About the Author

Born in Holland, Freya Aswynn was aware of her natural psychic abilities as early as four years old, often able to perceive what would occur before it did. At the age of 19, with no real formal education except for the abilities to read and to write, Aswynn decided to develop her gift even further. She initially joined a spiritualist group, and later went on to study such subjects as Rosicrucianism, Astrology, Cabala, Thelema, and was eventually initiated into Wicca in 1980. After awhile, Aswynn began to question why the only gods mentioned were Graeco-Roman or Celtic in descent because they had no relationship to her own Dutch heritage. She then came to discover that there in fact were Nordic gods, and it was after a difficult personal experience that she became devoted to the Norse god, Wodan. It was Wodan's help that influenced Aswynn to begin her research on the occult and the Northern traditions. Runes had had an important impact on her life, so she began by studying them and their connection to Northern Europe and also began her first book, Leaves of Yggdrasil. She is also the author of Principles of the Runes, Northern Mysteries and Magick: Runes, Gods & Feminine Powers, and an audio CD, Songs of Yggdrasil: Shamanic Chants from the Northern Mysteries.

Reviews

Power exists in many forms. There is the gentle power of a small brook that gently wears a path into the soil. There is also the incredibly strong power of a massive waterfall. Northern Mysteries & Magick (revised and expanded edition of Leaves of Yggdrasil) by Freya Aswynn is a book that is almost shocking in the strength of the power it exhibits. If you have any interest in learning about the magick and spirituality of the people of Northern Europe, this book is a must. In it you will learn about the runes and how to do runic magick. You'll do divinations and create rune charms. You'll discover the secrets of shamanic techniques such as shape shifting, while learning the secrets of drumming and chanting according to the ancient ways.