Book Review: Galdramal by Andre Jooste

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As I have begun to explore Norse paganism and Heathenry in more detail, I have found myself struggling to find reliable sources beyond academic texts. Unfortunately, so much misinformation about ancient Nordic practices exists that it is often hard to separate the truth from the lies. The Nazi's really did a number on Norse mythology, and much of their created history and false science continues today. This means that many modern occult books about Heathenry contain inaccurate, misrepresented, or downright racist ideologies, aspects I do not wish to incorporate into my reconstruction. And while I love academic texts, they often ignore or fail to fully explore magic on a practical level, leaving a gaping hole I have been struggling to reconcile. I want history and practical application, and Andre Jooste does just that in Galdramal: A Practical Guide to Rune Magick and Spell Work.

Jooste flawlessly weaves historical records with modern application, not only offering a guide to the runes, but Norse cosmology and esoteric practices to create a rather comprehensive guide for new and old practitioners alike. I don't normally highlight or annotate my books, but boy oh boy did I do so with this one. I also pulled out a journal to take additional notes on topics I wanted to research and explore in more detail. That should be an indication of how I feel about Galdramal. 

Jooste has clearly done his homework, exploring Nordic magical practices and the use of runes in said practices. It should be noted, however, that some of his evidence is speculation and should be taken as such, in particular the use of runes in divination. Most historians agree that the runes were used primarily as a writing system, but were also used in certain magical practices. They may have been sung (galdra), carved and colored on objects (as referenced by Odin in the Eddas), or used to create staves and bindrunes (as found in Icelandic spellbooks and referenced in the Eddas), but we cannot know beyond a doubt how they were employed. Jooste does argue that the runes were used for divination, remarking that they were likely the symbols written on twigs while casting lots, but there is no clear support for this interpretation. That doesn't mean that Jooste is wrong in his speculations, nor his references inaccurate, just that we cannot know beyond a shadow of a doubt how the runes were used.

Despite this, Jooste offers an excellent exploration of the runes in magic, discussing the 6 runic traditions and their meanings, poems, and sounds. He also includes meditations to connect with each rune and encourages the reader to do so while experiencing an altered state of consciousness, exercises and spells that utilize the runes, how to create different types of bindrunes and runic staves, and even how to write runic encantations. The spells, which are featured in the last section of the book, include both modern and reconstructed spells based on archaeological evidence and the Eddas, which is fantastic. Reading through his work has transformed my way of viewing the runes, in particular through the use of the World Tree and the different types of rhyming schemes employed by the Norse for different purposes.

Apart from the runes, which are the central focus of Galdramal, Jooste also includes an introduction to Norse cosmology, exploring the spirits and deities mentioned in the Eddas, esoteric thought and practices such as fylgja (fetch), utiseta (sitting out), and megin/odr (energy flow). I cannot begin to even explain how much this has given me to think about. I wish this were a giant encyclopedia and hope Jooste writes more books in the future. He is officially on my auto-buy list!

My only major complaint is that some sections felt a little AI-ie to me. I am not suggesting any portion of this book was written by or edited by AI, but some sections read similarly to how AI "writes." Sometimes Jooste repeats himself in a slightly different way in consecutive sentences without actually saying anything new or intriguing, similar to AI. It has not escaped me that AI is trained entirely on human works and tries to mimic our style and cadence in its recreations. For this reason, even the best of works can sound like AI. I hope that is the case here. As I said, I am not accusing Jooste of using AI in any part of the writing process, simply voicing my frustration with some sections because I am annoyed with AI's current patterns.

If you are interested in exploring Heatherny, Norse cosmology, and runic magic, I highly recommend picking up Galdramal: A Practical Guide to Rune Magick and Spell Work by Andre Jooste. Jooste is not influenced by Nazi propaganda and takes a practical, history-based approach to reconstruction, which is a breath of fresh air in a world full of misinformation. Galdramal is by no means a completely comprehensive work, but it is certainly laying the foundation for further study.

If you liked this post, please consider leaving a small tip in the jar.