Rune Courses and Titles: A Caution
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I’ve received a number of emails asking about the Courses in runes offered by Ragnar at the Denali Institute, and by Edred Thorsson. The question usually asks about the rune courses, and the titles gained through their completion. It is an important question, because it differentiates two divergent beliefs in how the runes should be used.
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
20 Comments to “Rune Courses and Titles: A Caution”
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Mahryan says:
Yes thanks for the comment Tyriel. I’ve mentioned before that, for me, this is what makes Rune Secrets a unique place. We share thoughts and learn together here – acknowledging that ancient understanding and wisdom must be re-discovered and re-applied to the time of our current lives.
For some, a more organized and structured approach as offered by either Thorsson or Denali may be very valuable (and we can all gain from reading their materials). Thoughts gained by anyone taking such courses will be welcome on Rune Secrets I’m sure. And, there are some well-know Runsters who studied with Thorsson and then followed there own paths – notably Freyer Asswyn. Don’t forget to check her site from time to time – lots of interesting commentary and materials at http://www.aswynn.co.uk/index.php .
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Sunday says:
I have been studying runes for as long as I remember. Because of this, I strive to follow a path of correct action. I have read many sourcebooks and endlessly searching for knowledge about the subject, from Egyptian history to Blavatsky, Thorsson, and I do subscribe to the Denali course where I find Ragnar’s material to be profound. These concepts cannot be grasped in any fast-track, although fast-track is a way to own the valuable reference material in its entirety, and then take your time with it. I have found substantiation of theory in musicological reference works, although I am a simple person not a scholar. It takes years of correspondence, contemplation before exercise as if you are serious, it should be approached most reverently. It is a life journey. Historical facts interest me, not easy hard to find. I am trying to unravel why and how this became my calling….I am not Nordic. What is all this? I want to connect the dots. As for the title, Erulian, Shaman, Prophet, Maji…if you are one you were born one. Simple. They are found called by different names in every religion, in every part of the world and perhaps beyond. This subject matter may enlighten you, but healthier if you try to use it to grow and inspire, and not try to position yourself to rule above anyone. I do not believe that what the “Erulian” title was intended to be, and yes, it always unhealthy to try to be something you were never born meant to be. I very rarely respond to posts. I listen a lot. It would be my great honor to be able to correspond or converse directly to anyone who has attained a high degree of understanding of rune knowledge by whatever name we call them: Teacher? Master? Doctor? Priest? Erulian? Betty? Franz? Does it matter? How do I really know that they are for real? They have studied? They are bonefide to convey the truth about the subject matter? The term Erulian ensures me the person has been prepared, it does not mean they a ruler. Besides, in comparison: Does the “Mafia” walk up to you and say, “hi, we are the Mafia?” Not the real deal. No. They operate in secret. They protect their status. It is the same. Obviously the true “Keeper” “Erulian” or “Master” or “Teacher” of this subject matter has done a good job to protect the information throughout history, and so we may never really know the historical truth, they dont teach it at school, it is considered “out of norm”. It designed to be this way. There is chaos everywhere but we can use knowledge (at what ever level) and stand courageously before it using whatever tools we are provided to confront it effectively. I have been called by many names, I would like to able to identify someone who has achieved a mastery of this subject matter, what name will they know me by when I face them?
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Thanks for bringing up the structure issue, Mahryan, that is true. Structure does definitely help in some ways.
Sunday: Thank you for the long comment, it’s nice to know you’ve been out there listening and have decided to share some thoughts with us. I think that if you hang around Rune Secrets enough, you’re bound to one day face someone who has achieved a mastery of this subject matter… hopefully in the mirror!
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Elven says:
I enjoyed this article immensely. As someone who is very new to the vast amount of information concerning Runes, I feel at ease knowing any thoughts I may wish to share will be accepted here as equal contributions.
I greatly respect anyone who has dedicated so much time and effort into having a greater understanding of Runes and Northern Traditions (this includes those people who have taken the courses at Denali, as well as people who are ‘self-taught’.) Both have a great amount of personal resource to share with everyone else and both are deserving of equal recognition and respect.
The way I understood the indication to Ragnar’s material being “Americanized” is that in so much of the Western world, we find ourselves in a constant competition for “Titles” within various hierarchies. It is, perhaps, simply a challenge to grasp a concept of a world where all men and women stand equal in their ability to learn, utilize and appreciate new knowledge and use it in a way they see best fits their lifestyles. We are expected, on mass, to follow a set of rules, a chronological structure, and to be awarded with a “Name” upon completion. This method is successful for some, but it is not the only way. I think it is more thorough to study all information offered from all sources and make your own decisions about how you wish to utilize that knowledge. It is not necessarily important to have earned a name in the process, unless that is PERSONALLY important to YOU.
Regardless of title or lack of title, I am humbled by the extensive knowledge that dedicated individuals possess, and this opinion is not dependent on how the information was acquired.
Thanks for the post, it makes those of us who are new to this subject feel less intimidated by the task of learning about it.
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Thank you, Elven, for taking the time to read and post a comment. That spirit of equality, and sharing, is so vitally important to this project.
I would not dare call myself a guru. Teacher is bad enough. I’m just sharing my notes and my thoughts. As for my certification, title, status, affiliation…
… I would prefer the body of insights contained on the site to speak for itself, to those who need it!
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munsey says:
Dear Mahryan,After reading your wise-filled caution,my eyes went again to the spiral combination lock picture. Thought it represented your instruction concisely__when we use the runes for personal use-we only have our own combination of numbers to unlock and open our own insight and intuition! Sharing as we do with you and others on this site furthers our learning and wisdom in Growth and Learning–don’t suppose there is an end to learning–probably no reason for certificate–we’d just need another and another as we grow and grow.
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dollarthief says:
Americanization, indeed! Search out the original Thirteenth Amendment, aka “Titles of Nobility” amendment for much insight into “titles.” What is, is; and as for what is not, the old adage holds: “no matter how thin you slice it, it’s still baloney” lol
That said, Dr. Flowers points out how the “establishment” (titled?) publishers keep issuing rehashes of things we already know instead of offering new (to us at least) insight and material. Not to worry! There are things to learn about the Runes that you may discern if you have eyes to see. It may come in a flash, or it may take years. Keep up the good work!
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Dollarthief: You point out something interesting that I want to address… ‘the establishment’, well… I don’t know what that is. Flowers is a kind of establishment of his own. So am I, I suppose, since I have an established website about the runes.
I want to keep reinforce what I’m really focusing on though, the main message, and that is… if you aren’t thinking for yourself most of the time, you’re using someone else’s mind and experience to solve your unique and individual problems and challenges. Just take what you understand, of everyone’s work, and rigorously test it out, apply it where it works and dump what doesn’t make sense… perhaps it will make sense later on in your journey. I often find things I didn’t understand a year or two ago that make more sense now.
And then there’s stuff that’s just nonsense. Unfortunately, we’re all guilty of ‘bullshitting’ sometimes. Personally I try to keep that to a minimum here. On the other hand, if you don’t take risks from time to time, your understanding will stagnate.
Like dollarthief says… it may come in a flash, or it may take years. But it will come, if you depend on, and believe in, the power of your own ability to interpret and learn.
My cautions are only a personal viewpoint. If you strongly object, and prefer to depend on a particular authority, then do what you must. Just don’t ‘look down’ on others because you disapprove of their ways. That is a sure barrier to wisdom of many sorts.
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Amanda says:
Thanks for your post. I have been following your website for some time but have remained silent. This is jsut the post I was waiting for. I stand with you on this matter. I look forward to future correspondence.
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Johan says:
Why is there that the Inguz/space as i call it activates later?
and allows this imagination to come to existence and also the different mainframes within this imagination that allows one to understand things better.
Its like one either have a place of which we can create knowingly or one does not.Why does two becomes three?
Like today i noticed that the less we have the more we share.
When i was eating meatballs and macaronis so to not get just macaronis i had to cut the meatballs in half to make one piece.
“More is less” depends how we value and to what degree can one change the values one has? -
Monica says:
Wonderful site…glad I was lead here…I look forward to the study of runes to enhance my communication abilities…Thank-you to all who contribute…Hope All is Well
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Didi says:
>>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.
I love this site, and have great respect for how you present information here. The above 2 quotes from your cautionary posting are a great example of why I resonate with so much of what you have to say. Both statements are so true, it is sad they have to be stated … but I am glad you do. As we each own the part we play in giving birth to ourselves, we gain a perspective that can’t easily be put in words. Runes are a wonderful tool to that end, but they are just that: a tool.
Thank you so much for being a wonderful resource!
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Hey Tyriel,
Totally with you on your scepticism about titles and runic gurus.
One though I have…you mention the runes are not a religion. That’s true of course, but they are deeply connected to a mythological culture. Archaeologically speaking the use of the runes declined largely into triviality after the coming of Christianity. They seemed to do much better in a pre-Christian / Heathen spiritual context.
I mention this because while I dig your call for people to take personal, subjective responsibility for their learning, it might be also beneficial to remember that the mythology situates the runes, just as the runes are deeply connected to imagery from pre-Christian Germanic culture and are more easily deciphered if one has some historical understanding (not just reading the Icelandic Sagas, which were written centuries after the Conversion and probably don’t reflect much real information about Heathen magic at all).
For me personally, the runes are bound up in my devotion to Odin. Looking at archaeological finds and myths it appears that the gods Thor and Frey had a bit to do with them (and perhaps Bragi, too), and the mythic poems explain that there were runes for men, gods, dwarves, elves, etc, etc. Mysteries upon mysteries open up when we look to these sources.
None of this is to say that anyone has to make a religious commitment in order to use the runes…but rather than it is helpful (and indeed inspiring) to grasp the runes’ original spiritual and historical (and cultural) context…and also respectful to both the runes and their creators to do so. This is an important area where Blum falls down, incidentally – his books may get people into runes, but many folk (myself included) soon find them to be superficial and vacuous. Then the search begins with fresh determination…
Keep up the good work,
Henry
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grackle says:
grateful for the sharing that is happening here. so many opinions, one has to think for oneself which spurs the inntuitive understanding needed to make the runes relevant to our lives.
thanks to all here for the thought provoking comments.
i do agree that titles are irrelevant, character and widom are paramount and comes from within. -
Hi Henry:
I totally agree with you that we need to understand the Runes in the historical and spiritual context. I find It interesting, too, that the larger spiritual, community context of the runes has been raised in several places over the last few days. Divination is often the initial attraction to the Runes. I think that this is because of the deep innate drive we have to better understand ourselves and our existence. It is to be hoped that this initial interest develops into deeper probing and I do think that is what the open encouraging atmosphere on Rune Secrets promotes.
I would like to pose a question for consideration about spirituality versus organized religion. Is the northern runic tradition and honouring the ancestral deities a religion (in the contemporary understanding of organized religion)? Or is it a spiritual way of being – a pathway in the worlds?
Unfortunately, we don’t have many historic sources of reliable information about pagan traditions such as the Northern pathways or Druidism. There is even less on the Norse and Germanic Runic traditions than on Druidism and most of what exists is recorded through the eyes of ‘christian’ invaders. I think that we have to turn to these sources and the recorded mythologies and try to discern through intuition and communication with the Deities the spiritual pathways in the present time.
This is such an important area for discussion. It would be great if there was someone in the Rune Secrets community that is into the historical research who would be willing to do a guest article! Meanwhile, I would really like to hear other views on the religion- spirituality debate.
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Hi Mahryan,
Well of course as in most traditional cultures the peoples of Northern Europe didn’t distinguish much between religion and culture. They were seamlessly connected.
As such I feel that when I do things like make sauerkraut or read about European history, well, this is a spiritual practice just as much as preparing a rune sigil or calling on a deity. I am an animist – like my ancestors I see everything as being sentient. So everything we do is spiritual, although of course if we do things in unright ways then that spiritual power can be occluded.
As for religion and spirituality…to me what we call religion is a form of art, a string of images and practices which at their best can provide doors through which we can step into a direct relationship with the divine. In a sense even the runes fall into this category, since that is what they seem to be: doors into a wider bandwidth of experience and understanding.
All of this makes learning about historical culture, mythology, and runes very fruitful for modern folk interested in the runes. The more we dip into the well of memory the more water we have to nourish new gardens.
There is a lot more information about the historical dimensions than you might think, and it is always growing as archaeologists discover more (and archaeology seems to be a better source for understanding the past than a lot of the written records, so this is a double bonus). Runic Amulets & Magic Objects (Mindy MacLeod & Bernard Mees) is a deeply inspiring place to start, you can read a review on my site:
http://www.elhazablaze.com/2010/03/review-runic-amulets-magic-objects-mindy-macleod-bernard-mees/
H
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Somehow you double-posted, Henry, so I removed the first, but I left the post that looked more complete.
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Tyriel (also known as James Lord Bard) is a writer and graphic designer, living in Canada. He is passionate about the runes, and about bringing spiritual consciousness and heightened freedom to the mainstream. He has a solid background in web design, graphics and video production. He is also a poet, a novelist and musician.
Tyriel,
I think what you said is right on. I am seeking to learn the runes to know about myself and who I am. I like your site because it helps me to learn and develop my own ideas about the runes, but gives me a basis. Just reading a book and taking a course to get a title does not mean you understand. I have tarot but there was just something about them that didn’t work for me. I have always been facinated by runes and now I am trying to learn. I don’t want to read for other people, I want to learn this to understand myself and the things going on in my life and how I can be better. I believe in spirit not religion