Tag: rune

Your Daily Rune for August 28th is Gebo

bw-gebo

bw-geboYour Rune For Today
Gebo

Gebo represents the coming of gifts and favors. While each are usually positive events, they often carry obligations with them. Gebo often represents strong bonds such as deep friendships and marriage.

 

Additional Information on Today’s Rune, Gebo

 

Gebo: gift

 

Phonetic equivalent: g (as in ‘girl’)

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
gift, offering, relationship, love, marriage, partnership, generosity, unexpected good fortune

MAGICAL USES:to find or strengthen a relationship, for fertility, to mark a gift or offering, to bring luck


ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:Sigurd & Brunhild; Aesir & Vanir treaty

 

ANALYSIS:

Gebo is a rune of connection, particularly the connections between people. Up until now, our journey has been a solitary one. This rune represents those places where our path intersects with others, and allows us to begin to form conscious relationships. Such relationships are strengthened and sanctified by the exchange of gifts.The use of the gift as a symbol of an oath or a bond is an ancient one. When a lord wanted to ensure the loyalty of one of his subjects, he would give that person a gift. The gift would create a debt on the part of the person receiving it, and this debt would ensure his readiness to serve his lord. Similarly, a gift given between lovers, especially that of the ring, symbolizes the bond between them. Originally, only the man gave the ring in a marriage for much the same reason as the lord giving gifts to his vassals, but today the arrangement is usually more equitable. Gifts or offerings given to the Gods often carry the same meaning, representing the giver’s love for or loyalty to their Gods. The giving of a gift implies the acceptance of a debt with the understanding that the debt will not be repaid. It is this imbalance which forms the bond.

 

Your Daily Rune for August 23rd is Raidho

Your Rune For Today
Raidho

Raidho may mark the coming of a physical or spiritual journey. Whichever the case, changes in your life are soon to come. Spiritual or material goals may be attained.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Raidho

 

raiðo : journey

Phonetic equivalent: r

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: journey, pilgrimage, change, destiny, quest, progress, life lessons

MAGICAL USES: protection for travellers, to ease or bring about change, to reconnect

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: the Norns, Sigurd’s journey

ANALYSIS: Raiðo represents the path of a person’s life and how it intersects and interacts with other paths. In Norse mythology, these paths are seen as threads of fate, and are regulated by the Norns. The Norns are three sisters who live near the first root of Yggdrasil, which they tend with the water from the well of Wyrd. They also spin the fates of Gods and men, which is important when understanding the mechanism of runic divination and magic.

The complex network of relationships formed by these threads of fate can be thought of as a web. Every chance encounter forms another connection in the web, and by tugging on one thread you affect everything else in the system. Most people do this completely unconsciously, but by becoming aware of the pattern of the threads surrounding you, it becomes possible to recognize and follow up on the kind of catalytic events that seemed to happen to us randomly back at fehu. In this way, we can find our way more easily along the path of our own journey, thus deriving the greatest benefit from its lessons. Otherwise we tend to get distracted and end up on detours and dead ends.

Raiðo reminds us that, although it may seem that we have accomplished our goals at ansuz, life and change continue and we must always go on. We will eventually end up where we began, but on a higher level and with a better perspective. The journey never really ends.

 

Source:
The Runic Journey
By Jennifer Smith

Your Daily Witches Rune for August 22nd is The Scythe


Your Daily Witches Rune

The Scythe

Sudden changes and endings. Making a final decision. Completing something. Walking away from something or someone. Danger.

Additional information about Today’s Witches Rune, The Scythe….

The Scythe

This symbol is very familiar to most of people, often associated with harvest and death. In the runes, it is no different. The Scythe is related to endings, sudden separations, final decisions, important changes and danger.

The appearance of this symbol show that there’s something in you life you need to bring to end now, before it snowballs into something worse. Usually, the decision that the Scythe forces you to make is one you’d rather escape from… it’s a painful and difficult choice. Even though you know (or feel) it’s for the best, you’ll mourn the fact that it has to happen.

Also, the Scythe is connected to sudden, swift changes that force you to alter completely your plans, strategies and sometimes the very way you see the world. The situation is no longer what it was, your modus operandi no longer works here. Your ideas no longer correspond to the reality. The information you have is no longer accurate, or useful. You need to strain those adaptation muscles and find a way to keep standing while the rug is pulled from under your feet.

Although this rune can represent physical danger, such as accidents or surgeries, many time it refers to sense of foreboding. Something just isn’t right… the fear of loss looms large. Trust these feeling and proceed with caution. This rune can also relate to actual death and all related to it: burials, graveyards, inheritances, heirlooms, legacies and things connected to your ancestry.

In relationship readings, the Scythe suggest caution too. It can represent sudden and irresistible attractions, the kind that inspire people to do crazy things. . Obviously, this rune also represent separations, divorce and conflicts, always leaving a sour aftertaste. The strong passion can quickly transform into strong resentment. In its most positive note, this rune can symbolize relationship that completely transform the people involved.

Your Daily Rune for August 18th is Isa

bw-isa

bw-isaYour Rune For Today
Isa

The Ice Rune, represents stagnation and a passionless existence. Your life’s course may seem blurry at the moment, but if you persevere you will move onto better days

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Isa. . .

isa : ice

Phonetic equivalent: i (ee as in ‘eel’)

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
inactivity, blockage, stagnation, potential, patience, reflection, withdrawl, rest
MAGICAL USES:
to stop a process; to represent primal form
ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:
Auðumla, Nifelheim
ANALYSIS:
In modern symbology, fire is generally masculine and ice (or earth) is feminine, but it is unknown whether the Norse shared this association. Certainly, ice was a constant factor in their day to day lives. It threatened their crops and their ships almost throughout the year, but it also served as a symbol of creation, from which all life will eventually spring. It says something about the Norse mind that they could recognize the need to have such a seemingly destructive joining of elements in order to create and maintain life. Fire may be warm and pleasant, but it must be balanced by the freezing of winter just as birth must be balanced by death. Even the little death of sleep has been proven to be vital for our mental and physical well-being.
Isa encompasses all of these ideas, but primarily represents a period of rest before activity, and itself forms the material from which life can be created. It is matter, inert by itself, but transformed into the stuff of stars when wedded with energy. It is the immovable form acted upon the irresistible force. In many ways, the Norse predicted Einstein with their version of the creation of the universe, recognizing that everything in their world contained both fire and ice (energy and matter), and that the relationship between the two defined the processes of life itself.

Your Daily Witches Rune for August 17th is Woman

Today’s Witches Rune

Woman

Meaning: The first meaning of this rune is quite obvious: it represents women. Any woman that is important in the question, whether you know her or not, will be represented by this rune. Mother, sister, aunt, grandma, a female boss, friend, lover or even enemy… all can be symbolized by the appearance of this rune.

In a more general sense, this rune is related to traditional female abilities and characteristics, such as giving birth, nurturing, comforting and healing. When this rune appears, you can count on the sympathy of others towards you or your situation. In its most negative aspects, the Woman rune can show over-protectiveness, a patronizing attitude or co-dependency. It often strives to maintain the status quo, refusing to change even if the situation is bad.

The Woman rune is connected to nurturing – nurturing a relationship, a person or a project. Like the Moon rune, it can be related to finding a safe place to rest and heal, but while the Moon implies a solitary retreat, the Woman often shows that you need to go back to the people you trust, the people you feel safe with.

Healing is another strong aspect of this symbol, as well as teaching. You can be both the patient/student or the healer/teacher when this rune appears. This rune is also connected to creativity, but in a way that is different from the Romance rune. While the latter is about the conception of a project – the initial stages of creation – the Woman is about the birth of this project. When your creation is brought out into the world, fully manifested.

In relationship readings, this rune isn’t bad, but rather weak. While it can indicate subtle ties between people, these are usually so, so subtle that the partners can easily drift away from each other. It can show that one of the partners sees the other as someone who needs to be protected and healed, rather than an equal. Usually, the romance is a bit stagnated when this rune appears, or very close to becoming a friendship.

 

 

Source:

Your Spiritual Journey Australia

Your Daily Rune for Monday, August 17th is Fehu

bw-fehu

bw-fehuYour Rune For Today
Fehu

Fehu is the Rune of prosperity, good luck and unbridled creative energies. Being associated with Frey, this Rune is also a powerful omen of fertility. Fehu is one of the three Mother Stones and should never be taken lightly.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Fehu

 

fehu: cattle

Phonetic equivalent: f

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: prosperity, money, wealth, concern with physical and financial needs, goals, promotion, self-esteem, centeredness, karma

MAGICAL USES: for money, business, promotion, finding a job, achieving a goal, starting new enterprises

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Freyr, Brisingamen, Gullveig, Dwarfs, Sigurd & the Otter’s Gold

ANALYSIS: Fehu is both the day-to-day reality of our lives and the catalyst that awakens us to what lies beyond. It is whatever we think we are which frequently bbears no resemblance to what we will eventually find. It is also our home, for after all our wanderings we will need to attend to our physical needs and ground ourselves in the simple pleasures of home, family, and good work. Oz might be a fun place to visit, but after a while all you really want to do is go back to Kansas.

Fehu reminds us that we must be secure in our physical situation before embarking upon any spiritual journey. We all must begin with the mundane reality of our lives, although many people never get beyond this. In many ways, we have become as domesticated as the cattle, living our day-to-day existence without wanting or even being aware of anything more being possible. The first step in breaking away from this situation is to catch a glimpse of what is possible, without dwelling on what security we may lose to attain it.
uruz

 

Courtesy of

The Runic Journey (PDF)
by Jennifer Smith

 

Today’s Witches Rune for August 14th is The Birds

Today’s Witches Rune

The Birds

Keywords: Unexpected news, change.

Meanings: The Birds Rune means some unexpected news that may alter your life completely, especially if this is the leading rune. Generally, the news will lead to a positive change but pay close attention to the nearest runes to determine its nature. It can also mean news of friends or family that you haven’t had contact with in quite a while. Letters and documents should be watched for as they may well bring happiness.

Your Daily Rune for Aug. 12th is Jera

Your Rune for Today

Jera

era denotes positive, recurring cycles, fertility and a time to harvest rewards from your hard work.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Jera

 

jera : year, harvest

 

Phonetic equivalent: y (but may be used in place of ‘j’)

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: change, cycle turning, reward, motion, productivity, inevitable development

 

MAGICAL USES: to bring change; for fertility and growth

 

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Sif, Thor, Freyr, Granni

 

ANALYSIS: In this modern age of central heating and oranges in February, it is difficult to imagine the close ties that people once had with the cycles of the year, particularly in the more Northern climes. The changing seasons affected not only the weather, but also the day to day activities and even the diets of ancient peoples. Constant change was the norm, and the object was to become attuned with those changes, not to fight against them. An ancient farmer (or even some modern ones) wouldn’t need to look at a calendar to tell him when to plant, or read a weather forecast to know when the snows were coming. The changing seasons were a part of his blood and bones, and his very existence depended on adapting to change.

 

 

Jera follows isa just as spring follows winter. The frozen stagnancy of ice is broken by the turning of the wheel, and things are once again moving along as they should. In fact, we have now broken out of the entire set ‘negative’ runes with which we began this aett. This has been accomplished not by fighting to escape the ice or railing against the unfairness of fate, but by learning from those experiences and simply waiting for the inevitable thaw. Jera is the communion wine – the product of the joining of opposites bringing life. Storms may come and go, but the sun is always there and life is generally pretty good. Enjoy it while you can.

 

Your Daily Rune for Sunday, August 9th is Othala

bw-othala

bw-othalaYour Rune For Today
Othala

Othala represents a solid, immovable home, prosperity and safety. Good fortune based on your heritage and character is yours to enjoy.

 

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Othala

 

OþILA: property

 

Phonetic equivalent: o

 

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: property, land, inheritance, home, permanence, legacy, synthesis, sense of belonging

 

MAGICAL USES: for acquiring land or property, to complete a project, to strengthen family ties

 

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: the nine worlds of Yggdrasil

 

ANALYSIS: In oþila, we find ourselves back in the seemingly mundane realm of wealth and property, just like the first rune, fehu. However, while cattle represented a more movable, transitory form of wealth, the land (as Mr. O’Hara said) is the only thing that lasts. It can be passed on as a legacy, but more importantly, it defines who we are by defining where we are. It is, ultimately, our home.

 

This rune brings us to the seventh cardinal point, which is the centre. It is the meeting place between Midgard and Asgard; between our Gods and us. It is the axis around which our lives revolve. The idea of land or property is only a symbol – we must all find our own “centre” (or, as Joseph Campbell termed it, our “bliss”) to give our lives meaning, and this is really the ultimate goal of the runic journey. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we discover that after all our travels and adventures, we all eventually end up going home. But this doesn’t mean that the travels and adventures are pointless. On the contrary, it is only through those explorations that our ‘home’ or spiritual centre can have any real meaning for us. “There’s no place like home” of will have no power to send us there unless we come to truly understand what and where our home is to us. Conversely, none of lessons learned along the way can be of any real use to us unless we actively integrate them into our ‘mundane’ lives and find that centre point to anchor them to. Oþila not only completes the smaller cycle of the third aett, but also brings us back to the beginning of the fuþark itself, only on a higher level. We may now begin the grand cycle of the runic journey again.

Your Witches Rune for August 7th is Romance

Today’s Witches Rune

Romance

Meaning: The Romance rune is also a symbol of connection, just like the Rings rune. But differently from the latter, the former implies a deeper sort of connection. While in the Rings we have two (or more) people joining to reach a similar goal, here we have two people joining for reasons they can’t quite explain.

Hence this rune is related to love, passion, emotional bonds, sexual chemistry and sudden attraction. Any strong bond can be symbolized by this rune, including the unconditional parental love or a very strong friendship. And it’s not limited to the emotions that sparkle between individuals – the love can be also directed to an object, a subject or even a work.

It’s important to not limit this rune to the emotional field. It can be quite physical, representing sexual relations, arousal and irresistible magnetism. This rune is powerful, and often gives an extra impulse to any rune that is close it. Charismatic and seductive people are represented by the Romance rune as well.

Outside from the field of romance and sex, this rune is concerned with any act of creation. If you have any ongoing projects, you can be sure an extra impulse will come and spur you on. The Romance rune can also represent the reconciliation of opposite forces or tendencies, and the resolution of conflicts. Obsessive thoughts, stubbornness in pursuing a person or a goal and lack of objectivity are the downfalls of this rune.

Your Daily Rune for August 7th is Isa

bw-isa

bw-isaYour Rune For Today
Isa

The Ice Rune, represents stagnation and a passionless existence. Your life’s course may seem blurry at the moment, but if you persevere you will move onto better days

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Isa. . .

isa : ice

Phonetic equivalent: i (ee as in ‘eel’)

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
inactivity, blockage, stagnation, potential, patience, reflection, withdrawl, rest
MAGICAL USES:
to stop a process; to represent primal form
ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:
Auðumla, Nifelheim
ANALYSIS:
In modern symbology, fire is generally masculine and ice (or earth) is feminine, but it is unknown whether the Norse shared this association. Certainly, ice was a constant factor in their day to day lives. It threatened their crops and their ships almost throughout the year, but it also served as a symbol of creation, from which all life will eventually spring. It says something about the Norse mind that they could recognize the need to have such a seemingly destructive joining of elements in order to create and maintain life. Fire may be warm and pleasant, but it must be balanced by the freezing of winter just as birth must be balanced by death. Even the little death of sleep has been proven to be vital for our mental and physical well-being.
Isa encompasses all of these ideas, but primarily represents a period of rest before activity, and itself forms the material from which life can be created. It is matter, inert by itself, but transformed into the stuff of stars when wedded with energy. It is the immovable form acted upon the irresistible force. In many ways, the Norse predicted Einstein with their version of the creation of the universe, recognizing that everything in their world contained both fire and ice (energy and matter), and that the relationship between the two defined the processes of life itself.

Your Daily Rune for Wednesday, August 5th is Inguz

bw-ingwaz

bw-ingwazYour Rune For Today
Ingwaz

Ingwaz signifies completion, success and fertility. Your present ambitions are about to be met. You are fecund in both mind and body.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Ingwaz

inguz : Ing

Phonetic equivalent: ng

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: work, productivity, bounty, groundedness, balance, connection with the land

MAGICAL USES: fertility, farming, growth, general health, balance

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Freyr / Ing, Nerthus, Thor, the Vanir

ANALYSIS: Ing is a Danish / Anglo-Saxon name for Freyr, the God of agriculture and fertility. Agriculture represents one of the first attempts by mankind to control the environment, and the fertility of crops, animals and people has always been the primary concern and religious focus of most Pagan agrarian societies. From the earliest Sumerian accounts to modern-day British folk custom, people throughout history have sought to ensure the success of their crops.
The vast majority of people in Western society have lost all contact and connection with the land and the process of growing things.

The spiritual consequences of this segregation from the earth have been disastrous, since most people find it difficult to relate to deity in a purely man-made environment. The shape of this rune can be likened to that of a field, but its real significance may lie in its balance, representing the harmonious relationship between ourselves and the four elements / four directions. Inguz reminds us of that ancient connection between the Gods and the land, and re-links (the real meaning of the ‘religion’) us with our spiritual natures through the realm of the physical. It is quite literally a grounding rune, and by reintroducing us to the earth, it reconnects our bodies, our minds and our spirits.
ðagaz

Your Daily Rune for August 4th is Fehu

bw-fehu

bw-fehuYour Rune For Today
Fehu

Fehu is the Rune of prosperity, good luck and unbridled creative energies. Being associated with Frey, this Rune is also a powerful omen of fertility. Fehu is one of the three Mother Stones and should never be taken lightly.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Fehu

fehu: cattle

Phonetic equivalent: f
DIVINATORY MEANINGS: prosperity, money, wealth, concern with physical and financial needs, goals, promotion, self-esteem, centredness, karma

 

MAGICAL USES: for money, business, promotion, finding a job, achieving a goal, starting new enterprises
ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Freyr, Brisingamen, Gullveig, Dwarfs, Sigurd & the Otter’s Gold
ANALYSIS: Fehu is both the day-to-day reality of our lives and the catalyst that awakens us to what lies beyond. It is whatever we think we are which frequently bbears no resemblance to what we will eventually find. It is also our home, for after all our wanderings we will need to attend to our physical needs and ground ourselves in the simple pleasures of home, family, and good work. Oz might be a fun place to visit, but after a while all you really want to do is go back to Kansas.

 

Fehu reminds us that we must be secure in our physical situation before embarking upon any spiritual journey. We all must begin with the mundane reality of our lives, although many people never get beyond this. In many ways, we have become as domesticated as the cattle, living our day-to-day existence without wanting or even being aware of anything more being possible. The first step in breaking away from this situation is to catch a glimpse of what is possible, without dwelling on what security we may lose to attain it.
uruz

 

Source:
The Runic Journey (PDF)

by Jennifer Smith

 

Your Daily Rune for Monday, August 3 is Sowilo

bw-sowilo

bw-sowiloYour Rune For Today
Sowilo

The Sun Rune, denotes power and strength. That which you want may be attained. Sowilo also denotes mental clarity and added warmth to your relationships.

 

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Sowilo

sowulo : sun

Phonetic equivalent: s

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: success, positive energy, increase, power, activity, fertility, health

MAGICAL USES: energy, strength, success, healing, fertility

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Sunna

ANALYSIS: The sun is held sacred by almost every religion in the world. Its light and warmth symbolize life and growth and all that is good. Norse cosmology describes the sun being driven around the heavens in a chariot and chased by a great wolf, which will devour at Ragnarok. Throughout IndoEuropean Paganism, the sun has frequently been associated with the horse, often described as being carted around the sky by a horse. Both are symbolic of life and fertility, and are usually considered ‘masculine’ in polarity, although in Norse myth the chariot is driven by a girl. The swastika or sun wheel is a constant motif in rock carvings dating Neolithic times, and occurs throughout Europe and Asia. The sun rune itself is a variation on this symbol, and represents motion and energy.

Sowilo marks the end of the second aett, and like wunjo represents success and glory. However, unlike the rest and relaxation of Valhalla, the sun is very much an active symbol. We have reached the end of the aett successfully, and the conclusion is a positive one, but in this case we are fully aware of the changing and transient nature of the universe. We can see the wolf at heels, and we know that we must move on. Here, though, the journeyer may pause briefly in the warmth and light of the sun, absorbing and applying its energy to the work ahead. This time we won’t need to be blasted out of our safe position, but will rather choose to leave it in order to continue on the journey.

 

Source:
The Runic Journey (PDF)

By Jennifer Smith

Your Daily Witches Rune for August 2nd is Woman

Today’s Witches Rune

Woman

Meaning: The first meaning of this rune is quite obvious: it represents women. Any woman that is important in the question, whether you know her or not, will be represented by this rune. Mother, sister, aunt, grandma, a female boss, friend, lover or even enemy… all can be symbolized by the appearance of this rune.

In a more general sense, this rune is related to traditional female abilities and characteristics, such as giving birth, nurturing, comforting and healing. When this rune appears, you can count on the sympathy of others towards you or your situation. In its most negative aspects, the Woman rune can show over-protectiveness, a patronizing attitude or co-dependency. It often strives to maintain the status quo, refusing to change even if the situation is bad.

The Woman rune is connected to nurturing – nurturing a relationship, a person or a project. Like the Moon rune, it can be related to finding a safe place to rest and heal, but while the Moon implies a solitary retreat, the Woman often shows that you need to go back to the people you trust, the people you feel safe with.

Healing is another strong aspect of this symbol, as well as teaching. You can be both the patient/student or the healer/teacher when this rune appears. This rune is also connected to creativity, but in a way that is different from the Romance rune. While the latter is about the conception of a project – the initial stages of creation – the Woman is about the birth of this project. When your creation is brought out into the world, fully manifested.

In relationship readings, this rune isn’t bad, but rather weak. While it can indicate subtle ties between people, these are usually so, so subtle that the partners can easily drift away from each other. It can show that one of the partners sees the other as someone who needs to be protected and healed, rather than an equal. Usually, the romance is a bit stagnated when this rune appears, or very close to becoming a friendship.

 

 

Source:

Your Spiritual Journey Australia

Your Daily Rune for July 28th is Gebo

bw-gebo

bw-geboYour Rune For Today
Gebo

Gebo represents the coming of gifts and favors. While each are usually positive events, they often carry obligations with them. Gebo often represents strong bonds such as deep friendships and marriage.

 

Additional Information on Today’s Rune, Gebo

 

Gebo: gift

 

Phonetic equivalent: g (as in ‘girl’)

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
gift, offering, relationship, love, marriage, partnership, generosity, unexpected good fortune

MAGICAL USES:to find or strengthen a relationship, for fertility, to mark a gift or offering, to bring luck


ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:Sigurd & Brunhild; Aesir & Vanir treaty

 

ANALYSIS:

Gebo is a rune of connection, particularly the connections between people. Up until now, our journey has been a solitary one. This rune represents those places where our path intersects with others, and allows us to begin to form conscious relationships. Such relationships are strengthened and sanctified by the exchange of gifts.The use of the gift as a symbol of an oath or a bond is an ancient one. When a lord wanted to ensure the loyalty of one of his subjects, he would give that person a gift. The gift would create a debt on the part of the person receiving it, and this debt would ensure his readiness to serve his lord. Similarly, a gift given between lovers, especially that of the ring, symbolizes the bond between them. Originally, only the man gave the ring in a marriage for much the same reason as the lord giving gifts to his vassals, but today the arrangement is usually more equitable. Gifts or offerings given to the Gods often carry the same meaning, representing the giver’s love for or loyalty to their Gods. The giving of a gift implies the acceptance of a debt with the understanding that the debt will not be repaid. It is this imbalance which forms the bond.

 

Your Daily Rune for Monday, July 27th is Isa

bw-isa

bw-isaYour Rune For Today
Isa

The Ice Rune, represents stagnation and a passionless existence. Your life’s course may seem blurry at the moment, but if you persevere you will move onto better days

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Isa. . .

isa : ice

Phonetic equivalent: i (ee as in ‘eel’)

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
inactivity, blockage, stagnation, potential, patience, reflection, withdrawl, rest
MAGICAL USES:
to stop a process; to represent primal form
ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:
Auðumla, Nifelheim
ANALYSIS:
In modern symbology, fire is generally masculine and ice (or earth) is feminine, but it is unknown whether the Norse shared this association. Certainly, ice was a constant factor in their day to day lives. It threatened their crops and their ships almost throughout the year, but it also served as a symbol of creation, from which all life will eventually spring. It says something about the Norse mind that they could recognize the need to have such a seemingly destructive joining of elements in order to create and maintain life. Fire may be warm and pleasant, but it must be balanced by the freezing of winter just as birth must be balanced by death. Even the little death of sleep has been proven to be vital for our mental and physical well-being.
Isa encompasses all of these ideas, but primarily represents a period of rest before activity, and itself forms the material from which life can be created. It is matter, inert by itself, but transformed into the stuff of stars when wedded with energy. It is the immovable form acted upon the irresistible force. In many ways, the Norse predicted Einstein with their version of the creation of the universe, recognizing that everything in their world contained both fire and ice (energy and matter), and that the relationship between the two defined the processes of life itself.

Your Daily Rune for July 24th is Jera

Your Rune for Today

Jera

era denotes positive, recurring cycles, fertility and a time to harvest rewards from your hard work.

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Jera

 

jera : year, harvest

 

Phonetic equivalent: y (but may be used in place of ‘j’)

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: change, cycle turning, reward, motion, productivity, inevitable development

 

MAGICAL USES: to bring change; for fertility and growth

 

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: Sif, Thor, Freyr, Granni

 

ANALYSIS: In this modern age of central heating and oranges in February, it is difficult to imagine the close ties that people once had with the cycles of the year, particularly in the more Northern climes. The changing seasons affected not only the weather, but also the day to day activities and even the diets of ancient peoples. Constant change was the norm, and the object was to become attuned with those changes, not to fight against them. An ancient farmer (or even some modern ones) wouldn’t need to look at a calendar to tell him when to plant, or read a weather forecast to know when the snows were coming. The changing seasons were a part of his blood and bones, and his very existence depended on adapting to change.
Jera follows isa just as spring follows winter. The frozen stagnancy of ice is broken by the turning of the wheel, and things are once again moving along as they should. In fact, we have now broken out of the entire set ‘negative’ runes with which we began this aett. This has been accomplished not by fighting to escape the ice or railing against the unfairness of fate, but by learning from those experiences and simply waiting for the inevitable thaw. Jera is the communion wine – the product of the joining of opposites bringing life. Storms may come and go, but the sun is always there and life is generally pretty good. Enjoy it while you can.

 

Your Daily Rune for July 23rd is Naudhiz

bw-naudhiz

bw-naudhizYour Rune For Today
Naudhiz

Naudhiz may foretell needs unmet and friction in relationships. You may be in a time where you should be very careful in whatever endeavor you take on. Also it may be that you are about to learn some of life’s hard lessons and come out the other side of this period a stronger being.

Additional information about Today’s Runes, Naudhiz

nauþiz : need, necessity

Phonetic equivalent: n

DIVINATORY MEANINGS:
poverty, hardship, responsibility, discontent, obstacle, frustration

 

MAGICAL USES:
to represent a need to be filled

 

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES:
Freyr & Gurd, the Otter’s Gold

ANALYSIS:

If hagalaz is a flying ladle, then nauþiz is the empty pot. It is a gentle, nudging reminder that all is not as it should be. Life appears to be out of synch, and nothing seems to be going right. No matter how much you have, it is never enough, and there is an ever present desire for something more, something better. On the positive side, this dissatisfaction with the status quo can serve to draw one away from the relative safety of wunjo and motivate towards change.Nauþiz represents an imbalance between one’s desires and one’s assets. How you resolve this situation will influence the rest of the journey, but the awareness of the imbalance itself can also be illuminating.
It causes you to closely examine and perhaps reassess your values and priorities, and forces you back onto the path of your own happiness. Perhaps mythologist Joseph Campbell said it best when he enjoined us to ‘follow our bliss’; in other words, that we will know that we are on the right track spiritually when we are doing those things which make us the most happy and fulfilled. Nauþiz helps us to take the first step on that path by letting us know when we have strayed from it

Your Rune for Wednesday, July 22nd is Othala

bw-othala

bw-othalaYour Rune For Today
Othala

Othala represents a solid, immovable home, prosperity and safety. Good fortune based on your heritage and character is yours to enjoy.

 

Additional information about Today’s Rune, Othala

 

OþILA: property

 

Phonetic equivalent: o

 

 

DIVINATORY MEANINGS: property, land, inheritance, home, permanence, legacy, synthesis, sense of belonging

 

MAGICAL USES: for acquiring land or property, to complete a project, to strengthen family ties

 

ASSOCIATED MYTHS & DEITIES: the nine worlds of Yggdrasil

 

ANALYSIS: In oþila, we find ourselves back in the seemingly mundane realm of wealth and property, just like the first rune, fehu. However, while cattle represented a more movable, transitory form of wealth, the land (as Mr. O’Hara said) is the only thing that lasts. It can be passed on as a legacy, but more importantly, it defines who we are by defining where we are. It is, ultimately, our home.

 

This rune brings us to the seventh cardinal point, which is the centre. It is the meeting place between Midgard and Asgard; between our Gods and us. It is the axis around which our lives revolve. The idea of land or property is only a symbol – we must all find our own “centre” (or, as Joseph Campbell termed it, our “bliss”) to give our lives meaning, and this is really the ultimate goal of the runic journey. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we discover that after all our travels and adventures, we all eventually end up going home. But this doesn’t mean that the travels and adventures are pointless. On the contrary, it is only through those explorations that our ‘home’ or spiritual centre can have any real meaning for us. “There’s no place like home” of will have no power to send us there unless we come to truly understand what and where our home is to us. Conversely, none of lessons learned along the way can be of any real use to us unless we actively integrate them into our ‘mundane’ lives and find that centre point to anchor them to. Oþila not only completes the smaller cycle of the third aett, but also brings us back to the beginning of the fuþark itself, only on a higher level. We may now begin the grand cycle of the runic journey again.