Connecting on the Solstice

On this, the longest day of the year for us northern hemisphere dwellers, I sit in my living room looking out the window at a cloudy, rainy day.  This image does not immediately beckon the ideas I like to associate with this day - our summer solstice - but it does connect me to Earth in a similar way.  Rain, just like the sun, nourishes the planet and is required for our most basic survival.  Given this perspective, I asked the Runes what they would like to share with me about this day.  What they presented relates to the way we look at things.

Berkana coming first was very interesting to me.  It is the birch Rune, associated with beginnings, creativity, and birth.  Perhaps this ties into new perspectives, looking at things in new ways.  Just as I am getting a new perspective on the solstice, experiencing things that we know from a new or different view point can change or enhance the way that we understand them.  This can pertain to how we view and acknowledge this day to anything and everything else in our lives.  Simply put, this may be the perfect opportunity for us to gain some fresh perspectives on which we can build and doing it without expectation.  Instead of expecting something to be a certain way, use an. "I wonder," approach to see it differently.

Having Hagalaz, the hail Rune, follow Berkana reinforces this line of thought for me.  Hail contains a process that I have mentioned before.  Destruction or upheaval is the first part; when hail strikes, it can damage even destroy crops and property if it hits hard enough.  A new perspective on something can create problems as well, depending on how dramatic the shift in perception is.  In a way, we are reminded that change is uncomfortable, but with time, we adapt, adjust, and ideally embrace what we have come to understand based on our new perception.  I might even go so far as to call this personal growth.  Notice that I didn't say that we agree with it.  The focus is more on creating a more holistic understanding of things than blind acceptance of them.

Two years ago when I posted Runes for the Solstice, Mannaz immediately followed Berkana. Drawing Mannaz here, though it makes similar sense intuitively as it did back then, is more challenging to explain.  What this gets to is the hope that, once we finish the process of Hagalaz, that we will reap the benefits of this new perspective and that the realization will have an overall positive influence on us as individuals, but also as we participate in the larger human experience.

Whether acknowledging and celebrating the solstice today or likening this insight into another aspect of our lives, we can carry this idea or ideal with us and see if we can find that new perspective, build on it in a positive way, and and keep that positive energy moving forward.

Balance Runes for the Equinox

When major changes happen in our lives, we get pulled in the direction of the energy causing the change; sometimes we can feel like we are living a completely different life from that which we lived only a week or a month before.  Dramatic shifts like this can create the sense of being out of balance.  Given that we are approaching the equinox this week, a time of worldwide balance, I asked the Runes how we can find balance when a life shift makes us feel like we are on the verge of losing our balance.

The response I got was not what I was expecting at all.  The image above, of a stream swirling through a calm forest is what I was thinking about; taking time, even a moment, to relax, regroup, and move forward calmly.  That was my image.  The Runes had other thoughts entirely - sometimes things take over our lives and we must embrace them.

Yes, I know that Thurisaz is considered a power not to be reckoned with and carries with it negative connotations and warnings, but that is not what this Rune represents for me.  In fact, I don't think of any Rune as being good or bad and I see Thurisaz as a Rune of great power.  What matters is how we channel that power.  If any warning comes with it, it is to be careful to properly manage it so that it doesn't overtake you or worse, someone else.  Perhaps that is the warning that comes with my question; however, I tend to believe that Thurisaz is telling us it is okay to be out of balance sometimes; that being a bit out of balance, giving more weight to one aspect of your life for a while, can actually be quite empowering.  Don't back away from the change, but manage its force positively.

If I doubted that interpretation, Gebo as the second Rune, reinforces what Thurisaz is saying.  Although we like to feel like we have balance in our lives, no one does, not all the time.  Being out of balance or feeling close to it can be a gift.  For example, I just started a new job and, though I am enjoying it very much, it has meant that other parts of my life, like this blog, don't get the same amount of my time as they used to and it feels out of balance.  As we approach the equinox, that feeling is becoming more obvious to me.  But what the Runes are telling me is that this shift in my life is a gift to embrace, for if we don't get out of balance once in a while, how will we grow and change?  Evolve and experience new and exciting things?

I believe that is why Berkana came third in this draw.  Moments spent out of balance, experiencing things outside of our comfort zone or that we haven't experienced in a while bring out our creativity.  They inspire and energize us.  Without these out of balance moments, we would not have beginnings, the beginnings that Berkana represents.

So, as we approach this equinox, if you are feeling a bit out of balance, do not fear.  Embrace the energy that is pulling you and turn it into something positive, a growth experience.  Consider it a gift that is leading you to new paths or helping you develop new skills, but in some way offering you a positive beginning.

Runes 202 - Bind Runes - Priorities

I received some interesting feedback about last week's post, but one really stood out, because it was a nuanced aspect to the idea of dealing with change that relates to priorities.  The question was - how can you keep from losing track of your priorities, especially when change occurs?  The example was a personal project this person has been working on consistently for a few years.  However, her family is going through a big change right now and she wants to make sure that she manages to keep working on this project, which has come to mean a lot to her.

I asked the Runes her question and their response was simple, but I felt like I wanted to capture the strength that lies within its simplicity.  So, I made them into a bind Rune.  The Runes I drew were Nauthiz, Laguz, and Mannaz.

This is the way I chose to bind them, because, I felt that Nauthiz and Laguz were tied to Mannaz on the left, almost as if, even though Mannaz was last, it was actually first and they are responding to the foundation of the human experience.

Nauthiz, the Rune of need and necessity, came up about a year ago in a slightly different context, but its overarching meaning is still the same - the idea of need versus want.  Nauthiz acknowledges that it is easy to get caught up in the new things that come with change.  Whether they are good or bad, we can find ourselves dedicating far more time to them than we should or really need to.  As the first Rune drawn, it suggests that we need to create an awareness of the things we need and make sure that we keep them in our lives.  Too often we focus on a single aspect of 'need', such as money, but we need a diversity of things in our lives and that is what Nauthiz tells us.  For some it means time outside hiking or gardening, for others, maybe writing or reading, for example.

Laguz was second and also appeared in our last bind Rune about life's pursuits.  In that bind Rune, it told us that we must not get stressed out, but we cannot simply kick back and let our circumstances take control of lives.  We must move consciously.  Similarly, in this instance, Laguz says that part of moving consciously within the flow of our lives means that our hobbies or special projects or time with family and friends are not just going to happen on their own.  We need to make a commitment to them (maintain it) through the changes in our lives.  In essence, it is our responsibility to ourselves to engage in the activities that fulfill different parts of who we are.

That leads us to Mannaz, the Rune that came first last week and feels first today.  Last week's message was important, however brief.  We are human; we have strengths and weaknesses.  Beyond the self, Mannaz brings the larger human society into the picture.  When considering priorities, Mannaz reminds us to consider how we want our individual self to exist and interact with the society in which we exist.  How will it influence us and we it?  How do we want to be a part of it?

Joining these three Runes together as I have establishes us as part of a larger entity or force.  Placing Nauthiz lower and, in a way, closer to Mannaz allows us to acknowledge what we need to feel fulfilled, especially those things that we might be inclined to let slip away, because of some major change in our lives.  Laguz, then, helps us prioritize those needs and find a way to continue to honor their place in filling our lives with the things we need.

Runes 402 - Rune Dialogues - Dealing with Change

Change is a part of life.  In fact, some say that the only thing that is constant in this world is change.  Still, that does not negate the fact that some people really struggle with it.  Someone very dear to me does not deal well with it, but his life is about change in a fairly big way.  Despite it being a positive change, his aversion to change hasn't changed.  So, I decided to engage with the Runes to ask for their guidance in managing it.  How can we deal with change, whether good or bad, for our own well-being without reacting negatively to it?

The Runes make it clear from the onset that this is truly a personal issue.

Runes:  Mannaz reminds us that humans possess both strengths and weaknesses.

Me:  That is true.  Thank you.  So, this tells us that it is okay to not like change; that it is a natural part of who we are.

Runes:  It is, but so is how you deal with it.  You may not like it, but it is going to happen, so perhaps the best way to approach change is the way you approach a new day.  That is why Dagaz comes second.  Each day begins as an opportunity.  What you accomplish and how you feel during the cycle of one day depends on your choices and your perspective.

Me:  You are saying that we need to be more conscious of the things we do, right?

Runes:  I am saying that by being more conscious, you can have a better effect on your day.  Berkana represents birth and beginnings.  When we are born our opportunities are unlimited.  Change presents beginnings too; sometimes not in ways we would like to receive them, but when a beginning presents itself to us, it holds nothing more than potential and you can choose how you engage that potential and what direction it takes.

Me:  Of course.  Thank you.  This makes it seem much easier.

Runes:  Do not misinterpret my intention.  The way you approach change is important, but that does not necessarily mean it will be easier or even pleasant.  However, I place Uruz here, not only because dealing with discomfort requires strength, but also to remind you that it requires you to think freely and critically about such a situation.

Me:  How will we know if we are succeeding or what can we do to ensure that we are thinking freely and critically?

Runes:  Perthro takes this struggle outside of you (Mannaz) and into a social component.

Me:  So, we need to find the fun in the situation.

Runes:  That is only part of it.  It is important to find the lighter side, but more importantly, you must engage socially,  If you withdrawal from the inevitable change, you make everything a struggle.  It is in your best interest to participate in the process of change.  It helps forge new relationships, build loyalty, and it affects your wyrd.  That is where Gebo comes in, for when you give, in this case to a situation, without expectation of an end result, the gift within the situation will reveal itself to you in many ways.

Me:  Your insight has been very wise.  I understand that it is okay to not like change, but that the way that we engage with and accept it will have profound impact on the experience we have with it.  If we resist less and work on building relationships, the outcome is far more likely to be a positive one.  Thank you.