Showing posts with label cattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cattle. Show all posts

Monday, March 31, 2014

Runes 202 - Bind Runes - Life's pursuits

I began a line of questioning with the Runes today that I intended to relate to job searches, changing careers, and the like.  However, as I contemplated and interpreted the meaning of the three Runes I received - Kenaz, Laguz, and Fehu - I realized that I was limiting them to a single parameter in life, when they applied easily to many pursuits.

Not only could I not confine these Runes, but I wanted to strengthen them by binding them together.  The final product may not look pretty, but it is a powerful reminder of a positive mindset as we endeavor into life's pursuits.


Although it's not the prettiest or most balanced bind Rune I've made, I love it just for the open visual.  This Rune looks like it is open to so many possibilities.  Beyond the visual, the Runes that are bound here are very uplifting.

I drew Kenaz first and its simplicity is revealed in this position.  Commonly referred to as the Rune of the light or torch, Kenaz represents human made fire, made using human creativity and knowledge.  This indicates to me that we should pursue those things that come naturally to us or that we have worked hard to learn and master.  That is where we will find satisfaction.  Even if it is not possible to undertake these things to earn a living, they must remain an active part of our lives, for they feed our joy.

Laguz was next.  Though I often say, "go with the flow" when this Rune appears, it is not simply a matter of kicking back and letting things happen to us.  We must still be active, preferably proactive in life's pursuits.  While we should try not to let things stress us out, we must also realize that life does not flow directly from A to B.  In other words, it's not going to be easy, but if we follow Kenaz (doing the things that come naturally or that we have worked hard to master), it will be worth it.  The thing to remember is that, like the depths of the sea, life is full of mysteries and, like the river making its way across the floodplain to the sea, life is also full of twists and turns, calm waters and rapids.  If we sit back and do nothing, those aspect's of life are going to kick our asses.  We have to navigate these parameters consciously.

I laughed a bit when I saw the final Rune - Fehu.  It seems to be counter to the implication of the first two Runes.  Where they suggest guiding our lives toward joy and contentment, Fehu is the cattle Rune' money; suggesting that money is the happiness we seek.  However, two points stand out against this idea.  First, whereas cattle used to be a form of 'money', in broader terms, it represents wealth and today wealth cannot be measured in terms of financial prowess alone.  The second point ties directly into that idea, because the Rune poems claim that those who have money should dole it out in abundance, essentially share the wealth, and that money is the source of a lot of arguments with loved ones.  In essence, don't put all your eggs in one basket - don't make financial wealth you're only goal.  Good health, good friends, a loving family, work that you enjoy or that allows you to do the things you enjoy, these are all aspects of wealth.  So, Fehu is not counter to Kenaz or Laguz; rather it reinforces them by making you consider the types of rewards you want to achieve through Kenaz and Laguz.

Separately, these three Runes offer important guidance in the pursuit of life.  Together, they unite our natural talents and acquired knowledge with our abilities to proactively navigate the twists, turns, and mysteries of life, and realize that money is only a single goal within and along that path; we will be far richer in the end, if we pursue good health, loving relationships, and activities we enjoy as we pursue financial security.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Runes 201 - Individual Runes - Laguz

This week, I choose to honor Laguz, the Rune of water.  The saying, "Go with the flow," has been crossing my mind a lot lately, so I decided it was time to investigate why.  My question is how can we work with Laguz to go with the flow?  For me, in particular this week, this represents many potential shifts coming my way both personally and professionally.  I hope this relates to something in your life as well.

 Laguz has the position of prominence in the accompanying image, since it is the Rune I seek to work with this week.  Just briefly, this Rune represents water and the mysteries associated with it.  In some ways, it is the unknown depths of the water that I am focusing on here.  This also represents the subconscious.  Perhaps we must summon our subconscious to successfully "go with the flow".

When I received Ansuz first, I was unclear about its relationship to Laguz in this situation.  This Rune represents the gods, more specifically perhaps, Odin.  It is also the Rune of communication.  I was confused by this draw, because, while I appreciate Odin, I have never felt an affinity towards him.  I decided I needed to draw another rune to provide me with guidance on how to interpret Ansuz.  I got Eihwaz, the Yew tree Rune.  The yew tree represents protection in the sense of toughness, standing one's ground.  This helped me to realize that, for me to go with the flow of Laguz, all I need to do is use my one of greatest strengths, relating to communication - the power of speech and articulation.  These attribute flow most freely from me.  What is your best communication tool?  Remember, it should come effortlessly to you and align with letting things flow.  It can be art work, a compliment, a gesture; communication happens in many ways, some obvious and others quite subtle.

I was pleased to see Fehu in second position, especially after my Rune ritual of two weeks ago using this Rune.  (On a side note, I believe the ritual worked well and I plan to do more ritual posts and also repeat the Fehu ritual personally.)  While we refer to Fehu as the money Rune, it doesn't have to mean only money; it can mean wealth more broadly.  Whatever form of wealth we are seeking flows to us more easily when we are using our most positive characteristics.  That is why I reach for speaking and articulation as my communication strengths.  These are the tools I use to communicate most effectively.  Using that aspect of myself will bring wealth to me easier than if I try to paint a picture or run a computer simulation, because those are not my strengths.

Finally, we have Gebo, the gift Rune.  This is more the idea of giving a gift than receiving one; it's giving without expectation of reciprocity.  Maybe we should think of it as karma Rune.  Giving  gifts will attract its own rewards and give its own benefits.  The question is, what are we giving?  We are giving our greatest tool, the best mode of communication we have.  Simply put, when we want to communicate (or participate) with the world and we utilize our greatest strengths in a giving way to do it, not only do these gifts flow out of us, but they will flow back to us in the form of the greatest strengths of others.

Try to let things flow this week and let me know how it goes.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Set Goals; Don't Make Resolutions

It's the second full week of 2013; how are your resolutions coming?  I decided long ago that I wasn't going to make any new years resolutions, because I rarely followed through on them.  However, I found that if I changed the idea from a resolution to a goal, I fared much better.  It is to that end that I asked the Runes how we can be successful in accomplishing our goals for 2013.

For the draw, and in practice for my soon-to-be new set of Runes, I tried a different approach.  Instead of reaching into the bag and pulling out the Runes, I held them all in my hands above (but not directly over) my head and began dropping them not one at a time, but let them fall as my hands moved back and forth.  Going forward, this is the likely method I will use, because I did this once, then tried a different approach that didn't work, then tried dropping them again and got the same three Runes as I did the first time.  I took the first three that fell face up.  They were Fehu, Jera, and Raido.

 
Fehu was an interesting first Rune, because its core meaning is cattle or money.  However, given the line of questioning, I take this to represent something that will make you wealthier, not necessarily in the financial sense.  For example, I have writing goals this year and one of the main reasons I write is because it makes me happy and, happiness is a form of wealth in our lives.  I believe that this is what Fehu in the first position is telling us.  If we expect to be successful in accomplishing our goals, we must set goals around things that will bring some form of wealth into our lives.

 
My favorite Rune, Jera, was next.  The Rune of the harvest and process is the best reminder that the goals are not going to happen over night.  Success comes from applying ourselves every day and committing to bringing the goals to fruition.  It means dealing with set backs and staying focused so that we can move forward.  Create a plan with some manageable steps will help too.  For example, don't just say you're going to get a new job, set metrics like how many resumes you're going to send out a week, how many cold calls you're going to make, and how many sources you have for finding work.  Whatever your goal is, realize that there is a process related to it, have patience, and work with the process.

Finally, Raido, the Rune of travel and journey.  This journey can occur in any state - physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.  What is represents primarily is the idea that you must keep things moving forward and, in this way, it supports Jera's focus on process.  You cannot make progress toward your goal if you don't move forward.  Simply put, Raido takes you from where you are to where you want to be.

What are some goals you've set for 2013?  How will you accomplish them?

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A Healing Rune

I had an interesting experience with the Runes this evening.  As you know, my last two readings have been done with the temporary Runes I made out of paper.  Tonight, I went back to my old Runes to ask them to show me a Rune of healing, because I have had some health issues the past couple of weeks.  My old Runes gave me Fehu, which made me wonder what the heck the Rune of money, wealth, and cattle had to do with healing.  So, I thought maybe my old Runes had stopped working for me, because the message wasn't immediately obvious.

I grabbed my temporary paper Runes, asked for a blessing from Odin and Heimdall, and asked those Runes if Fehu was really the answer.  I knew I wouldn't get a yes or no from the Runes, but I think they came as close as they could get.  I drew Dagaz, the Rune of clarity, day, and light.  For me, this meant that I had been shown the right path and that it should be clear, the reasoning easy to discern.

Still I had to think about it, but trusting that Fehu is my healing Rune, I drew three Runes to determine how I was supposed to address Fehu to achieve my healing.  Once the Runes began to show themselves, I understood exactly why Fehu was my healing Rune.  The three Runes I got were Algiz, Tiwaz and Raido.

Algiz is the Rune of self-defense and protection.  This provides a reasonable overview of the situation, for when we aren't not well, we must take care of ourselves if we expect to heal.  It also calls into play the fact that, when we are physically ill, it may not be a purely physical illness, rather the illness may be a result of mental or emotional stress.

In times when we are weakened, whether physically, mentally or emotionally, our challenge is to remain strong, which is why Tiwaz, Týr's Rune, the warrior Rune is the challenge in the circumstance.  Tiwaz reminds us that, even when our state is fragile or, perhaps, especially when it is, we must find our courage and overcome the source that is causing us our pain.

 The final Rune is Raido.  I knew this Rune was coming.  Raido represents a journey, a physical move.  This brings me full circle to Fehu.  I live in a place where I struggle (for reasons I won't go into) to find work.  The angst over this multi-year struggle has weighed on me mentally and emotionally for quite a while now and, I believe, is culminating in physical distress.  I am ready to go, but my circumstances are such that I will be here for a year or two more, before my family and I can leave.  I am hopeful that Raido is the Runes telling me it will come and, through Tiwaz, telling me I must be strong a little while longer.

The final tie back to Fehu is this.  Because this place is my home for the next couple of years, I must find some work to tide me over until we can move to the next place.  Having that income that my family needs will reduce my stress and help the physical pain to dissipate.  Finding regular or consistent work won't be easy, but Týr is my warrior god and I find comfort in his support.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Runes 201 - Individual Runes - Fehu

Fehu is interpreted as the Rune of money.  However, strictly speaking, the Rune's original meaning was cattle, because cattle was the first form of money.  It was how wealth was measured.  Of course, today, we have numerous ways by which to measure wealth and wealth does not always refer to financial riches.  How ever you measure your wealth, this week's question is - how can you use Fehu to gain that richness in your life?

I've grown attached to my temporary set of Runes (the picture of which is now included in last week's post), so I used them to answer this week's question and help us to better understand the Rune - Fehu.  They seem to have worked quite well, giving me Wunjo, Dagaz, and Ehwaz.

The Rune of Joy, Wunjo, fits well with this situation, as we are seeking something that aids in our joy or improves our situation.  However, Wunjo also reminds us to be grateful for the things that we possess already, to be thankful for the basic necessities we have in our lives, such as food, shelter, water.  Beyond that, we must remember friends and family and the luxuries of modern life.  When our basic requirements are satisfied, we can begin to look at those things that bring us joy, things that make our lives richer.  In other words, our "cattle" can be money, but money is simply the tool we use to acquire some things that make us happy.  That said, there are plenty of things that require no money, but still give us the feeling of wealth, such as being able to read or write a book, watching a sunrise or sunset.  All of these things are wealth that we pursue.

Every situation faces a challenge and, in the pursuit of wealth, a primary challenge is recognizing that which we consider to be truly valuable.  That is why our challenge is represented by Dagaz, the Rune of day or light.  This translates to the idea of clarity or hope.  Once we see things clearly, gain a greater awareness, our priorities, likewise, become clear.  To me, Dagaz is a strong Rune, because finding your own clarity around important issues is critically important.  Once we make and accept the priorities that we, ourselves, have defined, only then can we begin to follow a true path to the wealth we seek.

Ehwaz, the Rune of the horse, offers the steps we must take to accomplish our pursuit of finding and enjoying those things that enrich our lives.  The horse was sacred to many Germanic tribes and, I believe that, drawing this Rune as the required action to address the question of how best to utilize Fehu, indicates a level of intense commitment.  Unlike Raido, which signals a physical journey, this Rune symbolizes a either spiritual one or the formation of a special partnership, akin to that between horse and rider, or friendship.  If we expect to see the light, to have our epiphany, and live enriched lives, we must take our pursuit of those answers seriously, but realize that what we perceive as wealth may not be perceived so by others.  That does not make us wrong, just of different points of view.

Fehu offers us a way to enrich our lives, to fill our lives with a variety of experiences and, once we realize what truly matters and focus on those things, we will understand Fehu.