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beginner’s mind and to presence as a tool for consciously

creating a fresh start.

Indeed, money will work for you best under the guidance
of the energies implicit in Fehu. Yet money is only a
mundane and simplistic representation of Fehu’s nature.
It’s best to think of wealth as food, water, shelter,
clothing, sustenance and mobile assets, rather than
needless luxury.
“Every beginning has within it the seeds of its own end.”

In starting new endeavors, Fehu will activate the will,


Fehu – “Fay-Who” – Literally: “Cattle” – Esoteric: Mobile restore self-confidence and assist in goal-setting followed
Property, New Beginnings, Wealth by immediate action. Use the symbol and its teachings
against procrastination. It is a reminder to think for
Key Concepts: Wealth, money, food, sustenance, yourself, which is fundamental to working with the runes. I
Hamingja, luck, personal power, circulation of power,  find that the vibration of this rune to be in alignment with
financial strength, prosperity the principles of sexual attraction, first impressions and
young love. Fehu is a reminder for us to act out of the
present moment.
Psi: Beginner’s Mind, presence, freedom, first
impressions, young love
The conscious use of money for right ends is the domain
of Fehu. In society today it is important that we explore
Energy: mobility, luck, charisma, dynamic power, liquid
new definitions of wealth and come to a realization of
and mobile transferable energies, abundance, circulation,
what is truly valuable. Wealth is a creative process in
‘mana’, sexual attraction
every sense of the word, not a static and measurable
mass. I encourage the exploration of this idea right away.
Mundane: money, recent purchases, reputation,
freshness, fashionability

Divinations: New beginnings, social success, foresight,


energy, travel, money, control; or greed, failure, atrophy,
poverty, endings.

Governs:

 Delegating your energy to another, power


transference or projection; the sending rune
 Drawing gravity into the personal sphere
 Promotion of personal and social evolution,
changing circumstances of importance
 Increase in personal monetary wealth
 Beginner’s mind and presence as a tool for
consciously creating a
 fresh start

My notes:

Fehu is actually the rune of ‘luck’. The universe is not so


much made up by chance, as by luck. Luck is a hidden
but real energy field inherent in your ‘hamingja’. Fehu
governs the capacity to hold this luck and use it like a
magical ability. This basic energy, your accumulated luck,
is the foundation of the wealth and power in your life.
Courageous deeds are central to increasing one’s ‘luck’.

Circulation of power, wealth and the mobility of all things


is a key aspect to Fehu. These are associated with new
beginnings, but keep in mind that there are no true new
beginnings or endings, only the conscious marks of
transformation. This can be most effectively understood
while studying the runes as a cycle in and of itself
(visually, a circle). The use of this principle leads to
“Mind over matter – matter over mind” Life’s persistence and its endless resourcefulness in the
task of survival are all implicit within the rune meaning of
Uruz - “Oo – Ruse” – Literally: “Aurochs” – Esoteric: Uruz, thus it is a rune of manifestation, regeneration and
Endurance, Formation, Manifestation endurance. The organic patterning energy of Uruz laces
up the skin, sustains the ego and can be used to protect
the psyche from trauma. Self-healing is the energy which
Key Concepts: life force, physical health, courage, pulls a diseased or ill form back toward its ‘primal
organic structure, manifestation, formation, healing, vigor, blueprint’: the original, invisible shape intended by
endurance nature’s design.

Psi: determination, persistence, freedom, courage, will, Uruz is the rune of the inner-King and inner-Queen. We
territoriality, independence can assert our right to exist and be free in the very same
primal authority that the aurochs did theirs. It is the will to
Energy: Vital formative force, archetypal patterning, raw live passionate and free.
primal power, survival, healing, endurance, manifestation,
organic structuring Uruz is linked to the god Thor and so continues on toward
THURISAZ
Mundane: physical health, stamina

Divinations: Strength, constancy, vitality, tenacity,


pattern, luck, health, pragmatic knowledge,
understanding; or weakness, obsession, misdirected
force, inconstancy, sickness, ignorance, uncontrolled
rage, insensitivity, brutality

Governs:

Shaping and forcing fortunate circumstances creatively


through will and inspiration

Self-healing and maintenance of good mental and


physical health

Assertion of home ground, personal space,


independence and freedom

Strength and tenacity, courage, persistence against all


odds

Ability to control aggression and take responsibility.

Rites of passage, especially into adulthood

My notes:

While FEHU is the symbol of a domesticated cattle, and


Uruz is a symbol of the wild bovine, a reminder that cattle
were once wild creatures. If Fehu represents young
lovers, Uruz represents young warriors.

Though Uruz energy is also heavily invested in the


hamingja, it is not suited for easy, conscious control as
Fehu is. It is the rune of powerful unconscious shaping “If we must fight for peace then let us find our peace in
energies that need to be guided wisely as they manifest. battle.”
It is an early reminder within the series that the untamed
powers of creativity are not without danger – a reality Thurisaz - “Thor-is-as” – Literally: “Thurses” or “Giants” –
quite clear in our modern technological civilization. It is Esoteric: Strong one, Resistance
the user’s skill and practiced techniques that will control
the energy unleashed by this rune. It is the rune of
independence, asserting oneself and one’s territory.
Key Concepts: Unconscious forces, sociological forces, This early rune is representative of the use of tools and
Thor, Loki as giant, chaos, destruction by natural forces, technology (so is KENAZ, to an extent), whether physical
complexities of aggression, conflicts, disputes, or psychological, especially as weapons of protection or
psychological problems, lightning, breakthrough, active resistance against forces detrimental to the
aggressive male sexuality, battering down barriers, thorn expansion of consciousness and awareness signified by
of awakening, trouble, enthusiasm DAGAZ. Human consciousness is a state of mind that
evolved from pre-existing state of unconscious which
Psi: enthusiasm, struggle against unconsciousness, male continually strives to re-establish itself. Unless we
sexual prowess promote consciousness actively in living out our lives we
will succumb to entropy.

Energy: enthusiasm, self-empowerment, chaos, active


defensive force, breaker of resistance, destructive storms The power of Thurisaz is easily located because it is on
the borderline, the frontier of consciousness. It is wise to
never start a fight, but if one has started, be sure to finish
Mundane: storms, tools, weapons, conflict it

Divinations: Reactive force, directed force, vital


eroticism, regenerative catalyst, constructive conflict; or
danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness,
disease, explosive violence, annoyance, strife

Governs:

Destruction of enemies, curses binds and fetters

Awakening of the will to action

Breaking resistance of blockages in body, mind and spirit

Increased potency and prowess in romantic relationships

Understanding of the division and separation of all things

Aiming the use of psychic force

The combination of right/left brain processes for


generating powerful realization

My Notes:

It’s not uncommon for the rune meaning of Thurisaz to be


described as a thorn that is most sharp, a grim and evil
thing to take grip on or touch. However, it is
representative of Thor and his hammer, protecting
Asgard from the thurses, giants who resist the expansion
of consciousness throughout the multiverse. In every
respect, the energies of Thurisaz are a forceful enemy of
unconsciousness, ignorance and the rule of brute “Find your ears before you search for words.”
violence. Thurisaz represents the warrior that combines
consciousness and wisdom with matters requiring force.
Thor is the champion god of courageous and free human Ansuz - “Anne – suhz” – Literally: “Woden” – Esoteric:
beings and the ultimate physical fighting force. “Breath” or “Ancestral Sovereign God”

Thurisaz is also a fertility rune in the sense that it breaks Key Concepts: order, gods, Odin, transmission of
down the barren and hard, rocky realms into workable intelligence, communication, reason, inspiration,
soil as to bring fruitfulness to crops and wombs. The best language, breath, sound, origins of language, the Voice
mental state for working with the rune is enthusiasm, of the Universe, spellsong, casting, chanting, ancestors,
rather than anger or fear, as the former will much better passing of the breath along the ancestral line, evolution of
sustain right awareness and diminish the potential danger gods, speech, poetry, discussion of runes, memetics,
of dealing with strong Thurisaz magic. semiotics, etymology, linguistics.
Psi: mental stability, communion, inspiration, listening also is indicative chaotic events can be used to shape
ordered circumstances and one’s own thoughts, or the
Energy: sovereign ancestral god, animating spirit, breath, thoughts of others. Ansuz is suggestive of the relentless
communication, exploration, order, answers patterns that modern chaos theory declares are universal
in every system. The newest theories of language are
also found in the mysterious order and ‘strange attractors’
Mundane: words, conversation, symbols, elders, music of chaos linguistics.

Divinations: Divine inspiration, word-power, synthesis, It is here that all speech can be deciphered and
transformation, intellect, open paths of communication; or understood as well, so Ansuz is a rune connected with
misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, listening and speech: communication and meaning in
boredom, bad advice general. Use such skills wisely for manipulation can,
through temptation, become an end in and of itself, and
Governs: corrupt the power of the rune. The problems with
propaganda and misdirection are that the mind will follow
its own words into confusion and create hypocrisy, which
All powers of naming and conceptualization will damage the hamingja. Thought and action are most
powerful when aligned and honesty is the best policy.
Convincing and magnetic speech and writing, and the
power of suggestion and hypnosis The rune of secrets, silence and true listening is
BERKANO, but there is a type of listening that will allow
Acquisition of creative wisdom, inspiration, ecstasy and one to hear the Voice of the universe, and this power lay
divine communication within the power of Ansuz. The rune of higher reasoning
and mental abilities particular to human is MANNAZ].
These three runes, used in conjunction are extremely
Reason, analysis and good advice powerful.

Connecting and networking

Listening to oneself and one’s own particular inner-voice

My Notes:

Odin’s gifts to the first humans is said to be the breath of


life and inspired mental activity, along with form, speech
and the cognitive senses. The root energy of this rune
triggers inspiration and ecstatic mental states. The ability
of our minds to work with patterns (which computers for
the most part completely lack) is inherent in the energies
of Ansuz. Thorsson aptly states that Ansuz is the “rune of
ancestral sovereign power of the mind consciousness,
inspiration, enthusiasm and the power of the use of
symbols for transformation of consciousness.”

The spirit takes up its residence in the human body when “The journey is the destination.”
the babe breathes its first breath. It leaves the body with
the last breath. Breath is the actual point of osmosis Raidho – “Ride-ho” – Literally: “Ride” or “Wagon” –
between the physical world of the human being, and the Esoteric: Journey
transpersonal energy that animates the universe.
Emphasis on the breath is seen in meditation practices in
all traditions. Inspiration means to breathe in the exalting Key Concepts: the journey of Life, stories, heroism,
or quickening influence of cosmic awareness. The breath means of transportation, right action, movement, motion,
is also connected to ancestry, as even the word spirit taking charge, being in control, initiative, adventure,
comes from the same root as breath. Our ancestral lines decision-making, direction, counsel, the right path, the
are unbroken with those of the gods still to this day, in inner compass, leadership, kingship, nobility held by
blood and in breath. merit, moral responsibility, integrity, respect for the rights
of others, innate knowledge of right and wrong, celestial
procession, rituals
Ansuz governs our mental capacities to name all things.
Whereas THURISAZ deals with chaotic forces, Ansuz is
a rune of ordering. Naming a thing properly can give Psi: the story ‘form’ in the psyche, freedom from
power over that thing, and in ancient traditions, naming imprisonment, self-mastery
has often been used to dispel mischievous spirits, bind
demons or break psychological fetters. The relationship Energy: cosmic cyclical law, rhythm, presence (active)
Mundane: street-smarts, common sense, travel, world, to a visit to the refrigerator for a snack, so the
movement, taking action journey into the present moment is always accessible to
us, whether we sit in quiet meditation or are mindful of
Divinations: Rationality, sound advice, action, justice, our movements and actions.
ordered growth, journey; or crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice,
irrationality, control freak, hypocrisy, wrongful The old ways made it easier for ancient people to live in
imprisonment, restlessness. the present moment, a skill most valuable in the practice
of esoteric arts. Because of its capacity to bring focus and
Governs: awareness to the present, Raidho will expose hidden
dangers along the path, so that no strange place or new
circumstance can sneak up on us during our travels.
Living in the present
Raidho teaches of the correct balance between
Access to “inner advice” and our inner compass, following respecting our own rights, and the rights of others. It is
the heart linked to kingship, leadership and nobility, which are not
acquired by virtue of birth but earned or held by merit. A
Movement within one’s natural limits context of moral responsibility and integrity accompany all
use of this energy. It is similar in this respect to TIWAZ.
Blending with personal and world rhythms,
consciousness of right and natural processes

Mastery of circumstance and control of situations, taking


the lead

Establishment of creative rhythm in activities

Protection while traveling

Decision-making followed by immediate action

My Notes:

Raidho is the rune of ordered movement of energies in


time and space as it pertains to human awareness. It is
the rune of leading by example and of actions that speak
louder than words. Though ANSUZ may tell the stories,
Raidho lives the stories. It represents our deepest “The student surpasses the teacher.”
personal life journey and the ultimate failures of language
to communicate our experience to others. Something to
notice about Raidho is the habitual way in which our Kenaz – Literally: “Torch” – Esoteric ‘Ken’ or Knowledge
minds concoct story and identity.
Key Concepts: torch as a symbol of knowledge and
Use Raidho to recognize the direction in which your daily intellect, illumination, searching for enlightenment,
life pulls you, for there is a compass within you that can shedding light on matters, quest for truth, skills and
be tapped into using the energy of this rune. Following abilities, creativity, art, craftsmanship, cunning,
your interests and your love, your greatest wishes and acquisition and application of knowledge, occult female
dreams, is the best way to read the Raidho compass of secrets, intuition, enthusiasm in teaching/learning, study,
the inner world. By meditating on Raidho you will begin to kin-fire, opportunity, playfulness
see time and space as a personal reality rather than
something imposed on you from outside. You will also be Psi: observation, clarity of thought, cognitive faculties,
able to realistically assess your potential and gain humility
knowledge of limits and physical laws.
Energy: Controlled energy, transformation (pheonix fire),
To enter the present is to journey away from unnecessary teaching/learning dynamic, illumination
fears and past experiences that act as too much baggage
to travel effectively with. Whether physical travel, inner
Mundane: art, technique, improvement of skills, school,
travel or travel ‘through time’, Raidho is an energy that is
the stars
always active within our lives, from an epic trip around the
Divinations: Artistic or technical ability, craft, teacher. Therefore arrogance, elitism and
transformation, offspring, new information; or disease, authoritarianism signify a disconnect with the principles of
decay, breakup, inability, lack of creativity, ignorance, Kenaz. Information wants to be free!
arrogance, elitism, over-conceptualization

Governs:

Illumination (torchlight) when exploring transpersonal


pathways

Creative inspiration, enthusiasm for learning

Exploration of paradigms in the search for truth

Exposing the hidden to gain new knowledge, esp.


through study, reflection and new information

Strengthening of abilities in all realms

Female occult secrets

The light within, the observer

My Notes:

Kenaz is the symbolizes the control and harnessing of fire


for warmth and illumination. It represents our having
harnessed forces and energies greater than ourselves.
Where THURISAZ is the creation of tools, the rune
meaning of Kenaz speaks to their skillful use. It signifies
the mystery of transformation and our power to create as
nature does.

Ancestrally, we each must carry our own torch, creating a


path of light that flows through the darkness. These
torches are never extinguished, and can be used as
signposts in the navigation of the ancestral stream, and to
acquire the knowledge and tools from our ancestry  [1]
represented within ANSUZ that are rightfully ours to use
in the present lifetime.
“For every gift a curse.”
The scientific method and art as an exploration of truth
exemplifies Kenaz, as do all fearless forays into the Gebo – “Gay-boo” – Literally: “Gift” – Esoteric: Fair
darkness of the unknown (represented by PERTHRO) in Exchange, Sacrifice, Sacred Marriage
search of illumination. Also consider that there is inborn
and hereditary knowledge, and that one of the cognitive Key Concepts: gifts, giving, taking, trade, sacrifice,
faculties governed by Kenaz is intuition. process of exchange, balance, compensation,
equilibrium, law of reciprocation, altruism, the gravity of
Kenaz is like a torchlit library, and the energy is clearly equals and opposites, generosity, hospitality, honor
filled with unlimited potential to learn and to map.
Sometimes a good deal of digging around is necessary to Psi: gratitude, forgiveness, appreciation
uncover the knowledge that will help. Do not forget that
the map is not the territory, as Kenaz represents the
acquisition of knowledge, not the knowledge itself. Not Energy: Exchanged powers, sacrifice, dissolution of
truth, but the search for truth. barriers through gifting

In matters of learning, which can be complemented by Divinations: Generosity, gift, magical exchange, honor,
the protective teaching force of ALGIZ, it is wise to sacrifice, divine vision; or influence buying, greed,
remember that humility is the prime requirement of a loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice, unbalanced
good student, and that no one learns more than the behavior, dishonesty
Mundane: material gifts, thankfulness, trade

Governs:

Sex magic

Mystical union and ‘Sacred Marriage’ between partners

Understanding of the true meaning of gifting and binding

Giving of oneself from within

Harmony between brothers and sisters and lovers

Favours, contracts, obligations, debt and oath-taking

My Notes:

Gebo is perhaps one of the runes which has the most


lore. When we say X-mas, the X is unconsciously
representative of this rune. In the Havamal, the Cosmic
Law of Compensation is written as ‘Better not to over-
pledge as a gift demands a gift’, and ‘No man is so
generous he will jib at accepting a gift in return for a gift’.

The exchange of gifts, whether physical or otherwise, is a


highly meaningful act, as is the idea of trade. It is
associated with magical rings, which give kings the ability
to share powers with their followers, as is expected of
leaders. The need for exchanged energies and powers to
remain equal in amounts is at the heart of the rune Gebo.
In the Havamal it also says ‘A man should be loyal
through life to friends, and return gift for gift; Laugh when
they laugh, but with lies repay a flase foe who lies.’
Though this might conflict with the New Age morality, it
was the ancient way of expressing ‘what goes around,
comes around’.

Elsewhere in Northern lore we find, that there is always a


price to pay. Every decision you make requires the
“Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ.” “Be
acceptance of one thing and simultaneous sacrifice or
careful what you wish for…”
release of another. For more on that sacrifice, see
INGUZ. Self-sacrifice (for honor in battle or for the greater
good) is a common theme with the death of warriors. Wunjo – “Won-joe” – Literally: “Joy” – Esoteric: Hope,
Odin on the tree sacrifices ‘himself to Himself’ in his Harmony, Perfection
shamanic initiation to discover the knowledge and
wisdom of the runes. Key Concepts: joy, perfection, the art of correct wishing,
correct application of the will, well-being, contentment,
Gebo is also tied deeply to the exchange of sexual hope, expectation, relationship, family, bonding, trusted
energies between male and female, and so it deeply kinsfolk, shared ideals or aims, group harmony, symbols
governs mystical union, sacred oaths of marriage and sex of shared identity, optimism, cooperative effort, like-
magic. For more on sacred marriage, one must uncover mindedness, friendship
the mysteries of EHWAZ.
Psi: contentment, optimism, like-mindedness, wishful
thinking, shared identity

Energy: harmony of like forces, effortless ease,


fellowship, fulfillment, wishing, genuine friendship,

Mundane: parties, friendship, family, community


Divinations: Joy, harmony, fellowship, accomplishment, The art of correct ‘wishing’ is perfected by seeking your
prosperity; or stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation, unique purpose in life and aligning your thought and
warns of caution, blindness to danger, deception, action with it. It is the motivation to act upon your true will
betrayal. which opens the path to completing your personal
purpose in this lifetime. Step by step, life by life, we fulfill
Governs: our cosmic destiny. This is the essence of the Law of
Attraction, and a core magic of the Nothern tradition.

Strengthens links and bonds

Invocation of fellowship and harmony.

Banishes alienation and other inharmonious impediments


to trust

Creating joy through the use of true will

Realization of the link and multiplicity of relationship of all


things

The art of correct wishing, ‘law of attraction’

My Notes:

Wunjo is the inner urge for realization of your soul’s true


will to achieve perfection of consciousness and the drive
to this realization in this life-time. It wards off woe and
sorrow so that the abundant gifts of the multiverse have
no trouble bestowing themselves upon you. In Wunjo we
find harmonious energies characteristic in functional
families, group affiliations, healthy societies and nations
and ultimately, the world.

It is here we find the force of Love curing the warrior who


has hate in his or her heart. Because the Northern
tradition was abruptly cut short in its evolution of
conceptualizing Love as a cosmic force, we have to
search for ideas in the Elder tradition that would indicate
its latent potential. We find this idea especially in the rune
meaning of Wunjo, for Wunjo carries all the elements of
Love between and among human beings. Wunjo is the
rune that guides harmonizing human energies into a “Don’t try to fix what we should break before it breaks
whole. It is the alignment of individual will with the will of us.”
the community and ultimately with the divine will. The
rune of Love and Unity between all life is LAGUZ, and it’s Hagalaz - “Hag-all-az” – Literally: “Hail” or “Hailstone” –
interesting to me that they have similar shapes. Esoteric: Crisis or Radical Change

Alienation and failing community is a severe problem in Key Concepts: hailstones, crisis and catastrophe,
our society now, which can be deeply troubling to almost disruption, radical change, destructive elements of
every human exchange we engage in. Alienation nature, severe weather, the uncontrollable, unavoidable
presents itself as mistrust. In a social group with no unpleasantness, Jungian shadow, psychoanalysis,
overriding objective, it’s only a nuisance. In a community regression, acceptance of the unalterable
service group, the project fails. In a family, it can lead to
disaster. Wunjo can reduce alienation by broadcasting
Psi: disruption, change, personal past
love into the chaotic human energy field. Yet rather than
being performed abstractly with no conscious awareness
of the intervening energies, the invocation of Wunjo is Energy: power beyond human ability to harness, perfect
focused by the magical will of the operator for specific pattern, seed formation, objective confrontation,
results. This is a technique paralleled (and complimented destructive natural forces, chaos
by) modern Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
Mundane: bad weather, obstacles, surprises, shelter
Divinations: Change according to ideals, changes for the early environmental factors in childhood development. It
long-term good, controlled crisis, corrections, completion, follows that LAGAZ , from which hail is ultimately made,
inner harmony; or catastrophe, crisis, stagnation, loss of is also a rune of profound unconscious exploration and
power, loss of property, short-term disappointment, personal depth.
victim-consciousness, obsession with the past, blame.
Hagalaz can be used as a curse against others, aimed to
Governs: bring up their suppressed inner conflicts and thus
impeding them. It is a clean curse, as the recipient is only
Completeness and balance of power, integration of experiencing the ill effects of their own accountability. It is
unconscious shadow elements a dark, feminine power and can been associated with
witchcraft and destructive female magic.

The inevitability of Fate, Wyrd, Orlog

Evolutionary progress and operations of becoming

The outworking of a perfect pattern

Protection through banishing or exorcising disharmonious


patterns, protection

Awareness of the unconscious ideas for eventual


processing

Causing discomfort in others by awakening their own


subconscious ‘garbage’

Hagalaz Rune Meanings Notes:

Hagalaz signals a major shift of energies as the Elder


Futhark begins its second row of aetts. Hagalaz is the
rune of objective confrontation with past patterns. It will
uncover the vast flow of energies around and through
human energy systems. Its nature is completely
impersonal and it represents power generally beyond
human ability to harness.
“Consciousness is the Necessity.” “That which does not
destroy me makes me stronger.” – Nietzsche
Hail shocks you with stinging hardness (confrontation)
then it melts into water which creates germination of
seeds (transformation). The ancients describe hail as a Nauthiz - “Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity”
grain rather than as ice, thus creating a metaphor for a – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction
deeper truth of life. It contains the seed of all the other
runic energies and this can be seen in its other form, a Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict,
six-fold snowflake. Spiritual awakening often comes from drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire,
times of deep crisis. life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the
consequence of past action, short term pain for long term
As the ninth rune, Hagalaz has a special place in the gain
ordering, as nine has particular significance in the elder
futhark. Nine signals completion of a perfect pattern. Nine Psi: resistance, need, effort
months is one of nature’s most regular human cycles,
that of the gestation period for a baby in a mother’s
Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency
womb. In this sense it is a protective rune, and assists us
in acceptance of the unalterable, the seeking of shelter
and patience while things blow over. Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work

Hagalaz can be used as a force of repulsion or Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition
banishment. It is used in work to process and dispel the of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire
effects of subconscious baggage and ‘shadow elements’ (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons,
so that your life pattern can carry itself forward in its pure achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom,
form. Hagalaz has the magical energy of a ‘spring distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt,
cleaning’. It reveals the personal past, past lives and moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.
Governs: German Linguist Guido Von List writes in the early 1900s
writes:
Overcoming distress or negative örlög
“Whoever is able to grasp the primal cause of
Acceptance of the unchangeable phenomenon, and whoever gains knowledge of organic
lawful evolution and the phenomena arising from it, is
also able to judge their consequences just as they are
Development of magical will, the manipulation of wyrd beginning to ferment. Therefore, this person commands
knowledge of the future and also understands how to
Understanding the dynamic force of “resistance” in the settle all strife through …. the way of fate. Therefore:
process of creating ‘Use your fate, do not strive against it.’”

The generation of creative energy for problem solving

Protection of one’s own needs

Recognition of personal need

Love magic; especially to obtain a lover

My Notes:

Without resistance, form would fall apart. Every action


has an equal and opposite reaction. It is the basic
resistance of unconscious forces against newly evolved
consciousness, but also the overwhelming need for
evolution of consciousness, and that unconscious
resistance to it.
“Ice only appears to stop a river’s flow.”
The mysteries of necessity are at the core of Nauthiz. It is
central to manipulating Wyrd so that desired outcomes Isa - “Iss-ah” – Literally: “Ice” – Esoteric: Stasis, Stillness
can be attained through negotiating with the energies of
the Norns. Invoking need is more powerful than wishing,
but what we need and what we desire are not always the Rune of concentration of things in a static or frozen
same. In this sense, Nauthiz can protect us from state. Rune of stillness and the Ego-Self.
ourselves, but its lessons are often harsh. The force of
the past exerts its effect on us in the present. Previous Psi: mental faculties, focus, ego, self-image/self-identity
action catches up with us and attempts to restrain and
restrict future action, which is the counter-movement of
the cyclical processions of JERA . However, armed with Energy: stillness, contraction, stasis
humility we can learn our lessons from not only our own
errors, but the mistakes and successes of others. Mundane: cold, self-preservation, harsh reality

Action governed by Nauthiz is rooted in common sense. Divinations: Concentrated self, ego-consciousness, self-
The magic of common sense is that it is not so common, control, unity of being; or egomania, dullness, blindness,
because our desires and ideals eclipse our true need and dissipation, immobility, self-centeredness, lack of change,
perception of real circumstances. As a war rune, Nauthiz psychopathy.
empowers the invoker to have the courage and wisdom
to recognize what must be done in an otherwise complex
Governs:
situation. Necessity is the mother of invention. No pain,
no gain. It is connected with the harshness of reality, like
Hagalaz. Development of concentration, will and focus

We have a painful fear of necessity and a love hate Halting of unwanted dynamic forces as an act of self-
relationship with our needs. This is illustrated most defense (ard against demonic influences)
excellently in the symbol of Nauthiz as two sticks rubbing
together to create the ‘Need-Fire’. Our need for fire as a Basic ego integration within a balanced multiversal
species is balanced with our fear of the power of fire. system
Consider this well and you will develop a profound
understanding of this rune.
Power of control and constraint over other wights
(entities), emotional outbursts
Focus of the will into single-minded action

My Notes:

Ice is beautiful and treacherous. It lulls the traveler to


sleep with its peace and serenity. Nice locks life under its
surface and keeps it motionless. However, there is little
else as powerful as the slow moving glacier, which can
tear apart even the bedrock as it inches forward.
Although ice generally shows itself as it is, with little
glamor, there is little so treacherous as a weak spot in the
ice that will swallow the unwary with surprising swiftness,
and soon enough leave hardly a trace. The hidden part of
an iceberg, which represents 90% of its bulk, can remain
hidden and gut a ship with little mercy. This is how the
ancients saw ice: inimical, even hostile to life. Therefore
this third rune of the second aett is yet another rune that
represents an aspect of the harshness of reality.

In the most elementary dynamic, Isa is a building block of


the physical world, slowing down fire energy and
solidifying it.
“Patience up to a point. Know your time, but work your
Isa is a rune of control.  As your ego-self grows in wyrd always.”
strength through spiritual thinking and training, this
construct matures into the individualized YOU (or the ‘I’). Jera – “Yehr-ah” – Literally: “Year” – Esoteric: Harvest

There is a dark side to this enhancement of ego as you Rune of harvest and reward for, or reaction to, right
can see by the dark side of Isa. When not kept under actions in a horizontal (naturally ordered) cyclical
control, the ego-self can take a path into ego-trips of self- process. Rune of peace on the land and in the heart.
aggrandizement, superficial desire and fall for the glitter
of false trappings instead of real spiritual substance.
Those who claim to know with too much certainty: Psi: psychological time, patience, the measurement of
beware! time

Isa will control and quiet emotional distress, but be wary! Energy: good harvest, orbits, cycles, progress,
It will not eliminate any persistent root cause of biorhythms, right effort
unpleasant circumstance. But it can help in extending
stillness into your aura. Isa is particularly useful in Mundane: waiting, gardening, farming, the seasons,
attaining stillness of presence. harvest

Divinations: Reward for positive action, plenty, peace,


proper timing; or repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict,
regression.

Governs:

Fertility, creativity and harmony with the land

Peace, prosperity and plenty

Realization of the cyclical nature of the multiverse,


invoking the power of time and cycles

Bringing other concepts gently into material manifestation

Initiating gradual and lasting change in flow of life

My Notes:
The summer harvest was winter food, the seeds from the
harvest became next summer’s crop. So while
attentiveness to cultivation of the present moment is
paramount, within the present moment lay the wisdom for
future planning.

The cycle of the seasons is not so much associated with


time, but the inflow and outflow of the land’s breath. The
rhythms of sleep, dusk and dawn, the heartbeat, the
breath, all these are keys into unlocking Jera’s subtle
nature. Like Isa, Jera is has an unstoppable energy,
gradual but unrelenting, unhurried but persistent,
indifferent to human influence. Nature has a way of
persistently marching on. Jera’s changes are not sudden
or explosive, and cannot be forced. The key is making
small, gradual changes every day, for the better. Taken
“The path is hard and lonely and there is no end to sight.”
alone these events may seem trivial, but they are
cumulative and proceed forward with all the inevitability of
earth’s journey around the sun. Ihwaz (also: eihwaz) – “Yew-was” – Literally: “Yew” –
Esoteric: Yggdrasil or Kundalini
Jera is a rune of patience and movement with the
harmony with natural tides of life. Moving with such life “The axis or process of spiritual becoming.” Upper
rhythms brings abundance and plenty. The cyclical and lower worlds meeting in Midgard (earth). Rune of
recurrences in the biosphere and of the astronomical the mysteries of life and death.
procession spirals through time, and contains many more
profound secrets than does our common involvement Psi: death mysteries, the timeless, kundalini,
with linear time, calendar dates and the clock.

Energy: axis of heaven-earth-hel, secrecy, encoding,


Jera has to do with right timing. Jera is in the maxim “This immortality, the chakra system (hvel)
too shall pass”, the proverb, “As you sow, so shall you
reap”, and in the modern adage, “time heals all wounds.”
Using this rune is the key to understanding the mysteries Mundane: longevity, initiations, trees
of time and the psychological importance of dividing and
managing time.  Deadlines bring out the best in us and Divinations: movement toward Enlightenment,
motivate us to grow to levels beyond our present ability. It endurance, initiation, protection; or confusion,
also moves us to strategically taking action when the time destruction, dissatisfaction, weakness, death
is right. Take advantage of the ups and coast through the
downs.
Governs:

Jera can magically speed things up or slow things down,


and manipulation of subjective time in this manner is Initiation into the wisdom of the World Tree (Yggdrasil)
governed by this rune. In this rune we see the most stark and hvel (chakras)
western counter-point to the maxim ‘time is an illusion’. If
a person sows no seeds, does no work, plants no goals Liberation from the fear of death.
and desire in his or her thoughts, Jera will bring about
situations which reflect that lack. The ultimate
Development of spiritual endurance and hard will to gain
consequences of past human action unfold into the
initiative
future.

Spiritual vision
“Time and I Against Any Two.”

Communication between levels of reality – the Worlds or


Yggdrasil

My Notes:

Eihwaz begins the second half of the 24 rune Futhark and


represents the vertical axis, whereas Jera represents the
horizontal. It is also indicative of the verticality and energy
of the human spine. The spine (the pelvic region not
included) has 24 vertebrae, which I do not believe is a
coincidence in the case of the elder futhark.
The spine is the channel for one of the most powerful
energy flows in the human psyche, which Yoga has
termed Kundalini ‘fire’. It is the flow of megin energy up
from the root hvel (chakra) to the crown hvel in the mind,
bringing cosmic consciousness. Attempting to awaken
Kundalini fire too early in your training can cause serious
harm.

The needle of the yew is poisonous, containing a toxin


that affects the central nervous system. The vapors from “The beginning and end are set. What’s in between is
the toxin can become concentrated in close proximity to yours. Nothing is in vain, all is remembered.”
the tree. As a conifer/’evergreen’, it is associated with
immortality, and the mysteries of life and death. Death is Perthro - “Per-throw” – Literally: unknown – Esoteric: The
understood as the Great Initiation into the mysteries of Norns, Fate, Lot-Cup
life. To die before you die is to discover what in life is truly
important. In psychology, this often happens as a result of
Rune of fate and the unmanifest. Rune of probability
near-death experiences.
and the role of luck in the evolutionary process of the
all things. Universe at play.
The fear of physical death is one of the great inhibitors of
humankind’s potential for total freedom of mind and spirit.
Psi: co-incidence, living with the unknown, the art and
Eihwaz gives you the power to recall your past lives, in
magic of guessing, pattern recognition, prophecy
short fragments or in more complete segments, and as a
result confirm your death in this life as only one stage of a
greater journey. Invoke Eihwaz as you conduct a Energy: evolutionary force, luck, nothingness, the
meditation or dream exercise for the purpose of unborn, the unmanifest
discovering past life patterns in the present. The answers
lay not in memory, but in the clues of your here and now. Mundane: gambling, random occurrences, guessing

Eihwaz can be invoked for communication with the Divinations: Good omen, knowledge of örlög, fellowship
underworld and the dead. It is wisest to remain within and joy, evolutionary change; or doom*, psychological or
your own ancestral stream when doing this, as your emotional addictions, stagnation, loneliness, delusion,
ancestors have reason to respond to your inner call. fantasy, unknowability.
There should be sufficient reason to invoke such dark
workings, but it is not an ‘evil’ exercise.
*Doom is the way in which the uncontrolled aspects of
our self conspire in our destiny. It does not necessarily
mean death.

Governs:

Perception of the layers of örlög and wyrd

Manipulation of cause and effect

Placing runic forces in the stream of Nornic law

Alteration of probability and dependence on luck

The creation of favorable circumstances


Chance, gambling, divination and the art of guessing

My Notes:

It is important to remember that the true meaning of


Perthro is unknown to scholars, as it is not a recognized
word, and though many have agreed that the idea of a ‘lot
cup’ seems fitting, I think that this ‘unknown’ or
‘nameless’ quality is extremely significant.

A ‘lot cup’ is an ancient dice box from which ‘lots’ were


cast by warriors seeking knowledge of their fate before a
battle. Perthro represents orlog, a concept of the larger
matrix of the universal law of cause and effect. It
encompasses the fixed and unalterable law of action and
reaction. Wyrd is the working out of the law of cause and
effect on a personal level. It is not unalterably fixed, like
orglog is. A person can move about within the web of
their wyrd in accordance with their degree of conscious
development (and using the rune Nauthiz).

There is a large portion of our unmanifest future that rests “Fear has its place in every heart. Courage is only a
on an element of chance. This awareness must be response.”
incorporated into the lore of Perthro and divination is a
way to discern the parameters of that element of chance. Algiz (or Elhaz) – “Al-jiz” – Literally: “Elk” – Esoteric:
Divination through casting of lots using dice or runes Protection, Higher Self
provides conscious indicators of unconscious ‘lay’ or
pattern of cause and effect as it pertains to any specific
Rune of the essential link or connection with the
future happening.
patterns of divine or archetypal consciousness, such
as the Valkyrie. Rune of the possible danger of
Of all the runes, this one is the most mysterious, perhaps realizing this link when unprepared.
next to Eihwaz before it, because Perthro deals with the
mysteries within the runes themselves and the birth of the
Psi: divinity, higher self, the state of listening
universe. On one hand this allows you to intuit original
knowledge about the runes that may have been
suppressed, destroyed or incompletely passed on over Energy: protective teaching force, the divine plan,
the centuries. On the other hand, the ‘how to’ techniques Valkyries
are less defined than with other runes, for we are dealing
with fundamental mysteries of the universe. Orlog plays Mundane: protection, safety, spirituality
out as the consequences of the cosmic and primal laws
themselves unfold from beginning of the universe until the
end. All patterns are interdependent and interwoven, Divinations: Connection with the gods, awakening,
throughout all existence. higher life, protection; or hidden danger, consumption by
divine forces, loss of the divine link, fear.
The proper relationship between Perthro and Nauthiz is
that Perthro allows you to become aware of the hidden Governs:
and relatively fixed workings of the deep law of cause and
effect, which in turn give us the ability to see into the Strengthening of hamingja (personal gravity, ‘luck’) and
unmanifest and peer into the unknown. This is wyrd, and life force through courageous deeds
lay within our influence if we have knowledge of how our
personal fate can be manipulated. Nauthiz helps you get
around the workings of orlog, using the forces of Mystical and religious communication with non-human
resistance to change direction of the flow of wyrd. sentient beings
Together, these two runes govern the magic of ‘the
Wyrding Way’. Communication with other worlds, especially Asgard

All the records of all events are stored here, so Perthro’s Protection/defense
power helps the recollection of knowledge that is hidden
within the collective unconscious of humankind,
Receiving instruction on the magical potential of the
especially human lore lost over the course of the
runes
centuries. The same process is responsible for prophecy.
Perthro will assist the birthing of a great idea into your
environment by raising awareness of the forces arrayed Banishing the fear of death
against its manifestation. Co-incidence and deja vu play
an enormous role in the recognition of the fundamentals My notes:
of this rune.

Algiz is the single strongest energy connected with my


Other topics: quantum probability, Akashic records. own existence. It is a protective teaching force that
promotes independence and autonomy as well as faith.
Courage in the face of fear is central, not the absence of
fear, because fear may or may not be a warning to us
that protection and defensiveness is necessary. Algiz
supplies the insight necessary to make such judgments
and stand in true service to Asgard.
The spiritual force, hamingja, generated by Algiz
envelops the invoker with so much energy that he or she
becomes sacred, set apart and protected by Divine
power. The image of the Valkyrie in mythology is fully
representative of the way in which the energies of Algiz
work to protect you. Meditating on the image of a Valkyrie
in her teacher, swan and warrior forms is a powerful
method of invoking Algiz energy.

The Valkyrie will not assist in evading punishment for “The guide leads you to the doorway, then waits for your
wrong deeds, or illegal or immoral acts. It will act to return.”
soften the blow of punishment if the person willingly
accepts accountability for the harm cased by his or her Sowilo – “So-iölo” – Literally: “Sun” (Sol) – Esoteric:
acts and begins to take steps to compensate. wholeness, success

Do not mistake the archetypes encountered through use Rune of guidance, goal setting and success.
of this rune. Ask them politely of their purpose and to
identify themselves. Good entities always will respond
Psi: central nervous system, seat of the soul, revelation,
favorably to such requests, and mischievous or harmful
wholeness
entities tend to become offended or refrain from
answering. Have courage and fortitude, as you will
sometimes be tested. These entities come in many forms, Energy: sun-wheel, strengthening the hvel/charka,
so be prepared to open your mind as to allow their unique cosmic energies, motivation, life-giving force, action
methods of communication to take place.
Mundane: sunlight, fire, meeting of goals, confidence,
Other topics: taking action

Activation of the Higher Self Divinations: Guidance, hope, success, goals, honor, life
purpose, faith in outcomes; or false goals, bad advice,
false success, gullibility, loss of goals.
Perception of the Divine Plan

Governs:
Knowledge of the Ultimate Good in all things/events

Transmutation of thought into energy for action


Listening correctly to the Voice of the Universe (as non-
Activating highest values
human sentient beings ie. Valkyries, gods, giants)

Strengthening of psychic centers (hvel aka Chakras)


Being tested by such entities and instructed

Increase in spiritual will and optimal health


Guidance through the pathways, “enlightenment”

Victory and success through individual will

My Notes:

It is the rune of the sun. It is the counter-force to cosmic


ice in the rune Isa. Sowilo represents the force of fire in
the physical and mental world. It promotes invigoration,
dedication, optimism and persistence in any endeavor. It
will ward against the harmful opinions of others to keep
the heart focused on its purpose.

The hvel (Old Norse term equivalent to the Sanskrit word


chakra) are the spinning energy wheels in your body.
They look like miniature suns to the psychic eye. By
increasing the capacity of the hvel to handle greater flow
of megin energy leads to optimum health levels and
advanced psychic capabilities.
The ancient mystics were intuitively aware that the sun
provides this planetary system and its life forms with
many diverse cosmic energies necessary for the
evolution of the life force, and indeed, it is the power of
the sun (and stars) that encompasses the dynamic
energies inherent in all things within its system, as once it
was all being forced within its unfathomably hot furnace.
Sowilo exposes matters to the clear light of day and
strikes suddenly like lightning in a controlled and centered
burst of overwhelming, massive action. “What is higher than the self is the Self become Higher.”

Sowilo contains the ancient code of honour. These are Tiwaz – “Tea-waz” – Literally: “The god, Tyr” – Esoteric:
the common sense guidelines and morality that hold a Justice, Sacrifice
society together beyond the letter of the law and holds
the individual to ‘do the right thing’. Sowilo is also the
Rune of the balance and justice ruled from a higher
rune of success and victory, and is therefor associated
rationality. The rune of sacrifice of the individual
with the next rune in the order, Tiwaz. It gives us the
(self) for well-being of the whole (society).
power to win and connects us with revelations concerning
our life’s purpose, and insight into actions that will guide
us in our endeavors. The science of Neuro-Linguistic Psi: spiritual warrior, honour, righteousness
Programming has a lot to offer in terms of insight and
mastery of this rune, as does the psychological study of Energy: sovereign order, sacrifice, right decision making
success.

Mundane: the rule of law, fairness, peace keeping

Divinations: faith, loyalty, justice, rationality, self-


sacrifice, analysis, victory, honesty, even-handedness; or
mental paralysis, over analysis, over-sacrifice, injustice,
imbalance, defeat, tyranny.

Governs:

Obtaining just victory and success in battle, litigation or


legal matters

Building spiritual will and development of sound


judgement

Develops the power of positive self-sacrifice

Develops the “force of faith” in magic and religion

My Notes:

Tiwaz is a warrior rune named after the god Tyr who is


the Northern god of law and justice. Tyr is related to the
north star in the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, around which
the fixed stars in the night sky appear to rotate. Ancient
seamen used Polaris as their main navigational aid in
their long journeys, and the symbol as an arrow pointing
upward is perhaps made in reference to this. This
symbolizes the positive ordering of the cosmos and
humankind through law and justice and our moral
compass. Chaos comes to order through the attributes of
awakened consciousness and the guiding principles
concerned with carrying out such an awakening.

Tyr is a one-handed god with a long history, and his hand


was sacrificed to trick the wolf, Fenris, into being chained.
Tiwaz is just victory according to the law of accumulated
right past action. To rule justly, one is asked to make
many self-sacrifices, and Tiwaz can develop the power of
positive self-sacrifice and temper over-sacrifice. The
belief that courage and a right cause carries the day is
governed by Tiwaz. It is the common justice of the people
rather than the use of law by tyrants (a word that uses Tyr
as a root)

Tiwaz will bring about a correct balancing of the scales so


that you are assured a fair hearing and fair decision. Do
not be thrown off balance by the chaos of your “The most obvious Truth is hidden deep within, and only
environment. Like the North star, you must remain true you will ever know it.”
and calm, assert your case with confidence and let the
energies of your orlog assisted by the force of Tiwaz Berkano – “Burr-can-oh” – Literally: “Birch Goddess” –
bring about a right solution. Esoteric: Birth, Sanctuary

Should you need reassurances that there is value in Rune of continued growth and continual rebirth or
building up positive patterns in advance of emergency, renewal in all things. The rune of becoming.
this is the time you will see its greatest manifestation. You
have earned the right to a fair and just decision. Tiwaz
Psi: secrecy, silence, safety, mature wisdom,
will be used to bring fair distribution of the earned
dependence
energies from your ancestral stream.

Energy: container/releaser, female fertility, trees and


Tiwaz can be used to bring about a missionary zeal for a
plantlife
righteous cause. The most powerful insight we can draw
from Tiwaz is that we must target our energies in the
single most correct place, just as the arrow or spear Mundane: motherhood, healing, gardening, child raising,
symbolized by the rune must. Call upon Tiwaz for justice. the womb

Divinations: Birth, becoming, life changes, shelter,


liberation, sanctuary, secrets; or blurring of
consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation, conspiracy,
insecurity

Governs:

Rebirth in the spirit

Strengthens the power of secrecy

Works of concealment and protection

To contain and hold other powers together

Realization of stillness, the Now-ness of all things

Bringing ideas to fruition in the creative process

My Notes:

Berkano has the energy of a birch grove, and is an


hidden sanctuary in times of need. The birch is the first
tree to awaken in the spring time, and so Berkano is
about the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Healing of all
sorts is strongest through this rune, particularly
recuperation, rejuvenation, purification, detoxification and
regeneration. Purification & detoxification can be
strengthened in combination with LAGUZ.

This is the rune of maternity and represents the ready


womb for child-bearing. Also represented here is the the
concealment and protection of what is coming into being,
in the most mundane sense, pregnancy shelters the baby
until it is ready to enter this world. There is no safer place
for us, as living things, as the womb. It was a time of
secrecy, silence and utter safety and dependence. We
knew implicitly that our mothers going to exceptional
lengths, doing all they could to protect us, and although
we cannot consciously remember this experience, it is
still accessible to us through deep meditation and work
with Berkano. “The mind will trust the body, the body will trust the
mind.”
Motherhood, the wisdom that comes with maturity and
the patience developed by nurturing children are all Ehwaz - “eh-was” – Literally: “Horse” – Esoteric: Trust
mental and spiritual strengths emphasized through use of
this particular rune. WhileINGUZ represents the inner-
Rune of harmonious teamwork and trust. Rune of
child, Berkano represents the outer-child: the power of
pairs of entities working together for a common goal.
dependence, trust and the certainty of love. While
connecting with one’s own inner-child may be more in
harmony with the domain of INGUZ, the endeavor of Psi: trust between individual entities, sexuality
seeing the inner-child of all beings, in the outer-world, is a
quest undertaken as the understanding of Berkano Energy: trust, cooperation, the Fetch
broadens.

Mundane: animals, teamwork, friendship


Secrecy with Berkano is not a wicked thing, but a power
that can be used to great effect. It is the mastery of
silence as a device for listening and protecting. It is a life Divinations: Harmony, teamwork, trust, marriage,
giving rune, so is best used to assist life, to heal and to loyalty, a friend; or duplication, disharmony, mistrust,
protect. It will enhance efforts to give oneself, and others, betrayal, nightmares, indecision, an enemy.
the time and space they need to grow on their own. The
creation of time and space is a magical act done Governs:
consciously through restraint and silence, even
concealment of one’s hand in the affair altogether. This
ability is magical, requires great humility and is an Activating the energies of your inner Fetch
enviable feminine power.
Ability to detect deceit and uncover subtle queues

Facilitates swiftness in every regard

Establishing trust and bonds with animals (ie. horse


whisperers)

My Notes:

Ehwaz symbolizes all the various bodies as vehicles for


travel and movement. Twins represent the Sacred
Marriage of the Inner and the Outer, or mind and body.
The horse and rider metaphor is the best way to
represent the symbiotic relationship between two
individualized, yet harmonious beings. Anyone who has
had the least exposure to the value of a horse to a
person, family or clan would understand the esoteric code
hidden within Ehwaz.

Ehwaz is not force, but persuasion, suggestion and co-


operation. Control issues that birth questions such as
‘who is the boss?’ are settled and accepted with
assistance of this rune. Making the best of a situation,
making the necessary adjustments to a relationship and
the finding of means are frequent activities that focus on
Ehwaz can assist. In every way it represents flexibility,
adaptability, pragmatism. It is the activation and use of
instinct, using gut over the analysis or reasoning of
MANNAZ or ANSUZ.
The loyalty, trust and dependence build between two
partners with each passing day forms a web of emotional
and spiritual one-on-one connections which becomes
highly resilient as time goes on. Genuine friendship
develops, for it’s own sake, the kind of bond we die for. It
is the combination of emotional energies with the
intellectual spark to produce harmonious partnership
represents the friendship with parents blossoming upon
adulthood.
“We are each a savior, each a god. It is the fear of what
Ehwaz is particularly relevant to the energies which bond this means which binds us to the realm of humankind.”
man and woman together in lawful marriage. Its energies
can unify two people in a strong cooperative relationship Mannaz - “Man-az” – Literally: “Mankind” – Esoteric:
and attract the right persons for partnership in work, Humankind, awareness
business, teams or service.
Rune of the Divine structure of intelligence in the
Ehwaz is the rune of the psycho-spiritual construct called human soul or psyche. Rune of the horizons of
the Fetch. Your Fetch is the opposite gender as you, human existence and collective potential.
inactive in the material plane but still quite accessible
within your spirit. Activating the Fetch can assist you in
Psi: mind & memory (Hugin & Munin), the difference
attracting to yourself the right partner as your life mate. It
between human and all other life, development of the
will also refresh an existing marriage or committed
intellect, rational mind, perfected intelligence
relationship by re-energizing the two conscious minds of
the partners in the coupling.
Energy: psychic order of the gods reflected in
humankind, projection of Self into time
Most people do not realize that the answer to the great
mysteries of the opposite sex are found within their own
mental make-up when a communication link is Mundane: thinking, planning, analysis, the human
established between oneself and one’s Fetch. One might condition, people at large (contemporary: the masses)
imagine the Fetch, in modern terms, as the dormant DNA
which is still active on a psychic level, though the physical Divinations: Divine structure, sustainability, intelligence,
manifestation has already chosen and developed its awareness, social order, divine influence in life; or
gender. Likewise, we are able to create an emotional depression, mortality, blindness, self-delusion, collective
understanding with any other human being, because suicide, bigotry, elitism, intellectual arrogance.
within ourselves, we find the Other.

Governs:
Other topics:

Self-Actualization
Learning of ourselves through others.

Realization of the divine structure in humankind

Increase in intelligence, memory and mental powers


(passing tests)

Unlocking the third-eye hvel, the “mind’s eye”

Activating the dynamics of your own inner Christus, or


Higher Self

Awareness of our roles as co-creator with the gods and


nature

Mental and spiritual potential

My Notes:

In a spiritual sense, nobility refers to those who seek to


comprehend the mysteries of Life and who strive to
master these mysteries for greater awareness. Access to
the Higher Self or ‘Christus’ of the soul is not restricted,
as religions maintain. Even the staunchest athiest has a
path to Enlightened Being, without ever having to profess
belief in a god or faith. All humans can rise to this state as
Perfected Human, regardless of name, race or creed.
Christus is merely a Greek word which serves as a title
given to any human being who evidences a state of unity
with the Universal Mind, or God/Goddess. One could as
easily use the word Buddha, as in Buddhism, or
Illumined, as in Hermetic Philosophy.
“Our future selves call us from infinite pasts, and each
From its very beginnings, the Northern spiritual tradition night are eroded with our dreams.”
has maintained a path by which each individual human
being can become a Christus, that is a completely self- Laguz - “Log-uhz” – Literally: “Water” or Ocean –
actualized person, in time (lifetimes) and with great study Esoteric: Unconscious, Collective Memory
and personal commitment. Furthermore, in the North this
archetype is imparted within humankind as a genetic link,
Rune of the unconscious context of becoming or the
not a contractual link, with the gods. The promise is
evolutionary process. Rune of Life’s longing for
equality with the gods as an attainable human potential,
itself.
which is one of the basis of occultism and the
Enlightenment (the philosophy behind science).
Psi: emotion, psychic powers, unconscious mental
processes, love, dreaming
Access to the collective unconscious of earth and
humanity can also be gained by invoking Mannaz. Mimir’s
Well is the Northern equivalent of the Sanskrit Akashic Energy: life energy, ocean spirit, origins of life, collective
records. It contains information which provides answers unconscious, the astral plane, love as unity, evolution
to the deepest mysteries of Life, as well as being a
storehouse of new knowledge waiting to be discovered. Mundane: water, imagination, occultism, dreams
Mannaz is the rune of Mimir’s well, for Mannaz is the rune
of human consciousness which ever seeks wisdom and
insight to continue its evolutionary progress toward Divinations: Life, passing a test, sea of vitality and of the
Perfected Human. See also LAGUZ for insight into the unconscious growth, memory, dreams; or fear, circular
Well. motion, avoidance, withering, depression, manipulations,
emotional blackmail, lack of moral fiber, fantasy, poison,
toxicity
Mannaz is the rune of human intelligence and the rational
mind. This rune is a particularly beneficial one for
academic studies, tests and any contests of an Governs:
intellectual nature. It is well placed when the task of
dealing with matters that affect a society or entire Transpersonal powers
civilization, especially those rooted in the individual
human mind.
Mastery of emotion in order to shape wyrd
Guidance through difficult initiatory tests, ie. initiation into
Further Reading: life

Mannaz – Rune Meaning Analysis (series) Increase in vitality and life force

Other topics: Communication between your conscious mind to


another’s unconscious mind
Horizons of human potential
Development of ‘second sight’ or prophetic wisdom
Extensiveness and diversity of human existence
All powers of dreaming (lucid dreams, astral projection)
The range of all human collective actions, and variations
on the primal blueprint My Notes:

Water is the symbol of unconscious and invisible Life


forces. All of life is dependent on water, and therefore
Laguz represents the universal ocean, the supreme unity
of all life: past, present and future. The dream state and
the Jungian “shadow” [2] element both linger beneath its
surface, and the human unconscious is revealed when
explored and exposed to the conscious mind. We ‘take
the plunge’. To the runic initiate the unconscious forces
are controlled for good use through mastery of runic
skills. Still, the initiate understands the potency of the
unconscious sea to break loose from its control and is
ever watchful.

The substance of Laguz is everywhere present, pervades


all things and underlies all manifestation. It is the living
energy out of which everything is made. It sustains and
enriches any idea that is projected into it. The ability to “Only when we know our solitude to be different from our
see clairvoyantly and into the future are psychic talents loneliness can we be whole enough to honor another’s
associated with Laguz, as is protection from physical and place.”
psychic poisons.
Inguz – “Ing-guz” – Literally: “Seed” or “The god, Ing” –
The rune can be used in establishing a communications Esoteric: Process, space
link from your conscious mind, under willful intent, to the
unconscious mind of another. Caution and much wisdom Rune of isolation or separation in order to create a
must be exercised in such subtle manipulations. space or place where the process of transformation
into higher states of being can occur. Rune of
Water is a psychically chargeable medium, and this gestation and internal growth.
includes all vital liquids such as blood and spittle. These
are the fluids that carry your Life Force and act as a Psi: internal growth, personal development, the power of
bonding medium for many, if not all, of your psycho- suggestion, the inner-child, wholeness
spiritual constructs.
Energy: earth-god, stored energy, gestation process,
male mysteries, subtlety, planned bursts

Mundane: male sexuality, agriculture

Divinations: Resting, gestation, internal growth,


expectation, time for oneself; or impotence, scattering,
movement without change, frivolity, immaturity.

Governs:

Storage and transformation of power for ritual use.

Stored Energy

Passive meditation and centering of energy and thought

Sudden release of energy

All forms of subtle, creative action

My Notes:

Represented by the very ancient god image Ing, Inguz is


a rune of male fertility. The English language participle “-
ing” adds to any verb the idea of acton. Do-ing, Be-ing,
See-ing, etc. The addition of “ing” represents action in the
actual process of activity (rather than an object). Thus,
even common elements within our most common
language use “ing” to infer the process of creation.

Inguz is that potential energy that must accumulate


gradually in storage before being released as a single
surge of energy. It represents the process of a mental
‘seed’ desire implanted by the conscious mind into the
subconscious for incubation and gestation, later to
emerge as a new creation in your life affairs. Inguz
governs the process of seed into catalyst, and the self-
sacrifice of one form to bring into being a new form, and
the characteristics inherited because of this
transformation.

Thus, Inguz contains within its lore the true meaning of


sacrifice. Such sacrifice occurs when one form is called
upon to die so that a newly evolved form may begin to “Time is an illusion that once realized, is lovingly
grow. This is one of the cornerstone concepts in what is embraced, none the less.”
known as the ‘male mysteries’. To die for something,
such as a cause or an ideal such as freedom, a universal Dagaz - “Day-gahz” – Literally: “Day” or Dawn – Esoteric:
theme in warrior traditions, is thus connected to the Awakening
energies of Inguz.
Rune of the hyper-consciousness. The process of
There is great wisdom in creating an analogy between concept becoming realized.
this fundamental act of nature and the mystical act of
generation. The failure of a magical operation is often
Psi: paradoxical truth, incommunicable experience,
caused by the lack of the operator ‘letting go’ of some
conceptual realization, Enlightenment, satori
past form of manifestation so that a newly desired form
can be born. All humans live in the past to some degree
or another, but one must apply the laws of nature which Energy: twilight/dawn polarity, non-dual reality, unity,
call for death of the old in order to bring about synthesis, transmutation
transformation into new energies and new forms. This
sounds simple to do on an intellectual level, but in Mundane: another day, daylight, the inevitability of dawn
practice it is requires masterful artistry.

Divinations: Awakening, awareness, hope-happiness,


Inguz signals the integration of the four selves: physical, the ideal, paradigm shift; or lack of vision, sleep,
emotional, mental and spiritual. It is the drive toward blindness, hopelessness, cataclysmic change.
completion and totality and acts as the catalyst for
movement toward wholeness. Where Berkano signifies
the outer child, hidden within the wisdom of Inguz is the Governs:
activation of one’s inner-child.
Attaining the mystical moment through penetration of the
secret of paradox or non-duality

Reception of mystical inspiration – the gift of Odin.

Disappearance and the act of becoming the invisible

Invisibility as an organizing principle of Higher


Consciousness

Synthesis of right-left brain dynamics.

Transformation of one thing into its opposite

Integration of female and male into complete being

My Notes:

Dagaz is the counterpart to the rune Jera. Both refer to


time, Jera on an annual cycle and Dagaz on a daily cycle.
Both are runes of change – Jera is a rune of gentle
change, Dagaz is a rune of bold change, for example, the
burst of light at the moment of illumination. It contains
within its energies the experience called ‘satori’, a
spiritual awakening experience common in all cultures.
Archaeological evidence proves that Dagaz has been
used as a symbol of Light for more than four thousand
years. It is the rune of hyper-consciousness.
Achievement of this state of mind SEEMS to be a
relatively rare occurrence in human life at this stage of
evolution. When chronicled, it marks the beginnings of
the mission of a World Savior on Earth.

Much has been written on the psychology and


metaphysics of uniting left and right brain functions. “We inherit ourselves.”
Dagaz holds dominion over this union and is a tool that
gives you great potency for present awareness and future Othala - “Oh-thall-ah” – Literally: “Homeland” or
growth. It is reminiscent of the lemniscate, the symbol of “Ancestral Lot” – Esoteric: Inheritance, estate, noble
infinity, and the moebius strip, timelessness and
illimitable potential, as well as an overturned hourglass.
Rune of anscetral spiritual power, divine inheritance
and earthly estate.
The ‘point of poise’ entails balancing polarities so that all
mystery is revealed to consciousness. The transformation
Psi: ancestral spiritual power
of paradox into non-dual awareness occurs with Dagaz
energies. It is to find the center between two extremes
and maintaining a state of mind undisturbed by any Energy: ancestral spiritual power, inheritance, heaven on
mental or emotional storm. At the center, all power is to earth, “The gift of Ing”, paradise, utopia
be found and equilibrium is a desirable attainment. This
practice eventually leads to the practitioner no longer Mundane: household, estate, inheritance
requiring a single right or wrong answer to the mysteries
and many truths can exist complimentary to one another.
No one single belief or viewpoint is sufficient and so all Divinations: A home or estate, group prosperity, group
beliefs and viewpoints can be progressively abandoned. order, freedom, productive interaction; or lack of
In the stillness and silent questioning of the mind that is customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty,
left behind, all truth resounds. homelessness, xenophobia, racism, genocide.

Dagaz can be used to gain absolute stillness. It is Governs:


invisible transforming power. The vibrational patterns of
the self, or an object can be dampened so that the Rightful inheritance from ancestral holdings
perception of material things to the human eye grow faint.
Finding this point of poise takes great skill and practice
with Dagaz but mastery of this rune of enlightenment Collection of numinous power and knowledge from past
leads down the path of disappearance. Mastery of generations
invisibility leads to the understanding of existence through
its opposite: non-existence. Acquisitions of wealth and property

An interesting thing to keep in mind is that the futhark has Right understanding of global unity
no rune for the night or for the moon. These are
absences, not things. Darkness is not darkness, it is a
Security, safety, protection, the walls of Asgard
quality of the light. The sun is always ‘there’, it is our
world that spins around and causes the illusion that it is
not. As well, the light of the moon is a reflection of the Ascension to King amongst men
sun’s light. There is little reason to think that the ancients
were not aware of this, even mathematically. “Darkness is Realization of Paradise
not darkness” is a wonderful saying to meditate upon,
and will reveal to the seeker that there is no true
opposites as we are often convinced of, but only My Notes:
polarities within the supreme mystery of existence.
Othala deals with matters of family, estate, inheritance
and ancestry. Both Fehu and Othala are runes of wealth
and continue the cyclical nature of the runes by their
positions as first and last. The difference is that Fehu
represents mobile expansive force of money as well as
new beginnings and Othala represents the permanent
wealth of immobile property accumulated by yourself and
your ancestors over generations, which is clearly the
continuation of a long line back to the beginning.
You have several ancestral stream to explore before you
find the one or two that are dominant in your blood.
Identify your natural talents and explore the ancestral
stream that would have contributed those talents to you.
There is a spirit or breath that has been passed on to you
from many sources as well as your genetic makeup.

The weight of virtuous deeds of past generations tends to


accumulate within a family tree over the generations, like
being stored in an etheric energy ‘battery’. Part of your
inheritance, yours for the taking, is to claim some of that
energy for use in this lifetime. You must find what
provisions you must agree to for its payback into the
ancestral stream as you become one of the ‘ancestors’
yourself. Such a contribution will likely be in the form of a
virtuous deed on your part during this lifetime.

You may find that there is a deficiency of energy due to


non-virtuous deeds of certain ancestors, at which time
you should seek the last link at which there were surplus
energies. As a major player, you will be aided by
honorable ancestors, who would see the breach restored
and ‘things set right’.

The ultimate realization of Othala in the rune progression


is heaven-on-earth, and the homecoming of the Savior
and this is why I favor it as the final rune of the cycle,
over any Dagaz-ending theories. The ultimate
enlightenment is liberation and transcendence from the
Self. Othala means that we take responsibility for our own
destinies, that the future is a continual movement toward
paradise, an alignment of the inner-compass toward
heaven on earth.

My belief is that Othala signals the final and eternal


beauty of heaven, and the love for one’s home. It signals
a transcendence of geography, both planetary and
astronomical. It is the individual and family risen above
cultural and spiritual inheritance and the establishment of
new fundamentals. Indeed, this rune signifies the
inheritance by the whole of humanity of the planet itself,
the restoration of the planet to its harmonious and
sustainable state, and the inherent responsibilities
thereof. It is the shift from basically existential modes of
existence to humanistic, even divine modes and that is
why I believe it to be in the correct position as the final
rune.’

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