Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition - Raven Kaldera 2012
River
The Blue World: Water
Galina: I fell . . . well, perhaps not in love, but into deep affection and deeper flirtation with a River spirit once. My mother had taken me to Paris, and in retrospect I realize that this city gifted me twice over: I learned to work with and honor city spirits from Paris herself, and I learned about the magnetism, wisdom, and power of the River spirit of the Seine. He wasn’t the first River spirit whom I encountered, but it was the first time I truly realized how remarkably independent and powerful this family of spirits could be. Of all the denizens of the Blue World, I resonate most easily and work most effectively with River spirits. I find them as compelling as the Ocean spirits and far more accessible and willing to interact with humanity.
Early on, I connected to a River spirit during one of my own shamanic ritual ordeals. I was in Belgium, by the La Lesse River, waiting to be escorted by a senior spirit worker into a Neanderthal cave, and for the first time I got the sense of a river’s presence. She was very, very old—this family of spirits is ancient, and she was quite used to dealing with humans. She was very friendly and calmed me before my ritual. That brief experience made me look at rivers differently—attuned me, if you will, to the presence of their spirits. Since then, I have acquired several River allies, including the river that runs behind my home.
The name for spirits of freshwater rivers and streams is näckar in Old Norse, a cognate of the English word nixie. Of all the denizens of the Blue World, River spirits seem the most intimately connected on an ongoing basis with humanity. Many of them are intertwined with us and the health of our civilizations. My own sense is that they are more accustomed than many of their kin (except perhaps Rain) to working with humans. They’re a very communicative group, though no less deserving of honor in light of that. In other words, just because they do not demand by virtue of the power of their presence the same degree of respect and awe that the Ocean spirits might in no way means that they do not deserve it.
Humanity has lived one way or another in relationship with River spirits since our very early history. Cities were, more often than not, built along waterways. The Nile had its own heavily propitiated god, Hapi, and the Tiber River in Rome had its own sacred holiday. The power of the river for transportation and communication was integral in many ways to the expansion of early civilizations, the rise of trade, and the wealth of Renaissance merchant towns. Our ancestors were avid seafarers. Evidence indicates that the Vikings had extensive trade routes extending, via rivers, into Russia, Byzantium, and possibly even India. (For more information, read Nordic Religions in the Viking Age, by Thomas A. DuBois.) The power of the river ensured the wealth of the people.
Our alliance with and reliance on rivers through countless centuries is a large factor in the understanding that River spirits have of our proper relationship with them. Our ancestors had a very ancient contract with these spirits: people gave offerings to the River spirit, and the River spirit provided people with a mode of communication, transportation, and trade. It provided water for the crops and community, it provided fish for the bellies of the families in its domain. Food, drink, wealth, sustenance on all levels; these are the gifts that well-honored River spirits can bestow. They also provide a measure of protection. Think of a river moat surrounding a castle, or a rushing river border of a town rendering it impregnable. In time, after you have developed a relationship with a given River spirit and have taken the time to consistently maintain ongoing offerings, the River may take those things that need to be cleansed. It washes away taint, and you may purify spiritually soiled items in its waters. (Be sure to gain its permission first.) Having a river at the border of one’s property can be particularly beneficial in staying under other people’s psychic radar. Its rushing waters absorb and diffuse negative energies, and if the River spirit is fond of its human neighbor, it can augment a practitioner’s house shields by helping to conceal them. Just as many spirit workers will put bowls of water around their house prior to seeing distressed clients (to absorb any jagged or negative energy or to confuse any malicious spirits), so too a river bordering one’s property can augment one’s personal household defenses. But first, right relationship must be developed.
Exercise: Offering to the River
Find a river where you can go and be relatively undisturbed. Decide in advance the offerings you are going to take when you introduce yourself. Clean water, wine, cornmeal, tobacco, blood meal, beer, and food are all good choices. (Make sure you remove the substance from any containers before offering it, as it is not a good offering if it destroys or damages the river ecosystem.) Cleanse yourself and go to the river. Sit down by the edge and introduce yourself respectfully. Express your desire to honor the River spirit. The name of the river is usually at least one of the names of the River spirit too, so it’s all right to use it. Carefully present the offerings. Spend time sitting by the river and connecting to it, listening for its voice, the touch of its presence. Be respectful. It would not be inappropriate to clean up any garbage in the vicinity. We also recommend making an offering in honor of the river to an ecological organization, like Scenic Hudson (www.scenichudson.org) or Save the Frogs (www.savethefrogs.com); frogs are integral to river environments and are, in many places, gravely endangered. The River spirit is usually deeply connected and responsible for all the creatures depending on its bounty. It is the caregiver for an entire ecosystem. Anything that you can do to help preserve those ecosystems is a good offering. It’s an act of alliance and friendship. Continue visiting the river regularly at least once a month for several months, and give the relationship time to develop. This is important: you’re not just priming a spirit to fulfill whatever request you have. You are developing a relationship that you will then be expected to properly maintain. Think of it as cultivating a friendship that, ideally, will be mutually beneficial and rewarding to you both, which is, in effect, what friendship is.
Be aware that River spirits are quite communicative not just with human beings but with each other as well—especially with each other. The Seine learned about Galina from La Lesse, for instance . . . essentially, they network as they flow into each other. Keep this in mind when working with them. Your reputation will travel.