This is Book II of the Heathen Soul Lore series, which follows after Book I, entitled "Heathen Soul Lore Foundations: Ancient and Modern Germanic Pagan Concepts of the Souls." To understand and work with the book you now hold, you will need to be familiar with the material in Book I, or else refer to the relevant articles on my website, HeathenSoulLore.net. In "Heathen Soul Lore: A Personal Approach," we move from the conceptual and theoretical levels of soul lore discussed in Book I, to comprehensive personal and practical levels of Heathen spiritual understanding. Here are explanations of the souls, based on research presented in Book I, but tailored to modern Heathen life. Guidelines and exercises are provided to promote deep, personal exploration of each of the souls, and lead to an understanding of the roles each soul plays in our daily life, our character, actions, choices and decisions. Each chapter about the individual souls is accompanied by a bind-rune to promote meditation on the nature of that soul, for those who have knowledge of rune-lore. When we become Heathen, we gradually become aware of a whole different world-view, one that includes views of what our souls are, and how they interact with all other beings and other Worlds of the cosmos. Who are each of your souls? They are complex beings, and getting to know each of them is like getting to know another person, but a person who is yourself, expanded in directions you may not have known were there. This book offers ways to explore and grow your souls in a Heathen context, and to integrate your conscious connections with them into your daily life. Reviewing Book I of this series: "There's a wonderful shaping and hope-bringing quality to the work here that I think will play a key role in helping to move Heathenry towards something deep and infinitely satisfying. It's really hard to overstate the impact this book could have." --Cat Heath, author of "Elves, Witches & Gods: Spinning Old Heathen Magic in the Modern Day."

Heathen Soul Lore Foundations presents a living spiritual landscape, rooted in ancient Germanic languages and understanding, offered for modern Heathens to explore and use in their own spiritual practice. This book also presents an approach for identifying and exploring ancient concepts of 'what a soul is' that may be of interest to followers of other branches of historically based modern Paganism, and to scholars of comparative religion. Linguistic analysis, literature, folklore, comparative religion, anthropology, esoteric and philosophical approaches are used to analyze old Germanic-language words relating to 'the soul'. The following souls, identified through this process, are thoroughly reviewed: Ferah, Ahma, Ghost, Hama, Aldr, Mod, Hugr, Sefa, and Saiwalo. Both scholarly and inspirational perspectives are taken, intended to stimulate both intellectual and imaginative exploration of these soul-concepts and the world-view which opens out from them. This book is richly illustrated with B&W images, in order to stimulate engagement of the imagination in comprehending these abstract entities and their metaphysical contexts. // Review by Diana L. Paxson, author of "Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism" "Since she first sent me the article on "Heathen Full-Souls" for Idunna: A Journal of Northern Tradition in 2006, I have been fascinated by Winifred Hodge Rose's development of the concept of the souls as an interactive system. I am delighted to see the full presentation of so many years of patient research and contemplation becoming available at last. In Winifred's hands, philology becomes a spiritual adventure, as words from the old Germanic languages reveal new insights into who we are and our place in the spiritual universe." // Review by John Michael Greer, author of "A World Full of Gods" "Winifred Rose has done an excellent job of gathering and synthesizing material about Heathen soul lore from a wide range of disparate sources. The resulting book is a scholarly, thorough resource that belongs on the bookshelf of every Heathen, and everyone interested in the subject." // Review by Cat Heath, author of "Elves, Witches & Gods: Spinning Old Heathen Magic in the Modern Day" "There's a wonderful shaping and hope-bringing quality to the work here that I think will play a key role in helping to move Heathenry towards something deep and infinitely satisfying. It's really hard to overstate the impact this book could have."

Heathen Soul Lore Foundations presents a living spiritual landscape, rooted in ancient Germanic languages and understanding, offered for modern Heathens to explore and use in their own spiritual practice. This book also presents an approach for identifying and exploring ancient concepts of 'what a soul is' that may be of interest to followers of other branches of historically based modern Paganism, and to scholars of comparative religion. Linguistic analysis, literature, folklore, comparative religion, anthropology, esoteric and philosophical approaches are used to analyze old Germanic-language words relating to 'the soul'. The following souls, identified through this process, are thoroughly reviewed: Ferah, Ahma, Ghost, Hama, Aldr, Mod, Hugr, Sefa, and Saiwalo. Both scholarly and inspirational perspectives are taken, intended to stimulate both intellectual and imaginative exploration of these soul-concepts and the world-view which opens out from them. This hardcover book is richly illustrated with B&W images using quality ink and paper, in order to stimulate engagement of the imagination in comprehending these abstract entities and their metaphysical contexts. // Review by Diana L. Paxson, author of "Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism": "Since she first sent me the article on "Heathen Full-Souls" for Idunna: A Journal of Northern Tradition in 2006, I have been fascinated by Winifred Hodge Rose's development of the concept of the souls as an interactive system. I am delighted to see the full presentation of so many years of patient research and contemplation becoming available at last. In Winifred's hands, philology becomes a spiritual adventure, as words from the old Germanic languages reveal new insights into who we are and our place in the spiritual universe." // Review by John Michael Greer, author of "A World Full of Gods": "Winifred Rose has done an excellent job of gathering and synthesizing material about Heathen soul lore from a wide range of disparate sources. The resulting book is a scholarly, thorough resource that belongs on the bookshelf of every Heathen, and everyone interested in the subject."

Provides an overview of Heathenry, a modern polytheistic religious movement based on the ancient religion of the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples.

The book explores the fundamental and multifaceted dialectic between utopian dreams and dystopian nightmares within American culture. The utopian mindset in constructing and imagining different futures for society is reflected in a wide range of differential cultural texts and narratives such as novels, short stories, political discourses and treatises, journalism and scholarly and intellectual debates. Often these combine social criticism and satire, political rhetoric, religious belief systems, and biblical metaphors. Approaching the topic from various angles and throughout different historical periods, the essays in this volume collectively show how fascinating and rewarding the exploration of this utopian discourse of for an understanding of American culture.

Previously published in 2005 as Exploring the Northern Tradition.

Asatru Then and Now From its pre-Christian beginnings to its contemporary practitioners, Heathenry has long fascinated people from every corner of the world. Written from the unique perspective of a Heathen gythja, or Godwoman, A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru shows how to bring the beliefs and traditions of this ancient faith into your life today. In this complete guide to Asatru, you will discover: The mythology, folklore, and historical sagas of Northern European Heathens How to conduct rituals for birth, naming, entry into adulthood, weddings, divorces, funerals, and holy days Practical techniques for meditation, trance-work, prayer, and working with runes and charms Heathen perspectives on the nature of time, creation, worship, ethics, oaths, and hospitality An in-depth glossary, index, pronunciation guide, and bibliography for further study