August 11, 2010 – Cweorth/Qweorth

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Cweorth/Qweorth

Cweorth is letter Q

There is no Anglo-Saxon rune poem. Cweorth is a Northumbrian Rune.

As I sat contemplating this rune, the words of William Blake sprang to mind.

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright,
in the forest of the night.
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes.
On what wings dare he aspire
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spears, And water’d heaven with their tears, Did He smile His work to see? Did He who made the lamb make thee? Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Atheism and Magic

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Recently, on a elist that I am member of, in a discussion about magical ethics, the conversation turned to the idea of religion, faith, and their relationship to magic. In the discussion, the subject was brought up of how a friend was a declared atheist, but believed in ghosts, because in her twenties, she lived in a severely haunted house and experience that reality first hand. So, while she didn’t believe in God or gods, she did believe in ghosts, and spirits. This puzzled quite a few people, but it seemed perfectly reasonable to me. I also indicated that an atheist could also practice magic, and also not necessarily believe in God or gods. Quite a few people seemed puzzled by this.

The example I that used is my awareness of the magical practices belong to various Buddhists sects, while many Buddhists that I have met, have indicated that they are atheists. That is, they don’t believe in God or gods. To be perfectly honest however, I have never met a magical practitioner who is also a serious atheist. I also pointed out that someone can be an atheist, and belief in spiritual realities, while someone who only believes in material source, causation and reality, will most likely be an atheist as well, but being an atheist and being a hard materialistic empiricist is not the same thing.
As far as the Buddhist thing goes, I am a total outsider, and I really have no other claim then a few experience with friends and acquaitances who have identified as Buddhist. I have also never met anyone who was an atheist, and also practiced magic (of any kind per se). I myself, am not an atheist either, so for the most part, I am playing the devil’s advocate here. But this lead me to the thought and decision to ask the question. Is there anyone, or has anyone ever met anyone who was a declared atheist, but also practiced magic of some kind or another? I would really like to know, and I rather hope I can meet a person like this, because I really want to ask him and converse with him how he espouses his cosmology, and how magic works for him

August 10, 2010 – Berkana reversed

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Berkana reversed

Berkana is the letter B

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

The birch bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,
for it is generated from its leaves.Splendid are its branches and gloriously adornedits lofty crown which reaches to the skies

Berkana reversed indicates that there is a lack of nurturing, of growth, and gentle sustenance within the day. Perhaps some harsh internal criticism is being applied, or the environment that is moved through today is being particularly rough, with very little gentleness or kindness involved. As Berkana is the rune of the feminine, it might indicate a lack of female presence or influence. For women in particular, it might be indicating that there are problems had within, and a need to find feminine strength and power, but also to look at the well being of breasts, womb, ovaries and vagina.

August 9, 2010 – Tiewaz reversed

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Tiewaz reversed

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
The dark moon comes with us this Monday, and today feels weird, or at least it felt weird this morning, moving into meditation. Of course, what occurs to me is the idea that the moon is being eaten by some cosmic beast, a wolf or a dragon that slowly devours the night candle, only to have it be reborn again, some how. In thinking about Tyr, I think of Fenris, and that somehow if he had gotten out, he would have devoured the moon, but perhaps the moon would have survived. The moon causes me to think again of the swastika, to think of the swastika as this celestial power, perhaps lightning or the sun wheel, or even the moon, identified by it’s turning and changing, over it’s 28 day cycle. A cycle where it is devoured, only to return again, a thin crescent that sheds just a glimmer of blue-silver light across the earth at night, which growns in strength, only to fade again, and be consumed by the wolf. Here I am in the belly of the beast, fully eaten, not a lick of morsel left that can sparkly or shine, and yet in these digesting depths the acids and bile are working a biological alchemy. Breaking down and perhaps emerge renewed, or at least to start as the prima material, so that the patterning, the weaving of who and what I am can be changed.

August 6, 2010 – Peorth

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Peorth

Peorth is the letter P

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

Peorth is a source of recreation and amusement to the great,
where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall

Peorth, the rune of luck and chance, is shining for Friday. One of the things I notice, with the method I have made for creating bind runes (namely, doing a casting while focus on what I want to achieve, and put those runes together in an aethestically pleasing way (for myself), Peorth seems to show up a lot. It makes sense as the rune of luck, that from perspective of active shaping that magic is, one needs to seize upon luck, and direct it towards one’s desires, whatever those desires maybe.

August 5, 2010 – Eihwaz

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Eihwaz

Eihwaz is the long “i” sound, but is rarely used in written script

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

The yew is a tree with rough bark,
hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots,a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate

A day of connections, new possibilities, and new contacts is the indication of Eihwaz for today. I recently acquired a new book, “The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic” by John Michael Greer. He gives an entry for the yew tree, and I particularly like his indication for magical uses for Yew. Mr Greer writes “Use Yew for protection from spirits, especially spirits of the dead. It is particularly useful in exorcism, and laying ghosts to rest.” Definitely also a fitting use for Eihwaz also, although I would say for both, it would work equally well, both in driving spirits away, but also calling them forth.

August 4, 2010 – Eolhx

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Eolhx

Eolhx is the sounds of “x” or “z”

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (from ragweedforge.com)

The Eolhx-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh;
it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound,covering with blood every warrior who touches it
Eolhx, the rune of protection, is the rune for this first Wednesday in August. It symbolizes protection, security, and sanctuary. Within the confines of an area marked by eolhx, one may find rest, peace, and quietness which allows one to cast off burdens momentarily, so that healing and regeneration, both physical and spiritual can occur