Runes 201 - Individual Runes - Isa

As the ice begins to melt up north, I decided to sit with Isa - the Ice Rune - and reflect on some of the things happening in my life.  It's one of the Runes whose meanings is clear and, built into that meaning is caution and treading carefully.  It tells us to pause and look around, to see the whole picture and then take the next step.  This is what makes Isa the perfect Rune to hold when you are contemplating things.

Before I create a plan, I like to sit with Isa to think about it.  Then, I usually draw three Runes to support the issue I'm thinking about, and there tends to be a common process in those Runes.  The first one will tell me what I need to consider, the second will tell me how to go about it, and the third gives me the results results I should get if I follow the plan.

It's a little like a Norn reading; Urd is the the past - what you must consider.  This one may seem like a bit of a stretch, but hear me out.  When you consider things, the past is a major part of that consideration whether you realize it or not.  What have I learned from the past?  I don't want to repeat the past.  Should I try it again?  I've done this and this, now how do I do this?  Everything builds on the past one way or another.

The second Rune - telling you how to go about addressing the issue - represents Verdandi, what you must do in the present.  This isn't always a clear action.  Sometimes it is a skill or feeling you possess.  Isa will help you process the meaning.  Skuld aligns with the third Rune.  She is not exactly the future, rather more what should be (as I noted above) if you do what you need to do in the present; the results you will get.

I had a few friends try sitting with Isa to contemplate a single issue in their lives and then draw three Runes.  I should point out here that this process differs from an interpretation, because you have been sitting with the issue, considering it from all angles, weighing pros and cons, etcetera.  It's more like a mini ritual.  Anyway, here is what happened for them:

One friend had a situation at work and she wasn't sure if she should tell Human Resources about it.  She sat with Isa an hour a day for three days and then she drew Algiz, Gebo, and Ingwaz.  It was her past experience with taking care of herself through Algiz that gave her the gift (Gebo) she has for speaking up for others that she needed to use.  Ingwaz assured her that the time was right.

Another friend is contemplating getting a second job to pay for a trip he wants to take.  He sat with Isa for two hours and drew two sets of three, first on what kind of job he should get and the second on his ability to actually make the trip happen.  The two hours and two sets signify the second job - 2, 2, 2.  Wunjo (the joy Rune) and Kenaz (the torch Rune) overlapped these two draws.  Along with Raido, the riding Rune, at the beginning of the first draw, and Ehwaz, the horse Rune, at the end of the second, he discerned that whatever job he got would have to use his artistic skills, because that is what would make him happy and able to stick with the job to raise the money for the trip. He could also make the trip work, but it might happen in a non-traditional way.

Finally, another friend recently broke up with her long-time boyfriend and she was thinking about contacting an old boyfriend, not to get together with him, but to resume the friendship she let fall by the wayside, so as not to create any problems with the boyfriend who just ended their relationship.  She sat with Isa for a total of seven hours, an hour a night for a week.  Then, she drew her three Runes - Laguz (the water Rune), Wunjo (the joy Rune) , Berkana (the birch Rune).  Her relationship with the old boyfriend had always been easy (Laguz), they navigated everything without a fuss; it just flowed.  The idea of reconnecting with him and finding out what he'd been up to for the past few years made her happy (Wunjo) and she wanted to act on that happiness.  However, she also had to realize that whether or not he responded to her, was secondary to the fact that reaching out to him was a big step in moving past her recent break-up and getting on with her life (Berkana).

Through my own process and those that my friends undertook, Isa helped us to focus and contemplate before we drew our Runes, which gave us clearer results.  I hope sitting with Isa can help you in the same way.

Runes 402 - Rune Dialogues - Motivation

I don't know about you, but last week has a few high points in crappiness for me, so I decided it's time for some changes, time to take some initiative and get the ball rolling in the direction I want and need it to go.  So, I turned to the Runes and on one quiet morning late last week, and asked them for some guidance, which, of course, turned into an important dialogue about motivation.

Here's the question that was lingering in my head - why is it that, too often, we have to become fed up with the crap before we do anything to make effective, positive, and long-lasting change?  Once I realized that this was my problem at the moment, I was able to begin to change my perspective and ask about the positive motivation I need to move forward on the things I want to do.  It was this shift that led me to talk with the Runes in an effective way.

Me:  Some crappy things happened this week that are weighing on me and I need some positive motivation.  Where should I focus?

Runes:  It sounds as if you have experienced that first half of Hagalaz - the hail storm.  But, remember the other half, the nourishment that hail storm leaves in its wake.  The negative experiences you've had are leading you to the creative solutions you hold within you.  It is a shame that the negative experiences must occur, but you are correct in your recognition that becoming "fed up with the crap" motivates us to make changes.  The trick is going to be ensuring that you bring these changes to fruition, so that the crap or, at least, this crap doesn't happen again.

Me:  That is an excellent point.  Thank you for helping me see this perspective.  Although it would be nice to not have to deal with the crap, through Hagalaz, it can be a great motivator for change.  So, now that I feel ready and motivated to make serious change, how do I know it is time.

Runes:  Ingwaz assures you of that.  This Rune represents Ing, the hero, but it also refers to Ingvi Freyr, the fertility god, a god of peace and plenty.  This is where you should focus your attention, on these attributes - fertility, peace, and plenty.  Like Hagalaz, the characteristics of this Rune indicate a process.  Where Hagalaz's hail storm provided the motivation you needed to shift your focus to your true goals, Ingwaz reminds you that you stand on fertile ground and that fertile ground will bring you peace; through accepting that peace, you have the potential to achieve positive gains.

Me:  You are right, of course.  Thank you for reminding me that I am standing on fertile ground and that it is my choice in how I proceed.  I must decide the challenges I face.  I know the general direction I want and need to go, but how can I ensure that I follow that path as I need to?

Runes:  Begin with careful contemplation.  Create a plan before simply jumping in.  Isa can help with that.  The ice Rune requires not caution, but care.  Tread with care. Be still.  Listen.  Think.  Those are the first steps your motivation should take.

Me:  But what if I lose my motivation?  I am prone to leaping and figuring things out, in large part, as I go.  How do I curb my enthusiasm without losing my motivation?

Runes:  Jera.

Me: (giant grin appears on my face as I kiss this Rune).  That was sneaky; giving me my Rune.

Runes:  Yes, but you know what it means.  It will even motivate you more, I think.

Me:  You are right about that.

Runes:  Jera is your Rune because you need this prompt to keep you moving in your process.  No Rune, more than Jera does that for you.  This Rune, the Rune of the year and the harvest screams out time to you.  You must take the required time to bring your forward motion to fruition so that you end up where you want to be.  Encompassed within it is the process that Ingwaz showed you.  You are starting on fertile ground and you will find peace through Isa's wisdom and unleashing the creativity of Hagalaz's second half.  Do you see the interlinked processes?

Me:  I do.  Thank you.  One last question.  What tool do I need to assist me along the way?

Runes:  You must use the greatest tool you possess on this front - Ansuz.

Me:  Of course.  Ansuz incorporates not only communication, which will be indispensable, but the gods and the idea of the mouth of a river.  I am standing at the mouth of the river after a rough journey over open seas.  Now, the path narrows and leads to my goals.  The gods will be with me on this journey as they always are and I will use one of my greatest assets - communication.  Thank you.

Temporary Runes

Once again, I am away from my usual computer on a posting day.  I will add the images when I return, but for now, I ask the question, "Did you forget something?"  This question is quite relevant this week, as I am also away from my Runes.  In all honesty, I forgot them.  So, my question to the Runes this week is - what do I do when I need something that I don't have?

Before I could address this question, I had to make a temporary set of Runes to use.  I divided a piece of paper into 24 even rectangles, then asked for a blessing from the gods (Odin, Heimdall, Freyr) so that I could write the Runes on the paper and they would be imbued with temporary power to offer guidance.  Once the blessing was sorted, I drew the Runes onto the paper rectangles.  Once they were done, I asked the gods for their guidance with the process, since I was working with temporary Runes.

My temporary Runes.  (Photo added 8/13/2012)

Fehu, Hagalaz and Isa offered the guidance to this question.  This was a difficult draw to interpret, but after some thought, I realized that, through the process of making my temporary Runes, I had accomplished my goal.

Fehu is the Rune of wealth.  From a strictly historical perspective, this referred to cattle or money.  However, we must think of wealth as having many potential definitions in today's world.  In this instance, I believe it means a wealth of resources.  For example, my problem was that I didn't have my Runes with me, but the solution lay within many possible choices.  I could have waited until I got back to my office, but that would have delayed my post, so I opted not to choose that path.  I have a very good friend that has a set of Runes.  I could have called her and asked her to draw the Runes for me.  Although I may try this one at some point in the future, I decided I wanted to fend for myself so to speak and not ask for her help.  In thinking of wealth as available resources, I thought of the simplest way to acquire a set of Runes without buying new ones, which was another option.  Thus, I made my temporary set out of a sheet of paper.  That is the perfect overview of this situation.

As is common, Hagalaz challenged me in this draw.  The Rune of hail, of destructive and creative force, is a good challenge.  How can we take a seemingly bad situation and turn it into a good one?  We get creative.  Not having my Runes was a challenge and could have thrown off my weekly posts, but, by being creative, I overcame the challenge that was threatening my plans.

The first two Runes took me a while to reason out, but as soon as I looked at Isa, I knew I had taken the right action.  The Rune of Ice encourages us to exercise caution, for while ice is beautiful, it can cause us to lose our footing quite easily.  This Rune is sometimes referred to as the Rune of standstill (which I used early on in my posts), but I realize that is an oversimplification.  The Runes do not tell us to stand still, but they do offer good warnings of caution.  When I decided to make my temporary Runes, I was very cautious.  Not only did I ask the gods for a blessing on the Runes, but requested their support throughout the process of answering the question as well.  The result is that the answer to my question is the process I went through to be able to answer the question in the first place.

I used the wealth of resources around me to create a  simple, yet effective set of temporary Runes.  I faced the challenge of not having my Runes by being creative and I was cautious while I was making the Runes, even asking the gods for additional guidance.  Most importantly, I did the first reading for myself.  Still, I hope this reading can help you too.