Inner Territory work in itself is not new. It was not recently developed. This work is both ancestral and innate. Stephanie grew up practicing it, without even realizing what her soul was naturally embodying. It was a childhood instinct that organically developed into an intentional adult practice. And, because of the labor and wisdom of Black and Indigenous femmes who have long asked white women to relearn, reinvigorate, and return to their own ancestral traditions so that, in doing so, they would stop co-opting the traditions and practices of People of the Global Majority, Stephanie found her way to the study of Seðr. To the poetry and soul work of the Völva. From there, the practice itself bloomed, fed by the soil of countless pre-colonial generations. And still, the lifelong work of uprooting whiteness continues. Especially here within such tender and powerful work. You will find that, inside this community, is an agreement to personally engage in decolonial work that is led by Black and Indigenous women and gender non-conforming teachers. It is not optional, but vital to the severing of the assimilation contract our ancestors once made with empire. We will provide suggestions on who to learn from, but it will be your responsibility to both your own evolving self and to the collective to reverently follow through.

Although we are practicing a complex soul system that is anchored in Nordic practices, we are only able to teach and use this system because of the Black and Indigenous femmes who taught us to seek out what is ours. We do not overlook the centuries of hard labor, preserved wisdom, and teaching that have gone into that. The Midline School is committed to reparations for that life-sustaining labor. 5% of everything we bring in goes directly to a Black or Indigenous creator or educator whose work has helped shape us. We do that now when what we bring in is minimal, and we will do that later when it increases. This is how we stay upright in community and in healing work.

Inner Territory, as we practice it, is anchored in the ancient art of traveling the inner landscape of souls, of meeting with guides and spirits on behalf of the individual and the collective. It is rooted in the archetype and practices of the Völva, making it ancestral for many. But it is not only for those with Nordic or Scandinavian roots. We welcome you to take what you learn here and use it to explore the traditions and practices you yourself come from. There is no one right way to operate within soul work, but there is a requirement that we continue to learn, to shed the habits and unconscious behaviors of whiteness. We must become people who do not harbor a belief that our way of doing things is superior or that it is learned solely by self-exploration. Those of us working within the realms of healing only hold any semblance of awareness, of community, of being tied to ancient, ancestral rhythms because of the way Black and Indigenous femmes have kept the fires of community alive - even when it cost them more than any one body could give. We must remain reverent with that. We must remain grieved. We must remain certain of our roles even now. White-led spaces will not be capable of providing your full soul work education. We can only be adjacent, a place to relearn what your ancestors once practiced together. Decolonial work will have to happen under the tutelage of people who have survived whiteness and who can spot it from a mile away.

If this calls to you, or if it agitates to read, come explore the possibilities of what existed before the soul-rending birth of whiteness. Both are reasons to lean in. Both are signals that something waits for you here. And, if you are ready to begin learning Inner Territory as Nordic ancestors honed it and as we have since integrated it, please find your way to THIS PAGE where your Journey into decolonial work truly begins. Choose a teacher. Begin somewhere. This is the most sacred work.