High Seat Rite

Roles:

• Seer- the one who journeys to Helheim
• Master of Ceremonies- the one who leads the rite
• Watcher(s)- the one(s) who watch and observe the rite
• Battery- the ones raising the energy
• Chorus- the ones invoking the spirits, and singing
• Audience- the ones who ask questions

Purify the working space. For this type of working, you may want to invoke a disir circle for protection. Invoke the deities of your choosing: ideally, Freyja, Odin and Hel. Ask Hel for permission to enter her realm, Helheim. BE AWARE OF THE ANSWER. If you feel that you received a "no", do not attempt to continue with the rite. Once you've been given permission, being to raise energy for the rite. Typically this is done through ecstatic dancing, drumming, where everyone is moving and acting in this. When the drumming quitens, everyone sits in a circle and begins to invoke the ancestors and wights.

Now, visualize the world tree in the centre of the space. The entire group begins to chant galdr, and the vardlokkur. Everyone should sway, move, clap, or otherwise participate in some physical way. This is all to prepare the Seer. When the Seer is ready, they are handed the staff and cloak. The Master of Ceremonies keeps an eye on the Seer, and will be the one who determines when it is time for them to pathwalk. Everything quitens. The Master of Ceremonies leads the Seer through the pathwalking, by guiding them through visualization: "You stand in a field amongst the soft, brown soil. Slowly, you feel yourself beginning to sink into the cool earth beneath your feet..".

The Seer is physically led to walk in a spiral. This represents climbing Yggdrasil. They begin the pathwalking experience of journeying to Helheim. The Master of Ceremonies continues to lead them through this visualization. The Seer then sits on the High Seat, and is asked to explain what they see. The Master of Ceremonies will direct the questions. The Seer from this point on is not called by name. They are called "Seer" to keep from snapping them out of their trance. When the questions are finished, the Seer leaves Helheim. They are then called by their name, and brought back. The cloak is removed. The music stops, offering is given, and thanks are made.