Runes 402 - Rune Dialogues - Transitions

Transitions create curves, inclines, bridges,
and crossroads on our life paths

One of the most often asked about situations from people who ask me for readings has to do with transitions.  The largest percentage of transition questions are work or career related, but romance and moving are close seconds with a similar number of inquiries each.

No matter what kind of transition you're going through, it seems there should be a standard set of tools that will help you navigate those transitions and get you through the twists and turns, hills and valleys, and over those dreaded bridges.  That was my line of thinking when I began my latest dialogue with the Runes.

Me:  What tools do we need to help us through transitions?

Runes:  Hagalaz, Raido, Perthro.  Hagalaz serves to remind you that transitions are part of the ongoing process of life.  When they begin, they upset the normal processes that have been in place, but going and getting through them is essential for growth.  Raido reinforces life's journey.  Life is a series of transitions of different duration and intensity.  Perthro offers insight on two fronts to manage transitions.  First, Perthro alludes to challenges, games of chance.  These are key parts and the point of any transition.  Transitions challenge you; transitions provide opportunities to take risks (games of chance).  Second, transitions are easier when you have support.  Perthro speaks directly to support from friends, community.  Don't do it alone if you don't have to...and chances are that you don't.

Me:  This is very helpful.  Can you offer more insight into each?  Being aware of the tools is one thing, but how can we best use them?

Runes:  For Hagalaz, you can find help with Othala, Ansuz, and Thurisaz.  When you face the hail Rune, it is important to remember Othala, for it is fluidity in time.  It represents not only your heritage, but your current family and your legacy.  When these two Runes face off, a lot is determined.  Othala informs how you approach the transition and what you gain or lose by going through it.  Ansuz is simple.  Throughout the transition, communication is vital.  You will gain and use knowledge, and learn lessons.  Growth.  Thurisaz is strength, the power you need to get through.  Call it drive or determination.  Your intention is to not only survive the transition, but thrive.

Me:  That is a lot more depth into how to manage the onset of and get through the transition.  What about Raido?

Runes: Raido is more about navigating when you are in the throes of the transition.  This is when you can use Ehwaz, Laguz, and Gebo.  In this instance, the aspect of Ehwaz that is used is loyalty.  Loyalty is a foundation and, loyalty here is to the intent of the journey.  It means staying true to successfully completing this phase of the journey.  Laguz is another Rune that has two parts that oppose each other, but that are equally important.  You have to know when to relax and go with the flow and when to go into the depths to gain greater understanding, because sometimes its a push and sometimes you just have to ride portions out. That can be hard, but Gebo's gifts can come from unexpected places.  A challenge successfully met is a gift.  The underlying message in Gebo is to look for the positive and build on that.

Me:  That is important guidance for managing the twists and turns and even the unexpected when going through a transition.  And Perthro?  What deeper information can you give us on that?

Runes:  I give you Wunjo, Jera, and once again, Ehwaz.  As always, the ultimate goal is joy - Wunjo.  When you go through a transition, you do it either for the joy that awaits on the other side, essentially because going through the transition is going to make you happy, or because you hope to find joy somewhere along the way.  In the case of the latter, sometimes the best first step is the perspective that Gebo offered with Raido.  A challenge, which is part of Perthro, that is a real struggle usually turns out making us feel a lot better in the end.  Jera is always a good Rune to have.  It serves as a gentle reminder that everything is a process.  How do we get to a bountiful harvest?  Sometimes things are sunshine and butterflies and sometimes you have to spread a lot of manure (and not the deceitful bullshit kind, but rather the actual get your hands dirty, smell it in the air stink kind).  Things aren't always going to be easy, but if you do what needs to be done for good or bad, and don't try to cut corners, it will be worth it.  And, last is Ehwaz.  In this position, we focus on partnership and relationship, even the teamwork aspect of Ehwaz and transitions.  As much as you might think you're doing something alone, you don't live in a vacuum.  What you do affects and impacts others in ways you may not realize, so when you're going around a particularly sharp bend or up an steep incline, remember, you are not or do not have to be alone.  There is always someone there who will help.

Me:  Thank you for this wonderful advice.  Jera reminded me that sometimes transitions take longer than we expect, but we have many tools at our disposal to manage them.  So, whether we are dealing with romance or trying to decide our next career move, we should take stock in those tools and utilize them as best as we can.

Runes 403 - Rune Interpretations - The Waiting

I have to laugh as I begin this post about 'the waiting', because my first inclination was to write that I have been 'waiting' a long time to write it.  It also brings to mind one of my favorite songs of the same name, The Waiting, by Tom Petty wherein he assures us that the waiting is the hardest part.  Given this truth, I asked the Runes what they wanted to show us about managing the waiting.  How do we address that moment in time, that part of the process, when we feel the momentum wanting us to move forward, but we must resist and wait for someone else to make the next move?

The three Runes I drew in response to this question get right to the heart of the matter.  Although Ansuz's meaning in this situation and as the first in the draw may seem unclear at first, a short pause clarifies it very well.   When we see Ansuz, we relate it to the gods, particularly Odin. Of course, it is always good to have Odin with us from the start, but it means more than that here.  I view Odin as stepping in only at critical moments, which signifies to me that this is one of those moments and drawing a Rune that represents him reiterates the importance of waiting through it.

However,  there is another meaning for this Rune, that of an estuary, which is equally important. As I've mentioned before, an estuary is a place of transition between rivers and the ocean, placing us in a position of transition and making 'the wait' a necessary part of it.

That being said, Ansuz has one other meaning that lends us the best way to manage this time.  We know that Odin places significance on the situation and that we are in the middle of a transition, but how do we manage it?  The third meaning associated with this Rune is communication, which tells us that, instead of doing nothing while we wait, we can prepare for the next step, for that moment when the waiting ends and the next step in the process begins.  It is that preparation that will carry us through not only the waiting period, but the next step as well.

Why is that important?  Why should we prepare, especially if we might be unsure what the next step will bring?  Raido, the riding Rune, as the second Rune in this draw tells us that the waiting is part of the journey.  It highlights the transition we are in and that we must approach it in an intentional way, but it also says that waiting does not negate our ability to move. This lends support to what Ansuz says about preparing for the next step this journey is leading to. We can sit and let 'the waiting' happen to us and fill us with angst or we can take control of 'the waiting' so that we are ready when it ends.  Besides supporting the latter, Raido assures us that greater movement is on its way; it is coming and the better prepared we are, the better able we will be to manage it and complete this transition phase smoothly.

The final Rune, Berkana, unquestionably tells us that the result of actively waiting (doing what we can to prepare for the next step while we are waiting for others to move) leads us to a beginning.  Berkana represents the birch tree, and the Old English Rune poem, in particular, highlights one of the most interesting aspects of this tree - though it doesn't flower or bear fruit, its boughs are green and beautiful.  This fits well into our journey's transition and tells us that, even though there is no obvious flowering in our process, the end result will still provide a full bloom.  We just have to wait for it... actively wait.