Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes - Shells

The Runes I have been using for several years were not intended to be a permanent set even though I stained them with my blood as part of the ritual.  I made them after the original staves I had been working on were ruined.  They have served me well, but I always planned to make another set and, this year, I committed to making at least three new sets of Runes.  Last week, I finished the first one.  Shells.

I have a strong connection to water and live near a lake.  Earlier this summer, I collected the shells while visiting a friend's cottage on the lake.  When I got home, I washed the shells to clean them so that I could write the Runes on them.  Though I wasn't considering this part of the ritual, I certainly felt Freyr's energy while I was doing it.

With the shells clean and dry, I painted a Rune on each one, going in order of the Elder Futhark.  I applied two coats and let them dry for several days.  I was waiting for the right moment to complete the ritual - a blessing on them.  This also got to be tricky, because I wasn't using my own blood.  When I mixed it with the paint, it changed the color.  Some say a drop of blood will suffice and that may be true, but I prefer a drop for each Rune.  Instead, I decided to take them back to the lake and rinse them in the lake water, but I had to wait for the right moment.

One morning last week, it was raining and I realized this was the moment I needed.  I put the Runes in a pouch and stopped by the lake on my way to work.  As the rain fell on that cool, misty morning, I emptied the Runes into the sand right where the water was lapping onto the shore.  It gently washed over them as I took each one separately and swirled it in the water before wrapping it into a cloth.

Although I called on Njord for a blessing, it was Freyr who presented himself more prominently.  Njord was there, but took a secondary position.  I know that neither god is associated with the Runes like Odin and Heimdall, but I requested Njord as a god with a connection to the sea.  I sometimes sense him along the shore and around marinas, so it felt right.  Still, it was Freyr who stood behind me to the left and watched as I completed my ritual.  I take his presence to mean that this was a good time, a fertile time, for me to bless the Runes and make them my own.  Even though my blood wasn't used, the water from the lake and the rain served to create that bond.

When I got home from work, I drew three Runes for myself to make them my own.  Eihwaz, Jera, and Sowilo.  These are three powerful Runes for me.  Eihwaz has become an important Rune for me when I need to be strong or calm - focused.  Jera is my guiding Rune; whenever it shows up in a draw, it is powerful.  And Sowilo is my Rune for the year, reminding me of feminine energy (to balance last year's Rune - Thurisaz).  I think this sets a good precedence for this set of Runes and the connection between them and me.

 

Runes 401 - Rune Rituals - Freyr's Fertility

Rituals are an important part of my relationship with the Runes.  I don't do them often, February being the last time I conducted one.    Last November, I performed a ritual around the importance of pacing yourself and, before that, it was the end of last summer, when I honored Idunn.

I have been waiting to do this ritual since February, when I acknowledged the return of light (the to the northern hemisphere).  A month later, I acknowledged a very important point in Earth's annual cycle - the equinox.  These were two key times leading up to the moment when I could till the soil and seed the ground.  After an unusually long winter and a short, wet spring, that meant keeping my plants inside for a while longer than usual, planting season has finally arrived along with the optimism that it will yield a bountiful harvest.

A bountiful harvest requires fertile ground and, when I need that kind of fertility, there is only one Norse god whose energy I seek - Freyr, the god of peace and plenty.  It is to his essence that I dedicate my annual planting ritual.

With the soil turned and ready for planting, I go through a three-step process to honor the fertility god.

24 rocks laid out as Ingwaz

First, I lay out 24 rocks in the shape of Ingwaz, Freyr's Rune.  Each rock represents a Rune and I say each one as I lay down a rock to build Ingwaz's shape.  I confess, it wasn't until my third year doing this that I didn't use a reference to make sure I had the Runes in proper order (mostly because I was a little nervous).

Once the rocks are laid out and I have said the name of each Rune as I laid down each rock, I stand and face northwest and say, "I turn this soil in your honor, Freyr."  (Whenever a ritual involves Freyr, I face northwest when chanting or calling to him.  That is my choice for no other reason than it just feels right; I have a friend who faces east to catch the rising sun; so it is your choice.)

Runes laid out as Ingwaz with
dedication plant in the center

Second, I remove the rocks and make a smaller Ingwaz shape with my Runes.  Again, I say each Rune as I lay it down.  I keep this step separate to help show (visualize) how the soil goes from gray/black dirt to the beginning of plant life with a touch of green.  Once the shape is complete, I take one of my plants and place it in Ingwaz's center.  This year I chose 'the runt of the litter', a small melon plant, because I wasn't sure it was going to survive.  With a little TLC, it sprouted a couple of new leaves, signifying to me Freyr's powerful fertility. With the plant in the center, I go around Ingwaz one more time, touching each Rune as I say its name.

To finish this step, I stand and face northwest again and say, "Freyr, I believe in your power to provide fertility to the planet, to nourish the Earth and all things that live here. This plant represents the garden I dedicate to you."

The third step happens after the garden is planted and the green life becomes more obvious.  I have a jar of holy water, received from Freyr through rain, that I sprinkle around the garden.  Expressing my gratitude to the fertility god, I say, "I believe in the power of Freyr to provide fertility to the planet. My gods walk with me and I know that Freyr will nourish my efforts."

My plants waiting to go into the garden

 
I have completed the first two steps and will complete step three later this week, once my plants are in the ground.

Do you perform any rituals that you're willing to share?  If so, leave a comment on this post or email me.

Runes 201 - Individual Runes - Ingwaz

A few weeks ago, I talked about empowerment, especially with regard to taking control of situations.  By taking control of our own circumstance, we create a fertile environment in which to function.  This brings Ingwaz to mind with its fertility and relationship to Freyr.  But how can we utilize Ingwaz in a productive and positive way to make the most of an empowered situation?

First, we must look at Ingwaz itself to determine what fertility means.  By empowering ourselves, we create a situation whose potential and energy is fertile, fertile for us to take advantage of and reap the rewards of hard work and or bravery.  However, we must do it without becoming overbearing or greedy.

The stage is set.  Opportunity awaits.  We must focus on fertility in this regard and allow it to feed the sense of empowerment we have built.  Freyr's essence, as the Norse god of fertility, peace, and plenty explain that we can prosper if the ground is fertile and we don't incite conflict.

With that understanding, I asked the Runes how we might make the most of our new found empowerment.  I drew Raido, Othala, and Ansuz.  I understood what this draw meant for me immediately and  I believe that many people may be able to relate to the story the Runes presented.

We begin with recognizing that we are on a journey.  Raido, as the riding Rune, tells us this.  Journeys such as this, that carry us into the fertile territory we have created through our own empowerment can have great impact on us and our perception of things.  Raido represents fruitful travels as we engage Freyr.  I really like the Rune poem for this Rune (Old English version), because it basically says it's easy to sit and talk about adventure, but much harder to actually undertake to have one.  Yet, that is what we are doing and adventures or journeys like this will create a change in us.

Othala answers the very important question  - why undertake this journey?  In short, what do we hope to accomplish by doing it?  Othala signifies a happy and peaceful home; it implores us to advantage of this fertile moment in hopes of positively impacting our home and what we give to our family and friends.  We hope to provide something for ourselves and a solid foundation for our loved ones as they grow and learn from watching and sharing our experiences.

With Ansuz, we arrive at how we will achieve a prosperous journey.  Here again, I turn to the Old English Rune poem to interpret the meaning of this Rune in this position.  It talks of wisdom and support and language and counseling.  It is associated with Odin and the idea of comfort or strength to warriors.  Together, this signifies that we must take time to make wise choices, seek other perspectives, and realize that, as empowered warriors, we can and must be strategic in our approach to this position of strength we have established for ourselves.  As we step onto this path of empowerment, we must use our wisdom and realize that our steps leave a trail for future generations to follow or learn from.

I hope you are empowered to take your first step on this journey.

Mental and Emotional Healing

A month ago, I asked the Runes for a Healing Rune.  They showed me Fehu.  That was for a physical healing.  After reading that post, a friend of mine asked what the Runes would suggest for a mental or emotional healing.  I know a lot of people that could use a healing like that, so I asked the Runes what guidance they have to offer to help us heal mentally and emotionally.

I should mention that I made a point to ask that they not give us Jera in this instance.  We know that healing is a process.  What I want to share with you is how to approach that healing process.  The answer is simple, but, I find that, hearing it from a completely non-biased, neutral source carries a lot of weight.  Granted, the Runes that are revealed are subject to my interpretation, but, if you disagree with my assessments, please feel free to leave a comment with your perspective.

I found this group of Runes to be quite appropriate for this question - Algiz, Berkana, Perthro.

Aligz, as the Rune of self-defense and protection, is a good Rune to begin this journey.  After all, if we are going to endeavor to heal from mental or emotional pain, we want to know that we are doing it in a safe and protected way.  When we are in what we perceive to be a weakened mental or emotional state, what we attempt to regain is our inner strength, that which we have lost sight of.  However, there is also a warning that comes with this situation - Make sure that you are not protecting or defending your perceived weakened state.  It is easy to use our mental or emotional state to justify lack of action or committing an unfavorable action.  We need to make sure we are protecting and defending our true self, our empowered self, not our weakened self, for it is the empowered self we seek to revive.

Well, we know that's easier said than done, so we should be aware of the challenge we face as we attempt this healing.  That is where Berkana comes in.  The Rune of birth, fertility, and creativity offers us a different perspective, our first chance to empower ourselves.  What if we decide that today is the first day of our consistent healing?  I say consistent, because we are going to make every effort to move forward a little each day.  There will be fall backs, but we commit to the trend toward growing empowerment.  This Rune tells us that we are ready; the ground is fertile; the time is right.  Think of this as a beginning, if that helps.

But, what is the best action we can take down this path, while ensuring a safe, protected process?  For that answer, we look to Perthro, the Rune of friendly competition, social outlets.  In other words, the best place to begin this part of the healing, now that we have decided we are ready, is with friends and family, loved ones.  Surrounding ourselves with the people who love us, getting out and being social, those are the things that will help us begin to feel better.  Before I go on, let me stress that, this in no way should replace professional counseling or therapy.  If you are struggling, you should seek professional guidance.  What I offer here is just one small part of  the healing process that we can do on our own.  Sometimes, making the decision to see someone is easier when  friends and family support us in that pursuit.  Our mental and emotional healing should be us empowering ourselves to be strong and having loved ones behind us as we do it serves only to help us on that path.

Have a safe and happy week.

Taking the Next Step with Runes

I have been involved with and learning about the Runes for several years.  The stories about Runes in Norse Mythology are fascinating and human use of Runes throughout History are quite intriguing as well.  I have learned a lot, especially since starting this blog, and I hope that you're enjoying the information I share through readings and the Runes 101 series.  In a couple of weeks, my blog will celebrate its first anniversary and to recognize this milestone, I have decided that I am going to carve my own set of Runes.  I did a draw based on this idea and I will come to it in a moment.  First though, I want you to understand why I have reached this decision.

I began this blog after getting Ralph Blum's "Book of Runes", which I picked up because it was referenced in a couple of books I was using to conduct research for my first novel.  Since starting this blog, I have received some wonderful feedback from you, my friends and readers, including recommendations for other books about Runes that are more traditional in their interpretations.  Through your input and my own ongoing research, my knowledge of and interest in the Runes has grown in depth and breadth.  The Runes I read  right now are the ceramic stones that came with the Blum book (minus the blank stone).  It is my understanding that no carved rune stones (not to be confused with large engraved runestones) have been found in any archeological Viking/Norse site.  Moreover, all of the descriptions that I have read of the Runes in the mythology say that they are carved on wooden staves.  As I learn more about Runes and come to understand some of the rituals around them, I know that I want my Rune use to begin to mimic historical use more closely.  Therefore, I asked my current set of ceramic Runes if I am ready to take the next step with Runes and make my own set using more historical materials.

What a wonderful way to begin this process!  Inguz is the Rune of Fertility and the god Freyr.  I like to think this means the time is right ( or ripe) for this endeavor, that "the ground is fertile".  In fact, new age interpretations for this Rune include terms like 'new beginnings' and 'joyful deliverance'.  They also assure me that I have the strength to complete this undertaking.  A warning is also noted - that I may need to break free from cultural patterns or habits.  That is very true.  This process will require some rituals, which is not something that I tend toward doing.  However, I believe in the essence of the Runes and the energies that created them and their meanings, so that is where I will focus my own energy.

Algiz is not a Rune I draw often, but one that I take very seriously, because it deals with self-defense and protection.  As my challenge in this endeavor, Algiz reminds me that there will be people who question what I am doing, make fun of it and belittle it.  I will need to be strong in my convictions that what I am doing is the right thing for me to do, regardless of what others say.  As long as I keep my emotions in check, I will be fine.

The action required to complete my set of Runes is Perthro (Perth).  This Rune has slightly different though related meanings between historical and contemporary interpretations.  Where historically, this Rune is seen as friendly competition through games that build on the person's fate and ability, new age definitions are more abstract in the sense that they claim initiation.  The link between these two is simple - games in friendly competition offer opportunities for initiation, perhaps into adulthood, but in my case it is more of an initiation into the next level of Runes, reading and understanding them.

In April, I will begin the process of making my own set of Runes from the wood of a fruit tree.  By chance, I have one in my backyard.  The wood will be cut when the flowers are in bloom.  As I understand it, this will make the Runes fertile, because they will have the power in them to bear fruit, figuratively speaking.  If you are interested in going through this process with me and making your own set of wooden Rune staves,  please let me know (ireadrunes@gmail.com).  For those of you who are still on the fence about it, I will document the entire process on this blog as I go through  it, so you can try it when you're ready if you'd like.  Either way, I hope you will stay tuned and walk with me on this journey.

Not Done Yet

Although I have completed the first draft of my first novel, which I did last night, I know I am not done with my novel yet.  Today, I drew Runes to help me through the surreal feeling that I mentioned last week and which has grown stronger over the past few days as I wrote the final words in my book.  There is a great challenge in completing something that doesn't feel real, that creates a sense only of floating with direction, but not being able to see the direction clearly.

The overview of my current dreamlike state gives me strength.  Uruz is the Rune of the WIld Ox, an Aurochs, which represents strength.  I drew it in its reversed position.  It has been brought to my attention that the idea of a reversed Rune doesn't occur in the historical representation of Runes.  I accept that, but it doesn't negate how fitting the first sentence of the meaning of Uruz reversed is from my book of Runes.  "Without ears to hear and eyes to see, you may fail to take advantage of the moment."  I interpret this as the surreal feeling I am experiencing right now and the fear that I have of not being able to capitalize on the process, because it doesn't feel tangible.  That line is a good overview of the way that I feel right now.  However, the idea of the Wild Ox alone, whether reversed or not, is also important to help me realize that this Rune represents strength.  I must find some form of strength, most likely mental or emotional, to take the next step in this process effectively.

Did I just say, "Process?"  I must have, because I drew my old friend Jera, the Rune of the Harvest as the challenge of my current state.  I draw this Rune more than any other and I am grateful every time to have the reminder that everything has a process through which it must travel to reach fruition, just as the soil must be tilled, crops planted and watered, before they are ready to harvest.  A lot of hard work goes into that process and the same holds true for each task we undertake.  While I have completed the first draft of my novel, if I hope to benefit truly and offer a well-written and interesting story to my readers, much work remains to be done.

Once again (just like last week), the action Rune in this draw is Inguz, the Rune of fertility, associated with Freyr, the Norse god of fertility.  I won't be redundant and simply repeat what I wrote last week, rather elaborate on the notion of fertility.  This Rune is a signal to me that things are in place for me to move forward; the ground is fertile so to speak.  The book is written, ready to be edited and reviewed and edited again.  After that, I will call on Jera again to help me complete the process and publish the book.

Nearing Completion

This week, I am nearing the completion of something that I consider to be a lifelong project - my first novel.  That is not to say that I have been working on this particular novel my entire life; actually, it has been about three years off and on.  However, I have wanted to be a writer since I was a very small child.  While there is more to come about my novel, for now, I am at the point of, well, near completion.  The feeling this realization provokes is quite surreal.  It is an extremely odd feeling to have something that I have dreamed about accomplishing since childhood coming to fruition.  To that end, I turned to the Runes for guidance on completing this part of the process.

The overview of the situation was dead on.  I drew Isa - Ice.  Frozen, stillness.  Yep.  I've stalled.  I'm not moving forward, at least not at a detectable pace.  Granted that is for a few reasons, not the least of which is other, more immediate, commitments.  On top of that, the overwhelming fear of finishing the writing and what lies beyond this part of the process (aka - publishing) trumps or creates my inability to satisfactorily bring all the final pieces together to finish the story and set the tone for the sequel.  So I heed to the Runes assessment and accepting this helps me to take the next step.

The sea challenges me in this endeavor.  Yes, for the challenge in this draw, I received Laguz, the Rune of water, flow, the sea, movement.  As I alluded to, I have spent the past several days in stillness on the writing front.  Of course, I must face the uncertainties and nervousness about completing this phase of my project and move forward, though the flow may not be smooth all the time.  I must trust that, wherever it takes me, I am heading where I need to go to be successful.  The sea will swallow me up unless I can come to terms with it, understand it and move with it.

The best part of this draw?  The action comes from Inguz, the Rune of fertility, associated with the Norse god Freyr, god of fertility.  Inguz assures me that I am the only thing preventing me from completing this part of my journey.  In fact, it reminds me that I have spent many years studying the subject of my novel and, through that process, created fertile ground on which to build (or, in this case, write) my dream.  I need only to focus on what I know already and write the final words.