Photo by Marsý

The Passing of Breath

It may be very useful to examine Ansuz as meaning “the passing of breath.” This short conceptual epigram links its communication aspects to its ancestral overtone, as well as to the idea that Odin gave us the original breath or “inspiration” to live as humans. “Inspiration” is etymologically linked to the breath, and further back to the word enthusiasm by the Ancient Greeks, who would use the word to signify “god-breathed”. It is entirely possible that this is a cross-cultural idea.

In terms of the ancestral lines, not only blood and genes are passed, but something less tangible — a breath passed from parent to child since the beginning.

The Passing of Breath also links this rune to communication: language, linguisitcs and the ordering effect that symbols have on human consciousness. The transmuting effects of symbols on the mind in undeniable — and herein lay a great magic to uncover.

Underlying all this is our basic need to “pass our breath”, that is: share meaning, communicate, persuade and order the universe symbolically. It is not only the gene that needs to survive, but the meme: the memory. The Name.

Giants Versus the Aesir

The gods of the Aesir represent order and consciousness (contrasted to the prior rune, Thurisaz, which represents unconscious and proto-conscious forces, the “giants”) so Ansuz’ chief magic is that of ordering and transmuting the unconscious into the conscious through symbols. This war between the giants and the gods, is actually a very perceptive metaphor for the pre-conscious, unawakened forces that struggle against the awakening consciousness in the universe. We can see this war play itself out everywhere, within us and without.

Ansuz represents the civilizing, ordering tendency that language, oral or written, brings to the otherwise wild and chaotic semi-conscious or totally unconscious intelligence that existed prior. Properly used, its power is meant to awaken, not impede, human potential toward godhood, that is, the expansion of the Aesir’s aims in the universe.

More of this war, which culminates in the ancient idea of Ragnarok will be understood by looking into the rune prior to this in the Aett, Thurisaz. I will also include much more about this idea in my upcoming book.

The Magic of Naming

Central to this rune is the magic of “Naming” which is so fundamental to our minds that it should be explored, in depth, by any serious seeker of human mysteries.

Naming includes the use of symbols, definitions, classifications, labels and all attempts at signifying something through words. It extends into the domain of sharing such symbols in a community (communication) and attempts at transforming the understanding of Others through persuasion. That we all do this, constantly, is what makes us human. The drive to make the process powerfully conscious is the quest of the magician, and done consciously, Naming has a supreme affect on the hearts and minds of those exposed to it.

Poetry and Word-Consciousness

It is no accident that our dreams use images in a highly subjective and poetic form, where certain images that may otherwise seem concrete tend to represent entirely different ideas. Cultivating an ability to decipher the symbols your unconscious uses to communicate with you through dreams and visions will also strengthen your ability to listen more deeply to the unconscious symbols others use while speaking. Indeed, this near-psychic ability has marveled people since the dawn of human history. A careful attention to people’s choice of words, whether intuitive or practiced, has likely long come across as mind-reading, prophecy, and clairvoyance.

Listening as a word-conscious being is a large part of mastering the magic of Naming. As Odin’s particular magic often revolves around his poetry (we could also call it spellsong), it is important to emphasize the study of poetry — the ability of those who understand poetry to use it as a kind of “divine cypher” cannot be underestimated. It is essential to probing the unconscious symbol-matrix of the Self and its Society and Culture.

This representative nature is key to understanding communications from other life forms (plants, animals) and higher beings who may not have an immediately understandable form, and must communicate with you indirectly. Much of the universe is like this. Therefor, human language must transcend itself if it hopes to communicate with the non-human intelligences in the surrounding world. Such communications sometimes come with a sort of divine protection, a gift of insight directly from the gods, or perhaps the god-within. Pursue Algiz to explore such possibilities further.

Persuasion

Our Western society is persuasion-obsessed. Though persuasion has always played a part in human interactions, our particular epoch is riddled with the pseudo-science of changing people’s beliefs on a mass scale through the use of words. There are volumes now written on the subject, and we may explore the idea very deeply.

The verbal art of persuasion falls squarely into the realm of Ansuz magic. Though so often twisted to the task of marketing, public relations, propaganda, persuasion itself is not a negative thing. Manipulative uses of Ansuz, however, can soon lead us into a blacker realm of magic and psychology. Remember: it is rare the individual who can deceive others without sooner or later deceiving him or her self. It is indeed the Truth that shall set us free.

Contemporary Exploration

All the modern language sciences would be useful to exploring this rune at extremely great depths. Linguistics is the study of the encoding of all languages. Etymology is the study of the ancestry of words and how language evolves over time. Memetics — ‘meme’ being a buzz word of the past decade — is the study of how symbols and ideas spread through complex human communities, horizontally through space and vertically through time. Finally, Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, divided into three branches: Sematics, which is the relation between a sign and the things to which they refer; Syntactics, which is the relation among signs in formal structures (such as sentences) and Pragmatics, which is the relation between signs and their effects on those people who use them.

In an age of massive changes to communications, the way information is transmitted and the psychology of persuasion, Ansuz becomes a very important rune in understanding and reflecting upon these changes — as well as what has NOT changed. We have unparalleled access to the related sciences involved.

Murkstave: Ansuz Reversed

There are a host of limits and reversed energies — pitfalls to watch for when using Ansuz. What follows are two major ones.

Dishonesty

Ansuz energies are very often twisted past the point of mere persuasion into the domain of bullshit and point-blank lying. We all, invariably, invent stories and lie to ourselves to one degree or another — we must be sure to study the virtue of honesty to self and others — dishonesty is very harmful to the spirit. Breaking one’s word was considered dishonorable, to the ancients.

Repeat a lie enough, and you will come to believe it. It is a weak magic that relies on illusion. Ansuz is most powerful when aligned as close as possible to reality. But therein lay another treacherous flaw inherent in over-dependence on this rune.

Over-Conceptualization and Duality

The word “tree” can be defined in many ways: as a plant with a hard bark, a source of wood, as growing leaves and forming a canopy, either deciduous or coniferous. But neither the word tree or its definition, or its visual image in our minds — however vivid — is an actual tree.

Here we approach the limit of Ansuz, and there is a very strong, unconscious tendency in Western society to believe too heavily in the name, too heavily in the idea, or theory, while neglecting the infinitely more complex, subtle and interconnected nature of the universe.

Naming and describing does not necessitate understanding. Yet, our minds have the unconscious habit of believing that if we can name, describe, theorize, explain, then we have true understanding. We mistake this layer of symbols, this ‘psychotopography’, as the real world all too easily. We often confuse the map for the actual territory.

Labels are always reductive. Classification always fragments and divides a universe which is not, in and of itself, divided. This can trap us in a mode of thinking that is out of alignment with the truth. Beware this veil of words: it may fool us into believing that just because we have a word for something, we know what it is, and needn’t investigate further. Words can expand understanding, there’s no arguing this. But it is wise to see that they can form walls as well.

And what about a thing that is real, but no word in our language exists for it? Or no word in any language? Can we think about such things, and experience them, regardless?

Conclusion

A word itself makes nothing more or less real, except in our minds, though this is not to understate the power and potential of our minds! Symbols shape and order consciousness. They can increase consciousness, but they can also lower it. Words affect people, and people affect the world. Words may inspire us to action, or mold the beliefs which guide our lives and shape the attitudes in our society. Remember though, that that ‘action’ is beyond the energy of Ansuz. Ansuz only inspires it.

You may talk the talk — but that is often a far cry from walking the walk — which may actually be why the rune Raidho (Ride, or Journey) follows Ansuz.

You can visit Claire and see some of her other poetry on her Spider Tribe wordpress.com website.

Wealth is a comfort to all men
But greater is the good of riches shared,
The barrow’s treasure is a dragon’s den
Of teetering gems ~ hoarder, be prepared
For the wolves that track the scent of gold,
Give to the living, for death lies cold.

The up~horned aurochs is fierce and proud,
Great girded warrior of the moor
With eyes of fire and spirit loud,
Savage and feared as a god of war
But the man who is brave, or the man who is wise
Might show the mettle for the beast’s demise.

The thorn is sharp to human flesh,
Push against it ~it will win the duel,
One thorn can hide a wicked mesh
Of thorns, demon company is cruel.
Best be vigilant or be easily caught
On the barbs of evil deed or thought.

The mouth gives shape and sound to words,
Is the comfort of councilors and Wisdom’s pillar,
On the palate of the ageless sky, the birds
Are blessed and confident; Woden is Healer,
Prophet and Sage and as Shaman he gave
More than his eye to cut the whisper on the stave.

The saddle is soft and the way is clear
In the journey of a hearth~dream, but the dreaming fire
Is no preparation for the hardships that will appear
On the mile~paths cruel with rock and mire.
The wise traveler and his horse are bold
When the ashes of dreams have long lain cold.

Torch is known to the living by its light
And heat of flame when the nobles are within,
When men of common purpose talk into the night,
When they are gathered together, kith and kin.
Its beacon is sure and true and courage
Is like oxygen, empowering its quiet rage.

Generosity is for men glory and exaltation,
A word of kindness can mean more than gold,
However small the gift, express appreciation ~
The grudging man pines, but he who is kind and bold
Seldom has cares, even the man who is broken
Can give or receive the simplest token.

Joyful is he who knows no sorrow,
Has little want and bears no pain,
Who thanks the day and does not fear tomorrow.
Sadness will come, but do not seek to attain
Its touch of grey ~ Wyrd has enough bliss
And woe for all ~ bittersweet, the parting kiss.

Hail is the whitest of grains, fleet
As the messenger with urgent news, cold mortar
Through the vaults of heaven, a sleet
Of arrows that sweetly melts to water
Having felled the golden legions of the field.
And so, in times of plenty, make good your yield.

Need is an aching in the breast, but then
Just as the medicine with the bitter taste
Can soothe, need is comfort to the sons of men.
Hardship, like guilt, is better faced ~
Be strong and certain of brighter days
And the gods will hold you in their gaze.

Ice is over~cold, a skater’s dream,
A walker’s nightmare, a floor of frost
Cold glass and gems, the faraway gleam
Of all we desire that is easily lost.
Crystals and opals and diamonds all,
Cruel and worthless when we fall.

Year is the hope and joy of men, She
Who is Earth and of the earth, who bears
The fruits of earth and flesh for all humanity,
Rich and poor alike, is all beauty when she wears
The green and blossoms as her gown, the sky
In her hair ~ and so shall be when we all die.

Yew is outwardly an unsmooth tree
Hard and fast in the earth, the shepherd
Of fire, roots earth~locked, tangled as mystery.
Its branches sky~reaching are, as the web of Wyrd,
Questing for the seven worlds, seen and unseen ~
Irminsul, a joy on the land and evergreen.

Hearth is to the proud the place of laughter,
Song and recreation, where the warriors in the mead hall
Sit now blithe and companionable after
The giants of flesh and mind and heart, all
Have been slain for the day; when battles are chessmen
And challenges are riddles, all is pleasure then.

Elksedge, waxing in the water of the marsh,
Has a hilt to suit the warrior’s grasp
But it meets the flesh with substance harsh ~
Hilt becomes blade, a living rasp
That sears the flesh and burns the blood.
Be strong, to clutch at straws will yield no good.

Sun, bright sail of the tranquil sky,
Is ever a joy to the farers of the sea,
When dreams are fish shoals and hopes fly high
With the sea birds and confidence and opportunity
Rise with the halyards, until the steed of brine and foam,
Courser of the deep, brings them gladly home.

Tiw is a guiding star, the warrior’s friend,
Ever moving over night’s mist and darkness.
First of the gods, ever burning to defend
The fields of men and the shining fortress,
Stronghold of the gods that we call heaven,
Keeping faith with princes and trust with all men.

Birch bears no fruit, yet brings forth shoots
Until its crown is splendid, laden with leaves,
Heavy in the air ~ and so it is that its fruits
Are those of healing and enchantment, such spells it weaves
Out of green and time as the creative fire communes
With the mind of man, is the flesh of wands and runes.

Horse, proud in its hooves, at the helm
Of warriors is a joy to princes and royal
In its mane, be it on the mile~paths of its realm
Granting a hero speed, or standing loyal
Where the rich men barter words and impress
With deeds. And is ever a comfort to the restless.

The man of laughter is dear to his friends,
Yet every kinsman will betray his fellow:
The time must come to all when laughter ends
And Sculd, by Her decree, lays flesh below
The living green and the solemn oaths of man
Are brought to nothing. Enjoy the laughter, while you can.

Water to men seems endless, when the rocking bark
Is fragile on the quake of sea, when the horse
Of the deep, thundering vast and dark
Defies the bridle. But still they plot a course
For new horizons, the reward of distant lands,
Seizing opportunity with trembling hands.

Ing was first among the East Danes
Seen by men, until he departed over the deep,
His wagon behind him and they with war in their veins
Named the hero. Rouse him from his winter sleep
When you burn the holly ~ he survives the snow
As the seed of life, with his corn~sheaf pillow.

Homeland, dear to man, won by the blood
And courage of the men of old, is the hearthlight
Of all that is safe and right and good,
The legacy for which we fought and still must fight.
It swells the blood with pride and sings
In the hearts of common men and kings.

Day, beloved of men, is the herald
Of Woden and the glorious skein of thread
Spun by Metod. Such comfort in that gold ~
Lightening the mind, the heart, the tread
Of rich and poor alike, of service to all
Is reason and understanding, fair and rational.

Oak is food for flesh, joy to the lips
Of man in the meat that grew sweet and succulent
Feasting on acorns. And oak is the faith of ships,
The trusted timber, stable on the torrent
Of the gannet’s bath and so we must ensure
That the acorns of our lifetime, as oaks endure.

Ash, much prized by man, is high
Steadfast and firm, swift when it grows,
Stout when it stands, straight when it streaks the sky
As a singing spear or a sleet of arrows.
Ash is ambush, attack, the power to advance
And yet is stockade, defence and vigilance.

The ax~hammer is a joy and an honour
To prince and warrior alike. It is bold
On the journey, intrinsic to the brave armour
Of war and fair on the horse, a sight to behold
As it hangs from the saddle, hellbent on battlefields,
The clang of war~gear and the walls of shields.

Ior is a river~fish and yet it feeds
Always on the land and lives a life
Of quiet joy, working hard to meet its own needs,
Building a home that is free from strife,
Encompassed by water. His is time well spent,
Is peace of mind and home~and~dry contentment.

Grave is the terror of all, even from birth
When life first warms the flesh, it is the only certainty
That flesh will cool and choose the pale earth
As its last companion. But thus shall we find equality
In that end ~ and a spur~ for the dead are dumb to speak
When the rich lie poor and the strong lie weak.

Photo by photographer padawan

The assortment of solitary practitioners, diviners, new agers, pagans, heathens, Asatru, chaos magicians, scholars, runemasters of various degrees (etc, etc, etc, ad infinitum)… well, they’re not the most ‘centralized’ bunch. I’ve seen forum after forum and blog after blog centered around the runes fail and fall into neglect and decay. Well, I believe I may have solved the problem; but I’ll need your help. I’ll explain more as we go along.

Whether you consider yourself a total novice or a complete Rune-Master the like of which Thorsson and Ragnar can only dream of someday becoming, you are openly invited to contribute to this social experiment.

Twitter!?

The media all over is abuzz about Twitter, and until recently I couldn’t think of any use for it at all. But because I was procrastinating on research of a contemporary Ansuz analysis, I recently decided to ignore my general mistrust of internet hype and give it a closer look. I knew that Kaedrich Olson (“Runes for Transformation“) was using it in combination with Facebook, and both of our Facebook experiments were turning out to be a success, so… perhaps there was something here?

My main question was: “How can Twitter benefit people trying to learn and apply the runes?”

The Difference: Twitter vs. Forums, Blogs and Facebook.

Why have our rune-centric communities failed time and time again? I believe the answer to that is that there are a great deal of solitary practitioners, and there are a fair helping of groups, whose views and sources all differ, and whose geography is prohibitive to true connection. We are so scattered across the board that a mere forum or Facebook group is too small and isolated a thing to take off. Blogs too suffer from lack of audience, comments that don’t get approved and a universal struggle with writers and writer’s block.

Twitter is simple. Twitter can be completely anonymous. It’s about the conversation, not one voice, one site or one person. It allows us to remain autonomous and separate (the way we often like it), have our own say, but listen to the voices of potentially hundreds. It allows us, at a glance, to grab onto new insights from across the world that may help us right now with something that’s been on our mind.

Twitter doesn’t suffer from the limitations of Forums, Facebook, Myspace, any given blog. It strips all of that away to the very core of what’s important: a concise thought, shared with others who have the same interest. And if that thought’s time has come… watch it spread.

So what is Twitter, anyway?

Twitter is very basic: it’s a conversation. It is like a status update, without the Facebook. You have people whose updates you follow, and people who follow your updates. There are various programs, plugins and addons that are built on top of this open technology. The one I use is called TweetDeck, but you can use Twitter through it’s website as well.

You can target certain updates at people using the ‘@’ symbol, for example: @runesecrets Keep up the good work!

You can target certain topics, such as #runes (or #runesecrets or #cats.. anything really) and when people search up those tags, they’ll get a list of who contributed to the conversation.

You’ll find a plugin I’ve included at the footer of the blog that shows the Rune Secrets twitter stream, which I will update much more regularly than the blog. Hopefully we can turn it into a massive conversation.

A conversation about what, exactly?

That’s up to us. There is a limit on the length of a single status update of 140 characters. This forces us to be concise, and express one clear thought about one thing. This is ideal when we have a brief revelation about a rune that we want to share. For instance:

Ansuz Reversed: The limits of language. Parts of human experience that can never be put into words. Some things are forever unspoken. #runes     (about 13 hours ago via TweetDeck)

Or:

Re: ISA – The stasis or slowing of molecules that results in gas > liquid > solid. Water > ice. Energy > matter. Mind > ego/self. #runes      (about 24 hours ago via TweetDeck)

Have something to say about that? Include the tag ‘#runes’ in your message and it will be listed along with all of our thoughts.

Want to link to something? Use bit.ly or another URL shortener to save space on your 140 character message. This is useful when you have a blog post to announce, or want to share a resource. For example, http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/othala-rune-meaning-analysis is rather long. But if you shorten it at bit.ly, you get http://bit.ly/947I2Q.

You can also re-tweet other people’s messages to share with your own group of followers. For instance, I may post that Rune Secrets has a new article up. I’ll soon include a retweet button (or you can do it on the Twitter site or TweetDeck) that will re-post the message to your stream.

Sign up at Twitter.com and then download something like TweetDeck. In TweetDeck, you can even add and remove columns. To focus the experience, remove the ‘suggested’ column and add a #runes column (using the (+) symbol in the top left of the app).

You won’t need much proof as to the power of this social experiment. Just give it a try!

Conclusion:

The simplicity and concision of this tool is powerful, especially when dealing with the contemplative and meditative aspects of the runes . A restrictive 140 character limit on each message forces you to express your thought with clarity and understanding, which means it will not only communicate well to others, but will be clear and focused in your own mind.

It is a blessing to writers too, because the topics and thoughts, limited on twitter, become that much more imbued with the necessity of exploration. The more of us who get going on #runes and #runesecrets, the more we bring the runes, real-time, into our life.

Sharing resources is also a huge part of this. Have you posted something up in an obscure unvisited forum? On your personal blog? Found some images? Simply add the link to #runes and suddenly anyone following that tag will be able to find it. This has the potential to link our individual efforts up a lot better, without having to centralize.

Go ahead, try it! Join the social experiment. I’m looking forward to more ways of interacting with a rune-centric community across the globe.

Hope to see you there,
Sincerely,

Tyriel

Sign up now and join the #runes conversation.

Download TweetDeck free, to powerfully manage the Twitter medium.

You can now find the most recent comments at the very bottom of each page, and you can now follow Rune Secrets on Twitter, and share articles on any of the hundreds of social networking sites using ‘Add This’ at the bottom of each article. Easy printing and emailing features still exist for your convenience!

Enjoy, and thanks for supporting this project with your readership!

Photo by Tracy Misso

Othala traces back to certain words in Anglo-Saxon and Norse whose oldest meaning is ‘noble‘ or nobility, and are associatively linked to property, estate, homeland and nation-building. Othala’s core power is the wise management of resources both physical and psychic. Not the ruthless efficiency that leads to totalitarian states or monopolies, but a more harmonious give and take that leads to peace and freedom amongst the people, a state of balance between order and chaos.

We have legends in every culture about this perfect, harmonious city or place. Asgard, Atlantis, Avalon. Shangri-la, Shambala and Eden. We use the word Utopia, which was an imaginary place that Thomas Moore described in his book of the same name. All of these represent the inate human understanding that we, as a species, have the potential to create a harmonious and peaceful society.

Ancestral Spiritual Inheritance

It has been said that Othala contains the potential power of all the other runes. The main energy involved in this is the ancestral spiritual power, which connects us to our genetic wisdom, the unconscious and sometimes awakened unity that links us back to the first humans who began to think and seek something ‘greater’ than a simple ‘animal’ existence. This is one way in which Othala unites all of mankind, throughout time.

However, some groups hearken to a past they have no record of and cannot understand. It is common for us to romanticize the past. But, the ancients are quite clear with us that the world has sometimes been a very harsh place. Such romanticizing will not do. Although we may draw on the past, it is perhaps better to tend to our own lot in the present, honestly and with keen observation and judgement. We shall see that Othala is actually a forward-looking rune, a rune of continuation of the ancestral toward a collective destiny, not merely a reliving of the past.

The proper use for a group or community is to observe how it lives and breathes, the methods by which it functions, the social-psychology of its members, so one may gain a great understanding of families, groups and community’s in general, and to celebrate the kinship of awakening with others. A group that promote a culture of openness, fairness, honesty and freedom is a healthy group. A group (or cult, or nation) that focuses on conformity, making enemies with other groups, rigidness of thinking and mindless devotion is, in reality, quite insane.

Sacred Enclosure and Homeland

Othala is the root of why we honor the blood that was shed to take and defend a territory. That symbolic act of the warrior is representative of a deeper act, which the Greeks expounded upon in their philosophy, which is found amongst the druids and throughout mysticism the world over, which is: the expansion of the light of individual and collective human consciousness against the forces of ignorance and darkness of the old ‘chaotic’ world.

This expansion is illustrated quite profoundly in the constant battle of Asgard (consciousness) against the Giants (unconsciousness).

Seen as a sacred enclosure, Othala scales from merely a personal space and living conditions, to a home or a community such as a town or city. It scales to the level of a state or nation, and indeed, Othala rises even to the height of an entire civilization.

At it’s apex, Othala represents an allegience to all life on the planet, a global unity amongst humankind, and the potential ‘utopia’ that humankind is destined to eventually build together. Though the Nazis chose to try and do this through war, studied more deeply, Othala’s vision of a united world is inevitable because of the power of ordinary, every day, peaceful people interacting together in a mundane way, profoundly spiritual in its simplicity.

Nobility

Rather than representing genetic inheritance and blood (which it of course does but only on a lower level of meaning) Othala is actually the movement of society to transcend these ideas, and embrace all humanity as kindred, all the world as a single global nation. It is the rune of a sustainable planetary civilization, a utopia, or paradise. The ‘noble’ is in fact anyone who takes up the role of a person moving his portion of the homeland/personal-communal sphere toward heaven-on-earth.

This idea of nobility is especially poignant, because it was not always the case that nobility was bestowed due to blood. It could be merit, or a spiritual inheritance of some sort. In many ways of thinking, to be noble is to act noble. If you behave as a noble, as a king or queen, the power of your hamingja will organize the world around you, slowly and surely, to reflect this inner. The outer is merely a reflection of the inner. Therefor it is essential to understand nobility as something gained through one’s own actions and behaviors, not bestowed by birth, blood, title, or any other external circumstance. Therefor, the understanding of and responsibility for one’s inner-world is absolutely paramount, for its very essence will structure the minute details of the world around you.

Relationship to Time

As may be obvious by now, Othala is a rune concerned with time, and a past-and-future based sense. Jera, as the 12th rune, half of Othala’s position, concentrates on the cyclical nature of time, whereas Othala seems to indicate the arrow of time, as seen by the human mind. Therefor it connects the past to the future, and our ancestors to our eventual progeny.

Therefor, where Jera represents nature’s own ecology, Othala represents our relationship as a species to the land, to this planet, in the form of responsibility, stewardship and the potent and real consequences of human actions on a mass scale.

The Power of the Domestic

All this above may sound grandiose, but Othala is powerfully rooted in the mundane world. I will often define Othala in terms of the personal estate, that is the family, community and business affairs. It extends outward to include the political sphere, and then the human condition. But first comes the home. There are many factors in a happy home, but the nation should be measured by the extent to which these happy homes exist, and can remain peaceful and free from oppression. That means access to adequate shelter, food and water, education, love and respect between its members, interesting work for the community and so on. The home is often the outpost from which a good life is lived — “home is where the heart is”.

One of Othala’s prime teachings may be that “One who is unable to be trusted with the little things, cannot be trusted with the big things.”  Think that over carefully before assuming authority of any sort.

Othala Reversed

The perversion of Othala is the road toward totalitarianism, the inappropriate use or waste of resources, the disruption of the peace and security of home, and the denial of freedoms, sometimes in the form of various slavery. Nationalism, contrary to what may be believed about this rune, is a negative, energy-draining phenomenon, which creates inevitable conflict and war. Nazi Germany may have been a particularly extreme version of a nation, but the underlying trend is inherent within all nation-states.

The negative consequences of a system of ownership also fall under the murkstave of this rune. Ownership requires the co-operation and agreement of the community. When ‘ownership’ becomes imbalanced, more laws, more force, and more violence are required to uphold entitlement. Citizens and members of the community must be increasingly spied upon and mistrusted when only a few control the wealth and power of the so-called ‘nation’.

There can be only one destiny for a family, community or nation that does not live in balance, uphold the common justice of the people, and strive for the freedom and prosperity of its every member, and it is grim indeed.

Further Reading:

Othala – Rune Meaning

Follow-Up

What is the state of your home? Your community? Your nation? Now is a good time to reflect on the aspects of your life that create the place you live from day-to-day, and what you have the power to do to change it if it needs to be changed.

Your comments are most welcome!

-Tyriel

Thanks to Tyriel and the thought-provoking comments people contribute to Rune Secrets I have recently spent time pondering Fehu. The following are just some thoughts going through my mind – they are offered to you for consideration, which some of you will hopefully share back again, so we can all learn more together. Some of my thoughts likely reflect things I said in my previous Fehu article or in comments I have posted, but Tyriel encouraged me to write up these latest reflections as an article. Hopefully they are not too rambling!

Photo by Andy Allen

Fehu and Uruz – the Primal Cow and Ox
First of all, some of the commentary on Fehu has raised questions about whether the energy is male or female. I think that, just as each rune contains positive and negative polarities, so both male and female energy is present in each. Runic teachings actually seem to really underline the necessity of combining those energies in order to achieve the spiritual wholeness for which we strive. The deities most associated with Fehu are the male and female twins Freya and Freyja.

That said, some runes are more strongly associated with a male, or a female, core energy. In the case of Fehu, there is no real debate among Runesters that Fehu represents the female, Mother Goddess energy – the creative fire that melted the primordial ice and gave birth to all – both the Giants and the Aesir (Gods). Fehu is fiery energy associated with Adhumla the primal cow and linked to the Muspellheimr the fire world… I note the links we had to great page on Yggdrasil and the nine worlds are broken. I couldn’t find anything I liked as well, but at this link is a diagram and an interesting discussion associating the worlds to  Chakra’s: http://home.comcast.net/~chakra_system/other4.html

Uruz, the following rune, is associated with Nifelheim – the world of frost and represented by an Auroch – a wild bull Ox. Uruz is primal earth (originally frozen) energy. For life to occur this ice must interact with the creative fire, which melts the ice releasing raw, primitive, indestructible energy (‘brute strength).  It is the primordial will to survive.

When disciplined by the creative will and energy (Hamingja), Uruz is a force of health, healing and growth, which in turn feeds the Fehu fire and creativity. Undisciplined the force can be destructive.

These two runes are inseparably interactive and dynamic– both are necessary to create and maintain life.

Fehu and Abundant Wealth
To the best of our current knowledge, the wealth associated with Fehu is of the movable kind and represented by cattle that could be exchanged for other material needs – used to pay a ‘fee’. It is pecuniary (from pecos, Latin for cow) wealth that the individual or community earns. Tied to cattle, and other exchangeable commodities, we should expect it to ebb and flow, but also that if we work as we should that we will receive at minimum what we need to survive.

Our current global economic construction is so far removed from the ancient notion of simple exchange that understanding the concepts of abundance and wealth imbedded in Fehu are, I think particularly challenging. ‘Wealth’ to the ancients quite likely meant having all basic necessities met.

One very important question is, “what do we do with an abundance of wealth?” To me, the Rune poems and Hávamál seem clear – if there is abundance it should not be stockpiled. When some have more than others trouble will quickly follow if it is not shared freely. This is a cycle of reciprocity (Gebo), for wealth is fleeting and one who has much today may have nothing tomorrow:

Wealth is a comfort to all men,
Yet everyone must give it away freely,
If he wants to gain glory in the Lord’s sight
[Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: Translation R.I Page; Aswyn suggests the Northern Lord of Judgement is Tyr]

Full-stocked folds had Fitjung’s sons,
Who now bear a beggar’s staff;
Wealth is brief as the wink of an eye,
Of friends it is most false.
The unwise man, if he should get
Wealth or woman’s love,
His arrogance grows but not his sense –
On he goes deep in delusion
[ Hávamál: 78-79; Translation Diana Paxon in Taking up the Runes]

It must be remembered, that in ancient mobile societies, an abundance could not be easily transported – wealth was what could be taken along – priority would be to meeting life’s necessities: Live cattle; dried foods; enough water to get to the next drinkable supply; and materials (clothes for warmth). It is also notable that the Hávamál specifically indicates that a woman’s love is as important as material wealth – neither should be taken for granted.

Fehu, Wealth and New Beginnings
How then is wealth understood in the context of Fehu new beginnings? Today, moving to a new location does not mean leaving our money behind – although we may at times have to make hard decisions about property and other belongings. Nevertheless, as Tyriel recently reminded me, Fehu can indicate the need to make a new start – walking away with our head held high and only what we can carry.

For people who have experienced war or natural disaster, this is starkly true in a material sense when the ‘wealth’ they carry with them may be simply the Uruz-driven will to survive.

The rune may also be very apt in indicating the need for new emotional and/or psychological beginnings – where again we will also need to draw on the survival energy of Uruz to get ourselves to safety and new growth.

In today’s economic downturn it can also indicate a need for new material starts. We must ‘cut our losses’ and begin again to seek material security (a new job, a new home perhaps), but Fehu brings us the dynamic and creative energy we need for that. Uruz adds the physical stamina and sheer will to keep goinAg.

Fehu wealth then, in my ponderings, is very dynamic: sometimes abundant; sometimes scarce. It is about material need; but not material excess. It is about Hamingja – the creative energy that creates life; but also about the need for interaction and balance (positive-negative; male female).

First Aett Interconnections
All this got me thinking about how the whole of the first Aett could be seen as representing essential aspects-energies of life: Fehu and Uruz, the essential and inseparable primordial pair; Thurisaz, both Giant and Defender (Thor) – chaos and control. A dangerous barely conscious power unless tempered by wise application and direction (Ansuz). Raidho the road to be ridden and the wheels to ride – the means to move. Kenaz the torch – controlled and applied fire that creates “hearth and hall’ and guides communities; the knowing and the passing on of the knowledge. Gebo the essential balance – equal exchange or equalizing of energy and material necessities. And finally Wunjo the joy of being; and that being is good enough.

Related reading:

Fehu Rune Meaning (Basic)
Extended Fehu Rune Meaning by Mahryan

So, basically, Ragnar and the Denali Institute are the same thing. You can also look at Edred Thorsson’s stuff, he has a course of books, and then I believe you take a test. Thorsson’s work seems very ‘occult’, though he also goes by his real name, Stephen Flowers, publishing his academic research under that name. He has a wide interest in eastern religions, hermetic philosophy and so on… so reconstructing the pagan traditions under his ways is somewhat futile.

Ragnar’s stuff is perhaps unnecessarily New Age-y, depending on your tastes. And it definitely seemed Americanized to me, but I owe a lot to it because it is very thorough and well laid out. I’ve surveyed the entirety of both teachers, yet I prefer depending on my own interpretations and intuitions, and I borrow from others where I agree with them.

The term ‘Erulian’ – which the Denali Institute bestows as title upon those who completely master their several-year-long course (or just pay the money to fast-track) is simply a variant on the word ‘Heruli’ or ‘Erilaz’ (which means ‘Man’). Below I’ve included a quote from a page on the subject. You can find a lot of information here: http://nightsoul.com/erulian/herulian

No “Heruli” are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas (”nobles”), Old Saxon erlos (”men”), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that “Heruli” may have been a title of honor. If this is true, then this is a term pre-Norse cast system. The original system would have placed the “Earls” as a name synonymous with “Shaman”, and thus the word changing into a common word for “Nobleman” by the time of the Norse.

It is my own — perhaps stubborn — belief that you do not need someone ELSE to bestow the title of Erulian upon you. The ancient idea of nobility is that you ACT like a noble. It is not blood, necessarily, that appoints you, nor is it a CASTE, such as we know from the medieval times, therefor it is not hierarchical. Ragnar and Denali, also Thorsson, may indeed believe they have the knowledge and authority to bestow some kind of status upon you, and others may believe in that authority as well. If they have actually found authentic value from that, more power to them.

I don’t. But I agree that the more sources, the better.

Personally, I would caution you against Titles. I would recommend you take a long moment to reflect what it means to depend on someone else to tell you how and when you’ve become a master of something so esoteric as the runes and the intricacies of your own personal inner-world.

I do not condone organized religion, and that is clear from my site’s content I think. There’s no ‘cult’ or ‘religion’ or ‘denomination’ of any sort in the Rune Secrets project. Everyone from beginner to expert is an equal, with equal curiosity for the infinite insight that the runes themselves ONLY assist with, but do not dictate. It is You, not the Runes, ultimately, that will have to be the master of Yourself.

You are not ‘Enlightened’ just because someone else says you are so. You cannot perform ‘magic’ using a scientific or methodological instruction, or else magic would be recognized by science quite easily. It isn’t. You are going to find that the magic you develop is personally tailored to you. Just as a dream dictionary cannot interpret your dreams: Carl Jung has written at length on that idea, for instance in ‘Man and His Symbols’, a great classic of psychology, and an essential read.

Interpreting your own life with the runes, and discovering aspects of yourself and the universe, is entirely your responsibility. That is what is so amazing about the Runes… they are not a religion. They are a tool for gaining insight and wisdom. Wisdom is spontaneous, not planned. There’s no wisdom-shaped cookie-cutter that can be applied to every situation. You no doubt have already seen that each rune can either mean radically different things when applied to different questions, or can point out the subtleties between ideas that distinguish them from being identical.

I endorse “Thinking for Yourself”. I endorse asking yourself hard questions and spending the time on them, letting them really sink in. The ideas found on the Rune Secrets website reflect the strength of my own “Thinking for Myself” method, but ultimately they are, and can only be, simply my own favored interpretations, even after all the discussion that goes on between Mahryan and I, and other members of our small community. No matter how many people agree, truth is not REALLY formed through agreement. You must reject what doesn’t make sense or resonate with you, and adopt only what your understanding agrees with… and find truth through your own efforts.

One of the things that doesn’t make sense to ME are Titles, bestowed by others, Erulian included. Titles are finite, hierarchical, binding. I believe in Names. Instead of seeking your Title, maybe you need to “Make a Name For Yourself”. A Title is a shortcut to a Name, and a title doesn’t guarantee a reputation, or recognition. The first is given, the second is made. The magic of naming far exceeds the bureaucracy of title-bearing.

Remember:

You can’t stray from the path, because there is no actual path to follow.

You become an ‘Erulian’ when you act like a Erulian. Yet perhaps it’s just better to become Yourself… whoever that is, you will have much more grace, integrity and authenticity than anything else you become. What do you think?

Sincerely,

Tyriel

Is there a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way up?

Some thoughts on “murk-staves” and other possibilities
by Mahryan

Some of us cast our runes, tipping out the whole set and letting them fall as they may. Others pull runes from our bag, usually one at a time. Either way, the runes do not always come out upright and face up. Some rune commentators see any reversal of a rune as negative, often describing it as ‘murk-stave’ (dark or at least gloomy) as opposed to ‘bright’ when in the upright position.

Others pay little or no attention to upright or reversed positions, reasoning that each rune always contains positive and negative energy anyway – the situation and our actions will determine how runic energy plays out. I agree with this.

Nevertheless, I do find the position of a rune helpful in developing my overall understanding. The importance of runic order and relationship within the Futhark is not disputed – the more we understand of the runes the more we recognize the intricacies of this. Given this, it seems to me that rune position – any aspect of position – in a reading must also have value. The following are some of my thoughts on this.

Some rune signs do not reverse or invert, but every rune when cast or drawn may come out face up or face down. There are very few in-depth discussions of face-up reversals and far less even consider what meaning, if any, may be attached to face-down positions.

I do not see any kind of positioning as simply a matter of ‘positive’ (upright) versus ‘negative’ (reversed/inverted) positions. Rather, the energies of each rune have many manifestations from the simple and mundane to the very depths of spiritual and cosmic understandings.

I pull (draw) rather than cast runes, and have thus always placed them face up, but preserving any reversed positions. It does occur to me, though, that when casting runes the fact some land face down might be of importance in understanding the manifestation of runic energy in that reading. I have only one source that deals with this. It is an out of print treasure I found second-hand called Using the Runes by D. Jason Cooper. For each rune he provides interpretation suggestions for face up, face down, both upright and reversed (as applicable). Regardless of the position runes are in my readings, I have found Cooper’s shades of meaning tremendously helpful in focussing and developing my understanding of how runic energies and relations may manifest in a situation.

I am going to use a recent experience with Tiwaz as an example. I was facing the work-related task of attempting to turn negative and adversarial criticism into an opportunity for an appreciative and respectful exchange of ideas. Instead of everyone feeling disappointed, wronged and under attack, the goal was to identify a course of action for mutual benefit.

An Example

When I am to undertake important tasks (especially sensitive ones), it is my practice to ask what runic energy I need to call upon/ bring with me. I was nonplussed on this occasion when I drew Tiwaz in the reversed position! What did this mean? As a simple reversal – not to be the spiritual warrior? To not go in fighting for what was fair and just?

Sources that do discuss reversals generally focus on the meaning in divinations. Tiwaz reversed is commonly assigned attributes of deception, waning energy, lack of courage, giving up. I have never found these satisfactory and it seemed clear to me that it would be unhelpful for me to bring along this kind of negative energy. I turned to Cooper’s little book. For Tiwaz face up but reversed he suggests:

Duel, struggle. You are going to have to fight for your honour and good name. Others will demand that you prove yourself, you cannot demand their respect without it.

Now this was a much better fit to the situation! Cooper’s other comments on different aspects of Tiwaz were helpful too, reminding me that Tyr sacrificed his hand to achieve a necessary outcome – a form of deception was involved in order to get to the greater good – it was a matter of tactics. As I considered the situation and my prospective role I began to understand that who had the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ of it was not the point to be made. The worth of our project had to be proven. The need was for tactics that moved our opponents into allies.

My scheduled meeting was successful. I have gained a much better understanding of Tiwaz in the reversed position and, that I think I will be able to apply to reversals in general. The key point I wished to illustrate is that a reversed rune is not necessarily what is often referred to as a ‘murk-stave’ – something negative to be feared. Sometimes it is a helpful guide to nuanced action.

I do think that a reversed rune is a signal for careful contemplation. The indication is that the runic energy involved will not apply in the most straightforward way. Or, perhaps, that the energy of this rune is one we need to control or sacrifice if we are to achieve the desired outcome.

Regaining full knowledge of the runes is a work in progress for all of us. We must think deeply about every rune in a reading or meditation, considering how its energies may apply in the situation at hand. A sincere ‘beginner’ can be given just as valuable an insight as someone who has studied the runes for years. Sincerity and openness to understanding are what the keys.

Some of you may find reversed/inverted rune positions an unnecessary prop and be able to intuitively see how each runic energy manifests in any situation. For me, these individual rune aspects are valuable contributors to my understanding, but I do not regard them as negative or ‘murky’ in any way.

I do hope that Rune Secrets visitors will find these few thoughts helpful. Please share thinking and experiences with reversed/inverted rune positions – we can all benefit through collective reflection.