To paraphrase an old saying, there is nothing new under the Sun plays well for this and some of my other blog posts. Here it is......Astral Projection!!! Oh that is so "New Age!" It is not. Wise men, Shamans, and Vitkis the world over were doing it millennia before the supposed birth of the baby Jesus. And they are still doing it, along with the common man (yeah I know, this will make some Heathens wince, or worse).
We know from reading the Edda's that Wodan/Odin has two ravens, Hugin and Munin. Also, we are told that Hugin often refers to thought while Munin is mind. But could not Munin also be Munr and Hugin, Soul/Spirit? In my opinion, it is indeed possible. Munr and Hugr are components of the Germanic/Norse Body/Soul Multiverse; Munr is your mind and Hugr is your Soul/Spirit. These are the things that "live on" after you "pass on."
Even though Munr is a separate component, it is contained within the Hugr. The fascinating thing is that this combined entity of yours can leave your body. This can happen when you are sleeping or with practice, at will. This should not shock you. What do you think our Ancestral shaman's and vitkis were doing when they "went to other worlds?" And what about your dreams that seem "out of this world?"
According to our Lore, we know that daily, Odin/Wodan sends his Ravens Hugin and Munin forth, to see what was going on in the rest of the Multiverse. Here, in my opinion All-Father was practicing astral projection. Some folks may find this objectionable, because well, All-Father is a God. That is truth. But the Gods, infinitely more advanced, are made of the same stuff as we, and can possibly die. And it appears that All-Father was concerned that one day his ravens, Hugr and Munr (mind and soul?) would not return to him - The Grimnisal. Was Odin/Wodan concerned about losing his mind? Or dying?
The myths and legends of many cultures discuss the concept of astral projection and not just within the scope of shamanic work; the best source for now is the Internet. And there are articles from the so-called experts. These fellows give enough information to the seeker to let his personal ravens loose on the world. According to some, should the practitioner get that good at willful projection, people will literally "see him." That brings up another thought.
The Germanic/Norse myths and legends are full of stories about draugr and revenants. In my opinion, these two spooky beings very well could have been astral projections (or something else - sorry kids, that's for another blog post).
As stated in the first sentence, there is nothing new under the Sun; it's just expressed in different ways and with different words. It is a serious misfortune that the Germanic/Norse culture did not have the opportunity to flourish like the Greek and Roman - we know who that culprit is! If it had, I am confident that the warrior-poets would have evolved into serious writing philosophers, along the lines of Rome's Marcus Aurelius. Then, the Northern Path would have produced scholars equal to and even greater than the best Rome or Greece could muster. But, we must move forward without that light to guide us.
Copyright @2016 Terry Unger
