Putting on the wolf skin

181 Pages·2014·4.244 MB·English

by  Wayland Skallagrimsson

i PUTTING ON THE
J
WOLF SKIN
’The Berserkergang and Other Forms of Somafera
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Vendel era bronze plale found in Oland, Sweden
PUTTING ON THE
WOLFSKIN
The Berserkergang and
Other Forms of Somafera
Wayland Skallagrimsson
Copyright © 2014 by Wayland Skallagrimsson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any
means or in any form whatsoever without written permission from
the author, except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles
or reviews.
Contents
Preface..... 1
Disclaimer 2
PART ONE: BERSERKERGANG
Introduction.............................................. ...5
My Story......................................................... ...8
History: Ancient and Modern................... .14
What Is the Berserkergang? The Basics .22
.30
What It’s Like...............................................
.34
A Spiritual Perspective..............................
.37
The Havamal and the Gangr....................
.41
Meditation......................................................
.44
The Elevation Ritual..................................
The Initiation Ritual.................................. 46
The Gangr as a Martial Art....................... 52
The Gangr as a Work Aid........................... 68
The Gangr as a Healing Aid...................... 70
Madspace.. 72
Pain as a Spiritual Practice: The Controversy! ... 73
The Science of Fire Resistance................................. 77
Why Practice It?.......................................................... 81
Am I a Berserker?......................................................... 88
Must You Be Born To It in Order To Pursue It? 89
Coping with a Berserk Nature................................... 90
Intermittent Explosive Disorder and the Gangr. 98
PART TWO: SOMAFERA
Introduction.............................................................. 107
My Story........................................................................ 115
Historical Madspace Practices................................. 119
The Mechanics of Mind/Body/Spirit Unification 129
What It’s Like.............................................................. 134
Unitary States in Ordinary People........................ 136
Classifications of Somafera States.................... 143
Letting Go................................................................ 146
Embracing the Shadow........................................ 148
Emotional Elevation Technique........................ 151
Basic Techniques for Encouraging Madspace 153
The Eureka Technique......................................... 155
Psymech Eureka Technique: Principles.......... 157
Basic Psymech Eureka Technique.................... 164
Scientific Theories.................................................. 166
Terminology.................... 169
Recommended Reading 174
About the Author.......... 175
Preface
Hello, I am Wayland Skallagrimsson. I have been heavily involved
in the reconstruction and practice of both the berserkergang in
particular and somafera in general for nearly fifteen years now. I
have long wanted to write a book on the subject. One of the things
that has been holding me back is that I have not really known how
to present the material.
You see, it’s a very big subject. The berserkergang was and is
an ancient form of martial art that has a powerful spiritual/
religious component. There were many other practices like it all
over the world. The riastradh, or Heroic Feats, of the ancient Celts
were essentially the same thing as the berserkergang. The Spirit
Boxers of China were much like the berserkers as well. As I and the
other researchers I worked with soon discovered, this style of
martial art and spiritual practice was found all over the world.
So we realized that we needed a general term to apply to all
such practices. We settled on somafera, a portmanteau of Greek
and Latin words meaning “the body wild.” As time went on, we
found that some types of somafera were primarily spiritual in
nature, and used the enhancements that other practices directed
toward the martial arts for devotional activities. Still other types,
such as the Experiential Realm Yogas of the Buddhists, enhanced
mental functioning more than physical functioning.
So when I sat down to figure out how to present what a decade
and a half of research has taught us about somafera, I was unsure
of how best to do it. The martial variants such as the berserkergang
are best presented in one manner, whereas the general subject —
which encompasses many other paths than just the martial — really
needs to be presented differently. So I decided to essentially write
two books in one. The first half of this book is dedicated to the
martial types of somafera, particularly the berserkergang variety, J.
which is the one I practice. This discussion will be very spiritual in
nature, and oriented toward practice. The second half of this book —■"
will explore somafera in general. It can be read independently of "
the first half, and has a more scientific orientation.
1
Disclaimer
The information and practices described in this book are the result
of years of study and dedication to the understanding of the risks
involved. These descriptions are provided for purposes of
information only. Actually trying to practice anything described in
this book would almost certainly lead to injury, perhaps even
serious injury or death. I strongly advise against it.
2
PartOne
BERSERKERGANG