Modern American Shamanism
Class 1: Introduction to Germanic Studies (Starting Summer of 2024)
Class Description (Introduction to Germanic Studies)
A year-long intensive program in the Foundation of Germanic Studies. Through this course you will build a strong and solid foundation in the Norse Gods and Goddesses, Germanic history and lore, an introduction to basic rituals and their purposes, the meaning of life and what our goal actually is in this life, Wyrd, Orlog, and the world around us, who are your ancestors and how to work with them, what is the First Law of the universe, develop a solid foundation in the runes, and Cross Training for Meditation levels 1 and 2.
Experience direct learning through in person classes, online classes, self-directed study, class discussion, supplementary material and homework.
Reading List: Level 1 (Introduction to Germanic Studies.)
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Discovering the Northern European Gods and Goddesses by Hooded Wanderer
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Working With the Ancestors: A Heathen's Guide to the Rituals of Northern Europe by Hooded Wanderer
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A Beginners Guide to the Germanic Runes by Hooded Wanderer
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The Seed of Yggdrasil by Maria Kvilhaug
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The Goddess Idunn by Maria Kvilhaug
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The Wanderer’s Havamal by Jackson Crawford
Class 2: (Foundations of Germanic Ritual and Hex Craft) (Starting Summer of 2025)
Class Description (Foundations of Germanic Ritual and Hex Craft)
Level 2 (Foundations of Germanic Ritual and Hex Craft) involves training in building your own Horgr, finding and making your own ritual tools, performing land/house taking rituals and creating Germanic sacred space, understanding and working with both the Sun and Moon wheels for ritual and everyday life, three methods of reading the runes for divination, the basics of Fire and Ice Shamanism, hex craft protection charms, and explore the different realms of the German version of Yggdrasil.
Experience direct learning through in person classes, online classes, self-directed study, class discussion, supplementary material and homework.
Reading List: Level 2 (Foundations of Germanic Ritual and Hex Craft)
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Foundations of Fire and Ice Shamanism and Germanic Hex Craft by Hooded Wanderer
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Poetic Edda by Maria Kvilhaug or Poetic Edda by Jacson Crawford
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Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson
What do we mean when we say heathen and pagan?
This is what the MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY has to say:
MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY
hea·then | \ ˈhē-t͟hən \
Definition of heathen
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 old-fashioned + often disparaging : of or relating to people or nations that do not practice Christianity, Judaism, or Islam : of or relating to heathens (see HEATHEN entry 2 sense 1), their religions, or their customs : PAGANheathen rituals
2 old-fashioned + disapproving : STRANGE, UNCIVILIZED
pagan
1 a person who worships many gods or goddesses or the earth or nature: a person whose religion is paganism2 old-fashioned + often offensive: a person who is not religious or whose religion is not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam
Today most people in the Heathen/Pagan communities see these words as generic, covering a wide range of older Earth based spiritual traditions. In Modern American Shamanism we add the word Germanic to Paganism and Heathenry so we can be specific about the traditions we practice and teach. Our Heathen practices come from a wide range of Northern European countries, Denmark, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Northern Germany. Our Germanic Pagan traditions come from Germany (Europe) and the Pennsylvania German Pagan (America) traditions. We strive to share these different practices based on the historical evidence we can find. We also work to highlight the differences in practices shared by many different peoples of Northern Europe, like blot.
We will be having numerous online and in-person classes in 2022. We at Modern American Shamanism will be working hard to keep up our weekly educational blog posts and our monthly free classes on YouTube. A list of our in-person class for 2022 will be up on our website in December. See everyone next year!