The Worlds and Consciousness

By: Russ Gardener

The Twentieth Century has seen the birth and development of the various sciences of the mind. From Freud, Jung and Assaglio onwards there are multiple fields of study into human consciousness. Yet if we take some recognised terms concerning consciousness and then look back to the myth and wisdom of our Odinist ancestors we can see that although they might not have used the same terminology, the understanding of the workings of consciousness were there.

If we look to what is held in common between the various soul-centred psychologies we read that there is the conscious, the seat of our self-awareness and our thoughts. There is the unconscious, by far the larger part of our overall consciousness, from which come desires, feelings and emotions, along with habitual behaviour. There is also the Superconscious, often called the Higher Self, that part of us which has perfect wisdom and where the spark of the divine resides.

If we look to our myth we generally consider that there are nine worlds. Yet if we reduce these we can also see that there are three: Asgard, Midgard and Hel. The more I consider these worlds the more I see a match to our consciousness. The worlds of the Tree are also worlds of consciousness.

Midgard relates to our conscious mind. This is the 'real world' of three dimensions, where times appears to be linear, where matter appears to be solid, and where we as self-aware beings live our life in interaction with other self-aware beings and the rest of nature.

Hel relates to our unconscious. This is the underworld, the dark place hidden from consciousness, but where untold riches are hidden. There are some psychologists who feel that all humans are ultimately connected through the collective unconscious, where the individual unconscious of each individual is like a tributary running into a great ocean. I would say that one should not ignore the Folk soul and the Folk collective consciousness. Perhaps as individuals our tributaries run into the great Folk river, and this in turn, along with the rivers of other folk run into the collective ocean of humankind's collective unconscious.

Asgard relates to our Superconscious, or our Higher Self. Asgard is the realm of the Gods, and the Superconscious is the realm of the divine within us. 'We have become one with the gods', the gothi says near the end of the Blot, according to the liturgy of the Book of Blotar. When we mediatate, when we worship, when we invoke the Gods, and when we are aware of this higher part of us, that is when we raise our consciousness and truly become one with the Gods. For we are their younger brethren.

Shamanically speaking we can see Hel and Asgard as the lower and the upper worlds respectively. I have had a number of people tell me that they find it easier to shamanically travel to the lower worlds than the upper worlds. It seems easier, therefore, to access the realms of Hel than the realms of Asgard. This is possibly because Asgard, the upper worlds, or the Superconscious, is generally one stage removed from the conscious; we access it through the subconscious.

In our myths we are told this regarding the path of the dead. The way to Asgard is through Hel. I believe there is a message here for our consciousness, too. The way to the Superconscious is through the unconscious. This is a truth that is there in other systems of belief. The Tarot, that great collection of esoteric wisdom, most definitely shows this in its symbolism.

Think of it in this way: we generally know the difference between a significant dream and a mundane dream. Ever so often we might have a dream that impresses on our mind something of great importance for us; it is almost like a vision. This wisdom from the Superconscious, a message directly for our attention, comes through the unconscious, in this way through sleep. The same with meditation. Sometimes when we still our conscious minds we receive great truth, again transmitted through the unconscious. Also there are desires. There is a difference between the desire for another cigarette or another chocolate, and the great desires we feel at times when it is right for us to take a step on our life path. Our Superconscious tells us when it is time to move on and we feel it through the language of desire and emotion. It becomes almost impossible for us to resist.

So, as the Superconscious talks to our self-awareness and our rational mind through our unconscious, so we learn that it is easier to access the lower realms of Hel than those of Asgard, because generally those are one step away from us.

When 'becoming one with the gods', however, these are times when we are that much closer to the consciousness of Asgard, where divine inspiration can short cut the usual channels, where we are that much more receptive to the wisdom of the Gods.

I have not encountered this concept of linking the Odinist's worlds with the concepts of Twentieth Century studies of consciousness, yet it intuitively makes sense to me. It seems that the same concepts are being talked of, yet just cloaked in a different language. It seems to me that our ancestors knew the workings of consciousness many centuries ago and that it took us to get to this century before we rediscovered what they already knew.

As we live our lives, may we be more open to the Superconscious, to the Asgard within us, for although our consciousness does not reside there, nevertheless it is a part of us, and is the seat of the god wisdom that should inspire us and drive our lives. The more we allow the Superconscious to direct our lives, the more we become the ubermensch, the Nietzchean superman.

Hail the Holy Gods and Goddesses! May we become one with them!

By Russell Gardener, 13 September 1999