Friday, March 30, 2018

Ansuz


“Find your ears before you search for words.”

Ansuz – “Anne – suhz” – Literally: “Woden” – Esoteric: “Breath” or “Ancestral Sovereign God”

Key Concepts: order, gods, Odin, transmission of intelligence, communication, reason, inspiration, language, breath, sound, origins of language, the Voice of the Universe, spellsong, casting, chanting, ancestors, passing of the breath along the ancestral line, evolution of gods, speech, poetry, discussion of runes, memetics, semiotics, etymology, linguistics.

Ansuz is the conventional name given to the a-rune of the Elder Futhark, ᚨ. The name is based on Proto-Germanic *ansuz, denoting a deity belonging to the principal pantheon in Germanic paganism.

In the Norwegian rune poem, óss is given a meaning of "estuary" while in the Anglo-Saxon one, ōs ᚩ takes the Latin meaning of "mouth". The Younger Futhark rune is transliterated as ą to distinguish it from the new ár rune (ᛅ), which continues the jēran rune after loss of prevocalic *j- in Proto-Norse *jár (Old Saxon jār).

Since the name of Gothic a is attested in the Gothic alphabet as ahsa or aza, the common Germanic name of the rune may thus either have been *ansuz "god", or *ahsam "ear (of wheat)".

In the Icelandic rune poem, the name óss refers to Odin:

ᚬÓss er algingautr
ok ásgarðs jöfurr,
ok valhallar vísi.
Óss is aged Gautr
and prince of Ásgarðr
and lord of Vallhalla.

Runic Number: 4

Meaning: Wisdom, Knowledge, Message, Communication, Mouth.

Translation: God Odin. In reverse, it is Loki, the messenger of gods and a trickster.

Gemstone: Emerald

Color: Dark Blue

Polarity: Male

Element: Air

Gods: Odin, Eostre, Loki

Astrology correspondence: Venus

Tree: Ash

Psi: mental stability, communion, inspiration, listening

Energy: sovereign ancestral god, animating spirit, breath, communication, exploration, order, answers

Mundane: words, conversation, symbols, elders, music

Divinations: Divine inspiration, word-power, synthesis, transformation, intellect, open paths of communication; or misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom, bad advice

Governs:
All powers of naming and conceptualization
Convincing and magnetic speech and writing, and the power of suggestion and hypnosis
Acquisition of creative wisdom, inspiration, ecstasy and divine communication
Reason, analysis and good advice
Connecting and networking
Listening to oneself and one’s own particular inner-voice


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 babe breathes its first breath. It leaves the body with the last breath. Breath is the actual point of osmosis between the physical world of the human being, and the 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 or quickening influence of cosmic awareness. The breath is also connected to ancestry, as even the word spirit comes from the same root as breath. Our ancestral lines are unbroken with those of the gods still to this day, in blood and in breath.

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 power over that thing, and in ancient traditions, naming has often been used to dispel mischievous spirits, bind demons or break psychological fetters. The relationship also is indicative chaotic events can be used to shape ordered circumstances and one’s own thoughts, or the thoughts of others. Ansuz is suggestive of the relentless 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’ of chaos linguistics.

It is here that all speech can be deciphered and understood as well, so Ansuz is a rune connected with listening and speech: communication and meaning in general. Use such skills wisely for manipulation can, through temptation, become an end in and of itself, and 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 will damage the hamingja. Thought and action are most powerful when aligned and honesty is the best policy.

The rune of secrets, silence and true listening is BERKANO, but there is a type of listening that will allow one to hear the Voice of the universe, and this power lay 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 powerful.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Isa


“Ice only appears to stop a river’s flow.”

Isa – “Iss-ah” – Literally: “Ice” – Esoteric: Stasis, Stillness

Rune of concentration of things in a static or frozen state. Rune of stillness and the Ego-Self.

*Isaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the i-rune ᛁ, meaning "ice". In the Younger Futhark, it is called Iss in Icelandic and isa in Old Norse. As rune of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is called is.

The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌹 i, named eis.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:English Translation:
Anglo-Saxon
 Is byþ oferceald, ungemetum slidor,
glisnaþ glæshluttur gimmum gelicust,
flor forste geworuht, fæger ansyne.

Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.
Old Icelandic
 Íss er árbörkr
ok unnar þak
ok feigra manna fár.
glacies jöfurr.

Ice is bark of rivers
and roof of the wave
and destruction of the doomed.
Old Norwegian
 Ís kǫllum brú bræiða;
blindan þarf at læiða.

Ice is called the broad bridge;
the blind man must be led.

Runic Number: 11

Meaning: Cold. Freezing. Ice. Lack of Change.Lack of emotion. Stagnation. Bridge across danger. Storing binding.

Translation: Ice

Gemstone: Cat’s eye

Color: Black

Polarity: Female

Element: Ice (Water)

Gods: Verdandi

Astrology correspondence: The Moon

Tree: Alder

Plant: Henbane

Psi: mental faculties, focus, ego, self-image/self-identity

Energy: stillness, contraction, stasis

Mundane: cold, self-preservation, harsh reality

Divinations: Concentrated self, ego-consciousness, self-control, unity of being; or egomania, dullness, blindness, dissipation, immobility, self-centeredness, lack of change, psychopathy.

Governs: 
Development of concentration, will and focus
Halting of unwanted dynamic forces as an act of self-defense (ard against demonic influences)
Basic ego integration within a balanced multiversal system
Power of control and constraint over other wights (entities), emotional outbursts
Focus of the will into single-minded action

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.

Isa is a rune of control.  As your ego-self grows in strength through spiritual thinking and training, this construct matures into the individualized YOU (or the ‘I’).

There is a dark side to this enhancement of ego as you can see by the dark side of Isa. When not kept under control, the ego-self can take a path into ego-trips of self-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: beware!

Isa will control and quiet emotional distress, but be wary! It will not eliminate any persistent root cause of unpleasant circumstance. But it can help in extending stillness into your aura. Isa is particularly useful in attaining stillness of presence.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Perthro


“The beginning and end are set. What’s in between is yours. Nothing is in vain, all is remembered.”

Perthro – “Per-throw” – Literally: unknown – Esoteric: The Norns, Fate, Lot-Cup

Rune of fate and the unmanifest. Rune of probability and the role of luck in the evolutionary process of the all things. Universe at play.

ᛈ is the rune denoting the sound p (voiceless bilabial stop) in the Elder Futhark runic alphabet, in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem named peorð. It does not appear in the Younger Futhark. In the poem, it is glossed with the enigmatic:

ᛈ peorð byþ symble plega and hlehter / wlancum [on middum], ðar wigan sittaþ / on beorsele bliþe ætsomne
"Peorð is a source of recreation and amusement to the great, where warriors sit blithely together in the beerhall."
The name is not comprehensible from Old English, i.e. no word similar to peorð is known in this language. According to a 9th-century manuscript of Alcuin (Codex Vindobonensis 795), written in Britain, in the Gothic alphabet, the letters 𐍀 p (based on a Greek Π) and 𐌵 q (an inverted Π) are called "pairþra" and "qairþra", respectively. One of these names clearly is derived from the other. However, the names are not comprehensible in Gothic either, and it is not clear which is derived from which, although it is known that the Elder Futhark had a p, but no q rune. In any case, it seems evident that peorð is related to pairþra. The Anglo-Saxon futhorc adopted exactly the same approach for the addition of a labiovelar rune, ᛢ cweorð, in both shape and name based on peorð, but it is not known if the Gothic runes already had a similar variant rune of p, or if the labiovelar letter was a 4th-century creation of Ulfilas.

The Common Germanic name could be referring to a pear-tree (or perhaps generally a fruit-tree). Based on the context of "recreation and amusement" given in the rune poem, a common speculative interpretation[by whom?] is that the intended meaning is "pear-wood" as the material of either a woodwind instrument, or a "game box" or game pieces made from wood.

From peorð, Proto-Germanic form *perðu, *perþō or *perþaz may be reconstructed on purely phonological grounds. The expected Proto-Germanic term for "pear tree" would be *pera-trewô (*pera being, however, a post-Proto-Germanic loan, either West Germanic, or Common Germanic, if Gothic pairþra meant "pear tree", from Vulgar Latin pirum (plural pira), itself of unknown origin). The Ogham letter name Ceirt, glossed as "apple tree", may in turn be a loan from Germanic into Primitive Irish.

The earliest attestation of the rune is in the Kylver Stone futhark row (ca. AD 400). The earliest example in a linguistic context (as opposed to an abecedarium) is already in futhorc, in the Kent II, III and IV coin inscriptions (the personal names pada and æpa/epa), dated to ca. AD 700. On St. Cuthbert's coffin (AD 698), a p rune takes the place of Greek Ρ. The Westeremden yew-stick (ca. AD 750) has op hæmu "at home" and up duna "on the hill".

Looijenga (1997) speculates that the p rune arose as a variant of the b rune, parallel to the secondary nature of Ogham peith. The uncertainty surrounding the rune is a consequence of the rarity of the *p phoneme in Proto-Germanic, itself due to the rarity of its parent-phoneme *b in Proto-Indo-European.

The rune is discontinued in Younger Futhark, which expresses /p/ with the b rune, for example on the Viking Age Skarpåker Stone,

iarþ sal rifna uk ubhimin
Jörð skal rifna ok upphiminn.
"Earth shall be rent, and the heavens above."

Runic Number: 14

Meaning: Mystery. Gamble. Chance. Pot luck. In modern interpretation: Science and Technology.

Translation: There is not certain literal translation. It is usually a name of a dice cup, i.e. a gambling game that includes such a cup.

Gemstone: Aquamarine

Color: Black

Polarity: Female

Element: Water

Gods: Frigg

Astrology correspondence: Saturn

Tree: Aspen

Plant: Aconite

Psi: co-incidence, living with the unknown, the art and magic of guessing, pattern recognition, prophecy

Energy: evolutionary force, luck, nothingness, the unborn, the unmanifest

Mundane: gambling, random occurrences, guessing

Divinations: Good omen, knowledge of örlög, fellowship and joy, evolutionary change; or doom*, psychological or emotional addictions, stagnation, loneliness, delusion, fantasy, unknowability.

*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

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 on an element of chance. This awareness must be incorporated into the lore of Perthro and divination is a way to discern the parameters of that element of chance. Divination through casting of lots using dice or runes provides conscious indicators of unconscious ‘lay’ or pattern of cause and effect as it pertains to any specific future happening.

Of all the runes, this one is the most mysterious, perhaps next to Eihwaz before it, because Perthro deals with the mysteries within the runes themselves and the birth of the 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 the centuries. On the other hand, the ‘how to’ techniques are less defined than with other runes, for we are dealing with fundamental mysteries of the universe. Orlog plays 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, throughout all existence.

The proper relationship between Perthro and Nauthiz is that Perthro allows you to become aware of the hidden and relatively fixed workings of the deep law of cause and effect, which in turn give us the ability to see into the unmanifest and peer into the unknown. This is wyrd, and 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 resistance to change direction of the flow of wyrd. Together, these two runes govern the magic of ‘the Wyrding Way’.

All the records of all events are stored here, so Perthro’s power helps the recollection of knowledge that is hidden within the collective unconscious of humankind, especially human lore lost over the course of the 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 against its manifestation. Co-incidence and deja vu play an enormous role in the recognition of the fundamentals of this rune.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Hagalaz



“Don’t try to fix what we should break before it breaks us.”

Hagalaz – “Hag-all-az” – Literally: “Hail” or “Hailstone” – Esoteric: Crisis or Radical Change

Key Concepts: hailstones, crisis and catastrophe, disruption, radical change, destructive elements of nature, severe weather, the uncontrollable, unavoidable unpleasantness, Jungian shadow, psychoanalysis, regression, acceptance of the unalterable

*Haglaz or *Hagalaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the h-rune ᚺ, meaning "hail" (the precipitation).

In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as hægl and in the Younger Futhark as ᚼ hagall The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌷 h h, named hagl.

The Elder Futhark letter has two variants, single-barred ᚺ and double-barred ᚻ. The double-barred variant is found in continental inscriptions while Scandinavian inscriptions have exclusively the single-barred variant.

The Anglo-Frisian futhorc in early inscriptions has the Scandinavian single-barred variant. From the 7th century, it is replaced by the continental double-barred variant, the first known instances being found on a Harlingen solidus (ca,. 575–625), and in the Christogram on St. Cuthbert's coffin.

Haglaz is recorded in all three rune poems:
Rune Poem:[1]English Translation:
Old Norwegian
Hagall er kaldastr korna;
Kristr skóp hæimenn forna.

Hail is the coldest of grain;
Christ created the world of old.
Old Icelandic
Hagall er kaldakorn
ok krapadrífa
ok snáka sótt.

Hail is cold grain
and shower of sleet
and sickness of serpents.
Anglo-Saxon
Hægl byþ hwitust corna;
hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte,
wealcaþ hit windes scura;
weorþeþ hit to wætere syððan.

Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

Runic Number: 9

Meaning: Interference. Disruption. Weather. Damaging forces of nature.

Translation: Hail

Gemstone: Onyx

Color: Light Blue

Polarity: Female

Element: Ice (Water)

Gods: Urd, Heimdall

Astrology correspondence: Aquarius

Tree: Ash

Plant: Bryony

Psi: disruption, change, personal past

Energy: power beyond human ability to harness, perfect pattern, seed formation, objective confrontation, destructive natural forces, chaos

Mundane: bad weather, obstacles, surprises, shelter

Divinations: Change according to ideals, changes for the long-term good, controlled crisis, corrections, completion, inner harmony; or catastrophe, crisis, stagnation, loss of power, loss of property, short-term disappointment, victim-consciousness, obsession with the past, blame.

Governs:
Completeness and balance of power, integration of unconscious shadow elements
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 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.

Hail shocks you with stinging hardness (confrontation) then it melts into water which creates germination of seeds (transformation). The ancients describe hail as a grain rather than as ice, thus creating a metaphor for a deeper truth of life. It contains the seed of all the other runic energies and this can be seen in its other form, a six-fold snowflake. Spiritual awakening often comes from times of deep crisis.

As the ninth rune, Hagalaz has a special place in the ordering, as nine has particular significance in the elder futhark. Nine signals completion of a perfect pattern. Nine months is one of nature’s most regular human cycles, that of the gestation period for a baby in a mother’s 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.

Hagalaz can be used as a force of repulsion or banishment. It is used in work to process and dispel the effects of subconscious baggage and ‘shadow elements’ so that your life pattern can carry itself forward in its pure form. Hagalaz has the magical energy of a ‘spring cleaning’. It reveals the personal past, past lives and early environmental factors in childhood development. It follows that LAGAZ, from which hail is ultimately made, is also a rune of profound unconscious exploration and personal depth.

Hagalaz can be used as a curse against others, aimed to bring up their suppressed inner conflicts and thus impeding them. It is a clean curse, as the recipient is only experiencing the ill effects of their own accountability. It is a dark, feminine power and can been associated with witchcraft and destructive female magic.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Uruz


“Mind over matter – matter over mind”

Uruz – “Oo – Ruse” – Literally: “Aurochs” – Esoteric: Endurance, Formation, Manifestation

Key Concepts: life force, physical health, courage, organic structure, manifestation, formation, healing, vigor, endurance

The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark u rune ᚢ is *Ūruz meaning "wild ox"[1] or *Ūrą "water". It may have been derived from the Raetic alphabet character u as it is similar in both shape and sound value. The name of the corresponding letter in the Gothic alphabet is urus.

The Icelandic word for "rain" and the Old English for "aurochs" go back to two different Proto-Germanic words, *ūruz and *ūrą (although possibly from the same root). The Norwegian meaning "dross, slag" is more obscure, but may be an Iron Age technical term derived from the word for water (cf. the Kalevala, where iron is compared to milk).

Because of this, it is difficult to reconstruct a Proto-Germanic name for the Elder Futhark rune. It may have been *ūruz "aurochs", or *ūrą "water". The aurochs is preferred by authors of modern runic divination systems, but both seem possible, compared to the names of the other runes: "water" would be comparable to "hail" and "lake", and "aurochs" to "horse" or "elk" (although the latter name is itself uncertain). The Gothic alphabet seems to support "aurochs", though: as the name of the letter 𐌿 u is urus.
It is recorded in all three rune poems, and it is called Ur in all, however with different meanings:
Rune Poem:[2]English Translation:
Old Norwegian
 Úr er af illu jarne;
opt løypr ræinn á hjarne.

Dross comes from bad iron;
the reindeer often races over the frozen snow.
Old Icelandic
 Úr er skýja grátr
ok skára þverrir
ok hirðis hatr.
umbre vísi

Rain is lamentation of the clouds
and ruin of the hay-harvest
and abomination of the shepherd.
Old English
 Ur byþ anmod ond oferhyrned,
felafrecne deor, feohteþ mid hornum
mære morstapa; þæt is modig wuht.

The aurochs is proud and has great horns;
it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns;
a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle.

Runic Number: 2

Meaning: Physical and mental strength and health. For males – virility and manhood; for females – femininity, womanhood, fertility.

Translation: Auroch, i.e. the European giant ox.

Gemstone: Carbuncle

Color: Dark Green

Polarity: Male

Element: Earth

Gods: Thor, Urdl

Astrology correspondence: Taurus

Tree: Birch

Plant: Iceland Moss

Psi: determination, persistence, freedom, courage, will, territoriality, independence

Energy: Vital formative force, archetypal patterning, raw primal power, survival, healing, endurance, manifestation, organic structuring

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

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 energies that need to be guided wisely as they manifest. It is an early reminder within the series that the untamed powers of creativity are not without danger – a reality quite clear in our modern technological civilization. It is 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.

Life’s persistence and its endless resourcefulness in the task of survival are all implicit within the rune meaning of Uruz, thus it is a rune of manifestation, regeneration and 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 pulls a diseased or ill form back toward its ‘primal blueprint’: the original, invisible shape intended by nature’s design.

Uruz is the rune of the inner-King and inner-Queen. We 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 live passionate and free.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Thurisaz


“If we must fight for peace then let us find our peace in battle.”

Thurisaz – “Thor-is-as” – Literally: “Thurses” or “Giants” – Esoteric: Strong one, Resistance

The rune ᚦ is called Thurs (Old Norse Þurs "giant", from a reconstructed Common Germanic *Þurisaz) in the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems. In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem it is called thorn, whence the name of the letter þ derived. It is transliterated as þ, and has the sound value of a voiceless dental fricative /θ/ (the English sound of th as in thing).

The rune is absent from the earliest Vimose inscriptions, but it is found in the Thorsberg chape inscription, dated to ca. AD 200.

Þurs is a name for the giants in Norse mythology. Tursas is also an ill-defined being in Finnish mythology - Finland was known as the land of the giants (Jotland) in Scandinavian/north Germanic mythology.

In Anglo-Saxon England, the same rune was called Thorn or "Þorn" and it survives as the Icelandic letter Þ (þ). An attempt has been made to account for the substitution of names by taking "thorn" to be a kenning (metaphor) for "giant".

It is disputed as to whether a distinct system of Gothic runes ever existed, but it is clear that most of the names (but not most of the shapes) of the letters of the Gothic alphabet correspond to those of the Elder Futhark. The name of Gothic letter thiuth.svg, the Gothic letter corresponding to Þ is an exception; it is recorded as þiuþ "(the) good" in the Codex Vindobonensis 795, and as such unrelated to either þurs or þorn. The lack of agreement between the various glyphs and their names in Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, and Old Norse makes it difficult to reconstruct the Elder Futhark rune's Proto-Germanic name.

Assuming that the Scandinavian name þurs is the most plausible reflex of the Elder Futhark name, a Common Germanic form *þurisaz can be reconstructed (cf. Old English þyrs "giant, ogre" and Old High German duris-es "(of the) giant").

Rune poems

The Germanic rune ᚦ is mentioned in three rune poems:
Rune Poem:[3]English Translation:
Old Norwegian
 Þurs vældr kvinna kvillu,
kátr værðr fár af illu.

Thurs ("Giant") causes anguish to women,
misfortune makes few men cheerful.
Old Icelandic
 Þurs er kvenna kvöl
ok kletta búi
ok varðrúnar verr.
Saturnus þengill.

Thurs ("Giant") is torture of women
and cliff-dweller
and husband of a giantess
Saturn's thegn.
Anglo-Saxon
 Ðorn byþ ðearle scearp;
ðegna gehwylcum anfeng ys yfyl,
ungemetum reþe manna gehwelcum,
ðe him mid resteð.

The thorn is exceedingly sharp,
an evil thing for any thegn to touch,
uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.
Saturn possibly refers to Ymir or Útgarða-Loki.

Key Concepts: Unconscious forces, sociological forces, Thor, Loki as giant, chaos, destruction by natural forces, complexities of aggression, conflicts, disputes, psychological problems,  lightning, breakthrough, aggressive male sexuality, battering down barriers, thorn of awakening, trouble, enthusiasm

Runic Number: 3

Meaning: A warning. Forces of evil and chaos. Magical power. Temptation.

Translation: A thorn. Devil. Monster. Giant. The hammer of Thor.

Gemstone: Sapphire

Color: Bright Red

Polarity: Male

Element: Fire

Gods: Thor

Astrology correspondence: Mars

Tree: Blackthorn

Plant: Houseleek

Psi: enthusiasm, struggle against unconsciousness, male sexual prowess

Energy: enthusiasm, self-empowerment, chaos, active defensive force, breaker of resistance, destructive storms

Mundane: storms, tools, weapons, conflict

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

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 violence. Thurisaz represents the warrior that combines consciousness and wisdom with matters requiring force. Thor is the champion god of courageous and free human beings and the ultimate physical fighting force.

Thurisaz is also a fertility rune in the sense that it breaks down the barren and hard, rocky realms into workable soil as to bring fruitfulness to crops and wombs. The best mental state for working with the rune is enthusiasm, rather than anger or fear, as the former will much better sustain right awareness and diminish the potential danger of dealing with strong Thurisaz magic.

This early rune is representative of the use of tools and technology (so is KENAZ, to an extent), whether physical or psychological, especially as weapons of protection or active resistance against forces detrimental to the expansion of consciousness and awareness signified by DAGAZ. Human consciousness is a state of mind that evolved from pre-existing state of unconscious which continually strives to re-establish itself. Unless we promote consciousness actively in living out our lives we will succumb to entropy.

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 it.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Sowilo


“The guide leads you to the doorway, then waits for your return.”

Sowilo – “So-iölo” – Literally: “Sun” (Sol) – Esoteric: wholeness, success

Rune of guidance, goal setting and success.

*Sowilō or *sæwelō is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic language name of the s-rune, meaning "sun". The name is attested for the same rune in all three Rune Poems. It appears as Old Norse sól, Old English sigel, and Gothic sugil.

Rune Poem:English Translation:
Old Norwegian
 Sól er landa ljóme;
lúti ek helgum dóme.

Sun is the light of the world;
I bow to the divine decree.
Old Icelandic
 Sól er skýja skjöldr
ok skínandi röðull
ok ísa aldrtregi.
rota siklingr.

Sun is the shield of the clouds
and shining ray
and destroyer of ice.
Anglo-Saxon
 Sigel semannum symble biþ on hihte,
ðonne hi hine feriaþ ofer fisces beþ,
oþ hi brimhengest bringeþ to lande.

The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers
when they journey away over the fishes' bath,
until the courser of the deep bears them to land.

Runic Number: 16

Meaning: Wholeness. Energy. Light. Disclosure. Discovery. Victory.

Translation: The Sun

Gemstone: Ruby

Color: White

Polarity: Male

Element: Air

Gods: Baldur

Astrology correspondence: The Sun

Tree: Juniper

Plant: Mistletoe

Psi: central nervous system, seat of the soul, revelation, wholeness

Energy: sun-wheel, strengthening the hvel/charka, cosmic energies, motivation, life-giving force, action

Mundane: sunlight, fire, meeting of goals, confidence, taking action

Divinations: Guidance, hope, success, goals, honor, life purpose, faith in outcomes; or false goals, bad advice, false success, gullibility, loss of goals.

Governs:

Transmutation of thought into energy for action
Activating highest values
Strengthening of psychic centers (hvel aka Chakras)
Increase in spiritual will and optimal health
Guidance through the pathways, “enlightenment”
Victory and success through individual will

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.

Sowilo contains the ancient code of honour. These are the common sense guidelines and morality that hold a society together beyond the letter of the law and holds the individual to ‘do the right thing’. Sowilo is also the rune of success and victory, and is therefor associated with the next rune in the order, Tiwaz. It gives us the 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 Programming has a lot to offer in terms of insight and mastery of this rune, as does the psychological study of success.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Tiwaz


“What is higher than the self is the Self become Higher.”

Tiwaz – “Tea-waz” – Literally: “The god, Tyr” – Esoteric: Justice, Sacrifice

Rune of the balance and justice ruled from a higher rationality. The rune of sacrifice of the individual (self) for well-being of the whole (society).

Tiwaz is mentioned in all three rune poems. In the Icelandic and Norwegian poems, the rune is associated with the god Týr.
stanzatranslationcomments
Old Norwegian
 Týr er æinendr ása;
opt værðr smiðr blása.

Tyr is a one-handed god;
often has the smith to blow.
smiðr blása -> To blow on the coal making them hot for metal working
Old Icelandic
 Týr er einhendr áss
ok ulfs leifar
ok hofa hilmir
Mars tiggi.

Tyr = god with one hand
and leavings of the wolf
and prince of temples.
"Mars tiggi" is a "more or less accurate [Latin gloss]".
Old English
 Tir biþ tacna sum, healdeð trywa wel
wiþ æþelingas; a biþ on færylde
ofer nihta genipu, næfre swiceþ.

(?) is a (guiding) star; well does it keep faith
with princes; it is ever on its course
over the mists of night and never fails.
"Fame, honour" is a gloss written alongside the rune. Several interpretations have been offered, typically involving association with the north star, as the words tacna and færyld have astronomical connotations (used for "sign of the zodiac" and "path of a planet", respectively).
Runic Number: 17

Meaning: Tiw, the protector of warriors and mariners, the god of battles and legislation. Courage and compassion.

Translation: The god Tiw.

Gemstone: Coral

Color: Bright Red

Polarity: Male

Element: Air

Gods: Tiw

Astrology correspondence: Libra

Tree: Oak

Plant: Aconite

Psi: spiritual warrior, honour, righteousness

Energy: sovereign order, sacrifice, right decision making

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 environment. Like the North star, you must remain true and calm, assert your case with confidence and let the energies of your orlog assisted by the force of Tiwaz bring about a right solution.

Should you need reassurances that there is value in building up positive patterns in advance of emergency, this is the time you will see its greatest manifestation. You have earned the right to a fair and just decision. Tiwaz will be used to bring fair distribution of the earned energies from your ancestral stream.

Tiwaz can be used to bring about a missionary zeal for a 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 symbolized by the rune must. Call upon Tiwaz for justice.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Kenaz


Rune of the Day: Kenaz


“The student surpasses the teacher.”

Kenaz – Literally: “Torch” – Esoteric ‘Ken’ or Knowledge

The k-rune  (Younger Futhark , Anglo-Saxon futhorc ) is called Kaun in both the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, meaning "ulcer". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Kaunan. It is also known as Kenaz ("torch"), based on its Anglo-Saxon name.
The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based on Old Italic c (C, 𐌂) and on Latin C. The Younger Futhark and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc shapes have parallels in Old Italic shapes of k (K, 𐌊) and Latin K (compare the Negau helmetinscription). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌺 k, called kusma.
The shape of the Younger Futhark kaun rune () is identical to that of the "bookhand" s rune in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. The  rune also occurs in some continental runic inscriptions. It has been suggested that in these instances, it represents the ch /χ/ sound resulting from the Old High German sound shift (e.g. ᛖᛚᚴ elch in Nordendorf II).
Rune Poem:[2]English Translation:
Old Norwegian
 Kaun er barna bǫlvan;
bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan.

Ulcer is fatal to children;
death makes a corpse pale.
Old Icelandic
 Kaun er barna böl
ok bardaga [för]
ok holdfúa hús.
flagella konungr.

Disease fatal to children
and painful spot
and abode of mortification.
Anglo-Saxon
 Cen byþ cwicera gehwam, cuþ on fyre
blac ond beorhtlic, byrneþ oftust
ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ.

The torch is known to every living man
by its pale, bright flame; it always burns
where princes sit within.
Notes:
  • The Icelandic poem is glossed with Latin flagella "whip".
  • The Anglo-Saxon poem gives the name cen "torch".

Key Concepts: torch as a symbol of knowledge and intellect, illumination, searching for enlightenment, shedding light on matters, quest for truth, skills and abilities, creativity, art, craftsmanship, cunning, acquisition and application of knowledge, occult female secrets, intuition, enthusiasm in teaching/learning, study, kin-fire, opportunity, playfulness

Runic Number: 6

Meaning: Light, Enlightenment, Heat. Possible variation: Burning, Injury, Mental anguish.

Translation: A torch or firebrand. In some translations, Kauno also means a wound, ulcer or opening.

Gemstone: Bloodstone

Color: Light Red

Polarity: Female

Element: Fire

Gods: Heimdal, Frey, Freuya

Astrology correspondence: Venus

Tree: Pine

Plant: Cowslip

Psi: observation, clarity of thought, cognitive faculties, humility

Energy: Controlled energy, transformation (pheonix fire), teaching/learning dynamic, illumination

Mundane: art, technique, improvement of skills, school, the stars

Divinations: Artistic or technical ability, craft, transformation, offspring, new information; or disease, decay, breakup, inability, lack of creativity, ignorance, 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

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 represented within ANSUZ that are rightfully ours to use in the present lifetime.

The scientific method and art as an exploration of truth exemplifies Kenaz, as do all fearless forays into the darkness of the unknown (represented by PERTHRO) in search of illumination. Also consider that there is inborn and hereditary knowledge, and that one of the cognitive faculties governed by Kenaz is intuition.

Kenaz is like a torchlit library, and the energy is clearly filled with unlimited potential to learn and to map. Sometimes a good deal of digging around is necessary to 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 truth, but the search for truth.

In matters of learning, which can be complemented by the protective teaching force of ALGIZ,  it is wise to remember that humility is the prime requirement of a good student, and that no one learns more than the teacher. Therefore arrogance, elitism and authoritarianism signify a disconnect with the principles of Kenaz. Information wants to be free!