What is Ragnarok, and how should our ancient norse spiritual tradition be interpreted?
I have mentioned that spirituality can be translated as "essentialness" or "ancient psychology." All spirituality and religion, in which I also include Greek philosophy and 19th century psychoanalysis, derive from the same source – namely ancient metaphysics. It is important to understand that everything is connected, and that the division of all this into artificial categories and dogmas involves a lack of knowledge and competence. Nothing originates in a vacuum, and the only thing that is of essential interest is what is potential improvement or deterioration in truths or timeless wisdom.
In order to understand ancient religions and spiritual teachings, it is necessary to first understand ancient metaphysics. The biggest mistake is to take ancient metaphysics literally and thus believe that religion arose out of superstition. Superstition was something that came later, once people ceased to understand that no spiritual texts should be taken literally.
Before man's language had developed into the complex languages we have today, prehistoric people seem to have used symbols – analogy – to communicate ideas. That's why parables such as light and dark, anthropomorphic creatures, the classical elements, etc., are common in man's early metaphysics that aimed to explain the invisible inner life and the psyche. People used the few words they had for things in the world along the most appropriate analogy or parable. If they had no word for "understanding," they used the term "light", and "ignorance" became "darkness" – since no one sees clearly at night which increases imaginary shapes and fears while daylight exposes what exists in nature and creates more peace and relaxation in the psyche. The use of these metaphors was an ingenious feature of their wisdom tradition, then. Especially since they often had no possibility of preserving insights other than in oral tradition. But over time it became more of a confusion than an effective language.
Psychology is a modern term for what originally was and belonged to spirituality. Psychology is and means the science of the mind or the soul. The word "spirit" is an ancient term that originally stood for thoughts and the intellect. The "spiritual world" is not some supernatural or parallel reality that exists somewhere out there. The spiritual world was and is the inner world of the mind; an invisible world of knowledge, principles, ideas, dreams and psychological states.
The characters in spiritual writings represent these ideas and psychological states which, with the lack of proper teaching from those who were the originators of the texts, are misinterpreted as merely historical individuals or gods which are then prayed to in an imitative and superstitious manner. Spiritual stories were ancient psychology which only used historical and worldly symbols (or people) as analogy to inner mental states and attitudes. A spiritual book that tells about the visible world is in fact not a spiritual book at all. Otherwise all books about history and about religion would be spiritual books.
Arithmetic or mathematics, however, are intellectual and abstract concepts that belongs to the invisible world, and thus constituted an element of ancient metaphysics. Ancient metaphysics and spirituality were closely related to arithmetical operations (equations) and, moreover, the origin of mathematics. Thus science was also an element of ancient metaphysics, which made it hard metaphysics. Numbers are abstract forms that make it possible to achieve higher knowledge and insights into reality, which also makes it possible to act correctly. You cannot separate numbers from logic and thus wisdom.
If these texts and sagas were merely superstitions, why then insert a lot of precise numbers? For example, take the following verse from Grímnismál in the poetic Edda:
'Five hundred doors
and forty more
I think that Valhalla has;
eight hundred Einherjar
in width can walk through each door,
when off to battle the Wolf they go.
I don't know exactly what meaning the numbers 540 and 800 have in terms of symbolism, just that numbers are usually related to geometric structures, astronomical processes, and arithmetics. It is also not certain that the numbers have been preserved correctly. But that eight hundred men can walk through a door at the same time reveals that the original writer did not expect it to be taken literally.
Another example revealing that the writings have a psychological meaning, and not a literal or superstitious one, is the names of Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin, which are usually translated as "thought" and "memory." I have also seen them translated as "reason" and "will." Technically, both names are variants on the word "thought." I'm guessing they are related to the activities of the two halves of the brain and that it should be reason and intuition, where with "intuition" I refer to inner images as in dreams. But to me it doesn't matter exactly what psychological attributes they refer to as long as people understand that they represent precisely psychological attributes. However, it is important to understand that it is not only the ravens or bird creatures that have a psychological meaning. Everything mentioned in ancient mythology and spiritual writings, including the world itself, is a psychological metaphor!
There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. One is a symbolic analogy with historical events where the psychological meaning is still primary. The other is geometric structures and astronomical processes where the latter also often has a historical analogy. For example, 540 x 800 will be 432,000, which is the number of astronomical years people are said to have lived in wisdom before going under in a flood according to an ancient Babylonian priest (Berossos). For 432,000 years foolishness and disorder could be kept at bay before wisdom fell completely, so every year could be likened to a soldier who maintain a fight against madness represented by a beast. And since ancient people saw the world as cyclical processes, it is likely that they also expected that both psychological and historical events would recur.
The Edda is a mixture of religion, history and culture in general. A blend made to preserve knowledge and tradition more economically, especially in oral tradition. Folklore always become a concoction of spiritual concepts, misinterpretations, contradictory elements, exaggerations and historical anecdotes. What we have left of the Nordic ancient spirituality is what remained at the end, when also influences from Christianity had found its way into the material.
Snorri's Edda
I will briefly go through Gylfaginning, ending with the description of Ragnarök, and analyze its psychological (i.e. "spiritual") meaning.
King Gylfi, who visits the Æsir and calls himself Gangleri, is Odin, since he says in the Grímnismál that he has called himself Gangleri and Third. The chieftains he meets are called High, Just-As-High and Third – which means that these too are Odin. Again, we are reminded that this is an abstract metaphor, nothing literal or superstitious. Odin could be said to be reality or existence itself as he is also called "Allfather", and within reality or existence (or a psyche) its different parts interact with each other.
The three chieftains – High, Just-As-High, and Third – are the three timeless principles of antiquity that express divinity. They can be expressed in different forms, but what they essentially express is process logic. Ancient process logic focuses on the basic principle of all movement in nature until it can no longer be reduced. Movement arises from the oscillation, relation or harmony of opposites through equilibrium. Hence the name "Just-As-High" for the second chief or principle. The third principle is the most difficult one to perceive, the actual relationship or movement between polarities, which explains why it is mysteriously called here simply the "Third."
Allfather or Odin is thus not only reality, but also the ancient yin-yang principle or triad that we find in all authentic religions or timeless philosophy. It is found in Hinduism in the form of Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is a part of philosopher Heraclitus' principle of reason or "Logos." I have also included this principle in my own timeless education in the form of A X Ω.
In other words, the three chieftains, who are Odin, represent the cause behind all motion and contrasts: the principles of ultimate reality; the Creator; causality; the highest natural law. It is said, among other things, in Gylfaginning that: "Allfather took Night and her son Day, gave them two horses and two carts, and placed them in heaven that they should go around the earth every day." The name Odin has its root in movement, penetration, and even rage, which are expressions of the unstoppable force of reality or nature. But we are also Odin, since we are part of nature and reality. In particular, Odin represents our higher Self or pure consciousness, what is called our inner observer.
The reference to "the old Asgard" probably refers to an even older religion or teaching than the gods in the Edda. The reason I suspect this is because the concept Asgard refers to a scheme or system (which I will go into), and there Allfather had twelve names but none of these were "Odin."
The number twelve, especially related to gods and the like, expresses particular psychological shapes on the way to wisdom. Gods are aspects of reality that represent different ways to finally reach the same overall reality. The worship or sacrifice to a deity is to choose an accessible starting point that fits the circumstances and psychology of the individual (i.e. human type) and by focusing on this part of reality (together with endurance) ultimately be able to realize oneself and understand everything that's essential. Some of these ways or starting points are, for example, love (through which we can reach wisdom); knowledge (through which we can reach love); art and self-expression (through which we can reach self-knowledge); physical activity, family and household, or adventure (through which we can reach educational experiences), etc.
More specifically, gods have their origin in twelve shapes as counselor gestalts to study, depending on the analogy with one's own psychological state or temporary attitude in life. The gods therefore represent different degrees of health.
That Allfather "lives through all ages" means that he is timeless: the movement or process that remains in a world of ceaseless change. That "he has mastered all his kingdom and prevails over everything, both in large and small," also means that he has self-control, i.e. our higher Self's control over the lower energies of the psyche (provided we have manifested our higher Self through the understanding of the principle and self-knowledge).
That he "created heaven, earth, the air and all that is in them" means that this higher principle creates how the psyche is shaped in our mental landscape. That "he created man and gave her a spirit that will remain and never perish, even if the body turns into soil or is burned to ashes" means that this principle leads to awareness of the inner observer or higher Self which was considered immortal. The "body" here does not necessarily refer to the physical body. That is too literal, and the principle here is to not take anything literally. "All the righteous ones" who shall live and stay with him are those psychological aspects that are grounded in reality and consistent with eternal or timeless principles. "Evil people" who goes to Hel and Niflheim are those psychological aspects that increase delusion and ignorance.
The nine worlds are sections of the psyche's or soul's various parts. They are also related to numbers. Before heaven and earth were created, Odin was with the hrimthurs (frost giants), which are the subconscious drives of the psyche. Giants and hrimthurs are symbols of desires and uncontrolled (and often unconscious) drives. That is to say, before a person has formed or "created" order in his/her psyche, "created heaven and earth," the higher Self remains hidden in the mental chaos. This chaos or non-formed psyche is also called Ginnungagap. The frosty Niflheim is related to these unconscious drives. Darkness, cold, sea, storm, chaos and fog are metaphors of ignorance, delusions and subconscious drives. The warm Muspell or Muspelheim is the intellect or a previously enlightened mind, which may refer to childhood wisdom or to influence from an external source. Light and fire are as a rule metaphors for clarity, knowledge and understanding.
The giant Ymir and other creatures are early psychological manifestations born at the beginning of knowledge or wisdom, from the "sparks" and fire from Muspell. These, however, we must later eliminate to form a yet more sane and harmonious psyche. But the psychological aspects we later possess derive from these early giants and creatures, like evolution. But since these early psychological aspects and attitudes were less wise, they are called "evil" – that is, undesirable in the long run. Cows and similar animals are often symbols of ancient spiritual writings and teachings. The cow Auðumbla, who fed the giant Ymir with her milk streams, probably was some old inadequate doctrine. That the cow lived by licking "the frost-coated stones" suggests that the wisdom was not the highest. Stones, mountains and rocks are often metaphors for literal and rigid interpretations of spiritual teachings. But whatever it is, it still helps to shape some better psychological aspects. In the end human beings arise and also Odin, Vili and Vé who are probably the same as Third, High and Just-As-High. They form order in the psyche by killing the giant Ymir.
There we also have an analogy with prehistoric history when a disaster occurred about 11,500 years ago. The latest science indicates that a meteorite struck into the ice sheet that covered most of North America, so that it quickly melted and formed a kind of flood. The generation of hrimthurs – the giants – who drowned from the blood when Ymir is killed, refers not only to immature aspects of the psyche, but also to immature and foolish people at the end of the last Ice Age. But the giant Bergelmir rescued himself with his wife and household by using a boat. He is called the "knowledgeable" giant, indicating that he was a wiser giant and thus used as a symbol of a wiser psychological aspect that is not lost in the internal mental cleansing. It is likely that the boat they saved themselves by is also related to some kind of wisdom cult or similar; old knowledge that was preserved and survived since prehistoric times. That is also a recurring theme in most other religions associated with flood stories. It is through these clues and the analogy that we know that all true religions derive from the same source.
And Odin, Vili and Vé – who create the world out of the former mess, such as Ymir's body – is finally the enlightened mind and higher knowledge. It is the beginning of wisdom and psychological health.
Heaven is the intellect; and the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky are symbols of higher principles that guide.
The earth is what is called the astral body and the center of the formed psyche. It is not dead matter since life and plants grow. Earth is the result that arises from the rest.
The air is the higher emotions, but is not the same as the sky/heaven.
The sea is the lower emotions, the subconscious with all the primitive drives and instincts.
In other words, this is the same symbolism and psychological meaning as the four classical elements. Fire is the sky (heaven) since the sun, the moon and the stars shine like fire. Air is what mediates between heaven and earth, i.e. between fire and earth. The fact that the earth is round like an island in the Great Ocean of the world indicates that the earth is a smaller part of the psyche, probably closely linked with the intellect since it is created by wisdom. Atlantis is a metaphor for an enlightened and healthy psyche that was lost in a stormy mind. It was not just a historical analogy. Historically, Atlantis refers to America and the disaster I mentioned earlier when the ice melted from a meteorite impact. But Atlantis is another subject.
Midgard is a castle in the middle of the earth that defends itself against attacking giants, i.e. intrusive desires. It is when a person has gotten his psyche in order this far that he/she can be called a human being, before that she has metaphorical animal nature or hrimthurs nature. The first humans, Ask and Embla, represent this – healthy psychological aspects. The fact that the first humans are made of trees is related to the world tree that plays a central role in higher knowledge. Asgard, the dwelling of gods, is the memorization or construction of a wisdom system in the mind. It is a kind of model or map or measure that supports wisdom. The gods and their generations are figurative principles that belong in this wisdom construction or system. It is time to take a look at the gods and parts of this system:
Here they are – the twelve gods and their abodes. The Zodiac. However, it is necessary to understand that the Zodiac on the starry sky is just another analogical symbol derived from the visible world to represent the inner psychological one. It is the starry sky within our psyche that is essential, not the one in the night sky. The Zodiac was placed at the center of the culture's consciousness by using its geometry for counting time (calendar). But counting time was its secondary purpose. Like religions, astrology too has been misunderstood through literal interpretations. It is not the planets out there in the solar system that affect our psychology, it is the planets inside our psyche!
Like the Zodiac, the seven classical planets are also merely analogical symbols taken from the visible world to represent the psychological. The seven classical planets are metaphors for levels of consciousness. Each sign of the Zodiac or god, every house or abode in the Zodiac, is associated with a planet – i.e. with a level of consciousness representing the amount of understanding and spiritual health. Planet means "wandering star" and referred to those lights that did not stand still in the night sky. Both the sun and the moon were counted among the seven planets or wandering stars. Sometimes these were called the seven stars, the seven heavens, and the like. But regardless of name, as a rule they refer to levels of consciousness. However, I find nothing written down about seven planets or the like in the Edda, so it does not seem like this concept has been preserved among what has been left to posterity.
The Zodiac is a large part of Asgard, and perhaps Asgard was the actual Nordic name for the Zodiac. Among other things, it is represented by the temple with twelve seats for the gods. Glaðsheimr is another name.
The twelve divine Æsirs are the twelve psychological shapes or attitudes a person assumes on their way to wisdom. Odin, the highest god, is symbolized in the center of the Zodiac. That Odin "sits in the high seat and looks over all the world and understands everything" is yet another metaphor of him being the internal witness or pure consciousness in the psyche that is aware of and knows about all other lower psychological aspects in the mind. Identifying exactly which god belongs to which house in the Zodiac is a bit difficult, and in order to make an accurate guess we must know certain fundamental principles and how the Zodiac works as a psychological system. The most important thing to understand is that each house or sign is connected with a psychological attitude, and this attitude is in turn linked to a planet – that is, with a level of consciousness. In the Zodiac, as we know it, two signs are associated with the two highest levels of consciousness, represented by the Sun and Moon, namely Leo and Cancer. The two highest gods after Odin should therefore belong to these houses on the map. The rest of the houses are arranged like a cycle that goes downward and then up again in terms of level of consciousness beginning at Virgo (next to Leo) and ends at Gemini (next to Cancer).
Thor is said to be the most noble of the gods, and the symbolism with the hammer that breaks the head of giants is analogous to Leo – the shape of the master – who steps on the serpent in the Dendera Zodiac. His residence in the Zodiac is called Þrúðvangr.
Heimdallr is called the white Æsir, great and holy, and has a high position that fits the level of transformation. I call Cancer the level of transformation (level 2) since Cancer was originally represented by the Egyptian beetle that symbolized transformation.
Balder probably belong to Virgo's place since the third level is associated with the original childhood state and innocence. And that Balder represents innocence is obvious in the Edda.
Forseti probably has the place of Libra since he is the god and judge of justice, and the scale is an ancient symbol of justice. So Forseti is on the fourth level of consciousness.
Scorpio is the dangerous, risky or sneaky sign – the sting that risks killing off wisdom by tempting us to think in opposites. This is clearly represented by Loki, the slanderer of the gods and the origin of all falsehood. And the origin of all falsehood is to not see the harmony of opposites, i.e. to think dualistically and to bring suspicion and accusations towards various aspects of reality.
Accusations and mistrust leads to a conflict with the opposite and disturbs the harmony. This is probably represented by the god Ullr who is said to be war-like in all his being. This is consciousness level 6. In the Zodiac, this is represented by Sagittarius, and Ullr is said to be a good archer.
This leads us to the lowest level or rock bottom, and what god can represent this if not a blind god? Höðr, who happen to kill Balder (although Loki manipulates him) is called blind but strong, and it is said that the gods would probably wish they did not have to remember him. He is also called Hel's companion.
At the sign of Aquarius, which symbolizes new hope in the dark, we probably find the god Víðarr who is said to be quiet. But also Váli is a possibility since he is called Höðr's enemy and slayer.
Pisces, representing the sleeping masses at level 6, are likely represented by the whale-fish god Njörðr.
It is the gods Bragi, Týr, Víðarr, and Váli, which I have the most difficulty placing. They belong to the remaining signs in the Zodiac. There are articles written by individuals who have realized that the gods are associated with the Zodiac, but those I have seen have placed the gods at the wrong signs since they do not understand how the system was meant to work. I have not found anyone who understands that the planets are essential and that they represent levels of consciousness. So do not trust other lists you may find out there. People are lazy and ignorant, even people with academic education. The wives and children of the gods and the like probably belong to the decans of the Zodiac.
Wolves are related to the giants and represents ignorance, madness and things forgotten. Sköll, who chases the sun, and Hati who chases the moon, are psychological forces that can stifle knowledge and insights. Same thing with the Fenrir wolf. One thing that is a bit annoying with ancient spiritual jargon is that the same concept is often repeated with different names and shapes and stories. For example, it is obvious that the wolf Sköll is the Fenrir wolf, since they both swallow the sun. Same thing with all the different names and shapes Odin has. My guess is that people enjoyed telling different variations based on the same ideas, a bit like how today's entertainment industry often goes through trends where they draw inspiration from each other. Then the most popular stuff was preserved and mixed together into a concoction, which people later held on to out of reverence instead of sorting out what was the most important and simplifying it. It is just like all the entertainment, literature and culture that exist today. Nobody wants to throw anything away or sort out what really is of value.
By the time the Edda was written down by Snorri there were also not many who practiced this religion anymore, and if they did chances are that it had deteriorated and was being taken literally.
The dwarves, who have human shapes, appear to be less important principles in the system, which is suggested by the fact that some of them have the names North, South, East and West. The elves are probably principles or ideas of greater importance than the dwarves.
The ash tree Yggdrasil is another part of the system, or more precisely the origin of spiritual systems: namely ancient arithmetic and mathematical operations – which is the source of the 9-base numerical system and mathematics. The tree, i.e. the arithmetic, is "the most holy place of the gods." Like mathematical logic, its branches spread all over the world and reach over the intellect, what is called "heaven" in ancient spiritual writings. It can be illustrated in this way:
The worlds here are distinct classes of phenomena divided into planes or levels that summarizes every complete being or thing, similar to what we today call fractals. The whole process can be likened to a tree where every new branch and also the nerve structure of every new leaf repeats and reflects the basic pattern of the tree. Hence why ancient systems called the numeral system the "world tree." All diversity can be dissolved into the basic laws that governs it and expresses itself in the numbers 1 to 10 in the above manner. Every thing in the universe contains in one of its constituent parts a fully reflected world.
Thus we find three dimensions of polarities in each complete phenomenon: the polarity of a sphere as well as polarities between spheres. And this is a miniature picture of the universe expressed in numbers. As you can imagine, this ancient teaching about numbers is quite difficult to understand, making the symbolic metaphor of trees and worlds very abstract. Therefore I usually stick to the worlds expressed in the psyche, which tends to be the essential.
At first I thought that the three roots that upholds the tree were the three columns of this ancient arithmetic. But after reading more in the Edda, I suspect that the three roots are the three spheres of the psyche or soul. The first root is the upper sphere associated with the Æsir. The second root is the mediating sphere between intellect and vitality and seems to be associated with the giants. The third root is the lower sphere, the vital one or sensory-motor. The fact that each root has a life-giving well for the tree means that no world, not even Hel, can be rejected. There is wisdom in every natural system that is inherent in the energies of an organism, but this self-knowledge of one's own biological nature and function is often lacking.
That Odin hung on the world tree pierced by a spear symbolizes self-sacrifice and process of meditation in search of self-knowledge – which is real wisdom. He puts himself to death, that is, his own ideas and assumptions, and learns how to learn from nature. Runes are hidden or secret knowledge. The goal of a heroic adventure is to become a non-hero, someone who does not try to be something they are not.
The Edda or poetic poems such as Völuspá are symbolized by the goat Heiðrún; the tree it eats off is the world tree which is knowledge and arithmetic operations; the milk or the mead she spills is the fine nectar of the sagas. Thus Heiðrún produces more nourishment than the cow Auðumbla, who did not feed on equal knowledge.
Other text or poem is represented by the hart Eikthyrnir; the branches it feeds on are also the world tree; the droplets from its horns are the wisdom; Hvergelmir (the primordial well) in Niflheim is the unconscious in the mind; "the elves who all from there originates" are likely higher feelings such as those that produce poetry and expressions of art. Here, however, I have to question whether they really mentioned the correct well for the origin of the elves.
The fact that the ash tree is exposed to various other animals might symbolize that the concept is easily damaged by misinterpretations and the like. That the tree is related with secret and special knowledge is obvious. Birds are usually related to intellectual activity, like Hugin and Munin. Urðarbrunnr is probably related to a place in the Zodiac since it resides in heaven. Same with Alfheim, Breidablik, Glitnir, Himinbjörg, Valaskjálf, Gimlé, etc.
More than one heaven is mentioned. These are likely related to levels of consciousness as I mentioned earlier. The number of heavens, however, is not mentioned here. The fact that the myths do not claim to know everything and sometimes speculate reveals that they are incompletely preserved. Things are missing and have been lost, but we could already guess that.
The Midgard serpent symbolizes, like serpents in other mythologies, the vital life force. When it eats its own tail and circulates around the earth, it is a metaphor for harmony in the vital energy. Order in the world is a metaphor for order in one's own psyche and self-control.
The thin and soft fetter or band that binds the Fenrir wolf symbolizes the power of small things, and that often it does not require much to keep ignorance and folly at bay, if one has consciousness. Knowledge is generally the power of the small, and the key is usually a secret or knowledge instead of physical strength.
Valkyries represent some form of guiding principles or ideas that increase knowledge and wisdom, thus it is said that they carry drinks and mead. Drinks such as mead, wine, milk, etc., are symbols of wisdom. That is why Odin, the god of Wisdom, is said to only live on wine. That there are precisely 13 Valkyries being listed makes me suspect that they are also related to the Zodiac. The people they choose are those inner thoughts and attitudes that lie closest to the higher wisdom and are timeless.
There is, however, much that is difficult to interpret, and also quite futile, since it may well be things that are not preserved well or did not belong to the original ideas to begin with. So I will focus on the two stories that the Edda itself says are the most important: the death of Balder and Ragnarok.
The death of Balder
Balder symbolizes innocence or the original childhood state, and his death is not a physical death but a metaphorical spiritual or psychological death – that is, innocence is lost in the individual's psyche. The innocence is killed by Loki, that within us that wants to accuse, slander and criticize reality, people or our own nature. I.e. dualistic thinking. That's what the antagonistic god or force symbolizes in most religions. Balder, the innocence, can be restored if all psychological aspects of the individual want it. But in a person who has lost his or her innocence, there is always an aspect that is indifferent. This is represented by the giantess, Þökk, who refuses to cry for Balder and says Hel can keep him. This giant likely represents some form of resentment that feels that innocence is not of use or to any benefit in the individual. The point is that the individual who loses their innocence, their inner Balder, has something in themselves that does not think the innocent open childhood state led to anything good. A kind of inner wound they carry. It is also said that Þökk was probably Loki, and that is possible since internal wounds are related with accusations and hostility towards something.
Ragnarök
The fact that aspects such as Loki, the Fenrir wolf and other psychological forces also arise in an enlightened mind with a orderly world means that the whole thing is a cyclical process. The possibility of losing one's wisdom or purity is always there. And when this happens, the individual must again go through Ragnarok and renew the world, the inner psychological harmony and health. An analogy with the external cultural world also exists, of course, where wisdom is lost in cultures. Attempts are made to bind and suppress both the Wolf and Loki by the inner higher aspects, but for the process to succeed, these must be released and expressed. A necessary expression of pathology on the path to health, freedom and wisdom. Every enlightened man has undergone his own Ragnarok.
First, mental unhealth and darkness arise in the individual, which is symbolized by the Fimbulwinter. The number 3 stands for completion of something, beyond the two principles of dualism. Three winters in a row does not mean the usual temporary bad mood or the like, it is pathology that is undergone to a purifying degree. The psyche is about to be restored or reborn. All the old has to die so that something new can begin, a complete healing and inner transformation. War and disorder between people is another expression of this initial process. Our psyche is in disarray because our own inner aspects, thoughts, wills and ideas are not consistent or in tune with one another. We lack self-control and a stable psychological ground to stand on.
That the Wolf devours the sun means, as previously said, that folly and ignorance reaches its culmination; reason and clarity of vision are lost. All order in the psyche is lost in chaos, the mental inner world is collapsing. The Midgard serpent is probably uncontrolled passions, overdesiring, dualistic aggression, and the like. The boat Naglfar, made out of dead people's nails, is probably related to negative verbal expressions and curse words. In another place in the Edda it is implied that the mouth can be called a boat with the tongue as its rudder. And since Loki, the slanderer, is aboard Naglfar, it is likely that the boat symbolizes verbal accusations. Hel, the death kingdom, is psychological suffering – feelings of lack, confusion, self-deception, frustration, despair, etc. Hel is Loki's daughter, that is, the offspring of the dualistic thinking. The Midgard serpent and Fenrir wolf too are Loki's offspring.
The sons of Muspell who come riding with burning fire and a sword that "shines stronger than the sun" is the inner conflict that arises in the encounter with higher wisdom and truth. Ragnarok can not happen unless it is in a context where the individual has access to or is confronted by higher wisdom. Ragnarok is the conflict between own partial desires, false knowledge, inner wounds and higher wisdom or truth. That is why only a person on the road to enlightenment can complete Ragnarok and renew themselves. Odin, the shape of the higher Self, battles ignorance – the Wolf. Thor, the psychological force that attempts to control the lower energies, battles the out-of-control desires – the Midgard serpent. The old system and symbolism collapses as it is time for an update, the gods fall in front of both the mental chaos and the renewed wisdom that comes with Surtr and the sons of Muspell. That Víðarr does not fall may be because he is the silent god, ready to take in and listen to the new. Váli, the other god who survives, probably has similar virtues. Thus Víðarr puts an end to ignorance, the Wolf.
That Surtr is victorious and burns the whole world confirms that he represents renewing purifying wisdom. Fire is related to consciousness, since light is a symbol of clarity of vision, and burning the old system and renewing is also something like forming a new religion or wisdom teaching, though still based on the same timeless principles. Ignorance increases when the old system begins to be misunderstood, so the system or tradition must constantly be renewed. The new beautiful earth, however, primarily represents the new inner health and order inside the psyche of the self-perfected or enlightened individual. Balder, the innocence that is goodness, comes home from Hel, etc.
This is, in general and essential terms, the spiritual meaning of Ragnarok and the Edda. And of course we all know that the old gods have long since been replaced by new ones. But what nobody has done is to update the system and ancient wisdom in a competent manner. And that is what Timeless Education aims to do: an update of timeless wisdom adapted to our time.
