Journeying to the Runes – Part 4: Nauthiz

While normally, I don’t go into detail about these journeys, the words that Nauthiz spoke to me require a bit of context to understand. So please, let me tell you a story.

Crow, my guide through this world, led me to a village – the people were upset, some crying. A large fire had been built near the fields – which were rather empty. I asked an older man, the first person I came across, what had happened. “The crops did not thrive after the hail came, and many of the young ones are now sick. We’ve built the need-fire, so the gods can hear our pleas.”

I asked to be taken to one of the children and was led to a little boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old. I laid my hands upon his head and sung a song of power (that centered around Nauthiz) and when I had finished I knew he would be well. As I left the small house with the boy sleeping inside, the people of the village kept stopping me – to thank me or to ask me to help their children. I knew however that I needed to speak with the need-fire.

I approached the need-fire and asked if there was a rune spirit. It said:

I am Nauthiz, and here you have seen my power.
Though these people felt they had no power
They realized the on thing that can always do – seek help.
And you have seen the other aspect of me –
For it was through you that aid and hope have been given to these people.

I turned around and the village cheered me as I left for the aid I’d given.

And truly, I believe this aspect of Nauthiz – the giver of aid – is so often overlooked. It is a great gift of Nauthiz that we see the ties that bind and can call out to have them cut; sometimes we can accomplish this ourselves, but other times we need the help of others. Sometimes we are but instruments of healing and I am honored whenever I am chosen for this role.

Journeying to the Runes – Part 3: Berkana and Tiewaz

Tiewaz and Berkana are the first two runes of the third aett. I have always experienced these two runes as having a deep connection. In fact, on this particular journey I was first brought to Berkana who led me to Tiewaz; stating that I should experience them together. Even now I’m not exactly sure how these two are connected, at least it’s difficult to put into words. To me, they are perfect compliments – not opposites. Exploring this connection will be the focus for another journey.

My tattoo of Tiewaz and Berkana

I am Berkana, and you know me well,
The strength and grace of your foremothers;
The growth and renewal of spring time.
Come to me and be nourished and filled,
To learn the truth of interdependence,
For nothing can truly survive alone

I am Tiewaz, the spiritual warrior.
I am more then simple honor-I am more then
Having a code of ethics. I am having one
And sticking to it. I am the laws and orders
Of the Universe present in humanity.

Journeying to the Runes – Part Two: Isa

I’d mentioned a while back that I was starting to journey to meet the spirits of the Runes – and I’ve been continuing to do that. I haven’t really been sure how to share what I’ve encountered, but I do feel that it is, in part necessary – and now, even though some of these journeys happened 6 months ago, is the time to begin sharing. For the record, my journeys are not recounted here in full – only that which I’ve been called to share.

My second journey took me to Isa:

I am Isa – the cold biting ice…
I am the serenity of stillness,
A quiet retreat from which all possibilities are born.
I hold the patterns of all things…
A pause with the promise of the continuation of the cycle
Like the pause between inhale and exhale.

Icicle – Isa in nature

Clearly, Isa is making reference Niflheimr – the primordial ice, the proto-matter of the world. Also, Isa speaks of the importance of its place among the Futhark. It is the pause before continuation of Jera and the stillness after the chaos and disruption of Hagalaz and Nauthiz. Isa also holds the patterns of all things – look to the Runes, all of which are composed of lines and many composed abound a main stav.

Workshop Time Again

Yup, that’s right – I’m gearing up for another intro level rune workshop. Though I have to say I leaned a few things from my last workshop and have developed some tips to keep in mind.

1 – Runes are a system – not a set of stones:
At my last workshop, I had each person create a set of runestones – I feel like this was maybe not the best course of action, as it may have put too much emphasis of the medium rather then the energies. You don’t need a set of stones or cards to learn the runes – in fact, once you know them you can transcend the limitations of a physical rune set. There have been many occasions when I  wanted to use the runes but had no set with me. So I made one, on the spot with paper and a pen. I want to convey this to my next class, and as such we’re not making rune sets.

2 – Runes exist in all things – they are not separate from the rest of reality:
All too often rune books focus on the external meanings of the runes without taking some time to explore the immanent and internal nature of the runes.  This was something I realized while reading Runes for Transformation by Kaedrich Olsen. In this book is an exercise in which you try to uncover the runes in all things; a boat, an airplane, a tree, and anything else you can think of. I’ve decided to include this exercise in my workshop this time around.

3 – Runes have many uses – not only divination:
This is something I tried to cover in my last workshop without much success, but I think it’s important to at least introduce to new students of the Futhark. Ultimately I’d like to introduce my new students to: transliteration (writing in runes), bindrunes, divination, and galdr if it seems fitting. Not to say that these students mus learn or use all of these techniques. Rather, I feel knowing they exist will help them better understand that vastness of the runes.

4 – Personal gnosis is important in understanding the runes: 
This is something I’m coming to understand through my recent journeys. And I want these students to know that it’s okay for them to come to their own conclusions and that their opinions and experiences will influence exactly how they understand the runes. To this end, I’ve decided to lead a guided meditation to help each student find his/her rune of power (more on this later) – that is a rune that is important for him/her to connect with at this time.

Bindrune Basics

So, I’ve been working on some Runic and Bindrune Charms recently.  Seems like the perfect time to talk about making bindrunes – something I’ve been diving head first into. I love them!

First things first – What exactly is a bindrune?
Well, the answer is, technically speaking, very simple. A bindrune is a symbol that combines two or more runes into one symbol. It might be for magically purposes or for identification (like a maker’s mark – made from the makers initials in runes).

How do you make a bindrune?
Personally, I make my bindrunes in steps: Intent, Selection, Creation, Finalization. I’ll lead you through the process using one that I’ve created – a bindrune for enhancing intuition.

Step 1: Intent – When I sat down to create this bindrune, I wanted something to help people get in touch with their intuition – their ability to dig into the depths and know the unknown. For this, Laguz and Perthro jumped to mind.

 

Step 2: Selection – Laguz is the rune of the subconscious and helps us to take the plunge and go with the flow – and in a culture that tells us trusting our intuition is ‘silly’ or ‘bad’ this is a necessary first step. Perthro, on the other hand, is the rune of the unknown and serves as a direct connection to the limitless potential of the Wyrd.
Now is the time to look at the other Runes and see if there is another that belongs in this bindrune. I decided that there wasn’t, so Laguz and Perthro it is.

Step 3: Creation – Now, I spend anywhere from 10-30 minutes (depending on complexity) drawing out different combinations until I find the one that seems right. You really have to listen to your intuition during this process. I make as many combinations as I can – keeping an eye out for hiding runes that end up being created (sometimes this works in your favor). I settled on the design below – even though it does have a hiding rune (can you find it?).

The final form of my bindrune for enhancing intuition - carved deeply into a tumbled piece of Snow Quartz and painted with silver.

Step 4: Finalization – This is where you give the bindrune it’s purpose. In this example, I decided to carve the bindrune into a stone to create a pocket charm. Whether you are tracing the bindrune on your body, a piece of paper, or into a candle the process is much the same. Trace/draw the rune, then speak it’s intent – I like to use affirmation style, but simply saying “Enhancing Intuition” does the trick.

Journeying to the Runes – Part One: Fehu

As I mentioned in a previous post I’ve been working with an ancestor, Annawynn, to learn more about the energies and ways to use the Runes. She told me to do a few things; one of which was to go to the lower world and journey to meet the spirits of the Runes.

So, last night I did just that. I asked Crow to take me to the spirit of a Rune – whichever Rune I needed to meet. Crow took me to the spirit of Fehu. I spoke with this spirit to learn about the real “nature” of the Rune. Some of what the spirit told me was nothing new but it did expand one key concept: Fehu as the medium of exchange.

Not only is Fehu money (our most prominent medium of exchange) but Fehu is the energy field that connects all living thing and allows for energetic transfers. The field is not strong, nor weak – it simply is and always has been. It is the beginning of all forms of exchange – energetic or otherwise.

I’m planning on (1) journeying every night for the next few weeks and (2) making a video, perhaps in one shot at the end of each week, expanding on my experiences with the spirits of the Runes.

Expo!

I don’t know how I managed to not mention this – We’re holding the First Annual Grand Cities Holistic Healing Expo this weekend! I have been busy working for the past few days creating some Runic lovelies to put out on the shelves. I thought I’d share:

This set is easily one of my favorites I’ve ever made. Picture Jasper is a lovely earthy stone that fosters creative vision and helps the conscious mind understand and work with the unconscious.

I adore blue lace agate – it’s a gentle stone that helps one reach out to angelic realms and assists inner attunement and communication. Also it can work wonders on arthritis

This is such a tough one to photograph! Rose Quartz is a stone of the heart – it fosters unconditional love and helps one get in touch with their emotions in a gentle way.

Personalizing Wunjo

This time last week I was informed that friend that I’ve gone to school with all my life was in a car accident on his way to work and was in ICU.

Saturday morning, I was informed that he was taken off of life support, as per his wishes, so that his organs could be donated.

Tomorrow, I will be going to his memorial service.

So, what does this have to do with Wunjo? I realized that this man, Alex, was Wunjo personified. To me, Wunjo is joy (of course) and freedom and love between people. Alex was always happy, always smiling, always and forever a joy to be around. He spent a good bit of his childhood with his grandfather, a truck driver, and has been at all lower 48 states. Right after high school he went right to work out in the western part of the state. Alex was also one of the most gentle, caring,  and loving people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.  His mother simply says he had a heart of gold.

Saturday evening someone else got that heart. When I received that news, I cried. Knowing who Alex was, that is exactly the first thing he would have wanted to give.

That is truly the beauty of Wunjo – giving love, sharing freedom, and inspiring joy.

Requiescat in pace – and may our souls have the pleasure of crossing paths again and again.

Working With Ancestors

I’ve been doing some recent journeying to meet with a spirit guide that began coming to me in dreams over the summer. I thought at first that perhaps I was seeing bits of a past life because of the strong and deep connection I felt to her. She was an old woman – with long grey hair tied back with a strap of leather. She wore layers of cloth and skins with an outer cloak of blue.  She was surrounded by runic charms, simple tools, and an aura of sheer power.

Last month, I decided to  journey to see if I could meet her or at least learn about her. With Crow’s help, I found her tucked away in the Upper World. She told me her name and that I was the first of her children to return to her – that is, the first descendent to walk a shamanic path. She gave me some tasks, told me to learn more about the ways of my ancestors, which is something I am slowly but surely working on.

As the winter sets in, I find myself coming back to the experience I had with her and my analytical mind likes to chime in: Was she honest with me? Does she really have my greatest good in mind? Am I really able to figure this out on my own? Am I encroaching on the faith of others? Does that matter? Lots of questions I’m tackling over the winter.

The Ordeal of Odin

It is said that Odin hung for Yggdrasil (the World Tree) for nine days and nights in his quest for the Runes. As a Rune reader, I choose to acknowledge this period between Auguest 17th and the 25th, as it is held my many Heathen traditions. I make this period in a variety of ways;  a daily ritual, reading of the Edda’s, and a fast (if possible). In intresting way to observe one day is in silence (or as much silence as possible). This is an opportune time to create a new set of Runes. For today, I’d like to share the tale of Odin’s ordeal:

The Web of Wyrd

137.
I trow I hung on that windy Tree
nine whole days and nights,
stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin,
myself to mine own self given,
high on that Tree of which none hath heard
from what roots it rises to heaven.

138.
None refreshed me ever with food or drink,
I peered right down in the deep;
crying aloud I lifted the Runes
then back I fell from thence.

140.
Ere long I bare fruit, and throve full well,
I grew and waxed in wisdom;
word following word, I found me words,
deed following deed, I wrought deeds.

141.
Hidden Runes shalt thou seek and interpreted signs,
many symbols of might and power,
by the great Singer painted, by the high Powers fashioned,
graved by the Utterer of gods.

143.
Dost know how to write, dost know how to read,
dost know how to paint, dost know how to prove,
dost know how to ask, dost know how to offer,
dost know how to send, dost know how to spend?

144.
……..
Thus Odin graved ere the world began;
Then he rose from the deep, and came again.

Translated by Olive Bray
Edited by D. L. Ashliman