When You're Ready

Today I completed my Master's degree.  My thesis is submitted and I am done.  It is a relief, but the path I had to take to reach this point was quite bumpy and full of detours.  Being able to draw Runes for guidance during this process was very reassuring and let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I was doing what I needed to be doing and that, in the end, everything was going to be fine.  I'd like to share the Runes that helped to guide me through the last few weeks to reach this point.  Maybe you've experienced a trail like this and will be able to relate to it and recognize how helpful the Runes were to me and may have been to you.

When I began to prepare to defend my thesis, I was worried about whether I was ready and whether the research I had done was interesting or quality.  When I started to feel blocked, like my fear was beginning to block my progress, I reached for my Rune bag and pull out a stone.  I drew Inguz, the Rune of Fertility.  It assured me that I had the strength to achieve this task.  More importantly, it reminded me that finishing this process was leading me to a new path, a new part of my life.

When I was trying to practice my thesis defense presentation, I kept being interrupted.  Again, I became concerned that I would not be prepared when the time came to stand in front of my committee.  This time, I pulled out Ehwaz reversed.  This is the Rune of Movement.  In its reversed position Ehwaz told me that what was mine would come and to make sure that what I was doing was timely.  I realized that trying to practice with other people around was not the wisest thing for me to be doing.  So I waited and, of course, it worked.

By the day before my presentation, I was stressing over whether I was ready and wondering if I was making too much of it all.  I drew one last Rune.  I got Othila, the Rune of Separation.  This wonderful Rune brought with it separation from my thesis defense.  By separating myself from the event, I became freer to become who I truly am.  Mt thesis defense presentation represented the end of a relationship or process that had become outmoded and needed to be discarded.  I was ready to let go.

All along the Runes reinforced the message that I was ready, ready to present, ready to complete this part of my life and ready to move on to a new path.  So, what Rune did I draw just now to mark the end of that process and the beginning of this new path in my life?  Mannaz, the Rune of the Self.  Perfect, as I plan to spend the next few months focusing on doing the things that make me happy.