The Witches Magickal Journal for Thursday, September 13

Thursday: When the hammer is smashing up the skies

And we have just arrived to Thursday, named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. He travels through the heavens in a charriot, wearing a special belt and iron gloves which give him extra strength to lift his giant hammer.

Romance languages based their fifth day’s name upon the Latin Dies Iovis, meaning the Day of Jupiter (jueves in Spanish, jeudi in French, giovedi in Italian). Jupiter was a chief Roman god, the god of laws and social order. His attribute was a thunderbolt.

Today is Thursday, September 13

Thursday is the day of the planet Jupiter, dedicated to Thunor(Thor), God of thunder and agricultural work. His parallels in various European traditions are Zeus, Taranis, Perun, Perkunas and St. Olaf. The faith of the Northern Tradition holds Thursday sacred, just as Islam reveres Friday, Judaism the Sabbath(calculated from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday), and Christianity, Sunday. This is why almost all adages about Thursday are positive, such as “Thursday’s child has far to go,” “Sneeze on Thursday, something better,” or “Cut nails on Thursday for wealth.” Thursday rules controlled optimism, energetic growth, physical well-being and material success.

Deity: Thor

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn/Pisces/Sagittarius

Planet: Mercury

Tree: Oak

Herb: Henbane

Stone: Turquoise/Bloodstone/Topaz

Animal: Fish/Goat/Aurochs

Element: Fire

Color: Brown/White/Orange

Number: 3

Rune: Thorn

 
Celtic Tree Month of Muin (Vine) ( September 2 – September 29)

The Runic Half Month of Ken (September 13 – September 27 )

Goddess of the Month of Mala (September 6 – October 2)

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

The Pagan Book of Days for Thursday, September 13

The Roman festival of the Lectisternia was held in homor of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The rune Ken represents the flaming torch within the royal hall, the time of the creative fire–the forge where natural materials are transmuted by the actions of the human will into a mystical third, an artefact that could not otherwise come into being. The positive aspects of sexuality immanent in the goddess Freyja and the god Frey come into play at this time.
Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

The Goddess Book of Days for Thursday, September 13

Ceremony of Lighting the Fire, All Souls Day in Egypt for the Goddess Nephthys and the spirits of the dead. Other Goddesses of the Underworld are Hel, Holde, Mother Holle, Brunhilde, Hecate, Oya, Persephone, Eurydice, Proserpina, Erishkegal. Goddesses of Light are Vesta, Hestia, Brigid, Freya, Lucia, Lucina, Befana, and Eos.

Goddesses Associated With Thursday, The Day of Thor

Juno, Hera, Kwan Yin, Mary, Cybele, Tara, Mawu, Mbaba Mwana Waresa, Ishtar

Source

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

The Wicca Book of Days for Thursday, September 13th

Complicated Kannaz

The runic half-month assigned to Kannaz (which is also known as Kenaz, Kano or Cen) begins today, with its last day falling on September 27th. Exactly how this rune should be interpreted is uclear: runic scholars agree that it seems to suggest the idea of burning, but opinion is divided between the positive meaning of a flaming torch or the light of illumination and the negative connotation of a burning pain or fever, such as that induced by an ulcer, abscess, or infection. As Kano, this rune may furthermore point to the sacred vehicle associated with the Danish earth goddess Nerthus.

Magical Mandrake

If you can, procure some dried mandrake today. Sacred to Mercury, today’s planetary ruler, this emblem of the enchantress Circe is believed to contain the essence of magick itself, while its narcotic properties may be exploited by very skilled healers.
Source

The Wicca Book of Days
Selena Eilidh Ash

On Thursday, September 13, We Honor

All Soul’s Day (Egypt)
NEPTHYS

Themes: Death; Spirits; Rebirth

Symbols: Fire; Basket; Myrrh
About Nepthys: This Egyptian funerary goddess has a hawk for a sacred animal. Together they guide and watch the souls of our loved ones in the afterlife. In Egyptian tradition, Nepthys lives in the east, where she can receive the rising sun, a symbol of the hopefulness she can instill and of resurrection.
To Do Today: Today was Nepthys’s festival day in ancient Egypt. As with other festivals for the dead, it was a time not only to propitiate the goddess with offerings of aromatic incense like myrrh but also to satisfy any wandering spirits. If someone you care about passed away during the last year, burn some incense for this goddess and leave a small basket filled with a token for her on your altar. This acts as a prayer to Nepthys to keep a watchful eye on that soul and grant them peace.
If you find your sense of hopefulness waning under everyday pressures, light a candle honoring Nepthys today, and every day, until you sense a difference in attitude. Try to choose a candle whose color represents hope and change to you (sprout green is one good choice). Inscribe the candle with a symbol of what you most need to turn things around so that this goddess can shine dawn’s revitalizing light into your heart and begin lifting some of that heaviness.
Source

365 Goddess: A Daily Guide To the Magic and Inspiration of the goddess
Patricia Telesco

The Magick of Thursday

Planet Ruled: Jupiter

 
Colors: Blue, purple, green

 
Crystals: Turquoise, Amethyst, Lapis

 
Deities: Jupiter, Juno

 

Magickal Intent: Abundance, protection, prosperity, strength, wealth, healing, male fertility, ambition, expansion

Thursday

Thursday: Is associated with Jupiter and the colors of – Blue and Metallic Colors
Thursday is the best time to deal with such matters as: Broadcasting, Business, Charity, College Education, Correspondence Courses, Doctors, Expansion, Forecasting, Foreign Interests, Gambling, Growth, Guardians, Horses, Logic, Long Distance Travel, Luck, Material Wealth, Merchants, Philosophy, Political Power, Psychologists, Publicity, Publishing, Reading, Religion, Researching, Self-improvement, Social Matters, Sports, Studying, and The Law

Reference

Practical Magick for the Penny Pinching Witch
Carol Moyer

Magickal Days of the Week – Thursday

Thursday is a day of royal blues and greens, associated with the planet Jupiter and metals like tin. When it comes to deities, look at leader type gods like Thor, Zeus, and Jupiter. Gemstone correspondences for Thursday include turquoise, amethyst and lapis lazuli, and plant associations can be found in honeysuckle, cinquefoil, and even oak trees.

This is a day for honor, fealty and family loyalty, as well as harvesting, success, and prosperity.

Take advantage of Thursday’s different aspects and do spellwork that brings abundance to you, declares your allegiance, and embraces prosperity.

Author

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by ThoughtCo.com

The Witches Guide to Thursdays

Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick and physical action.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have met new witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work as they expected. They’ll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick….but, alas, they had no glorious manifestation of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.

Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your resume or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.

Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually look for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it’s going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we’re going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.

Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities and add their wisdom and magick into your days
Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

Thursday’s Witchery

Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick and physical action.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have met new witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work as they expected. They’ll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick….but, alas, they had no glorious manifestation of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.

Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your resume or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.

Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually look for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it’s going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we’re going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.

Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities and add their wisdom and magick into your days

Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

The Witches Must Do List for Thursday

Try wearing some honeysuckle-scented perfume to encourage prosperity. Bewitch someone by wearing deep royal blue or brighten up a dreary day by wearing lucky, prosperity-drawing green. Brew up a pot of mint tea to help increase your cash flow. Try adding a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon to an unscented candle to encourage some fast cash. Bake up a loaf of wheat bread for the family, and celebrate abundance and be thankful for all that you have.

Conjure up a witchy craft and create a philter or two for your magickal needs. Work with the deities and the magickal plants corresponding with Thursday.

How did the energies of the plants of Jupiter enhance your magick? What did you learn by working with Juno, Jove, or Zeus? The truth is that by adding these new techniques and information into your spellcasting repertoire, you will indeed advance your skills, thereby moving up in the ranks to become a more adept magickal practitioner

Just by believing in yourself and working toward creating abundance, health, and prosperity, you have already begun to transform your outlook on life. Put your game face on; think positively. Work with Thor for perseverance and courage, and apply those qualities to your own prosperity spells and healing witchery. Break out the tarot cards; How could you incorporate that symbolism into other spells of your own design?

Use your imagination, check Thursday’s correspondence list, and see what other bewitching things you can conjure up for prosperity magick all by yourself. Call on the gods and goddess of Thursday and bring some positive change, abundance, health, and prosperity into your life!

Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, September 13

The Gods’ Banquet (Roman)

Waxing Moon

 
Moon phase: First Quarter

 
Moon Sign: Scorpio

 
Incense: Apricot

 
Color: White

Moon in Scorpio

Intensity is what the Moon in Scorpio is all about. Whether it’s passion, elation, sorrow, or desire, emotions are felt on a deeply personal level. We are motivated by the desire to get to the bottom of things, and we instinctively read between the lines. Superficiality won’t work for us now. The Moon in Scorpio urges us to uncover our own power, and it’s an excellent time to rid ourselves of old fears and limiting habits. It can be an intimate and passionate time. Avoid manipulative tactics, brooding, and suspicion.

The Moon in Scorpio generally favors the following activities: Taxes, accounting, intimacy issues, psychological examinations, research, self-examination, getting rid of old things.

Correspondences for Thursday, September 13

Thursday (Thor’s day)

Planet: Jupiter

Colors: Purple, Deep Blue

Crystals: Amethyst, Lepidolite, Sugilite, Tin

Aroma: Melissa, Clove, Oakmoss, Jupiter Oil, Cinnamon, Musk, Nutmeg, and Sage

Herb: Cinquefoil

Ruled by the planet Jupiter and dedicated to Thor, god of thunder and agricultural work. His parallels in various European Traditions include Zeus, Taranis, Perun, and Perkunas.

Magical aspects: controlled optimism, energetic growth, physical well-being, material success, expansion, money/wealth, prosperity, leadership, and generosity.

Thursday is the day of Jupiter, the largest of the planets and said to be the most powerful. Spellcasters would be wise to use this day for attempting wealth, success and prosperity spells.

Thursday is also associated (in Greek mythology) to Thor – Thor’s day – and some even say that Jupiter and Thor are one in the same. Both are strong and powerful, yet wise and just. Try a small prayer to Jupiter before commencing any ritual on Thursday as a sign of respect.

This is the proper day of the week to perform spells and rituals involving luck, happiness, health, legal matters, male fertility, treasure, wealth, honour, riches, clothing, money, desires, business, group pursuits, joy, laughter, and expansion

In the Witch’s Tool Chest:

“Runes for Rituals”

At their simplest, runes are symbols carved or drawn onto some surface or other and most often used as divinatory tools. Many Witches have a set of rune stones. I have three: one set that I made myself out of clay as a project with my first group, one gemstone set that I bought, and my favorite, a beautiful set made out of dichroic glass by one of the members of Blue Moon Circle.
But runes can be used for more than predicting the future. Rune symbols have a power and an energy all their own, and this energy can be harnessed in magickal work as well. Try scratching a rune or two on a candle when casting a spell. Or use a wood-burning tool to etch some runes into your wooden staff or wand. Draw a rune on the paper you write a spell on or in your Book of Shadows

.
There are a number of different symbols that you can use: the Norse and Germanic runes are most commonly known, but there are also Egyptian hieroglyphics, glyphics, the Theban script alphabet, and a few others. Just pick the symbols that resonate with you, and add their energy to your magick.

Source

Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft
Deborah Blake

Rune Spell for Anything

Items You Will Need:
–A flat stone at least 4′ wide with a pentacle marked upon it
–A small bowl of some natural material (stone, metal, clay, etc)
–24 small, smooth stones marked with the 24 runes
–Paper
–A pen
–Working knowledge of runes

Write your intentions upon the paper in runes.

Cast a magic circle, then read what you have written aloud four times, first facing east, then south, then west, then north.

Fold the paper and place it in the bowl, place the bowl upon the flat rock, directly in the center of the pentacle.

Place the small stones in a circle around the flat rock, saying the name of each rune aloud as you set it down.

Leave this arrangement in place until the spell has been fulfilled.

Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Spirituality 365 Days A Year for September 13 – 14

All Souls’ Day/Festiva[ of Jupiter

Optimus Maximus

All Souls’ Day in Egypt was a festive occasion. Held in honor of the Goddess Nephthys, Mistress of the Palace, it honored ored the spirits of the dead. There most certainly would have been a royal procession among the common people, followed by a public ritual and the Ceremony of Lighting the Fire. All the other activities would have taken place in the temple that was accessible only to thepriesthood of Nephthys and the royal family.
Jupiter Optimus Maximus (“Jupiter Best and Greatest”) is the supreme Roman God. He was worshiped above all other Gods. The Ludi Romani games took place in September, with a special festival on September 13. The farmers’ harvested fields and orchards demanded little attention, the military campaigns paigns would be coming to a close with the soldiers coming home, and the populace was in a serious mood for “fun.” On the Ides of September 13, Jupiter received a sacrifice of a white ox in gratitude for an abundant harvest and successful battle. This would have been followed by notorious Coliseum games that somehow seem to eclipse the significant religious character of the Roman Empire.

————

Magickal Activity for September 13 – The Festival of Jupiter

Prosperity Talisman

Items needed:
The fourth pentacle of Jupiter
Pine incense
Clove oil
One orange candle
Four $1 bills
A round box painted dark blue
Begin by placing all the items on a small table or altar. Pick up the blue candle. Inscribe on it your name and the amount of money-be reasonable-you would like to have. Anoint the candle with the clove oil as you chant:
Success and prosperity come to me,
This I will so mote it be.
Place the candle in its holder and light it.
Gaze into the flame and visualize your desire.
Pick up the Jupiter pentacle, hold it in both hands, and chant the following to energize it with your thoughts and feelings:
Honor, wealth, and prosperity,
Are what this talisman shall bring to me.
Place the talisman under the blue candle. Take down the circle and leave the candle to burn for two hours. Repeat this spell four consecutive times. Each time, anoint the candle and repeat all of the steps just as you did the first time. On the last day, place the talisman in the box along with the money. Redo the spell whenever you have need of money.

Spirit Message of the Day – Take Time to Smell the Roses

THE ROSE
Feminine, East, Venus-Fire

“I am Rose. I am beauty. If life seems too fast, slow down and smell by beauty. Take some time for yourself. Feed your spirit. A short journey into nature can clam, center, and revitalize you. Look to the beauty in all that surrounds you, in all your relations. To enjoy my beauty, you must deal with my thorns; but beware, they are sharp. I am joy. I am sorrow. Open up and let go of your emotions.”

YOUR MESSAGE
Take some time today for yourself. Take a walk or hike through the neighborhood or local park. Allow yourself to be surrounded by plants, flowers, and nature. It is in this place where you can open up, take a deep breath, and let all of your thoughts go for a moment. Let all your fears, worries, and concerns go. Allow your emotions to fill up inside you and then let that go too. Just be still in the moment and appreciate the beauty that constantly surrounds you every day. Notice the smells, the sights, the sounds.

Appreciate all that your life, including everyone in it, has to offer today.
Challenge yourself to make quality time for self each and every day. Be willing to see things differently during this time of change. Let it all go to find the answers you seek. Let today simply be a new beginning for you.
The East represents new beginnings, new starts, perception, clarity, higher self, communication, and creativity. Fire represents assertive, forceful, primal, illumination, change, spirit, purification, and power.

Today’s message comes from Shaman Wisdom Cards by Leita Richesson.
Originally Published on Spiritblogger’s Blog

Witch Tip #119 for September 13

Sharing pictures and documentation about your spells/rituals/etc on social media can help add power and energy to your work through the people who see them!

Source

Witch Tips : The Essential Guide to Contemporary Witchcraft
A. Rayne

For all your magickal needs, think Magickal Necessities

Almighty Goddess, Mother of Us All,
We come before you to ask for your help
Not for ourselves but for our brothers & sisters
Who now face disaster and devastation in the
Wake of Hurricane Florence.

We ask from the depths of our heart that
You acknowledge their needs for a great Power
than our own to assist them now and their
most dire hour of need.

Goddess, protect our brothers & sisters
During this Hurricane that is to come.
Wrap them in Your Almighty Protection.

When they feel scared and afraid
Let them know You are there,
Watching over them, protecting them
From all harm.

When they are in trouble or despair,
Let them know You are there,
Guiding them and giving them courage
to face and conquer the challenges
before them and to come.

Dear and Almighty Goddess,
Bring our brothers & sisters through
this Hurricane, unharmed, safe, sound
and back to those who love them.

Let them know that we cannot be there
with them but we are there with them in
our thoughts, prayers and spirit.

We ask, dear Mother, that you keep
our brothers & sisters safe from all harm,
bring them through this Hurricane and
return them to us safe and sound.

We pray this Almighty Mother
From the inner depths of our heart.
Let them feel our love for them during this storm.
Let our love surround them and
become a powerful circle of protection.

Keep them safe,
See them through this storm
Let them return to us
From these are our brothers & sisters
We love dearly.

We ask this Almighty Mother in Your
Divine Name and Love.

So Mote It Be

–Lady of the Abyss

Fehu (F: Domestic cattle, wealth.) Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength in the present or near future. Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. Social success. Energy, foresight, fertility, creation/destruction (becoming). Fehu Reversed or Merkstave: Loss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord. Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage.

Uruz: (U: Auroch, a wild ox.) Physical strength and speed, untamed potential. A time of great energy and health. Freedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better). Sexual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self. Uruz Reversed or Merkstave: Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, domination by others. Sickness, inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence.

Thurisaz: (TH: Thorn or a Giant.) Reactive force, directed force of destruction and defense, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. A tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire. Male sexuality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of Giant stock.)Thurisaz Reversed or Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. A bad man or woman. Rape?

Ansuz: (A: The As, ancestral god, i.e. Odin.) A revealing message or insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. Good health, harmony, truth, wisdom. Ansuz Reversed or Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence. (Odin is a mighty, but duplicitous god. He always has his own agenda.)

Raidho: (R: Wagon or chariot.) Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective. Seeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. Personal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life. Raidho Reversed or Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.

Kenaz: (K: Beacon or torch.) Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality, the power of light. Open to new strength, energy, and power now. Passion, sexual love. Kenaz Reversed or Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of creativity. Nakedness, exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.

Gebo: (G: Gift.) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. All matters in relation to exchanges, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships. Gebo Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.

Wunjo: (W or V: Joy.) Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going “over the top”. If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth. Wunjo Reversed or Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation. Delirium, intoxication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. Raging frenzy, berzerker.

 

Reference

SunnyWay

While Cooper refers to the “Elder Futhark”, he uses the names and meanings of the runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Traditionally only the first three rune rows (aettir) of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc are used for divination, although the “extra” runes might be used for magick. Cooper discusses only the these first three rows.

The Aettir In Magick
By D. Jason Cooper

© 1994, D. Jason Cooper, Esoteric Rune Magic, pp. 48-63

There are three aettir (aett is singular, aettir is plural) of the Elder Futhark. This fact has often been mentioned In both occult and academic books on the runes, but no one has bothered to wonder what this division means.

The Enochian alphabet has no similar division; its only internal structure is its alphabetic order and numerology. The Hebrew alphabet has both these divisions and the division between single, double, and mother letters..

Perhaps this is why when the runes regained popularity the existence of the aettir did not excite much attention. Indeed, the only mention of their use was as the basis of ciphers such as the twig runes or tent runes. Additionally the aettir form the basis for runic numerology, a sophisticated subject in its own right.

But the aettir, on examination, create a careful division of the runes. This system has several implications for the magical use of the runes. The aettir not only imply an initiatory structure, each aett being one degree in a three-degree system, but they seem to reflect the age-old division of Aryan tribal society: nurturer, warrior, and priest/king. This theory of the division of Aryan societies, by the way, is not an occult theory, but an academic one associated most closely with G. Dumezil.

In its simplest form, the theory is as follows. When the Aryan tribes swept from the steppes, they brought with them a society already divided into three groupings…

These groupings affected the different Aryan societies in a variety of ways. in India the divisions multiplied, became more fixed, and were transformed into the caste system. In Iran, too, the caste developed but was much less complicated and rigid, and eventually atrophied into merely two divisions: priest/king and everybody else. These divisions apparently explain a wide variety of phenomena. For example, in early Rome there were priesthoods called flamens. G. Dumezil believed the Latin flamen to be a corruption of “Brahman.”

Furthermore, there were three major and twelve minor such priesthoods-priesthood here being an office held by an individual. The three major priesthoods were dedicated to the gods Quiurnus, Mars, and Jupiter. Dumezil saw these as reflecting the nurturer, warrior, and priest/king respectively.

Similarly, medieval society with its division of people – “those who work, those who pray, and those who fight”- reflected the same ancient traditions. Dumezil saw the same division in Germanic society. We should not think Dumezil’s ideas have been universally accepted…

What Dumezil has done, however, is trace structures of society to their common origin. Where we find the structure remaining in society we can expect it to exist in its institutions. This is certainly the case with the Germanic tribes.

The divisions Dumezil noted were essentially those of the Germanic pagans. They had nurturers in their farmers, women, and to an extent, merchants. They had their warriors, the Vikings being one example, and their priest/kings. Many royal houses traced their ancestry back to one of the gods. In the pagan era all royalty had divine sanction.

These divisions are reflected in the aettir of the runes in different ways. If you look carefully, you may notice some overlap in the duties of the runes. Each aett has its complement of functions and its own character.

Freyja’s aEtt

The first aett is Freyja’s, the aett of the nurturer: the mother, the farmer, and the merchant. It is also the aettir of the first degree and shows this in its structure. The runes set three pairs of opposites which are fairly typical of the kind of test/choice early students face in initiatory training.

Take the first two letters: feoh and ur. These are domesticated and wild oxen, respectively. The similarity is obvious, since both deal with cattle. The distinction is between the social, domesticated, and responsible on one hand and the wild, untamed nature on the other.

Do not assume that feoh is good and ur is bad. The task of the student is as much to get away from his or her own conventional ways of thinking as to learn the methods of magic. On the other hand, the student must often face parts of him or her-self he or she hoped never to face again: the student must learn to capture and tame the wild side of his or her own psyche.

The second pair, thorn and os, is even easier to see as a dichotomy, since it admits no ambiguity. It is all demons, especially the one called thorn, versus all gods, especially Odin. In other words, the student has to choose the gods with every fiber of his or her being.

To choose the gods only because it is expected is not good enough. The student has to see the reality of the choice, and make it using all the factors of him or herself unleashed (the lesson of feoh and ur).

The third pair, rad and ken, complete the simple opposites in his aettir. They are the otherworld and the journey to the land of the dead on one hand, the light of the torch on the other.

With this pair we seem to have an image of a two-part initiation. On the physical level we have a person in a cave (rad) who has been subject to sensory deprivation (darkness) being brought the light (ken) before being brought out of the cave as if reborn.

Psychologically, we have a typical shamanic ride into the otherworld on a cart or an animal (rad). There the shaman uses his or her harnessed magical powers (ken) as a guide, conducts the journey safely, and returns.

Note that initiations in caves were common in both Germanic and Celtic cultures. In the case of the Germanic tribes, torches were a symbol of magical power. Even today torch light parades, a tradition started by the pagans, take place.

The final two runes are gyfu and wunjo. Gyfu is the gift, the exchange; wynn, the glory. In the light of previous pairs it would seem the parallel here is that in return for the gift the student receives the glory, which in this case means wisdom.

The sacrifices the student has made (and a last such sacrifice may be indicated by the rune gyfu) yield the wisdom of wynn. The student has passed the degree of the nurturer (Freyja) and it ready to undergo the tests of the warrior, Heimdall.

Heimball’s aEtt

Heimdall is sometimes thought of as a god of silence, which might seem like priestly meditation to some. I believe he, in conjunction with Loki, forms a special description of the world. Loki is the bound giant whose fingers eat away at coastlines.

Loki is a shapeshifter, as dunes change shape. He steals, as erosion steals topsoil or land. Yet he brings the gods their greatest treasures (usually of gold), as erosion reveals alluvial gold or other items.

Heimdall is the watcher against this. He is associated with goats because they live on the cliffs identified with him. He is identified with sea cliffs because they are seen as Heimdall watching for Loki’s arrival. His horn is the waves crashing against the surf, the sound heard throughout the nine worlds.

He is associated with the land, in that Heimdall refers to the land just as do the names Vanaheim and Svartalfheim. Similarly, Freyja is called Merdall, which is the sea equivalent of Heimdall. But Heimdall himself was born of the sea, as land is often thought (correctly, geologically speaking) to be born of the sea.

In essence, Heimdall is a warrior. Ever-watchful, he struggles against overwhelming odds, showing unending courage in his watchfulness.

His aett begins with hoel. It is winter, ice, and the season of cold. In this we again have the dichotomy of Loki and Heimdall.

Winter is a season in which people spend long months indoors. Pranks and mischief become common and can go too far. This was the sort of thing against which Heimdall, watchful and patient, was to stand.

The second rune is nyd, necessity. Long periods of enforced rest, even boredom, can lead one past the obvious. The usual mechanisms of personality break down and the individual reaches for something inside him or herself. He or she finds sources of power beyond his or her dreams.

When such things occur, and they do occur in several societies, they are described in terms of combat or in relation to a warrior. It is interesting to note here that Freyja’s aett starts with safety and moves to danger, while Heimdall’s aett starts with danger and moves to its resolution.

The next two runes of Heimdall seem to repeat the relationship of the first two: isa (spear or ice) and ger (the year, especially the harvest). Naturally Isa (as ice) parallels hoel, and ger (harvest with the implication of winter stores) parallels nyd.

If so, this implies the application of the power of nyd, in turn made necessary by hoel. Defense of the food stores against the enemy, human or natural, is part of this. But there is another dichotomy represented here.

Isa is the barren time of winter. Ger is the fruitfulness of the harvest. In this the warrior reaches into his or her lowermost depths to find the wellspring of personal strength, a strength which exists almost by natural law.

The runes go through boredom and find necessity. They go rough barrenness and find fruitfulness. One would expect a third such division, yet the next two runes do not provide it.

Both eoh and poerdh deal with restriction. Eoh is natural restriction, and might be compared to the literal meaning of the Latin prohibit, which means “for life.” Poerdh is the funeral mound and its entrance. It is death not in the mold of rad, a crossable state, but it is death as a warrior finds it–an impenetrable barrier; a final limit.

The last two runes are also similar in direction, but on different scales. That is, eolh is protection while sighel is the sun salvation and protection.

Restriction is matched with protection and death is matched with salvation. In this poerdh is not an absolute barrier; any breach of that barrier exists only through a higher power. Sighel, as the sun, transcends death. It is not the warrior who digs permanently deeper into him or herself to eventually overcome even death: for this he or she requires outside aid. With that in mind, we turn to the third aettir.

Tyr’s aEtt

Tir, in his original form of Tyr, was the head of the Germanic pantheon. His name comes from the same source as Jupiter (originally Deus Pitar) and Zeus. He was a sky god whose worship went back at least to the Bronze Age; we have carvings which show a one-handed figure who is taken to be a god.

It is possible that his ancestry is much older than this. The rough outline of the Germanic mythic universe, a column or tree holding up a skull which is the sky, seems to go back to the days of the Neanderthal. In a Neanderthal cave, a stick on which rests a skull has been found. Surrounding the stick is a ring of stones. The stick relates to Yggdrasil, the world tree; the skull is the skull that is the sky. The stones can be compared to the Midgard serpent. The parallels are too close to ignore.

The first rune of the aettir is tir, a complex rune that is not only its god’s initial but also a version of his name. It is a rune that represents victory and protection and is a symbol of cosmic justice.

We in the modern world forget that among ancient tribes war was seen as a test, and the gods gave victory to those who were most deserving. Those who deserved victory were those who displayed the martial virtues of courage and order. When the technology of weapons was usually equal, this was not an illogical stance to take.

The rune tir was the promise of such a victory. But it can also be seen as the priest/king’s dispensing of justice. The priest/king must see clearly what is right and where something has gone wrong, which leads to the next rune.

Moral value in peace and war is perhaps ensured by the rune boerc. Boerc stands for atonement.

Where victory in war is considered a moral victory it becomes imperative that the members of the army not have pollution in their souls. This was as true of the Germanic pagans as Cromwell’s New Model Army-and in both cases seems to have been a concern only until it was time to sack the town. The duty of the priests was to ensure that atonement.

In times of peace, the priests or rulers had a similar duty of atonement politically and personally. It was assumed that there was, on a social and personal level, a natural state of health and smooth functioning. When something went wrong it was because of an imbalance or a pollution. In any of these cases an atonement was necessary to restore health.

The third rune of the aett is ehwis, which represents the twin gods, the Aclis. Only three runes specifically refer to a deity. os in the first aettir is any god, though it is sometimes taken as Odin specifically. In the third aett are tir and ehwis: cosmic justice and the gods who help people, respectively.

The Aclis seem to have been very close to the human race, even if they did not have a large formal cult. Their tendency to be the originators of various royal houses shows this. In an aett of the priest/king we would have to have some reference to the functions of the office and the gods as overseers of this. The notion of the divine king given special powers would last until the time of Charles I.

The atonement necessary was often a punishment. Sentencing was not to reform someone, but to provide atonement, which itself was thought to provide the basis for rehabilitation.

Ehwis is the rune of calling on divine aid, but also of strengthening the bonds of society. The atonement that was required made certain everyone reaffirmed the social norms.

The next rune is manu, which is the human being. It represents the race or the individual. So from cosmic justice or victory in war we devolve to atonement, the Aclis, and the race or the individual. Throughout we move from the most distant to the closest to us. The simple dichotomies of Freyja are not seen here. Here are functions of priesthood and rule, though more the former than the latter. The next four runes change this relationship.

Lagu as the sea, ing as the people, and odel as the property is almost a thumbnail sketch of Germanic society. Furthermore, if we start with manu we have the individual who is splashed with water at birth (lagu), becomes one of the people (ing), and inherits property (odel).

In these last runes, though the priestly function is still described, rulership comes to the fore. The result is the last rune, doerg. This is light, shining day, salvation; the culmination of right rulership, right life, and the final event of initiation.

It is possible that a random collection of symbols, if they are strong enough, will always seem to have various interconnections. But the structure of the three aettir belies such a notion.

For a start, each of the three ends with a rune of positive nature and successively greater scope: wynn (glory), sighel (sun), and doerg (day). It implies the end of a course of instruction in which the student has passed the tests and is ready to go on to the next step.

Each aett has certain runes which directly or indirectly cover similar concepts. Each, for example, has a rune for light. In Freyja this is ken, the torch. In Heimdall it is sighel, the sun; in tir it is doerg, the radiant day. Note that the light is successively greater in power or covers a wider area.

Each aett has a rune referring to wealth or personal achievement. Freyja has feoh, Heimdall nyd, and tir odel. All have a reference to the deities in os, sighel, and tir and ehwis.

Each aett has a specific emphasis. Freyja has four runes of danger, evil, or cost to the runecaster (ur, thorn, rad, and gyfu); Heimdall has three (hoel, Isa, and poerdh); tir has, at most, one (lagu was sometimes the dangerous sea).

If we examine where similarities exist in two out of three aettir there is a much wider development. For example, only rad and poerdh deal with death; the aett of tir has no such rune, as if priest/kings or the members of the third degree had faced and conquered the problem.

In the same way, the aett of tir has no reference to ice or snow. Freyja has thorn and Heimdall has both hoel and isa. Yet it is Freyja’s aett which lacks any reference to a weapon. Isa in Heimdall’s aett and tir in Tir’s aett both refer to a spear. We should note that of the deities only Freyja was associated with peace rather than war.

When we look at functions rather than images there is even more overlap. Each aettir has at least one rune of protection, each has at least one rune useful as a good luck charm, each has a rune useful in healing magic, and so on.

It seems clear that there was an intended structure in these aettir; the runes were probably taught in groups of three. But more than that, they were taught as a degreed system. Evidence for this is in the declining number of “negative” or “testing” runes, and the change from simple dichotomies to a more complex and panoramic use of the runes in the aettir.

This last point, incidentally, parallels the Tarot, where the Major Arcana begins with dichotomies or choices and winds up with groupings of cards showing different aspects of one principle. So in the beginning the choice is between gutlessness and guile (Fool and Magician), the spiritual and chaste or the sensual and sensuous (High Priestess or Empress), and political or religious authority (Emperor or Hierophant). Later, there are groups of cards like Star, Moon, and Sun, or Justice, Hermit, and Wheel.

But more importantly for us, the aett of a rune has some effect on its magic. Ken is not the same as sighel or doerg, and there is more to the difference than mere scope or scale.

aEtt Magic

The runes you choose to use, whether individually or combined, are affected by the aett in which they belong. There is more to a choice between ken, sighel, and doerg than scale or personal preference. There is a greater difference between isa and tir, both involving a spear, than isa and hoel, both involving ice or winter.

This difference or similarity becomes extremely important in runic magic: a gift demands a gift; better not to pledge than to pledge overmuch. As I’ve said before, the runes are an ecological magic. It requires from you a necessary balance of intents, actions, and results. You need to make a statement or sacrifice before any significant magical work.

The nature of this balance differs depending on which aett is involved. This difference reflects the group of the society to which the rune belongs.

So feoh is wealth within Freyja’s aett of the nurturer, while odel is wealth (or property) within the terms of the priest/king. These terms are as follows:

Freyja’s aett of the nurturer is concerned with love, happiness, life, and enjoyment.

Heimdall’s aett of the warrior deals with matters of achievement, money, victory, power, and success.

Tir’s aett of the priest/king is used for matters of justice, spiritual achievement, understanding, establishing order, atonement, and all matters dealing with politics or rulership/authority.

When choosing a rune, then, one must look not only to its use or image, but to the aett in which it belongs. When combining runes, the same rules can apply.

For example, feoh is wealth in relation to personal happiness, livelihood, and enjoyment. It is not suitable when used in magic for becoming a millionaire because it doesn’t take that much money to be happy on a personal scale.

On the other hand, odel is wealth which also indicates one’s rank in society. Becoming a millionaire is quite germane to its function, if only because of the change in status involved.

Neither deals with money on its own terms: it is money to get happiness or money to establish a particular role in society. But it is Heimdall’s own aett which involves money, even though it doesn’t have a rune specifically for wealth.

This is because money, in the terms of Heimdall’s aett, is a part of victory. It is built from associations of nyd, ger, and other runes. So nyd’s general use of success includes monetary success, ger’s comfort implies financial comfort, and so on.

But the aett of the rune has its own effect. Feoh could not be used to get enough money to dump a spouse; odel cannot be used to ensure success for the unjust. Moreover, to use feoh one could not sacrifice personal happiness to balance the money. What can you offer, then?

There are essentially two kinds of sacrifices suitable in runic magic: the gift to the gods and the personal sacrifice.

The gift refers to a physical object presented to the gods. This can be left in a sacred place (the common Greek and Roman custom), burned (akin to Chinese funeral practices), or buried. In all cases the object is meant as much as a votive offering as anything else: it is a declaration of your intent rather than a quid pro quo. As a general rule, the following are good examples of dedications for runic magic for significant goals.

Gifts related to Freyja’s aett can include planting trees, choosing a bad patch of soil and rehabilitating it, cutting flowers and placing them on an altar, or making provisions for the poor (especially food for feoh or ur). Small gifts such as statuary can be stored in a sacred place, buried, or burned.

Gifts for Heimdall’s aett can include weapons, coins, acts of courage, overcoming a fear or a bad habit, or acts of reconciliation.

Tir’s aett can include almost any item of the previous two aettir. Significantly, it can also include other magical acts, such as undergoing a special initiatory journey through the astral realms, or using a ritual to enhance the justice of the world.

All three can include votive acts, such as lighting a candle and saying a mantra or a prayer for the length of the burning of the candle. They can include specific numbers or times of prayers to a particular deity associated with the rune or runes you wish to use.

In personal sacrifice, however, there is a different rule. Whereas with objects or actions you need items that match the character of the aett, personal sacrifice requires the opposite. Do not sacrifice love to please Freyja.

In other words, the sacrifice to be made must strengthen the precepts of the aett. In the case of physical objects this is done by similarity; in the case of personal lifestyle it is done by removing encumbrances.

So take the example of Freyja’s aett: a personal sacrifice might be to spend more time with your children, bringing greater strength to that area of life. In return, the magic may eliminate financial or personal difficulties elsewhere in your life. It can mean a change of personality to become a more circumspect, caring person.

In cases of Heimdall’s aett, personal sacrifice can include doing exercises to improve physical condition (both sports and exercise originated as preparations for war). Alternatives include shedding superfluities of life: cleaning out all your old junk is a simple example.

Runes of Tir’s aett can be supported through acts of meditation or by becoming a calmer person. Matters of understanding and piety also form a foundation for personal sacrifice.

Examples

Say you want more money. First, check the runes which deal most closely with this. There are several runes which will work. There are feoh and ur in Freyja’s aett; nyd, ger, and sighel in Heimdall’s; and in Tir’s aett, odel.

But what is the money for? Somebody out of work may only be looking for comfort, e.g., knowing he or she will be able to pay the rent next month. For this person, nyd is clearly inappropriate. Ur, with its implication of danger, is unlikely as well. This leaves odel and feoh.

Either one would be suitable. But feoh more closely approximates comfort. Odel would be more appropriate for the money to do something&endash;e.g., the money for college fees. Assuming we settle on feoh, there are several gifts that might be made.

First, we can establish what we want the money for. We can restrict ourselves in that the money will be used for comforts and necessities rather than luxuries. If after receipt of the money there is a sudden purchase of foreign trips and gold bullion, expect severe reversals of fortune.

Individual gifts can be made, such as planting trees. The number of trees can be set numerologically, or can be one tree per every hundred or thousand dollars necessary. Or you can change your personality to strengthen the principles of Freyja-resolving not to think depressing thoughts for a period of three months, for example.

Let’s take another example: suppose you want power. You’ve been at the bottom of the stack all your life and you want your card played. You want the chance to call your own shots in life, and don’t care much whether the power is financial, political, or even simply a nebulous belief in power. We don’t have to start with anything more than that rather vague statement to work out the appropriate rune(s) and gifts. And in this case there are many from which to choose.

If we’re talking about a problem of not getting your share, we should look to Tir’s aett. We’re dealing with a question of justice and setting things right. The rune for that is tir.

However, if you believe a previous life, pollution, or karmic debt is at the root of your troubles, boerc is the appropriate rune.

It may not be your pollution, but society’s. The deck may be stacked against you. In such a case you may wish to call upon divine aid, so runes such as os or ehwis would be appropriate.

If you want money or property in proportions that make people respect you, use odel. If, however, it is the position of respect that is most important, you would be looking at the runes ing or isa.

And there are more general positive runes like ken, sighel, or doerg. And runes to attack enemies who hold you back (tir), to protect you from them (eohl), to gain preferment from those higher up (lagu and doerg), or even to achieve success through a lifetime of right action (ger and eoh).

As you can see there are many possibilities here. In this example we would need to narrow down exactly what is wanted and in what order. That is, take the matter in steps and use the magic item by item to achieve what you want.

If the odds are stacked against you, start with eohl. This is a rune of protection in Heimdall’s aett. It can be used by drawing on its strength over time through ritual use, meditations, and the like.

The sacrifice to be made can be twofold. First, a change in lifestyle. Simply look for points of weakness and vow to slowly shut them down. If money is a problem, prepare to cut down on expenses and save. If you tend to get people angry, vow to cut out that habit.

The material sacrifice can be something appropriate to Heimdall’s aett or the associated gods Magni and Modi. A small knife or a spearhead can be engraved with the rune eohl, or eohl on one side and tir on the other. This can be buried or stored in a sacred place. Using it as a regular knife, however, is not a good idea. Some coins might be gifted. Wooden letter-openers can be carved or bought and burned.

Once protection is established, you need to look at the next step. This can be any one of several things, but we’ll establish the aid of the gods. This means the rune ehwis.

This is in Tir’s aett, so the sacrifice here could easily be a series of projections into the rune. Time spent watching a candle flame while silently carving and coloring the rune over and over could be another act of sacrifice. Time spent in self- improvement, to be worthy of the help of the twin gods, can be an important form of sacrifice.

With the aid of the Aclis through the rune ehwis, you would need to choose a third rune. The choice could be nyd to achieve the goal, or tir to strengthen oneself. It is possible that the magic of the first two runes will choose the third for you. This may come by some coincidence, through inspiration, or in a dream. But the process should be clear.

At each stage another rune is chosen to overcome the problems at hand so that you can go a step further with your program. But when choosing multiple runes, particularly when they are to be used at the same time, the aettir have one more role to play.

Relations Between the aEttir

It is common to combine runes to achieve a particular magical effect. Combining runes into a monogram was a common practice, one that continues today.

Suppose you want to combine the powers of nyd and ken, for example. These runes deal with harnessing and unleashing power; certainly an advantageous combination for, say, an athlete. But ken is in Freyja’s aett and nyd is in Heimdall’s. Does this cause problems?

Not really, but their combined strength may only be more precise and not actually twice as powerful than either rune separately. This is a case where two plus two, because of inefficiencies, may only make three, if even that much.

To maintain strength you must be aware of the aettir and the type of sacrifice involved in each. In this case Freyja is for the love of the sport, and nyd is for success and victory. The runes must be combined in such a way that ken makes you do your best, and nyd makes your best good enough to win.

It doesn’t take two sacrifices for these runes. Better to have one overlapped sacrifice in the form of concentration on the combined pair. You must invest energy to achieve the desired results.

Only then, to seal the power, do you make a physical sacrifice. This can be as small as burning a candle or drinking an oath to the action.

We’ll be examining this in more detail in the chapter on combining runes. But there are some rules we should remember when dealing with the aettir and choosing runes from them.

First, the functions of the runes in the aettir parallel each other, but those in successive aettir are more powerful and more general in purpose. So the success of nyd is more general than that of feoh. Where Freyja’s aett has thorn the ice demon, Heimdall’s has ice and winter, and tir’s simply has atonement.

Second, when combining runes do not simply pile up the runes of a whole aett or combine runes of the same function from each of the aettir. Some of the runes in the same aett counter each other, and parallel runes in different aettir do not always reinforce each other. So though os and ehwis can combine well, feoh and odel generally do not.

Third, do not combine dark runes or runes of danger. Thorn and hoel mix about as well as alcohol and gunpowder. There are some unavoidable exceptions in which the more difficult runes are mixed, but until you have experience, avoid them.

Fourth, when combining runes establish a key rune which will determine the “home” aett.

That being said, we will turn our attention back to the individual runes. We will need to learn them through meditation in order to draw from them the maximum magical value.

 

 

Cooper, D. Jason: Esoteric Rune Magic, St Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1994, ISBN:1-56718-174-0
Cooper, D. Jason: Using the Runes: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Art of Runecraft. Aquarian Press, London, 1987, ISBN=0850305683.  A companion to Esoteric Rune Magic, designed to be an introduction to the general field of the runes and Germanic paganism. Uses the Anglo-Saxon Futhark.

We Will Remember

Forget not the pain,
rain of the dead, dying.
Buildings crumbling,
security broken.
Attacks on U.S. soil,
financed by purchased oil.
Culture of hate towards,
cultured affluent compassion.
Sleepy eyes awake,
still clouded by liberal wake.
War continues against terror,
anti-American sentiment.
Learning liberty’s price,
responsible freedom’s way.
As the Revolutionary War,
the Alamo, Pearl Harbor,
we will remember 9-11.
Day of somber, reflection,
everyday heroes,
heroes unsung,
we will remember,
each September.

by Roger W Hancock
PoetPatriot.com

We are going to take a break from the Ancient Symbols for now. Didn’t realize there was so many of them. I will do my best to get your horoscopes back on this evening for tomorrow. Tomorrow is not one of our regular posting days but today was a regular day for us. The power went out and we sort of lost all our material. So that is how you got “Ancient Symbols” today. Well, really it is just the start, we plan on doing the Ogham, The Runes and The Witches Alphabet before it is all said and done.

So cross your fingers, I get the horoscopes for tomorrow on later on this evening. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. My favorite place to go these days. I hope everyone has a very beautiful afternoon and hopefully I will see you later on this evening. Till then…..

Love ya,

Lady A