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Book SynopsisConnecting Norse mythology, ecstatic trance, the Universal Mind and the dawn of a new age of peace and veneration for Mother Earth, Nicholas Brink reveals how we can use ecstatic and hypnotic trance to learn more directly and deeply from our distant ancestors, rediscover our extrasensory powers and reclaim the original magical nature of humanity. The imminent rebirth of a peaceful, balanced, connected world was predicted in Norse mythology as the return of Baldr, the gentle and compassionate Nordic god of truth, healing and rune work. Illustrating ecstatic trance postures to connect with the ancient Nordic people and their beliefs, to journey to exact points in time and to access specific powers, such as seeing into our future, Brink explores humanity's evolving cycle of consciousness from the era when the Great Mother goddess was the centre of life through the transition to the worship of power and physical strength in the Bronze Age and the world of the Vikings. He explores the coming return of Baldr and the imminent new age of peace and respect for the earth. Through hypnotic divination, the author expands the stories of the early Nordic gods and goddesses from the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, in particular the fertility deities of the Vanir, such as Freyr, Freyja and Idunn, who came before the warrior deities of the Æsir, such as Odin, Thor and Loki. He details the epic battle of Ragnar¸ok and the birth, life, death and rebirth of Baldr. Brink shows how these ancient stories happen outside of time, in the past, present and future, thus Baldr's return is replayed in our death-rebirth experiences of life, in each dawn, with each spring and now with the birth of a new age that we see happening all around us. Through the power of trance at this time of rebirth, we move full circle to reclaim the magic of the earliest times, the times of the Garden of Idunn. · illustrates ecstatic trance postures to connect with the ancient Nordic people, to journey to exact points in time and to access powers such as seeing into our future · explains how the coming new age of peace and veneration for Mother earth was predicted in Norse mythology as the rebirth of the compassionate god Baldr · expands on the stories of the early Nordic gods and goddesses from the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda
Trade Review“Nick Brink brilliantly applies the use of ancient ritual postures and ecstatic trance, as taught by anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, to reclaim the wisdom of his ancestors and to make an impassioned plea for us all to welcome the return of Baldr and the Great Mother as our guides into a new era of peace. I was moved and inspired by the depth of his research and his deep love for the stories that help us know more truly who we really are.” * Belinda Gore, Ph.D., author of The Ecstatic Experience director of training and former president of *
“This book is a lively combination of ancestral imagination, mythology, and historical reality. The author introduces a series of ecstatic trance postures that have been identified elsewhere as having ancient use for facilitating a variety of meditative inquiries and are frequently represented by some of the earliest known sacred figurines from around the world. The author, as he should, leaves the reader to form his or her own opinion as to the degree to which the story can be taken literally or as metaphor, as reality or imaginal fantasy, as personal or collective. Either way, James Hillman suggested that imagination and soul are fundamentally the same thing, and in that sense this book is a soul-focused journey into some of the long-ago roots of modern civilization.” * Raymond Hillis, Ph.D., professor emeritus of counseling, California State University, Los Angeles *
“For millennia ancient societies depended on their shamans to bring back information through trance states that was needed for their continued survival and evolution. Now, as we enter into the dawning of a new age, Nicholas Brink is one of those rare individuals bringing us once again into altered states of awareness through the correct use of postures that deepen the trance state. This is a must read for anyone on this path of awakening.” * Rahasya Poe, C.Ht., author of To Believe Or Not To Believe and The 12 Spiritual Laws of Recovery: An *
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Baldr’s Magic is for anyone who loves mythology and myth-making. They will find themselves interested in one fine man’s personal tale in addition to his take on today’s society.
Baldr’s Magic gives us hope and encouragement that our time is being reborn into the values of the ancient Great Mother, the values of compassion, nurturing, and peace. His “Lost Eddas” show the magic, enchantment, and compassion of the Vanir gods, and they show the strong, bold Æsir gods, whose life is war. Do not miss the last part of the book, “The Teachings of the Vanir,” and final comments.” * Lisa N. Woodside, Ph.D., professor emerita of humanities, Holy Family University, and certified teac *
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Baldr’s Magic brings alive the world of the ancient Nordic people during a time of prehistory when the Great Mother was worshipped, the time of the Vanir, the gods and goddesses of fertility, a time of peace when mankind lived sustainably on Earth. Then something happened. Men began to control the world, began to value physical strength, began to fight among themselves, and worshipped the Nordic gods of war, Odin and Thor. This book is about this time of transition. Nick Brink shows a real command of the ancient Nordic beliefs and fills in the missing beliefs or the beliefs that were never recorded: the lost stories of the Vanir. With the use of hypnotic and ecstatic trance he journeys back in time to recover these stories that offer us the picture of what the world was like when the Great Mother was worshipped, a world of peace and cooperation, a world of magic that provides us with guidelines for the coming new age.” * Michael Bell, Ph.D., retired professor of Medieval and Folklore Studies, University of Colorado *
“An inspirational piece of work. Reading this book will bring you through the tale of the old gods of the Vanir as we know them from Norse mythology: a peace-loving society in balance with nature and the Great Módir, Mother Earth. With the tools of ecstatic and hypnotic trance, the author assesses the ancient world of the gods and people from the old Norse world. He tells us the tale of Ragnaro?k, and the survival of the Vanir, and he shows the reader the new peaceful world that is to come.” * Monica Steensdatter, registered psychiatric nurse, Nuuk, Greenland *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Foreword by Reverend James Lawer
Prologue: Our Relationship to the Great Mother Part One
The Universal Mind Understanding Trance 1 The Lost Powers of the Nordic People
2 The Powers of Ecstatic and Hypnotic Trance
3 Nordic Postures
Part Two
The Lives of the Ancient Ones Using Ecstatic Trance to Access Nordic Ancestors 4 Communing with Ancestors: An Overview
5 The Era of the Mother Goddess
6 The Transition
7 The Warrior and His Family
8 Baldr’s Rebirth
Part Three
The Myths and Beliefs of the Ancient Ones Learning from the Nordic Gods through Hypnotic Trance 9 The Origins of the Gods
10 The Lost Edda of the Vanir
The Lay of Freyja’s Audience with Odin
The Lay of Freyja’s Cats
The Lay of the Fish’s Breath
The Lay of the Spittle of a Bird
The Lay of the Roots of a Mountain
The Lay of the Sinew of a Bear
The Lay of the Beard of a Woman
The Origin of the Vanir and the Power of Naming
The Attack on the Vanir and the Power of Seiðr
The Power of Idunn’s Plants
The Power of Bragi’s Songs
Idunn Is Accepted
Kvasir’s Mead
The Lay of Gullveig
Ullr and His Inventions
Óðr’s Journey and Freyja’s Pursuit
Calling on Moðir
Freyr’s Power of Illusion
Freyr’s Journeys to Midgard
Freyr’s Journeys to Jötunheimr
The Power of Shape-Shifting
The Lay of Gefjon and the Kings of Denmark
The Lay of King Healfdene
Why Baldr Didn’t Go to Griðbustaðr
The Lay of Freyja and Her Daughters
Idunn’s Travels to Midgard
The Goddesses’ Power of Intuition
Ullr’s Travels
In Memory of Moðir
Baldr Visits Moðir
Baldr Meets Nanna
The Lay of Borr and Moðir’s Dream
The Lay of Borr’s Son Odin
Forseti’s Blessing and Loki’s Silence
Forseti’s Justice
The Lay of Sloegr
The Lay of Heimdallr
The Lay of Ullr’s Drawings
Idunn, Freyr, and the Giants
Baldr Grieves Hrungnir’s Death
The Lay of the Giants
The Survival of the Vanir 11 The Teachings of the Vanir
Epilogue
Notes
Glossary of Nordic Terms
Bibliography
Index
