Ingwaz

The ŋ rune Runic letter ingwaz.svg (with variants Runic letter ingwaz variant.svg and Runic letter ingwaz variant.png) together with Peorð and Eihwaz is among the problematic cases of runes of uncertain derivation unattested in early inscriptions. The rune first appears independently on the futhark row of the Kylver Stone, and is altogether unattested as an independent rune outside of such rows. There are a number of attestations of the i͡ŋ bind rune Ing bindrune.png or Ing bindrune variant.png (the "lantern rune", similar in shape to the Anglo-Saxon gēr rune ᛄ), but its identification is disputed in most cases, since the same sign may also be a cipher rune of wynn or thurisaz. The earliest case of such an i͡ŋ bindrune of reasonably certain reading is the inscription mari͡ŋs (perhaps referring to the "Mærings" or Ostrogoths) on the silver buckle of Szabadbattyán, dated to the first half 5th century and conserved at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest.

The Old English rune poem contains these obscure lines:

ᛝ Ing wæs ærest mid Eástdenum

gesewen secgum, oð he síððan eást

ofer wæg gewát. wæn æfter ran.

þus Heardingas þone hæle nemdon.

"ᛝ Ing was first amidst the East Danes

so seen, until he went eastward

over the sea. His wagon ran after.

Thus the Heardings named that hero."

“Only when we know our solitude to be different from our loneliness
can we be whole enough to honor another’s place.”

Inguz – “Ing-guz” – Literally: “Seed” or “The god, Ing” – Esoteric: Process, space

Rune of isolation or separation in order to create a space or place where the process of transformation into higher states of being can occur. Rune of gestation and internal growth.

Runic Number: 22
Meaning: Love. Peace. Harmony. Approval. Unity. Agreement.
Translation: Angel. The god Ing.
Gemstone: Amber
Color: Yellow
Polarity: Male
Element: Earth and Water
Gods: Ing, Frey
Astrology correspondence: Cancer, the New Moon
Tree: Apple
Plant: Selfheal

Psi: internal growth, personal development, the power of suggestion, the inner-child, wholeness

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

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 grow. This is one of the cornerstone concepts in what is known as the ‘male mysteries’. To die for something, such as a cause or an ideal such as freedom, a universal theme in warrior traditions, is thus connected to the energies of Inguz.

There is great wisdom in creating an analogy between this fundamental act of nature and the mystical act of generation. The failure of a magical operation is often caused by the lack of the operator ‘letting go’ of some 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 call for death of the old in order to bring about transformation into new energies and new forms. This sounds simple to do on an intellectual level, but in practice it is requires masterful artistry.

Inguz signals the integration of the four selves: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. It is the drive toward 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 activation of one’s inner-child.