Image by Thunderchild

A Note on Using the ‘Blank Rune’

The rune meaning of Perthro includes Wyrd, Fate, the mysteries of the unknown and unknowable. Most agree that it represents a ‘lot-cup’. It is the rune of the runes. Because this is so, we can immediately see why a ‘blank rune’ is an unnecessary addition to the 24 elder futhark runes. Typically, the ‘blank rune’ represents exactly those things that can be discovered and explored through Perthro — adding a blank rune into the strictly ordered futhark is at best redundant, and at worst a confusing impediment to genuine understanding (at least in the context of the system described by Rune Secrets.)

The Power of Guessing

Though on the scale of everyday life we tend not to think about it, we live in a multiverse of unknowns and unknowables. We live by certain axioms — we can depend on gravity, on sunlight, that we are in a primarily physical world. Often, we possess unexamined, if pragmatic assumptions. In the end, these are simply our best guesses. Perthro is the ‘guessing’ rune, something we constantly do, but that is a remarkable ability, in both psychological and magical contexts.

Guessing is an unbelievably extensive component of our interactions with the universe. The cosmos forces us to make such guesses constantly: we cannot ever stop guessing, barring a perfectly silent mind or perfect enlightenment. The mystery perpetuates itself! Science has never come close to running out of questions — there will always be more questions than answers, in any form of knowledge.

A guess, especially an unexamined one, is really a bid for certainty in a chaotic world. Perthro is the rune of questions, doubt and guessing, so it makes sense that it was inscribed on ‘lot-cups’ and used for luck in gambling and other games of chance and/or strategy.

The Game of Life

The ‘guessing game’ that this playful universe invites us to celebrate is infinitely complex, spontaneous and beautiful — the stakes can sometimes be high, but for better or for worse, Perthro frames the makeup of the universe as uncompromisingly playful. Remember that the second Aett is composed of Orlog: the elements of reality that are inimical to human life, that continue on despite our wishes and designs. The universe is unapologetically playful even when we do not feel like playing.

The biggest game, with the highest stakes, is our life and death. This is where the idea of Fate comes into play. Fate is a tricky subject — it is a word often used but perhaps mostly misunderstood. It represents the things and events chosen for us, instead of by us. Examples include parents, date of birth, birthplace and all the initial conditions of our lives. Fate represents the patterns of your thought and behavior which attract people, events and environments into your life. It is the unchangeable, or unchallenged factors that someday will lead to your death. The idea of ‘doom’ is when fate has become like a curse.

Fate and Wyrd

Fate is governed by the Norns, who must be negotiated with if things are to change. Wyrd, or the ‘Wyrding Way’, is the magic we all possess (and often unknowingly use) that we can learn to use in order to change or guide our fate, where necessary, or alternatively discover it and work with our Fates instead of against them. One such application is discovering certainty over your purpose in life, and how you can transform your patterns to align yourself to that purpose. This is perhaps the highest function of Wyrd: the removal of fetters which hold us to our negative patterns and the perfection of our positive patterns so that we can accomplish, in this lifetime, what we are meant to do, what we chose to come to this world for. Part of the game is that we have to guess and gamble, taking risks even with these highest of stakes.

Fate is the study and manipulation of consequences. There are innumerable factors within our lives, both conscious and unconscious, within ourselves or our environment, which we may or may not have any awareness of. These causes (and effects, which then in turn became causes) form our patterns, our ‘primal cause’. The laws of cause and effect play themselves out and lead us into our future selves. Whatever control and awareness we can gain over these consequences, that that extend we can guide our fates, use Wyrd, or work with the unchangeable rather than toiling in futility against it. This magical working is at the core of Wyrd, and it allows us to shape our destinies and often the destinies of those who depend on us in some way.

Perthro in Divination

Much is hidden and unkowable. Perthro can represent the void from which all things manifest, itself being the unmanifest, the unknowable in the sense that it is yet to exist. If it once existed, it may be accessed through our collective unconscious with LAGUZ, or our memories via MANNAZ.) In a rune lay, Perthro will often mean just that. The runes sometimes say: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

For a more basic metaphysical interpretation, see the entry on Perthro – Rune Meaning.

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The Laguz rune meaning is “Water”.

Image by Cristian Bortes

Water is the ancient mirror — the first surface that the evolving ego had to identify itself was the calm surface of a body of water.

We all have this surface identity of conceptual associations, this “I” or “Me” experience. While ISA is concerned with the totality of that ego experience, Laguz is concerned with transcending the ego in order to experience the unity of all Life and the collective unconscious.

In exploring LAGUZ, the intellectual, mind level of MANNAZ is but the very surface of things. In order to pierce the veil and see past our thoughts of ourselves, we must delve deeper.

Ego is an academic term that obfuscates what Freud was getting at. He himself never used the abstract term “ego”, it was added in translations. Freud said ‘the I’ and ‘the it’ (id), a duality which the principles of Laguz suggest we can transcend.

Laguz teaches us to look into the darkness of our unconscious, at what the reflection — our constructed identity — is leaving out. Jung calls this evasive body of self-ignorance the “Shadow”: what we fail to see about ourselves, baggage we often refuse to claim as ours and often project onto the world and those around us. The occult process of embracing our dark side as well as our light and thereby growing in wholeness and power, is very natural part of Laguz.

The reflection is also an apt metaphor, because “reflection” can be interpreted as thinking or analysing, the domain of Mannaz. As the next rune in the Ordering, Laguz suggests that the unconscious is much vaster, that beyond thought is depth, and that our ideas and thoughts of reality are mirror images. The reflection is not so much a property of the water as the observer — it does not actually exist on the surface of the water at all. In this way it is ultimately an illusion.

The true nature of water is that it is the great unifier of all Life. Laguz represents life “as it is” and the challenges of transcending our ideas about living so that we may truly live. I would argue that this rune is less about survival and all about life’s overwhelming cry to be lived. Laguz magic is not merely a ward against physical poison, but can free us from our toxic psychic fetters that hold us back from fully living. One of these fetters is our fear of Death.

In Norse mythology, those who fail to fully live, consistently over many lives, become sleepy and remove their weary spirits from the cycles of rebirth. They are ferried across the river to the shores of Hel, (which is largely agreed to be associated most strongly with the HAGALAZ rune meaning,) there to wait until Ragnorak, when the unconscious forces (Loki, Fenris and the “giants”) bring a final battle upon the gods (ie. the evolution of consciousness). Hel is not the burning torturous place that the Catholics threaten us with. Laguz’ place in the Ordering suggests that it represents Hel, as it is beneath IHWAZ (the cosmic axis of Yggdrassil, the world tree). Therefor by association, Laguz could refer to the unconscious, the collective unconscious, sleep, dreams and certain aspects of the Death experience.

However, because water is the essential unifier of all Life, Laguz teaches us that Death is an illusion created by our fearful ego, that our fear of death is ultimately just a pathological fear of losing our ego identity. This begs elaboration.

Most of our bodies are composed of water, which upon physical death will return to the great cycle of the world’s waters once again. It has passed through and been recycled by our atmosphere and all other life, since the very beginning, and will continue to do this until the very end. Even as we live, our fluids are only with us a short time before being traded anew, and rejuvenated.

Our mineral composition, too, follows the same principles, as does our energy (as energy cannot be created from nothing nor ever cease to exist). It follows that aspects of our consciousness too are borrowed from the universe for the sake of this temporary ego, and are permanent, eternal components of the cosmos.

So what is there to lose upon death save that very self-reflection that prevents us from seeing into the depth and unity of all things? Laguz holds the key to unlocking such secrets, if we dare to reach into its well to seek our true selves. We have tale that Odin magically did just this when he removed one of his eyes to plunge it into Mimir’s Well, thus revealing all things past and present to him. The psychic powers of clairvoyance and clairaudience are thus clearly governed by Laguz.

The 5th axis of the Ordering tells us of Life’s Journey (RAIDHO), the initiation into the runic mysteries and knowledge of the mysteries of Life and Death (IHWAZ) and finally of the ultimate illusion of death as the ego is surrendered (to begin a new journey). The three runes represent a closed cycle of life, death and reincarnation, particularly the experiences of such as a journey into our eternal selves.

Related Material:

Basic rune meaning of Laguz

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FEHU -  reformatted for clarity April 2009

Alternate Names: Feoh, Fe, Feh
Elements: Fire, Earth
Sex: Feminine

Basic rune meaning: Cattle, Wealth

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Related material:
Basic Metaphysical Interpretation of Fehu
More ‘Thoughts on Fehu‘ by Mahryan

Extended rune meanings: Expansive energy, New beginnings, Control, Abundance, Social Success, Foresight, Travel, Reputation, Material wealth, Generosity, Power, Sexual Energy

Good things given
Good things received
Pleasure in life maintained

• The primal cow Audhumla
• Primal origin: life force; expansive energy
• Cattle: mobile property, wealth, money, earned income
• New beginnings
• The circulation of power and wealth Personal attitude and expectations toward money/wealth
• Self confidence/esteem [1] (Aswyn)
• Sexual energy [2]

Fehu is important in probing what is profit and gain. Fehu usually represents fulfillment – something strived for is within grasp, but there may be opposing forces, which can be overcome with diligence. When in misery or grief, the drawing of Fehu brings comfort (Blum speaks of nourishment as a function of Fehu.)

Primary Concepts in the Fehu Rune Meaning:

Sustainability

The gifts of Fehu must be worked for, received with thanks and humility, and what is possessed must be looked after with respect. Resources must be guarded against time of need –- but not hoarded, and especially not for profit. This is a difficult balance to find and maintain on 21st Century Earth (or perhaps at any time for humankind, given the verse from the Hávamál, quoted under “Magic” below).

Circulation

There is strong emphasis that the gifts of Fehu, in whatever form, must be circulated. Aswynn (Principles, p.8) underlines the non-monetary wealth associated with Fehu, pointing to the relationship of cattle to the food chain – the chain of energy re-cycling. Cattle feed on grasses (the Fehu symbol resembles grass or corn) and provided humans with mobile resources of necessities (meat, dairy, hides). Money in contrast is ultimately useless in itself (paper, metal) and so has no direct link to the necessary life cycle. [3]

Birch Air (1999) [4] suggests regarding the need to for circulation, that wealth can also be knowledge (and knowledge is a form of power). Denali states the same idea in terms of “mental energy units”. He notes that we are close having electronic transfers of money in a way that equates closely to the Fehu notion of energy transfer.5 He also points out that fire requires circulation (of air) in order to burn.

Expansive energy

Fehu is associated with the life giving cosmic fire of Muspellheimr that melted the hostile ice and was thus instrumental in the creation of Midhgardhr, but will be equally so in its destruction at Ragnarok (Aswynn; Mountfort; Thorsson):

“This is the fire generated out of water and in the dark depths of the multiverse – and in the dark corners of the self (Thorsson, Runelore p.115)”

This verse suggests a depth connection with Laguz, of the coming into consciousness (being) of energy born via water, which may burn out of control as Laguz may drown.

Both runes are associated with the mystery of creation and destruction through the eternal process of coming into being – dynamic evolutionary force.

On this Tyriel (2005) commented:

“Fehu is the expansive energy that creates the universe, but even in that creation, the seeds of its own destruction are inseparably sown, So, though Fehu can feel very fresh, always remember that new beginnings also mean old endings, and new endings at some point, that are inevitable.”

Another expansive energy relationship of Fehu to Hamingja, personal energy, power and good fortune inherent in each person. We inherit a store of Hamingja at birth from previous lives, ancestors, which may be added to or depleted depending on our actions. (Aswynn).6

The area of reputation (Aswynn; Thorsson) is therefore related to Hamingja and our reputation is not only part of our wealth in this life, but our legacy to our kin who follow. We can feed our Hamingja by the energies we call to ourselves (and Aswynn notes that thoughts are a form of energy.)

Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But the good name never dies,
Of one who has done well

Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But I know one thing that never dies,
The glory of the great dead

[From the Havamal; Trans. Auden & Taylor]

The Valkyries look after the bravest of the fallen warriors, and this is usually seen as relating to the after-life. Personally, I think it refers to the Hamingja of the previously ‘great dead’ in their present lifetime and explains why some people seem to have “the luck of the gods.” A fallen warrior may become great again and is looked after in a more troubled life period because of what has been earned in the past.

Other Thoughts

Fehu Rune position:

That Fehu the first rune represents mobile property and earned wealth, while OTHALA represents inherited property, strongly contributes to the argument for Othala as the 24th rune. On the other hand, most ancient concepts were of circles not straight lines (although three Aetts seems to point more to three rows that divisions in a circle (then again, astrology has 12 divisions in a circle, so why not 24?). In a circle Fehu and Othala would lie side by side – what we come into the world with and what we leave behind – except that we also begin with our inherited wealth, and part of our Hamingja is inherited. I’m still inclined to see DAGAZ as the bridge between life cycles – the process that carries the inheritance from Othala to the new cycle of FEHU.

Murk Stave

Fehu Reversed:

Failure, Greed, Atrophy, Loss, Destruction, Discord, Dullness, Hoarding, Impoverishment

• Greed and/or wastefulness
• Collapse into success
• Bad luck (resting on innate good fortune as in inherited Hamingja)
• Lack of control
• Loss of something valuable (probably material, but could be social, like a friendship or status)
• Blockage: Lack of fertility, physical or creative; broken spirit (overly domesticated and slow; used, owned, cowardly) (Tyson)
• May indicate a disguised blessing; a need for temporary retreat; conservation of energy or other resources

In an otherwise positive reading, such as this one, A reversed Fehu can sometimes indicate a frustrating delay or obstacle before the goal is successfully reached. There is an association with the wolf Fenris (offspring of Loki) who at Ragnarok escapes his chain and runs free wreaking complete destruction (Mountfort). Another association exists with snakes as blockages (Denali, Gundarsson) and Birch Air (1999) suggests snakes in association with Fehu may represent a need to shed old skins in order to recognize and enjoy the wealth we have.

Reversed in readings questions to ask are:

What is true profit?
What is the lesson of the loss?
Where is true nourishment? (Blum)

Magical Interpretation:

The first charm I know is unknown to rulers
Or any of human kind:
Help it is named, for help it can give
In hours of sorrow and anguish

• Fertile harvest
• Help in a crisis situation (Aswynn)
• Money, friendliness, merit
• To increase Megin (‘luck,’ charisma, energy reserves) (Denali)
• Personal/social evolution (Thorsson)
• Workings for power and control: power and energy needed to begin a working (Pennick); power channelling or transference (Thorsson); drawing projected power into the personal sphere (sun, moon, stars) (Thorsson);
• Strengthen psychic powers (Thorsson)
• Sending thoughts and delegating energy to another (Denali)
• To break the spirit of an enemy; to render incapable of action; to create fearful dependence (Tyson)

Bindings

Used with another rune Fehu will increase the power of its companion rune(s). Applied negatively, Fehu will be destructive (burn out of control). Birch Air gives the example of Fehu and Thuriaz as violently destructive. I would add this is likely even if the runes are used in their positive aspects – too much power for pretty much any human being to be hurling around!

Uruz – healing (Pennick)
Ansuz – wealth/success via intellectual means (Pennick)
Othala – reward through perseverance (Pennick)
Dagaz – increase in wealth (Pennick)
Gebo – to give Fehu’s sexual energy as a gift (Denali)
Raidho – to control and direct Fehu’s sexual energy (Denali)

Associations

Deities:
Frey and Freyja(Pennick; Thorsson; Aswynn); Nerthus the earth goddess (Mountfort); Frigga (Thorsson); Niord, god of wealth (Aswynn)

Zodiac:
Taurus (Pennick)
Aries (Mahryan) Aries is a fire sign and represents the beginning of the life cycle. Taurus is an earth sign, with a kind of strength associated with the Bull, more suited to Uruz
Tarot: Tower (Pennick)
Colour: Brown, red
Tree: Elder (Pennick)
Plants and Herbs: Stinging nettle (Pennick)
Metal: Gold (Aswyn; Mountfort; Thorsson)

Footnotes:

[1] Aswynn relates self esteem to the Hamingja aspect of Fehu also.

[2] Birch Air (1999) wrote that Fehu relates to charismatic sexual energy, “pure sexual attraction… that fiery power that could just easily blaze out of control.” I am uncertain about Fehu’s role in sexual attraction, but it makes sense that our Hamingja energy affects our sexuality.

[3] But note Denali on this. We have to be realistic: in this time money is the primary form of material wealth, which is certainly one aspect of Fehu, and it is certainly mobile – far more so than a herd of cattle. Money is also power, and if circulated properly distributes wealth and power.

[4] She specifically discusses her travels with Sammie when he was sick and the number of conversations she had up and down the coast about caring for dogs.

[5] This is an interesting observation because it is free of critique. Social scientists have observed the trend to paperless wealth transfers quite negatively as “smoke and mirrors.”

[6] I wonder, therefore about the relationship to Inguz (but then I never do quite get Inguz)?