Dear Hearts,
I’m so pleased (and honoured!) to share this wonderful conversation I had with for the very first episode in my new series “In the Presence of Spirit: Conversations with Spiritual Elders”
In this very special Substack series, I bring to you some of the incredible voices of Deep Feminine Elders, who have inspired me and my path. The women who have brought such rich teachings and blessings to my ever-expanding journey, into the realm of Spirit…
is one of the women on here whose essays I absolutely lap up - and drink in every word - and I am so grateful to be able to share some of her wisdom with you here.In particular, Imelda’s teachings and explanations on Ancestral Healing and Shadow Work are some of the best - and most accessible - I have ever heard. So I’m sure there’s going to be something for everyone in here: whether you’re completely new to Shamanic and Ancestral healing work. Or you’re an experienced practitioner yourself.
“Along with all of that shadow material, we lock away a lot of our Power: We lose Power because we're locking entire parts of ourselves away…
And when we do Shadow Work, we retrieve that Power: we unlock it and bring it back. So we have more life force and more effective energy to play with.”
- Imelda Almqvist, “In the Presence of Spirit”
Imelda is an expert in the Norse traditions of Seiðr (often called ‘Norse Shamanism’) and she specialises in teaching this all over the world - as well as at her own Forest School in Sweden. She’s also held a thriving shamanic practice in London for many years.
What I absolutely love about Imelda is the way that she brings such an enormous depth of wisdom and experience, with such a lightness of humour and humility. Her way of explaining seemingly complex, other-worldly experiences, with such simplicity.
This, to me, is the voice of the true Elder: one who has embodied their teachings so deeply, that they are able to transmit them with such ease and accessibility.
I’ve been absolutely itching to ask Imelda more about her life as a Forest Witch in Sweden and to quiz her on her role as a ‘Dark-Worker:’ Reimagining the creative forces of the Shadow and the Dark Goddess. And how we might reclaim this Dark Power of the Feminine for Collective Transformation and Healing….
I couldn’t have wished for a more rich, and in depth conversation with Imelda and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to ask her so many questions about her wonderful work! Thank You so much Imelda!
You can also listen to an Audio version of this Conversation here
Episode 2: Next Month I’ll be In Conversation with my very dear Celtic Shamanic Teacher and Mentor: - Coming soon!
I’d love to hear which parts of Imelda’s wisdom most deeply resonated with you. So I very much welcome your comments and reflections below.
And of course, let me know if you have any ideas or feedback for future episodes in this series!
Thank you so much for being here,
Love
Watch a **Short Clip of this Conversation** with Imelda here:
Summery of Themes Discussed in this Interview
Below is a Breakdown Summary of just some of the themes we dived into in this Conversation:
Chapters from the Video Interview with Imelda:
{1-2mins}
Introduction to Imelda and her work
{2mins-11mins}
Who is the Hag?
- Reclaiming the Crone
- The Cult of Youth: Devaluing and Rejecting the Elder
- Aging Women’s Contribution to the Community, ‘leading the way’ and modelling the contribution of the Elder to younger generations.
- The sacred tasks of the Mother.
- Not carrying the role of the Elder too soon
- The sacredness of each Season of our Lives
{12-20mins}
Imelda’s journey into shamanic teaching and practice
- Psychopomp work as a child
- Being an Art student in Amsterdam
- The moment of Initiation: meeting the Norse Gods
- Being called by Spirit into shamanic practice
- Starting a shamanic training & practice whilst also being a Mother of three Young children
- The limits of her ‘regular shamanic training:’
- The ‘bits that were missing:’ educating herself in shadow work & ancestral healing work
- The Calling: Making a promise to Sprit to focus on Norse traditions & teachings
{20-25mins}
Homecoming: Origins of shamanism & cultural context
- Origins of the word Shamanism
- Problems with using the word shamanism outside of it’s original cultural context
- How shamanic work is rooted in the land
- Importance of context: the Spirits of place and the mythology of the land
- The homecoming: Returning to our own Ancestral lands and traditions, that we are rooted in.
“The land is talking to me and I am reconnecting to the ways of my Ancestors…I can hear the Ancestors sing in my blood”
{26-36mins}
Sacred Art: Why writers block doesn’t really exist
- How Spirit moves us: through song, dance, art
- Sacred Art as service: putting ourselves in service to spirit
- In dialogue with Spirit: Being in service to forces greater than ourselves
- Earth honouring Art
- Art as a way of being in the world
- Creative work emerging from this Union with Spirit
- Creative block and becoming stuck
- Why there is really no such thing as artist block; when Ego steps aside
- Prayers to be ‘In Service:’
- “Lead me where you need me”
- Let Spirit Guide my hand: “What is seeking to come through me?”
“My daily prayer is: “Lead Me Where You Need Me….”
I say it to my team of helping Allies and Divinities: “Lead me where - today - something needs to be done.”
This is where life becomes active service. Our life becomes so rich, because we have that feeling of making a contribution and being a valued part of a community.”
- Imelda Almqvist, “In the Presence of Spirit”
{38-44mins}
The Medicine of the Imagination
- Imagining another world / other ways of being in this world
- Consequences of negative thought forms
- Radical responsibility: Energetic output and transmutation
- Self-awareness and accountability
- Imagining a kinder, more liveable world
{45-53mins}
Shadow Work & Power
- Jungian definition of the Shadow
- Socialisation & learning ‘Acceptable and unacceptable’ parts of ourselves
- How we lose Power by locking parts of ourselves away
- How we retrieve/unlock power through Shadow Work
- What we repress in ourselves we project onto others
- Outsourced Shadow Material: Projecting our Shadow onto others
- Shadow work practice as a daily practice
- Radical Accountability: reclaiming the Shadow and not having others carry it for us
- Retrieving energy that was locked up in Shadow
- Definition of power: Vital energy + Liberating choice
- Power as having greater Choice
{54-66mins}
Ancestral Healing Work
- The Intergenerational Ripples of healing work: the 7 generations before us and the 7 generations after us
- Understanding ourselves as Ancestor
- ‘Post-Life Calls’: Being a compassionate Ancestor
- Honouring the Ancestors & accessing their support
- The Ancestral Backpack & what we carry
- The Blessings & Gifts we inherit from our Ancestors
- Unresolved Issues ‘pooling’ in the Ancestral Field
- Soul Tasks that we inherit from our Ancestors
- ‘Time Travel’ and Consent
- Concrete results of Ancestral healing Work
{67-74mins}
Magic & Reclaiming the Witch
- Magic as a spiritual technology
- Magic ‘opens the connection between the Realms’
- Connections between Wicca, Magic & Shamanic practice
- The Forest Witch: Working with the Deities and Spirits of the Forest
- Völva & Seiðkona: Traditional Norse feminine figures of magic and shamanism
- Honouring the suffering of Witches who were persecuted, and our heritage of greater freedom of expression
{75mins-88mins}
The Dark Goddess : Powers of Creation & Destruction
- The demonised aspects of the Dark feminine
- Being a daughter of Baba Yaga & Baba Yaga as the ‘Mother of All Witches’
- Dark Norse Goddesses: Winter Goddess - Skaði ( “SKAHD-ee")
- Powers of Darkness & Winter
- Working with the demonised Goddesses leads us back to Power
- How our Collective Power has been outsourced and dumped onto the Dark Feminine
- Inuit teachings & mythology on Darkness and Light
- Releasing Self-destructive patterns through the Dark Goddess
- Dark Powers of Transformation
- Deities of Darkness, Death & Destruction
- Creative work: The Power & The Beauty of Destruction
- Endings, Rebirth & Resistance: letting go & letting something new be born
“If we want to be creators, we also need to own our own powers of destruction”
{89-94 mins}
Ritual, Prayer, Daily Practice & Rhythmical Retreat
- Imelda’s Yearly Ritual of Hibernation: Taking every January ‘off’
- The Fallow period produces productivity
- Being a ‘Dark-Worker’ rather than a ‘LightWorker’
- Imelda’s daily rituals & practices
- Gratitude as a transformative force
- Greeting the Day & Chanting the Runes
- Imelda’s Daily Prayer practice
- What is the Earth communicating?
- Speaking to the Spirits of Place
- Small Acts of Service
{95mins}
Imelda’s Upcoming Book
Imelda’s new book: ‘Handbook for Rune Magicians: Portals, Patterns and Pathways’ will be published in 2026
Links to Imelda’s work:
You can find Imelda on Substack here:
The Rune Magician Mum! More on Imelda’s work with Runes and her new book: ‘Handbook for Rune Magicians: Portals, Patterns and Pathways’
Links to Imelda’s Dark Goddess Art Videos:
- Menglöð and the Nine Maidens of Lyfjaberg
- Angrboða: Mother of Wolves
- Sigyn: The Poison Mother
I’m aiming to post a new Interview in this series here every month. If you’d like to be kept informed about future episodes please do Subscribe! Thank you!
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