Wunjo -Part 2
Translations:
Germanic: Wunjo
Mod. Eng. Joy
Old Eng.: Wyn
Phonetic: W
(Handbook, 33)
Physical: 1:8
(Futhark, 12-13)
Divination:
+ Harmony, Joy, Fellowship, Prosperity
- Stultification, Sorrow, Strife, Alienation
(Handbook, 34)
Magickal Uses:
Strengthen Bonds/Fellowship
Banish Alienation
Happiness and Well-being
Binding runes toward specific purpose
(Furthark, 35)
Elements:
Earth is the realm of existence and in this place is where Wunjo exists. Fellowship could be the realm of total potential, a place of manifestation and a framework from which society can function and move forward.
(Futhark, 75)
Mythology:
The spiritual meanings points to it's place in the lore as well. Spiritually, Wunjo is the source of joy, the power of attraction that brings people together in fellowship, and supports and reinforces the Clan structure.
We see these kinds of gathering halls in the lore as well. The dead soldiers in Odin's hall eating/drinking, gambling, and practicing for the coming battle. This is the force that unites an army, the moral of the company of soldiers who work together for a common goal and against a common enemy.
We see this in Hel's hall as well. The dead are reunited with loved ones, with family and community in the afterlife. Human beings are deeply social and these ties that draw us back to each other are a source of healing and strength. It is from this well that we draw what we need in rebirth.
Spiritual meaning:
The spiritual meaning is a further expansion of this rune's force in the myths. Rather than pointing to a god, or an event, or beings in the myths, Wunjo is a force or a power between different things or beings. Like gravity, it attracts people and beings together for a purpose. "Beings descended from a common source are bound together in an organic whole." (Futhark, 34)
Wunjo points to the Clan or Kin as a source of happiness and strength. Exile is weakness and sorrow. It brings to mind Perthro and the gambling pastime of winter or peace-time. A way for people to stay in good spirits and stay unified as a group.
There are also multiple mentions of how this rune can be used in bind runes, to help bind together the forces of other runes toward willed action.
(Futhark, 34)
The Eights:
Gebo comes before Wunjo. This is the force of giving and receiving that greases the wheels of a peaceful society and keeps greed at bay. Greed is a source of conflict and hate. By giving freely of what one has (Fehu- the free flow of wealth/resources) we reduce greed and conflict and further strengthen the bonds of kindship. This rune feeds into Wunjo and it's Clan centered force in that a Clan that is not cohesive will turn on itself and destroy itself.
Hagalaz comes afterward. This makes me think of the trials of war and famine. A strong community where people share what they have and support each other can better weather the trials of a hostile world, or the attack of an enemy. "United we stand. . ." During this challenge we get to see what we are made of, our strengths and weaknesses. After the fight we salvage what we can and regrow. Like crops after a hail storm.
Wunjo is in the first row, pointing to Community being a tool that the student can use to strengthen themselves and expand their resources for success.
Sowelo is in the second row, the row of challenge/path to success. This rune primarily represents the solar wheel and solar cycles. The emphasis is on well planned and willful execution in order to succeed. Like an army running drills, studying maps, and coming up with a series of plans for success, and whipping up troup moral so many become one mind in pursuit of a goal. And then unleashing the force of that will upon the battlefield.
In the third row is Othala. This is the environment of the student. It brings to mind "To the victor go the spoils." War seems to really be in my head today. If Wunjo and Sowelo were to reach back in time they would combine to bring forth the power of kinship plus ancestors and the power of the cycle of life/time. Through out history there are always wars, births and death. There is a constant cycle of peace and warfare. From this pattern, this ebb and flow, people have created homelands, estates, landed inheritance upon which they bury their ancestors and pass down the wealth of to their descendants. And upon which they take their stand when confronted by an enemy.
There is a very powerful pull that even in our modern computer age with hyper-sanitized living environments, we have not been able to shake. I can still feel a thrill in the spring from the earth itself when I dig into the dirt to begin gardening. Anyone who has lived on a piece of land that has been in their family for over a century (which is a very challenging thing in a country like ours of constant movement) feels a connection deep in their bones, like a fire in the chest.
I find myself being very careful as I write this because I know that the phrase "blood and soil" has been harnessed by hate groups. But we are not separate from the planet. Our language is imperfect and limited. It is easy to simply use the same phrase to mean subtly different things. I do not mean to point to any racist "us V them" or "ours" kind of mentality. We don't own the earth. We are a living part of a huge balled organism hurtling around a star. To say we own the earth would be like one blood cell claiming to own the whole body.
All people are bound to this earth through every element in their bodies. We are born of earth, we live because of the earth, and we die into the earth. We breathe in what the trees breathe out, and vice versa. This is part of the "cycle" that Sowelo can point to as well; the Solar cycle of our sunrise, our afternoon, and our sunset.
Which brings me to a well-known Neo-Pagan chant:
Earth my body
Water my blood
Air my breathe
And Fire my spirit
Final Thoughts:
I think I may have covered everything in the previous section so far, as far as my ideas go. I really don't want to take this in a direction that is counter to what I believe. My first love and first education was in Celtic Eclectic Paganism and Goddess Worship. I am a proud feminist. I am the mother of a daughter. I am polytheist and talk to my gods as persons. I do not walk the left-hand path but embrace some people that do. My heritage is mixed and definitely of the sort that would get me hunted if the time of Nazis rises again.
The Rune Poem:
In this stanza, Wunjo touches Fehu. It speaks of sharing wealth with the community. If written by a monk or priest, it may allude to the teaching of Jesus in being humble and the value of poverty which is part of many orders' vows.
3 Paths Through Midgard:
This stanza seems to contrast the outward joy of living life to the fullest while quietly inside knowing of the ever present looming death. How to cheat death?
Germanic: Wunjo
Mod. Eng. Joy
Old Eng.: Wyn
Phonetic: W
(Handbook, 33)
Physical: 1:8
(Futhark, 12-13)
Divination:
+ Harmony, Joy, Fellowship, Prosperity
- Stultification, Sorrow, Strife, Alienation
(Handbook, 34)
Magickal Uses:
Strengthen Bonds/Fellowship
Banish Alienation
Happiness and Well-being
Binding runes toward specific purpose
(Furthark, 35)
Elements:
Earth is the realm of existence and in this place is where Wunjo exists. Fellowship could be the realm of total potential, a place of manifestation and a framework from which society can function and move forward.
(Futhark, 75)
Mythology:
The spiritual meanings points to it's place in the lore as well. Spiritually, Wunjo is the source of joy, the power of attraction that brings people together in fellowship, and supports and reinforces the Clan structure.
We see these kinds of gathering halls in the lore as well. The dead soldiers in Odin's hall eating/drinking, gambling, and practicing for the coming battle. This is the force that unites an army, the moral of the company of soldiers who work together for a common goal and against a common enemy.
We see this in Hel's hall as well. The dead are reunited with loved ones, with family and community in the afterlife. Human beings are deeply social and these ties that draw us back to each other are a source of healing and strength. It is from this well that we draw what we need in rebirth.
Spiritual meaning:
The spiritual meaning is a further expansion of this rune's force in the myths. Rather than pointing to a god, or an event, or beings in the myths, Wunjo is a force or a power between different things or beings. Like gravity, it attracts people and beings together for a purpose. "Beings descended from a common source are bound together in an organic whole." (Futhark, 34)
Wunjo points to the Clan or Kin as a source of happiness and strength. Exile is weakness and sorrow. It brings to mind Perthro and the gambling pastime of winter or peace-time. A way for people to stay in good spirits and stay unified as a group.
There are also multiple mentions of how this rune can be used in bind runes, to help bind together the forces of other runes toward willed action.
(Futhark, 34)
The Eights:
Gebo comes before Wunjo. This is the force of giving and receiving that greases the wheels of a peaceful society and keeps greed at bay. Greed is a source of conflict and hate. By giving freely of what one has (Fehu- the free flow of wealth/resources) we reduce greed and conflict and further strengthen the bonds of kindship. This rune feeds into Wunjo and it's Clan centered force in that a Clan that is not cohesive will turn on itself and destroy itself.
Hagalaz comes afterward. This makes me think of the trials of war and famine. A strong community where people share what they have and support each other can better weather the trials of a hostile world, or the attack of an enemy. "United we stand. . ." During this challenge we get to see what we are made of, our strengths and weaknesses. After the fight we salvage what we can and regrow. Like crops after a hail storm.
Wunjo is in the first row, pointing to Community being a tool that the student can use to strengthen themselves and expand their resources for success.
Sowelo is in the second row, the row of challenge/path to success. This rune primarily represents the solar wheel and solar cycles. The emphasis is on well planned and willful execution in order to succeed. Like an army running drills, studying maps, and coming up with a series of plans for success, and whipping up troup moral so many become one mind in pursuit of a goal. And then unleashing the force of that will upon the battlefield.
In the third row is Othala. This is the environment of the student. It brings to mind "To the victor go the spoils." War seems to really be in my head today. If Wunjo and Sowelo were to reach back in time they would combine to bring forth the power of kinship plus ancestors and the power of the cycle of life/time. Through out history there are always wars, births and death. There is a constant cycle of peace and warfare. From this pattern, this ebb and flow, people have created homelands, estates, landed inheritance upon which they bury their ancestors and pass down the wealth of to their descendants. And upon which they take their stand when confronted by an enemy.
There is a very powerful pull that even in our modern computer age with hyper-sanitized living environments, we have not been able to shake. I can still feel a thrill in the spring from the earth itself when I dig into the dirt to begin gardening. Anyone who has lived on a piece of land that has been in their family for over a century (which is a very challenging thing in a country like ours of constant movement) feels a connection deep in their bones, like a fire in the chest.
I find myself being very careful as I write this because I know that the phrase "blood and soil" has been harnessed by hate groups. But we are not separate from the planet. Our language is imperfect and limited. It is easy to simply use the same phrase to mean subtly different things. I do not mean to point to any racist "us V them" or "ours" kind of mentality. We don't own the earth. We are a living part of a huge balled organism hurtling around a star. To say we own the earth would be like one blood cell claiming to own the whole body.
All people are bound to this earth through every element in their bodies. We are born of earth, we live because of the earth, and we die into the earth. We breathe in what the trees breathe out, and vice versa. This is part of the "cycle" that Sowelo can point to as well; the Solar cycle of our sunrise, our afternoon, and our sunset.
Which brings me to a well-known Neo-Pagan chant:
Earth my body
Water my blood
Air my breathe
And Fire my spirit
Final Thoughts:
I think I may have covered everything in the previous section so far, as far as my ideas go. I really don't want to take this in a direction that is counter to what I believe. My first love and first education was in Celtic Eclectic Paganism and Goddess Worship. I am a proud feminist. I am the mother of a daughter. I am polytheist and talk to my gods as persons. I do not walk the left-hand path but embrace some people that do. My heritage is mixed and definitely of the sort that would get me hunted if the time of Nazis rises again.
The Rune Poem:
In this stanza, Wunjo touches Fehu. It speaks of sharing wealth with the community. If written by a monk or priest, it may allude to the teaching of Jesus in being humble and the value of poverty which is part of many orders' vows.
3 Paths Through Midgard:
This stanza seems to contrast the outward joy of living life to the fullest while quietly inside knowing of the ever present looming death. How to cheat death?
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