ABOUT
Hear ye the call of the WYLDERNYS
Wyldernys is your go-to hub for both scholarly knowledge and insider wisdom shared by experts, authorities, initiates, adepts and the like on all those fascinating religions and spiritualities on the occultural fringe of the magical forest.
Join Yentl Schattevoet to explore the winding roads of the arcane Other World, the unbeaten paths of Paganism, the ways of the witch, the obscure ladder of occultism, the secret tracks of cults and sects, and the perilous routes of dissidents and heretics throughout the course of history.
Wyldernys offers thought-provoking content that is rooted in academic knowledge and enlightened by spiritual wisdom to live a magical life. We write articles, create videos and a podcast, we develop lectures, courses, workshops and e-books to share knowledge and practical wisdom, and we discuss and have an enchanting time with likeminded spirits in our Wyldernys Fellowship.
Join the Wyldernys Fellowship by reading, watching, listening, partaking, interacting, and become a Patreon to support us today!
The Wyldernys Branches
Wyldernys Fellowship
Wyldernys Fellowship is our community of likeminded spirits and we are delighted to have you!
Join our community on social media platforms to connect with the clan at large. This helps us grow and thrive so we can reach those who vibe with our tribe.
Wyldernys Share
Wyldernys Share is our content and communication of all sorts.
Knowledge is power, wisdom is gold, and experience is invaluable. That’s why we create and share our articles, videos and podcast. In addition, we send out the Wyldernys Gazette newsletter to get the word out, and do livestreams to chat and interact with our community.
Wyldernys Academy
Wyldernys Academy is the icing on the cake for those who would like to take the next step. We offer high quality lectures, webinars, courses, workshops, and (e)books on occultural religion, spirituality and magical living.
There is also an exiting new project in the pipe line. Stay tuned and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, the Wyldernys Gazette, for sneak peeks and updates.
The Wyldernys Pillars
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MIND: Strongly rooted in scholarly knowledge
In Religious Studies, we make a distinction between ‘etic’ and ‘emic’ approaches, and so do we here at Wyldernys. The former concept relates to scholarly insights by studying religion from an outsider perspective, whereas the latter one refers to that of the insider. This distinction is useful as these two perspectives can have quite a different take on religion and spirituality. A good example is magic: to an academic, it can be a fascinating phenomenon to study, and the scholar can do so by researching, for instance, what people say and write about their beliefs, practices and experiences throughout history. To a magician, however, magic can be understood by means of their own personal beliefs, practices and direct experiences.
MIND as the first pillar of Wyldernys refers to our etic approach to studying occultural religion, spirituality and magic. Rooted in the Humanities in general and Religious Studies in particular, our method is science. We aim to share academically sound knowledge on that fascinating phenomenon known as religion.
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BODY: Living a meaningful and magical life
Far too often, people are solely armchair scholars or book-wise magicians, but to walk the talk is where the real magic happens. Live it to truly understand it. Experience it to know it. The ancients called this gnosis.
Wyldernys aims to assist those who would like to give their life meaning and find their true purpose, that is, to follow their thread in the Web of Wyrd, the ever-weaving way of becoming. We provide you the knowledge and tools to achieve your goals - be it intellectual, spiritual or practical..
BODY, the second pillar of Wyldernys, means putting theory into practice to enchant your life. We value the knowledge of MIND and the wisdom of SPIRIT, but the key is direct experience. We’re here to help you live a magical life to reach your true potential.
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SPIRIT: The wisdom of ancient traditions
The mediator between MIND and BODY is the HEART. This is what SPIRIT, the third pillar of Wyldernys, is all about. The religious and spiritual heritage of the ancients can be invaluable to living a magical life. The traditions of old are by no means outdated or dull. To the contrary, they can enrich our modern lives in many ways. It’s on us to take up the torch and let the eternal flame burn to enlighten our path into the future.
SPIRIT can guide the way forward while being strongly rooted in the past. This is what contemporary Paganism is all about. At Wyldernys, we focus on ancestral religion, occultural wisdom, the Western Esoteric Tradition, and spirituality on the verge. We learn from the earth’s religions - from Germanic paganism to Hinduism, from Celtic spirituality to heretics, and from Gnostics to contemporary cults. Occulture, then, is a tasteful stew of alternative religiosity and spirituality.
This Wyldernys pillar is all about learning from insiders voicing their beliefs, practices and experiences of the occultural Otherwold. This emic approach sheds light when combined with the etic approach of the MIND pillar, and by experiencing it in BODY we can live soulfully. Let’s sip the drink of the Gods for enlightenment. The magic is ours.
Who is Wyldernys?
Yentl Schattevoet
Photograph by Wendy Torenvliet-Meijs
Yentl Schattevoet MA is a Religious Studies graduate (cum laude, Radboud University, 2013) with minors in Celtic Studies and Archaeology (cum laude, University of Edinburgh, 2011). She won the University Study Prize for her Master thesis Feel It! Experience It! And by Experiencing It You Start to Believe It! An examination of the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ in the context of contemporary Paganism in the Netherlands. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Religious Studies (Radboud University) researching the German Romantic roots of contemporary Paganism. For more information, you can find her university profile page here. A full list of Yentl’s publications can be found here.
Religion, spirituality and magic have been Yentl’s true passions and interests for many years. A (slightly altered) quote of the great magician Aleister Crowley as to why this is such a fascination says it all: “Why should you study religion, spirituality and magic? Because you can’t help doing it, and you had better do it well than badly.“ This has indeed always been Yentl’s aim. In addition to her academic background, she is a widely-read and practicing Germanic Pagan and occultist. Likewise, Wyldernys offers the best of both worlds: academically sound knowledge and insider wisdom on occulture, alternative religion, and religion on the verge, such as ancient paganism, contemporary Paganism (most notably Germanic Paganism, Norse or Nordic Paganism, Asatru, Celtic Paganism, Wicca, witchcraft, Druidry, and Shamanism), the Western Esoteric Tradition, occultism, and heterodox movements.
Apart from all things religion, Yentl enjoys reading, going to fantasy and pagan festivals with Pagan Ways, creating art with Zombit, and playing the Scottish bagpipe. She has been playing the Great Highland Bagpipe since 2005, and developed her piping skills further in the Scottish heartland when she lived in Edinburgh for her university studies. Yentl has played and competed with traditional Scottish pipe bands, a pagan folk metal band, and she currently performs solo as the Dreadlock Piper. Here you can find more about Yentl’s piping adventures.
Yentl, originally from the Netherlands, resided in enchanting Edinburgh for close to a year, and lived in Sofia, the beautiful capital city of Bulgaria that used to be known as Serdika, for 6 years. In 2022, she went back to her roots by returning to the Netherlands, and this is where Wyldernys is currently based.