Technically the word seiðr is defined as: “spell, charm, enchantment, incantation; to work a spell, practice sorcery’. Academically it has been described as a “ceremony”, a “form of magic”, as one of two “types of sorcery” (the other being galdr), a “particular form of magic especially associated with the god Odin”, as a “type of magic in the Northern tradition characterized by the use of an altered state of consciousness, or trance-state”; as “the old Nordic form of shamanism”; and “an art that works on the mind and soul” (1). Additionally, a great deal has been written regarding how harmful it may be, which may be biased on two fronts: first from an Ensi (Aesir) perspective, later from a Christian one. Simply, the word is employed to mean any Northern European magical-spiritual practice that engages transcendent consciousness. Further, this seiðr scholar has coined a term to denote all singular practitioners: seidhu,(2).

Seidhr is Wyrd consciousness, or the penetration of profound consciousness - the exploration of transpersonal reality - a science or means ‘to know or understand’ experiential awakening. Seidhr is mistakenly linked to the word ‘seethe’ and is sometimes mentioned in regards to contacting-raising ‘powers’ or energies that appear to facilitate fjolkyngi (such as spae or galdr); 3). Suggestively, this seething refers to the internal bodily and spiritual processes that result in the ‘churning-turning’ of the worker’s soul, or inner being. This inner ‘fermentation’ - perhaps connecting alu as a mystical potion - produces a creative wave that enhances all the senses, allowing the ‘surging’ of such phenomena as clairaudience, clairsentience, clairvoyance, and intuition. Psychic abilities being the physical form of cosmic manifestation, the seidhu then becomes a divine mouth piece, an emissional power of outward Tivaric manifestation, of inward tribal spiritual absorption, and of ritual participation with the divine. In short, they actively attune to the inward expansion of magan to produce measurable results.

Reference:

(1) “Ceremony”: Davidson, The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe.“Form of magic”: Fee and Leeming, Gods, Heroes, and Kings - The Battle for Mythic Britain. “Types of sorcery: Munch, Norse Mythology - Legends of Gods and Heroes. “.. with the god Odin”: Orchard, Cassell’s Dictionary of Norse Myth & Legend. “Consciousness, or trance-state: Rune Gild Seið Network, from the internet. “The old Nordic form of shamanism”: Host, from The Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies website. And, “An art that works on the mind and soul”: Gundarsson, Spae-Craft, Seiðr, and Shamanism, internet article.

(2) Seidhu, singular: practitioner of seidhu. Seidhr can be seen in Old Norse speja, “to see; to speak; to sing”; according to Grimm (III:1047) this may also mean “to seethe.” Relatedly, Old English spyrian, “to investigate”, seems to have evolved into French seance. Exclusively, this word can be linked to ‘shaman’; from Tungus saman, Buddhist shaman, Tocharian samana, Sanskrit sramanah and sramah.

(3) Fjolkyngi, Old Norse meaning, “the black art, witchcraft, wizardry, sorcery”. From the word fjolkunnigr, meaning, “skilled in magic; much-knowing”.