Short Term Long Term

I have a lot of balls in the air right now, which is a good thing, but deciding which ones to catch and which ones to let fall is a tricky undertaking.  Honestly, I don't want any of them to drop, but I realize I can't do everything.  My response?  Organize.  Prioritize.  Plan.  When I jump into this response mode, one of the most pressing challenges is weighing short term and long term investments and outcomes.  Knowing full well what one of the Runes I would draw was going to be, I pulled three and, sure enough, the overview of this situation is Jera.

Jera is my favorite Rune and the Rune of the Harvest, of process.  How could the overview of a situation where I am trying to prioritize things be anything other than realizing, once again, that everything has a process through which it must travel to fruition?  Jera acknowledges the balls in the air and tells me that, if I want to organize, prioritize and plan, I have to look at the required life cycle for each "ball" I have in the air.  Somethings take longer than others; somethings will make more money;  other things will be gratifying in other ways.  So, "Yes," says Jera, "you must keep most of those balls in the air, but you will be successful at deciding which ones only when you consider all of the aspects of each ball."

What are the challenges I face when attempting to keep the right balls in the air for the right amount of time?  Perth (or Perthro) is my challenge.  This is an interesting Rune.  The New Age interpretation of this revolves around initiation, which is accurate in broad terms.  More traditional interpretations relate it to games of chance and skill, friendly competition.  In a way, it's a coming of age issue.  Sorting out which of my balls to keep in the air becomes a game of chance and skill.  I will run into obstacles, but this process is important for two reasons.  First, these balls are major balls and will play an important role in determining my fate.  Second, I must live in this moment while I plan for future ones and remember that I am not alone in this.  Friends, old and new, will be important to cultivate.  They will help me through this phase.

To organize and prioritize my balls and plan how to keep them in the air (a.k.a., accomplish everything) effectively, I must take action.  According to the Runes, that action lies in Ansuz, the Rune of Communication and Signals.  I need to pay attention with all of my senses (sixth sense included), which will allow me to make unconscious perception conscious perception.  If I pay attention with all of my senses as I interpret the world around me, I will find the right answer.  Some short term things will serve as bridges to long term things.  Others will simply be islands that keep me from drowning until I can lay the foundation to make those long term dreams come true.

Wonderful Surprises

This post diverts from the Runes this week, but sticks with one of the origins of the Runes magic - Norse Mythology.  You see, earlier this year, I entered a poem in the poetry contest of the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba (Islendingadagurinn).   On Friday, I received a letter (and prize) from the contest coordinator telling me that my poem took first place in the contest.

It may not seem like a very big contest to win, but for me it is huge.  More than fifteen years ago, I fell in love with Iceland and have spent much of my time since learning about every aspect of it that I can absorb (and I have only scratched the surface so far).  So, to have my poem, a poem that combines the country's physical history with its mythological one, recognized by that community is a great honor for me and I am very appreciative of this recognition.

This week, rather than share the Runes with you, I would like to share the poem.

Surtsey and the Battle Against the Fertility God

Born of explosions

Quaking ground

Njord floats all-around

His seas swelling

Rushing to a non-existent shore

The water boils

Heated by rage and fury

Fire, ash, lava

Shooting through the watery gate

Arise Surtr from the depths

Giant fire

You destroy fertility

In your wake

Nature, not violence

And, in time,

You fire dies

And you lie there

Frigid seas rolling

Around your waste

No life

Only rocks and ash

Life delivered by life

Seeds sprouting

Growing small, but green

And purple petals too

Surtr, you killed Freyr

But now, he is reborn

And grows

On your corpse

– Karen Paquin

Runes 101 - Runes in History 2

As promised, here is the next installment of Runes 101.  In the last Runes 101 entry, I mentioned that Rune carvings didn't appear until around the year 200, because, prior to that, most Runic carvings were done on wood, bone and antlers, which do not have the endurance of rocks.

Most of the early inscriptions found are simply the owner's name or the name of the person who made whatever the Runes are carved on.  Of course, ancient Scandinavians and the Vikings as well, were prone to naming special items, so the names on some things may be the name of the thing itself.  Think about it; Thor had Mjöllnir, his hammer; and Odin had Gungnir, his spear.

However, in some instances, where the writing doesn't translate or cannot be translated into actual words, the inscription is thought to be a magical one.

With time, the inscriptions get longer, saying things like, "I, Hlewagastir, son of Holti, made this horn."  Likewise, the items on which carvings occurred diversified as well.  They show up on items such as coins, brooches, statuettes, weapons, boxes and horns.

Around the year 700, things begin to shift.  The first shift comes with the production of bracteates, thin gold medals, which were used as coins, pendants or other ornaments, and imprinted with Runes that include known magical words.

The second shift, which occurs around the same time, is the onset of Runestones - large stones, generally erected in memory of a deceased loved one.  Like the smaller Runic carvings, some Runestones included magical words such as 'alu' or variations of it.(More to come on Runestones.)

It was interesting that, as I researched the increase in Runic inscriptions, that the magic associated with them remained a common thread.  So, I guess, even though I am trying to talk about the Runes in History, there is no escaping the magic of the Runes from mythology.