Rune Study : Kenaz
Kenaz : Torch
I like looking at the runes in the context of the inner journey, or shamanic pathway. This lends a more personal feeling to each rune, and allows us to easily apply the runic concepts (which can sometimes be very esoteric) to our lives and to ourselves.
In that context, Kenaz can represent the seeker. The light in the dark, that guides us along our way. The inspiration to seek the truth, and understand mystery. Kenaz is the fire that has been harnessed, the creative forced now ready to be used.
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Rune Study : Raidho
Raidho : Wagon; Journey; Transportation
Raidho, to me, represents the spiraling journey and ordered movement of the Universe. When we tap into the lessons Raidho has to teach, we discover the order in the chaos of this experience. Raidho takes us on the journey to our center, to our core, and outwards once again. Raidho is the wagon in which we partake of the long ride. This rune can refer to a journey, movement in our lives, either the inner journey, or a physical change in surroundings.
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Rune Study : Ansuz
Ansuz, Ansur : Áss (Aesir, Divine Ones,); Mouth of Odin
Ansuz is representative of divine inspiration, and manifestation through breath or speech. I really love Tyriel’s take on this rune. (Check it out here.) The creation of our thoughts is something we as beings have the capacity to do. Many of us do this subconsciously. Every moment, we create our thoughts. A lesson of Ansuz, is to bring that creative force into our conscious mind, and use that force to create our hearts desires.
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Rune Study : Thurisaz
Thurisaz : Thorn; Giant
Thurisaz represents the giant, the thorn. A deep wounding or seemingly impossible challenge. It brings to mind a thicket that tears at our skin, and makes it almost impossible to move. A giant in our path, blocking the way forward. The energy of Thurisaz is powerful and dynamic, and can signify a need to center oneself in consciousness. This rune is about ordering chaotic forces, and honing one’s own force of thought.
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How I met the runes… A vitki’s story.
I have been asked alot recently about when and how I started practicing or learning about the runes. So I decided to write down my story, and share my experiences.
Once upon a time, I was 13 years old, and in the library at my highschool. While surfing the net, (I honestly have no idea what I was looking at before!) I stumbled upon a page about the runes. Immediately captivated by them, their use as a divinatory tool, and their potential use in healing and magic work, I printed off everything I could find.
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Rune Study : Uruz
Uruz : Aurochs (Old Norse)
The aurochs is a now extinct breed of wild oxen. To the peoples of Northern Europe, this animal held a sacredness similar to the Buffalo to the Indigenous people of North America. This beautiful, powerful animal was a source of food, hide, and all parts were used. The aurochs was deeply respected, and a rite-of-passage for young men was to overcome one in the wild.
The runic energies of this rune speak loudly of tenacity, endurance and raw power. The vital life-force of these animals was recognized, and Uruz shares this energy. Looking at this rune in the context of the inner journey, this runic energy represents the spark of life within all of us. The drive to grow, learn, and survive. It is a primal force, and immensely strong. Uruz reminds us that we all carry this fire within us, and we must choose to use that when it is needed. If we face a challenge that seems insurmountable, we can remember we carry the force of creation within us.
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On Consecrating Runes…
“A tree is the most perfect of spiritual beings, with its roots buried alive in Mother Earth and its limbs alive and growing in Father Sky.
According to the Song of the Sybil, when the earth was young, Odin and his two brothers found two trees: an ash tree and an elm, faint, feeble, with no fate assigned to them. Breath they had not, nor blood, nor senses, nor language possessed, nor life-hue. Odin gave them breath. Hoenir gave them senses (shape). Blood and life-hue was given by Lothur. We are the forbears of the trees.
One does not just carve runes, one recreates this ritual. By chanting the name of the the rune, one give the rune breath, the energy of its name. By carving it, one gives the rune senses (shape). By coloring the rune red (blood is optional), one gives it life’s hue. When you carve runes you create life.”
-Russ the Runester
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Hammer Rite : Hammarsetning
THE HAMMER RITE
This example is written in a northward orientation, and appropriate changes of course should be made in the order of galdrar in rites of an eastward orientation.
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Herb of the Month: Oatstraw (Avena sativa)
Oatstraw, Avena sativa, a blessing and gift to the endocrine system, full of calcium, and nourishing to the skin, we thank you!
Oatstraw is an herb that once grew wild, but is among the oldest cultivated grains. Oatstraw is from the same plan as oats themselves, but is the whole flowering top of the plant, not just the ripened grain. The flowering tops and grassy leaves are harvested in what is called “the milky stage” of the plant’s development, when the seeds are begining to swell and ripen, but are not fully ripe. This results is a lovely, grassy, green herb as you can see in the picture below. Oats are a grass, growing in meadows, banksides and grainfields.
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Herb Focus : Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
Last week, I was given an amazing gift: a large piece of Chaga that my dear friend harvested while on a retreat in Northern Ontario. The following day I prepared some for myself and had the most incredible burst of energy that kept me going all day. I was really surprised because I didn’t know what to really expect. I did some research and found out why it had such a profound impact on my day.
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