in runelore and trance work. She has been a presenter at many conferences and festivals. She currently directs the Troth's clergy training program and edits its magazine, Idunna. Her work with the runes resulted in her book Taking Up the Runes (Weiser, 2005). Her study of trance work resulted in the book Trance-Portation (Weiser, 2008). Her pioneering work in recovering of techniques for the Viking-Age practice of oracular seidh is presented in the book you are holding in your hands.

She lives in Berkeley, California.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Cleasby, Richard, and Gubrandur Vigfusson. Icelandic-English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, LXXIV.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis, ed. The Seer in Celtic and Other Traditions. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, 1989.

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Dioscorides, Pedanius. De Materia Medica. Translated by Lily Y. Beck. Hildesheim, Germany: Olms-Weidmann, 2005.

Dobin, Howard. Merlin's Disciples: Prophecy, Poetry, and Power in Renaissance England. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990.

Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Translated by Willard R. Trask. New York: Bollingen Foundation, 1964.