Category Archives: Ac

February 27, 2010 – Ac

Ac

Ac is the vowel a (ah)

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 means oak. It is endurance, stamina and a kind of longevity, much like the oak tree itself. It tells me that I will have the energy to survive the day, or at least I will find that energy and work through it. After the change of things brought about by the action of Inguz earlier this week, I have found a new stability, and with that, new sources of energy, and places to act from, is also part of the sense I have for myself.

February 18, 2010

Ac Reversed

Ac is the vowel A (like far)

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.

Again we return to Ac reversed. While I was making my entry in my working journal, which only has quick notes and a running entry so I can write it down and then make this entry later, a word came to me. Un-rooted. In the sense that Ac is the Oak tree, and to me the expression of Yggdrasil as it exists in the Middle World, if it appears reversed, it suggests that you aren’t being present in the Middle World. The here and now is where you have bills, a body, and a life that needs to be lived. Without that rooting, that grounded-ness you will lack the enduring strength that will help you through the challenges of life both in physical and spiritual realities. It tells me I need to work on that today, and deal with the practical challenges that are before me.

With a further stroke of insight I had as I was posting this, ignoring your material responsibilities is also dishonorable, as your are breaking your commitments in doing so.

February 14, 2010


Ac Reversed

Ac is the long a sound like far

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.

Today the rune of Ac reversed is governing the day. Instability, lack of endurance and fortitude is the meaning of Ac reversed for todays reading. How literal minded, considering I am operating on 5 hours of sleep, and my joyous expression of Saturday night has left my legs feeling tired and exhausted from over-exertion, which I haven’t had appropriate rest to recover from. Of course I confirm my own fortune but not resting and relaxing, but still going forward with all the vigor I can muster for the day.

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.

Trees and Runes

In the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc there are a few trees mentioned, mainly in the names of various runes. The most clearly mentioned are as follows.

Thorn
Yew
Birch
Oak
Ash

In the poem itself, Birch is often understood to be a form of poplar tree found in British Isles, but for the sake of simplicity, lets just say Birch.

In a sense, all of these trees could be seen as a different aspect of Yggdrasil or the world tree, especially in the context of the runes and their qualities described. The quality that I perceive in these trees is as follow.

Thorn – I identity Thorn/Thurisaz with the challenging and destructive side of the World Tree. The main identification comes from the Rune Poem where it is described as “harmful” and “exceedingly cruel”. In some light studying of Thorn trees (of which the whole family has been named Hawthorn) one of their qualities is to grow a fruit. Most of the trees, the fruit is either bitter or very sour, and needs to be conditioned in someway to become more palatable to people. One entry even indicated that in most cases, it was the fruit eaten only during the winter, when most other food stores were low or gone. The rune Thurisaz is identified with the Thurse or Giants and particularly the oldest Giants i.e. the Frost Giants (winter). It also works nicely in understanding the nature of the Giants. You cannot just reach out and grab them. They need to be approached carefully; otherwise they can wound you, and are exceedingly dangerous.

Yew – Yew can be seen in two runes. The main one is Ihwaz/Eoh, The 2nd one is the wood of yew trees, worked into a tool, the bow. This rune is found at ýr. As that rune is more related to humanity, I will overlook it now. In the Rune Poem, the many virtues of yew is extolled, but in the last line, the author describes the “deep roots” of the yew tree. My own impression of Eoh is that it connects to the Underworld, but also connects all worlds. Most Trees have a root system that mirrors its branches. If you look at a picture of the yew, its branches are very twisting and bent, with a lot of complexities. The root system mirrors this. In my own revelations about this, it shows the twisting roads that exist and connect all of existence. They can also lead you down into the underworld, but sometimes the paths themselves are dark, deep and forgotten. They are secret paths that can lead you between worlds, and even between locations. Yet, at the same time, it is a mighty tree, a good fuel for fire, and a joy to the home. Those qualities suggest something about its protective nature, which is often mentioned by authors about the Runes

Birch – Birch (and Poplar) are often one of the first trees to come back to life after the cold of winter. In most information about the end of the Ice Age, the first trees to grow as the glaciers receded were Birch trees. It is known for its ability to quickly repopulate open areas of land, even after fires and other destruction of local flora. It was also used as a tool to write on in many countries, where the thinly peeled birch bark could be removed and written upon, and it would last for a long time, because of the high resinous oil content of birch bark. In Birch, I see the nurturing and regenerative aspect of the World Tree.

Oak – Oaks are some of the most recognized and celebrated trees in Western Culture. Often times they are noted for their Strength and Endurance, and this is a theme which is found in the rune poem, as well as a source of food, although not for people directly. Their endurance is also tested, as the oak is made into boats that men would use to travel across the sea and oceans. I see the Oak and the rune Ac (which is pronounced similarly) as relating to the Trunk of the World tree, and its connection to the Middle World or Midgard.

Ash – The most commonly held tree in Northern European native spirituality, Ash is most common held to be the World Tree itself. I also value that idea, but find that Ash itself has a particular connection to the top most branches of the World Tree. Up in the shining skies is what Ash and its rune Aesc relate to. The first man was said to be made from an Ash tree, and the ash itself has many folkloric uses, from repelling snakes, to curing warts and other diseases. While Oak and Birch also have uses as woods in musical instruments, Ash is generally considered to produce a brighter tone and a more sustaining quality to sound produced using Ash wood.
It is also these woods that figure best in creation runic talismans, to carve and redden the runes into them, and are often described in the Galdrabok as wood to be used, with Oak and Ash being mentioned the most.