Romancing the Runes

Translation : Germanic:   Raidho Mod. Eng:   Riding Old Eng.:     Rad Phonetic :    R                                                                                                     ( Handbook , 27-28) Physical :        1:5                                                                                                      ( Futhark , 12-13) Divination : Positive:            Reason, Action, Justice, Journey, Ordered growth Warning:            Crisis, Rigidity, Stasis, Injustice, Irrationality                                                                                                     ( Handbook , 28) Mythic connections :            In the myths this rune connects to the vehicle of travel.  Not just a physical wagon such as the Chariot of Thor or the solar wagon, but the vehicle(s) we use to evolve spiritually.  There is a law of motion and patterns in nature like the path of the sun and the repetition of seasons.  This path in spiritual development is

I actually had to look this up quickly to remind myself if it was just the horse or horse and rider.  So this is the journey or the process of growth, the horse or vehicle.   It looks like a few different runes in this one.   There is Isa connected to Sowelo.  The sun grounded in ice, could mean the celestial cycle as found in the physical world, bound in the body or to the earth.  As if you were traveling around the world, bound to the ground yet in a circular journey.  Following the sun like ancient explorers. In that case it could be a boat as well. If you put it on it's back it could be the waterline, the sail and the rudder handle or oar. It's like in Harry Potter when Dumbledore said it was our choices that made us who we are.  It's the journey and it's obstacles that shape us, not the destination.  The decisions we make along the way determine who we become. We are our deeds. And everyone knows it is not enough to just do something once and say you have mas

Translations/Pronunciation : Germanic          :  Othala Modern English:  Odal Old Eng.           :  Ethel Phonetic            :  O Meaning            : inheritence                                                                                          ( Handbook , 65) Physical Representations : There are two different variations of the Elder Futhark when the runes are listed in order. In one version Othala comes last.  This would make the number position 3:8.                                                                                         ( Futhark , 12-13) In the other version Dagaz comes last.  This would make the number position 3:7. I'm going to use 3:8 for my discussion.  Fehu is a rune of wealth as if Othala.  Mobile wealth becomes wealth of land (fixed wealth) which becomes the inheritance of one's descendants. I'm just going to link to this website that discusses how an understanding of this rune can help heal ancestral trauma or abuse.  We

So I was incensed this week and felt driven to write a letter to the editor of the local paper.  I haven't done something like this since college.  And I know my writing skills were not as sharp as they  once were.  But I ran it by the Kindred and I'm doing it under my own name so there shouldn't be any blow back for them. I got some support and some revisions and managed to get it under 250 words. No telling if it will actually be published.  But I needed to give voice to the rage and set the record straight.  This was written in quite a rush of anger. Then last night in meditation, I was taken to see one of my ancestors. I had met with her in other journeys but she was very insistent this time that I understand Othala from her perspective as well I think in my attempts to focus on the positive aspects of this rune, I was not fully accepting of it's connection to ancestry.  I had wanted to focus only on the esoteric and not the mortal pieces of it.  She told me t

Translations : Germanic Name:    Tiwaz, the God Tyr Mod. English :        Teu                                                            ( Runelore , 51) Old. Eng.:               Tir Phonetic Values:     T Physical Forms : ( Futhark , 12-13) Divination : Positives:  Faith, Loyalty, Troth, Justice, Self-Sacrifice Warnings:  Mental paralysis, Overanalysis, Imbalance, Injustice                                                                                              ( Handbook , 52) Mythological Connections : "The North Star is a visible symbol of the God-force of Tiwaz as the summit of the world column-the Irminsul."  ( Runelore , 127) This is a reference to the World Tree, Yggdrasil.  This tree represents all of the inhabited worlds of this universe, each holding within a unique group of beings.  From the Aesir at the summit in Asgard and down to Helheim, the land of the dead.  This rune points toward Asgard where the Aesir gods reside along with

(I have Tiwaz- Part 2 written but not typed.  Will be doing that in the next couple of days.) This morning when I pulled the rune Othala, I laughed sardonically.  I had been meditating on this particular rune all weekend due to the Charlottesville, Virginia protests and murder.  I had seen flags with this particular rune on it.  I  know that the simple-minded "understanding" of it is Homeland or Ancestors. I was informed that some of these racists call it the "life rune" and it's supposed to be a reference to pure white babies. It disgusts me they use it and don't even know it's name. Only a white supremacist atheist, or an uneducated and anti-religious "heathen" would think this rune could be connected to racism.  Paying too much attention to Nazi Party propaganda from the 30s and 40s and not enough to the wisdom of the runes and the lessons they teach.  Not paying enough attention to the path of Odin and the Tree Yggdrasil. So I laughed

Translation : Germanic Name:  Ehwaz Mod. Eng:             Horse Old Eng.:              Eh Phonetic:              E                                                                                        ( Handbook , 55) Physical Representation :                                                                                       ( Futhark , 12-13) Divination Meanings :              General:    Harmony, teamwork, trust, loyalty, marriage, fertility              Warning:    Disharmony, mistrust, betrayal, duplicity                                                                                          ( Handbook , 55-56) Mythological Connections :               "the horse is a man's fetch"   This is a metaphor for human existence.               Fetch: Fylgja-   is a  spirit  who accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. The word fylgja means “to accompany” similar to that of the Irish  Fetch .  (wikipedia entry)              This

I have been a practitioner of Dragon magick for about 20 years. I first started working with Dragon energy in college. I got some crap for it as well.     I think when Fae workers first entered Wicca and the Neo-Pagan community, they were somewhat treated as flaky. Now there are covens and traditions that focus on specifically working with elves and land spirits.  There is no longer a real stigma attached to working with these spirits or beings anymore. I'd really like to be able to say the same about those who work with Dragons, drakes, and fire elementals.  We still seem to be portrayed as destructive, greedy, and out of our gourds.  Delusional is the word that often comes up.  It is sad in a way. Dragons seem to be characterized as evil or chaotic even in the minds of pagans.  F U St. George, you asshat. Now, I admit I have fallen off the wagon in the past ten years.  My spirituality in general if not in free-fall, has at least been stagnant or a plateau. In the past three

So I had been struggling quite a bit yesterday.  I had a rough night and the doubts in my head were fierce.  Mostly, that the messages and "voices" I had been hearing may just be wishful thinking and a very vivid imagination. I tried to pull runes yesterday morning to get some clarity and got a very vivid NO.  I had to put the bag down.  I even contacted a friend to get a psychic reading, which is something I never do.  I don't go to psychics as a rule.  I've been a witch more than half my life so I do my own readings and I am very suspicious of psychics that make a career out of it. I'm still going to see a friend that I know and trust for help with clarity.  This is someone who I know is the real deal and also can be objective at the same time.  The psychic I saw last night was not so on top of things.  I got a real feeling that he was reading for a 25-year-old me and not the me I was now. It was maybe 30% accurate, stretching it.  Which may be partly my fau

Translation : Germanic Name:   Ansuz English:                 Ans Old English:          Os Letter Sound:         A                                                                   ( Handbook , 25) Forms : The Runes on the bottom are the others that can be seen in the Elder form and then in the Anglo-Saxon form.                                                                                                           ( Futhark , 12-13) Divination : The power of persuasion Access to Divine Inspiration Spiritual Transformation Learn the Way of Odin Strive for the Best and Highest             Warnings/ Conflicts Without understanding it can lead to delusion Beware of Manipulation Dangers in the misuse of knowledge Blockage of communication/inspiration could lead to intellectual death                                                                                                    ( Handbook , 26) Mythology : This rune connects to the creation story of hu