Runes 202 - Bind Runes - Recovery

It's never easy when someone we love is hurting or ill or having surgery.  This week, someone I love very much is having major surgery.  To help her with her recovery and to send her a little reminder that I love her and will be thinking of her, I wanted to make her a bind Rune.  It was just a month ago, that I attempted my first bind Rune, but I was committed to the idea.

The question was which Runes to use.  I wanted to make sure the focus was on her recovery and not on the surgery itself.  Last night, I ended up dumping my Runes onto my bed and staring at them for about an hour, slowly and thoughtfully removing Runes that weren't right for this undertaking.

I got down to nine Runes, laid them out in a diamond, and the three running down the middle seemed perfect - Othala, Nauthiz, and Dagaz.  Scooping the others back into the bag, I spent about half an hour trying to sketch a bind Rune using those three, but couldn't get it to look or feel quite right.

So, I threw those three Runes back into the bag too, thinking I would start from scratch.  The Runes had other plans, a slight correction.

Reaching into the bag, I pulled out Othala; that would represent the heart of the bind Rune.  Dagaz came out second, to serve as the support.  Third was not Nauthiz, rather Mannaz, which would go on top.  I had fumbled with Mannaz when I was ruling out Runes; I actually had it in my hand for a few minutes, while I contemplated other Runes, because I couldn't see how it fit.

However, with Mannaz and my poor sketches, the bind Rune fell into perfectly balanced place.  At the bottom, rests Dagaz, the Rune of day and clarity.  In this case, I would go so far as to say optimism, because once she begins her recovery, not only will she need to have a positive mindset, but optimism provides her with a positive feedback as she begins to feel better and helps her to fight and stay focused on getting better.  This is interesting, because, as this gives Dagaz double duty, Dagaz also appears twice in the bind Rune.

Stemming from the middle, Othala represents the homestead and inheritance, basically meaning being able to enjoy those things as she begins to feel better.  In some ways, this is an extension of Othala from two weeks ago, when I wanted to make the most of the weekend with my siblings.  After all, isn't family part of the homestead?

In the top position lies Mannaz, the Rune of the self or higher self.  This is who we really are, what makes us human.  Mannaz implies that this isn't just about her recovery, but about her whole being, her truths, fears, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses.  In a way, although Othala is located at the heart of the bind Rune, it's really there to support the true heart - her, her true self - as she recovers.

Have you ever made a bind Rune for someone?  I can't wait to give her her bind Rune later today.  I hope she likes it!