In addition to astrology – which is lingua franca of the Founder of Yggdrasil, Joe Landwehr – both the school and retreat will offer immersion experiences in other oracular and divinatory traditions, including but not limited to the runes (channeled by Odin), the tarot, and the I Ching. These traditions were intrinsic to the cultures that employed them – both in practical application to anticipate future possibilities and as a point of entry into a deeper understanding of divine intelligence at work within the fabric of the sentient universe.
Although they are often treated casually in Western culture by those who are merely curious and in quest of cheap entertainment, traditionally one did not approach any oracular system without humble respect and deep intent. This was necessarily so, for to ask for a glimpse into the inner workings of the Great Mystery was to take on a responsibility for more intentionally playing one’s part in the unfolding of that Mystery. Each rune channeled by Odin was a portal to initiation of the spirit; each hexagram of the I Ching was a call to rebalancing of the soul; each tarot card was an invitation to more conscious embodiment of the archetypes they depicted.
It is in this spirit of reverence that we will study and employ oracular and divinatory arts at Yggdrasil. At various times, certain soul tasks, and initiatory challenges become relevant to the tending of a sacred wound or calling, and various archetypes can serve as mythopoetic guides to a deepening of soul. The study of oracular and divinatory arts at Yggdrasil will help to facilitate a more acute awareness of the flow of the evolutionary process in relation to all four soul tasks, and serve as a catalyst to the development of inner resources relevant to the soul task at hand.