Untitled - Awaken Video

Chapter 8. The Making of a Seiðman 228
dependent on individual skill on one’s instrument. The most important skill in a
band is not skill at the instument, however, it is the musician’s abilty to listen to
the band as a whole and then add in only those notes which will enhance the overall
sound. A grave mistake often made by many young musicians is that in their desire
to climb up the musical ladder of fame, they center only only their own sound and
skill ignoring the bigger picture. I know this well because I had made the error over
and over for years wondering why my skill as a fiddle player was not lauded by all
who heard–I was slowly losing friends rather than gaining them. It was only while I
was in the throes of my madness that I learned the subtle skill of hearing/ listening.
A handful of clean, well-placed notes can often do more for a tune than a stunning
run of complex scales. The notes need to be carefully placed out there and then the
player must be able to hear the effect to judge the skill of placement. So it is with
‘proper action’; this is proper action.
My seiðmaking sessions start out quietly with dialog. I need to know the client
and his perception of his own problems. Often, I begin to prepare the session place
at this time. I roll up little balls of prairie sage, place my tools (none of them are
overly impressive in looks–just rocks, little feathers, sticks, etc.). After finding out
the client’s perception of the problem, I will begin to sing my ghosts together. The
song is quiet with no words–just sounds and tones. My vocal volume is low. The
ghosts aren’t deaf and I am not here to impress a client, but to find a proper course
of action which will relieve him of his problem. The ghosts will look at the problem
and will decide if Toloache or the Little Red Man are necessary to achieve the goal.
If I must work work with the Little Red Man we will often take a break while
I make the preparations. Toloache requires little preparation and there is no time
lag waiting for him to take where I need to go. The Fly Agaric is much slower both
in preparation and waiting for him to travel with me. In the meanwhile, I will talk
more with the client about what the ghosts have uncovered, will ask some more
questions for clarification, will arrange the client so that he may more easily access
the flow of Waters. The latter may involve positioning the client, massage to shift
the Flow of Waters, etc. Again, the actions are always subtle and smooth. I always
keep in mind that I’ve a job to do other than show a client how ‘cool’ and eccentric
I am.
Notice that there is no Magic Circle. New Agers don’t like this. I usually circle
the client and myself with a rope, but this is not for safety or show; it is just a tool
for tying more closely together during our short relationship. I don’t call guardian
spirits or draw a circle of protection. I work, I guess, without a safety net. I work
in the real world where we live, work, and play. I am not in the business of either
controlling demons or putting up a show of ceremony; I am working on a client.
Magic Circles are for die-hard Wiccans and ceremonial magicians. I am a seiðman;