Monthly Archives: January 2010

January 15, 2010


Peorth

Peorth is the letter P.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (based on a translation from Rune Games)

Peorth means laughter and games
Where…brave folk sit
Drinking beer blithely together

The meaning of Peorth is not totally known, but most people give it the meaning of the lot box. I don’t necessarily disagree with this, but there is a previous post where I see a deeper meaning that actually points Peorth as being related to dead, who are now released from mortal cares, live a life of relative ease in the afterworld. Of course how that life ends can be set or happen by chance, and where that life after goes is also just a chance based. Sure you can take actions to hope that you end up in the place you want to be, but some warriors never die until their old age, while the peaceful life of someone far from strife can suddenly turn into battle where they die with valor and courage.

You may notice that there is a break in the poem. In one translation I have read of this, the author mentions that there is a break in the meter, indicating a phrase that is missing or may have been omitted. I feel strongly it was an omission, as the indication of where might have been given exactly.

While I have my feeling of interpretation of this rune, It is one that I rarely see come up in readings for myself, so to receive it today, well it intrigues me, but it also leaves me wondering. But maybe that is part of the mysteries of this rune. The forces of fate, chance and free will are mysterious, chance especially so, because you never know when the casting of the lots will show great fortune or misfortune. Of course, as this rune can be both upright and reversed, there is a tendency to see the upright as fortune, and the reversed as misfortune. It can also show where the result of things is not always congruent with how it begins.

January 13, 2010


Mannaz Reversed

Mannaz is the letter M.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweekdforge.com)

The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth

We have again returned to Mannaz reversed. The fun thing about daily divination is the recognition of a pattern. The feeling today is about internal disharmony. Things are not aligned and this can lead to illness or misfortune.

Tuesday January 12, 2010 – ior

Ior

Ior is the combined sound of io. I don’t think it has much use in modern language.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

Ior is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land;
it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness.

Ior translates as the river fish. Most academic translations refer this to a beaver, as at the time this was written beavers (and otters) were considered very peculiar fish. It may have also referred to the otter.

In most systems, Ior is considered to metaphysically connect with Jormungand, the world serpent of Northern myth, who was one of the children of Loki and Angrboda. Some interpreters consider this a rune of happiness(because of the ending of the stanza) but others consider this the rune of boundaries, and yet also synthesis. It all has to do with the meaning of boundaries. A boundary separates one thing, from another. Yet the boundary is both things. It is In and Out, Fire and Ice, That Which is and That Which isn’t, that which can be, and that which must not be. Typically in a reading, it shows the encounter with boundaries and limits though, and only rarely is the quality of that liminal state presented.

Monday January 11, 2010

Uruz Reversed

Uruz is the letter U

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)
The aurochs is proud and has great horns;
it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns;a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle

Uruz means auroch, a type of wild cattle that used to roam Europe and Asia. It is not extinct, having been hunted or domesticated away. A viable comparison might be to bison or buffalo or oxen. The horns of the auroch were highly prized as trophies, because managing to defeat one and kill it to take it’s horns was a significant challenge, and often a test of manhood and strength.

Uruz reversed refers to weakness or inability or inaction in shaping things to your desire. Rather then actively engaging and using your strengths, there is passivity and laziness, or illness or damage that is hampering your ability to act. This is quite literal for myself today, as I have pulled some muscles from over exertion, and having to act carefully because of it.

January 10, 2010

Mannaz

Mannaz is the letter M.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweekdforge.com)

The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth

Today we have Mannaz again, this time upright. This indicates that events from before have corrected themselves or were corrected by ones actions, at least that Mannaz reversed appear in the previous week.
My feeling for today is that it relates to the personal spiritual alignment, All the of the subtle bodies of man are being brought into alignment, allowing one to operate from wholeness. This alignment doesn’t necessarily mean life becomes easier, but your personal reactions may shift, or you may choose not to react at all. The wisdom and knowledge gained from this internal harmony might reveal to you how to better live your life, that it might become easier or have obstacles removed.

The Week of Jan 10- 17


Gar

Gar does not have a letter equivalent.

There is no poem for Gar

Gar means spear. It is often thought to refer to Odhinn’s spear, which is also an epithet for Yggdrasil, the world tree from which Odhinn hung upon to gain the knowledge of the runes.
Many runesters have come across the “blank rune” in some contemporary sets and practices. From a historical practice, this is incorrect. Some groups and people who work with the extended Anglo-Saxon Futhorc utilize Gar as having similar meanings to that “blank rune”. In this case, it’s not the cosmic denial of information, but rather and indicator of potential, events and possibilities are still in the formative state and so anything is possible. So, don’t worry about things, and let them happen or act in the ways that you desire. I also see in it the sense of freedom of action. A time when previous actions are not creating the present, but rather you have the opportunity to plan anew and change the direction of things to come.

January 9, 2010

Dagaz

Dagaz is the letter D

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord;
it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor,and of service to all

Dagaz means day, as the poem indicates. It most strongly refers to the light of day, but it also encompasses an entire 24 hour period of both light and dark.
The esoteric meaning of Dagaz is related to time and to change, but also to what the return of day means, awakening both physical and spiritual

Audh-runa

So, on Thursday, during my regular round of meditation, magic and metaphysical mucking about, I got a little bit of inspiration. I think maybe, the runes were correcting me. Previously I have written about the Audh-stafir and my suggestions of what they are. It seems I was wrong. Thank you Rune Wights for the correction.

I was led through the Futhorc, step by step, shown which Runes to use. In some cases, I was correct, because, well, it would be impossible to miss, but in others, well I don’t know how to explain it, really.

Of course, there is Feoh. It means Gold or Wealth. That one is given.

And next, also a given, is Gebo, the Gift. It is philanthropy, presents from others, gifts form the gods, but also partnerships, contracts and agreements.

Jera follows, the fruits of work, labor, and persistence.

Peorth has been explained more to me. Yes, it is gambling, games of risk and chance. It is also hidden treasure. It represents an item or thing or person whose value is not obvious or might have been lost. Why? Well, to me Peorth is about those who have passed away. Peorth is a rune associated with magic of death, particularly necromancy and the power to call up the dead, for their knowledge and wisdom that they had in life. So, of course as a rune wealth rune, it would indicate their possession, often buried. This doesn’t mean I am condoning grave robbing or stealing from corpses. While perhaps in 1st world countries, most people don’t go burying or hiding their wealth as much any more, it was and is a common practice in other places. But it can also show you to someone that is perhaps has a good idea, or whose time has come, and that by promoting them, you yourself might get the boost you desire. It is of course, risky as well, but a different kind of risk. I guess I already said this, but I think it needed more clarification.

Moving forward, we actually come to Ehwaz. I know I said Berkana before, but no, that isn’t correct. It is just Ehwaz. As I said before, Ehwaz is the horse. It is fast money. The expendable kind, that comes quickly and goes quickly.

No Inguz. Sorry, not gonna happen.

Aethel of course is Property, Land and Inheritance. Those things that you can get from relatives, or if you acquire the first two on your own, you may want to give to relatives some day.

So, here are the surprises to me.

Yr is a rune of wealth, as it represents skill, ability and tools. A skilled crafter with the right equipment can stand to make a fortune, or at least do well. The same goes for a skilled salesperson, or a skilled waiter or waitress, or really any profession. Everything has it’s own skill set, and the capable person who can put that skill set to good use is always favored and able to make a living.

Kalk is the next audh-runar. In this case, it is the cup of victory and achievement. Think, like the Stanley Cup, or a Trophy. You could also think of an Olympic Gold Medal, yes, it’s not a cup, but still, pretty valuable. What comes with that kind of attainment is favors, honors and recognition. In this day an age, successful athletes get promotional opportunities, where they are paid for their fame, and other boons and gifts bestowed on them for their hard work that has paid off.

The final one is Stan (pronounced Shtan, but I might just put the h in there in future spellings). Shtan means stone. This one made me wonder. But then I thought of valuable stone, from expensive marble or granite used in homes, to jewels that are rare and prized. I also feel this applies to rare metals from the earth, like silver and gold. Yes Feoh means gold too, but that gold to me has been forged and shaped, made into coins that can easily exchange hands. This metals might be simply finished, like large gold ingots, or still in raw ore form, that needs to be refined to extract the value. To me, that is part of the value, with items whose worth isn’t likely to change much over time, except maybe to grow in value.

I am going to spent the next 8 days working with these runes individually. Today I am working with Gebo, and I am curious to see what comes from this.

January 8, 2010

Mannaz Reversed

Mannaz is the letter M

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth

Mannaz means man. While it might seem to refer to the male human, in Old English, This particular word is actually gender neutral in its usage, so it does also refer to humanity

Mannaz reversed indicates a lack of the qualities of humanity is present. As some view Mannaz metaphysically as being the Mind, and also the “Higher Self” it can also indicate those qualities being absent or unexpressed as well. I received a particular feeling from this rune today that it is more about the Community and Unity of Humanity, and a the lack of it. As I work in customer service, well lets just say today is going to be an interesting day.