Learning from Communication

Sometimes, we are side-swiped by events.  When things catch us off guard, instead of being reactionary, we should try to pause and consider the situation.  This happened to me last night - a communication went awry and left me feeling frustrated, hurt and disrespected.  I went for a walk... a very long walk to cool off.  After composing myself, I did one of my usual 3-Rune draws around the idea of communication or, better still, miscommunication and how to address it in a mindful way.

Nauthiz, the Rune of Constraint, provided the overview for this situation.  I found this Rune particularly interesting, because, although it is the Rune of Constraint, it also tells us not to take things so personally.  In essence, if we don't take things so personally, there will be less cause to have to show constraint.  Beyond that, Nauthiz reminds us to check our shadow behaviors, those areas on which we need to work.  For me in this instance, it was projecting what I believe to be the correct way to handle the situation that arose last night.  While I still believe that my approach to the situation is the correct one, I accept the fact that not everyone shares this view.  Sometimes the best communication is observation and consideration.

The challenge for me in this circumstance is to realize that everything has a process, including the way people communicate in any given situation.  Jera, the Rune of the Harvest, was the perfect Rune to draw second.  It is important to remember how much progress has been made in this area and realize that there will be bumps, some bigger than others, in the road to improving communication.  It will come if we are patient.

Of course, as we are talking about learning from and improving communication, we have to appreciate the final draw, the action, Othila reversed.  This Rune of Separation offers a tantalizing dichotomy in that it suggests that, "We do without doing and things get done."  This indicates that I should let the incident pass and it will work itself out without my interference.  However, it also suggests that total honesty is required.  If I am to be totally honest, I can't sit by and do nothing.  Addressing the issue directly with the other person not only makes me feel better, but, if done tactfully, helps the other person to grow and realize that what they did, although unintentional, was not cool and left me feeling pretty crappy.  So, which is it tell or don't tell?

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 4

In my last installment of Runes 101- Runes in Mythology, I mentioned Rigsthula.  In this myth, Heimdall is credited with establishing the three classes of humans - serfs, freemen, and nobility.  However, this myth tells an important story about the Runes too.  In the myth, after Heimdall, going by the name Rigr, establishes the classes, he goes a step further with his nobly-born son, Jarl.  Stepping out of the woods one day where Jarl is, Heimdall greets him as his father and teaches Jarl the Runes.  Then Rigr tells Jarl that, by his birthright, he is entitled to primogeniture lands.

Heeding this knowledge, Jarl goes to battle and, victorious, rules over eighteen estates.  After a time, Jarl marries a woman named Erna and they have eleven children.  Of those children, it is Kon the Young, the youngest child, who learns the Runes from his father Jarl.

Here is where this story gets interesting, not only in the mythology, but in the etymology as well.  Let's do the latter first.  Rig has its origins in Irish/Celtic culture and means "king".  In Old Norse, konr and ungr, which are Kon and Young, together make konungr, the Old Norse word for "king".

Given the boy's name, he is destined to be king.  The important thing to point out here is that he becomes king because of his knowledge of the Runes.  This returns us to the mythology.  As the story goes, after some time Kon's skill with the Runes comes to rival his father's.  He learns life-Runes, birth-Runes, fate-Runes, how to dull sword blades, calm the sea, talk to birds, put out fires, ease sorrow, and he possesses the strength of eight men.  One day, Kon's Runic wisdom surpasses his father's, earning him the title of Rigr or King.

So, why am I telling you this?   For a couple of reasons.  First, it's a great story.  If you haven't read Rigsthula and the other Norse myths you should.  Second, it shows the importance of Runes in Old Norse society.  They were more than letters; each one held magical powers.  Moreover, it is the nobility that receives the gift of the Runic secrets from the gods.

Although I offer free readings to people, I can assure you that I am not of noble blood.  Maybe that is why the readings I do never have anything to do with dulling swords or calming seas, at least not literally.

The Art of Waiting

This morning I was ready to "hit the ground running".  I did a three-Rune draw to see if I would actually "run" this week.  My draw, at the onset, does not look so supportive of this effort.  I drew Raido reversed, Hagalaz, and Nauthiz.

Raido is the Rune of Journey and, reversed, it warns us that the journey may not be without discomfort.  That is to say, we may, indeed, grow, but not in the way we had anticipated or planned for.  What we want to have happen or to acquire may not be what we achieve, but forward progress will occur.

Hagalaz, the Rune of Elemental Disruption.  This one sounds bad, but it, too, is good.  When things seem to be beyond our control, we need a fresh perspective, to break free from old thinking and go "outside the box".  In essence, this Rune calls on our creativity to help us grow.

The required action for the draw is the tough part - Nauthiz, the Rune of Constraint.  However, this is an important part of the process.  In order to grow and accomplish those goals we set for ourselves, sometimes we must contemplate, give consideration to things with which we might not normally see a connection.

So, how does this drawing fit into my week's plan?  The "running" I intend to do this week includes a great deal of planning, putting things in order, and preparing for future events.  Some of the best ways to do that are through contemplation of things that seem to be beyond my control, thinking creatively, and realizing that growth and success is not without it challenges and discomforts.

Next week, look for the next installment of the Runes in Mythology series.