Monthly Archives: February 2010

February 3, 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

It is a new day, and the return of Dagaz. I am feeling that today, this rune is about change. My personal work (on top of this while daily rune cast thing) was pretty intense today, especially as I have reached the end of 4th aettir of the anglo-saxon futhorc. The next rune, doesn’t belong to any of the aettirs, but seems to stand alone, which is Gar, the rune for this week. Strangely synchronous and appropriate, I think.

February 2, 2010

Ac

Ac is a vowel sound of A, I am just not sure which one (sources are sketchy)

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men.
Often it traverses the gannet’s bath,and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faithin honourable fashion.

Ac translates to Oak (as in the tree). The rune poem illustrates two benefits of the oak tree, a source of food for domestic animals (acorns used to feed pigs) and also it’s benefit as a wood used in making seafaring vessels.
Esoterically, Ac partakes of the many symbolic qualities of the oak tree. It is a une of longevity, much as oak trees can live for a very long time. It is nurturing, as it supplies food (like acorns which can be fed to pigs, but also can be worked and made edible for humans as well). It is strong, as Oak wood has a very dense structure, and is often used in construction for it’s strength. It was also used for doors for this reason, as they were often the first defense against unwanted intrusion. Oak trees also show their strength in their ability to survive lightning strikes because of the wood density, which keeps them from being blown apart. I remember visiting an old oak tree in Indiana, which had been struck by lightning once, and had survived for many years after that. So, the strength of Oak is also about endurance and fortitude. A relationship can be seen between Ur and Ac as runes of strength, with Ur being active strength, like muscle and force, where as Ac is more passive and subtle strength, that has tenacity, and doesn’t yield or give up easily.

February 1, 2010


Tiewaz

Tiewaz is the letter T

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

Tiewaz is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes;
it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails.

As the stanza indicates, Tiewaz (or Tiw) is a guiding star. Other Futharks give it to be the god Tyr, a god of justice and war, but not savage war, but tactics and planning. Tyr has a very famous story about him sacrificing his hand to the Fenris wolf, as an agreement between the Fenris and the gods, that the gods would release him from this duergar crafted ribbon if Fenris could not escape from it. When Fenris was fully bound, the gods did not release him, and so Tyr, keeping his word, let the wolf bite it off and devour it. In that sense, Tyr is also about honor and integrity, keeping your word and responsibilities, even when doing so is probably undesired. Amidst the judgment, war, and honor, is a sense of pervading Wisdom. This is the Wisdom that can be expressed in correct judgment, the wisdom of correct tactics in battle, and the wisdom born from living a life of honor and integrity.
In a reading, Tiewaz represents all of those things. Which exact expressions comes out through discernment of the reader or the greater context of the reader. For myself, I am reminded of responsibilities I have to see to for today. Responsibilities that I am not terribly fond of, that I need to keep. It is also a call to wisdom, and trusting in guidance that I have access to.

February 2010


Isa

Isa is the vowel sound ee (a long e like seize)

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon

Isa means Ice. That is probably the most consistent rune in the all the Futharks, as it means ice in virtually all of them. The Anglo-Saxon stanza refers to the beautiful quality of ice, although it does give a brief indication of its dangers (cold and slippery).

Esoterically, it is cold, frozen, slippery, yet also static and unchanging. Things that are frozen at very low tempatures, don’t decay or change. That is why we have modern day freezers, to help us preserver our foodstuffs longer, because as long as they are frozen, they won’t decay as quickly. With Isa, you can freeze energies, entities or whatever, stopping them from reaching you. You can also use it to freeze yourself, giving time to reflect, be still and calm. Eventually though, things will thaw and when the ice melts, it can bring a gentle renewal or a mighty flood.
In a quite literal interpretation for the month of February, I think winter will hold on a bit longer then normal. But that is just my hypothesis. Also, don’t expect a great deal of change in this month, which can be both good and bad. Everything will probably just seem to take extra effort, unless you apply some heat to get things moving along.