The following is information that I received from my spirit guide dealing with "magic" and how it works.

When we discuss magic we are actually discussing the effect of one's hamingja on Wyrd. Hamingja is spiritual momentum that one gains through various activities (discussed later). Wyrd, although it is manifested in the physical world, is essentially spiritual in nature. Hamingja, which is personal spiritual power, can have an effect upon wyrd. Mythologically, the moment Odin created the first man and woman was a point where Odin's divine Hamingja effects the wyrd of Asgard and the gods by allowing Odin to have an army waiting to stop the complete destruction of that which the gods had built.

Hamingja is greatly influenced by one's deed. Right Action has a positive effect upon one's hamingja and it adds power to that hamingja. A positive mental outlook, i. e. faith, is absolutely necessary for the development of hamingja. Personal rituals conducted on a daily basis invoke a very powerful tool and that is man's affinity for symbolism. The more symbolism is one's life, by this I mean positive symbolism, whether seen, acted out, or what have you, also strengthen hamingja. The greater blessings of the year, when they act out myths, the most powerful of our symbology, can have a tremendous effect upon hamingja.

I believe my experience at Trothmoot this year wad caused by my daily rituals I had been conducting before then and the power generated at the spae-working to "supercharge" my hamingja for a short time.

Since then, I have done frequent shamanic journeys and have been given "spells" and rituals to increase my hamingja. The journeys themselves add to my might and main, as did my sitting out ceremony which initiated me fully into Odin's cult.

The runes, primordial symbols and very powerful, seem to have a reciprocal relationship to one's hamingja. They only have power when one gives them power, which comes through one's hamingja, and yet I was given a rune chant by Ravenblack that charges my batteries in a big way. The runes once powered seem to act as a gateway to allow more power in. This idea will have to be clarified at a later shamanic session.

The runes, besides providing power, allows one to focus ones hamingja on a specific goal, thus wyrd can be affected by the will of person who has a strong enough spiritual force. Hamingja works all the time and a powerful hamingja makes one lucky in day to day life.

One's hamingja can even destroy another person's hamingja. Without going into detail, I was given a curse by a witch named Grettl who lives in a cave in Myrkwood. This occurred, of course, while I was journeying. I was also told my personal hamingja comes from an ancestor named Hirold who live in ancient times, I got the impression his tribe was nomadic so I believe he lived during the migration age. Based on this information, hamingja can descend down family lines and Gunnarson makes references to ancient kings loaning messengers their luck. I had to pay Grettl three gold coins charged with my personal hamingja as just payment for the information I received. Therefore, I deduce that hamingja, although it is symbiotic, it is also an independent aspect existing on its own.

-Sam Tyree