Runes For All

I often connect Skadi and Ullr both with Isa as this to me is a rune that requires teamwork in order to overcome the more rigorous of its challenges. The rune poem says that ice is called the broad bridge and the blind man must be led. I believe this is saying not just that those who have no vision must be led, but that teamwork is ultimately needed in the depths of winter(or other challenging times and places)in order to survive. I think the reason that so many have connected Ullr and Skadi as having become 'an item' after her marriage to Njord did not take is because both have the needed survival skills for winter in mountainous climes. Skadi is the snowshoe goddess as we are all familiar with, and Ullr goes about with his bow and arrow, wrapped in the furs of animals whom He has slain in order to survive(I do not see Him as 'sport hunter').

Isa is ice, though most people will tell you that they know this already, this means different things for the various tribes... i  It is probably obvious in  some ways, at least ,  how it relates to Skadi, when one thinks of Her striding across the frozen wastes in her snowshoes with wolves howling at her heels. Skadi generates a feeling of both reverence and fear. Much as winter itself did for those folk of elder times. It was in the winter that so many succumbed to the darker emotions which dwelt within, being deprived of the longer hours of natural sunlight, and the ability to move about as they would wish. It was also during the winter, when during the long hours of the night as they sat about the fires the stories would be told from one generation to the next, often to the sound  of wild winds and wolves howling outside. There was a kind of reverence for the forces of nature, that they could grant life or take it at a whim, and striding out in the midst of the storm Skadi could save you from the worst if it was Her will to do so. 

How Isa relates to Ullr may be a bit less obvious to folks. He is seen by some, as a kind of Green Man and by others as a 'god of winter' so here we're going to look at the God of Winter aspect. In modern times, Ullr has become almost iconically related to winter, there are several different towns in the U.S.A that throw Ullr festivals yearly in order to gain a high yield snowfall. This has in fact been a subject of some debate in the Heathen Community as to whether or not these festivals were really respectful of Him or just kind of 'in thing' in a sense. Either way, Ullr has entered the public consciousness as being intrinsically connected to winter for better or for worse. 

Isa is ice, though most people will tell you that they know this already, this means different things for the various tribes...The Vanir deal very much with the psyche and emotions, They also deal with the concept of working together and this is how Isa is being interpreted here. As a rune of ice, Isa represents a kind of fear that can lock you within yourself, as you create and recreate a story or series of stories that will define your experience of the world. This can be representative in some ways of PTSD, in that a person with post traumatic stress disorder relives over and over again the same story, locked forever in a loop, freezing them when a set trigger occurs.  It can also be used to create this self-same fear in an opponent if you feel a dire need to do so, as a kind of 'battle fetter' so to speak; creating such a fear that the individual cannot move against you. A more constructive use of Isa, is to retain control over yourself when in the midst of a panic attack, seeing it as 'still water' which you take within yourself, bringing the panic to a complete point of stillness and allowing you to move forward. Isa can allow you to 'slip through' situations you wouldn't want to find yourself in if you learn how to walk upon it with care and give respect to it as an element in and of itself. Remember that the world was created in Fire and in Ice and so Isa has a kind of consciousness attached to it that many other runes do not, it has a kind of self memory. When working with Isa give respect to that and you will do much better with it.

Written by, Ayla Wolffe©2008

 

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Fire, not just fire but need-fire, this is Naudhiz. The fire generated from within, this is a specialty of the Vanes because They have a tendency to draw out of each individual what it is that makes them burn. What makes you burn to become more than you were before? What makes you want to strive beyond limits that have been set on you by others when you have been told you will never be more than you are at this moment? What makes you want to create? This is all part and parcel of the need-fire that is Naudhiz. Naudhiz is generative fire, because it generates such a heat that it radiates outward far outward. Naudhiz is the wheel that was lit each year and rolled down the mountainside flaming into the river carrying the hopes and prayers of the villagers with it so that all their desires would manifest, working magic so that the fields would produce and the animals would be hale and healthy; Acts of this nature are Vanic Magic.

When most people think of the Vanir, they think of Them as simply deities of harvest, love, sex, or death; But there is more to them even than this. The Vanes are deities who weave Wyrd for the world, this is why on Walpurgasnacht Freyja would go to Mt. Brocken and look into the future weaving Wyrd and doing seidhr.  This is where the custom of scrying and doing other forms of augury on Walpurgasnacht came from. On this night fires were lit on the tops of mountains all over Germany and Scandinavia according to some legends. This is also when the flaming wheels would roll down the mountainside and into the rivers.

Don't be fooled into thinking that this potent form of fire is safe though, it can take over and rage, becoming out of control if you don't tend it and look at it as a living entity.  Control. Fire is one of the primary means by which the universe came into being and because of this it has its own needs to be fulfilled. Not only does fire have the will to create but the desire to destroy. When approaching fire it is best to treat it with respect, not just as an element but as a Wight. At least in my opinion. Learning how to generate a physical need-fire as well as a spiritual need-fire may well show an individual exactly the bounds they must go to in order to learn these controls and in learning this they may well find themselves surpassing limits they had believed in earlier. Naudhiz magic, like much of Vanic Magic is practical magic.

 

Written by, Ayla Wolffe©2008

I tend to connect Skadi to Hagalaz for several reasons actually. First of all because Hagalaz is a rune that can be used both for destruction or as a kind of 'seed' for new beginnings depending on the frame of mind of the individual and how they approach it. This fits quite well with Skadi as a whole; Her primary reason for coming to Asgard after her father dies is to reach some kind of resolution that will allow Her to move on and start over. Though She comes girded for war and it is possible that destruction could be the outcome if the situation is not handled properly, what occurs is beneficial for all because an agreement is reached by which Skadi is married to Njord and thus becomes part of the Vanic Tribe. 

Being able to learn how not to give in to the more destructive forces within yourself is one of the primary lessons of Hagalaz. We all have a great capacity to look at the world around us and see what we don't like, to want to tear it down and level it so that we can build it in our own image because it would be 'better'. Sometimes this is actually appropriate, but it takes a long time to reach the point where we can tell the difference between desire and necessity. Hagalaz seeks to teach us this and also that we must have a plan for what to put in place of what existed before.  

When Skadi approached the AEsir, She had a plan in place as to what it would take in order to make peace, something that would keep Her from simply giving in to her desire for vengeance.  The AEsir put their own conditions on the agreement but She was flexible enough to know that this is how peace is made and kept, and even though things did not work perfectly in her marriage Skadi did not break the peace. A seed had been planted that allowed for growth, because exchange had been made between the Jotunar, the AEsir (by not flaking when She walked into Asgard) and the Vanir (with the marriage). 

Even when Skadi returned to her customary home, She was counted among the Gods. A kind of transformation and rebirth had occurred. A seed had been planted in the hearts of all the Gods, both AEsic and Vanic.

Written by, Ayla Wolffe©2008

Joy and perfection, these concepts seem like something that would naturally fall within the Vanic spectrum don't they? After all most people consider the Vanir to be deities of joy and peace, singing and dancing about like fairies flitting through your consciousness in a sense.  At times this can in fact be the case. The Vanir, all of Them have a way of touching your consciousness whether you invite the contact or not, bringing you to different understandings of what you need to do in order to actually achieve an understanding of joy within yourself.

Many people believe that joy is the sense of being happy all the time, but that is not necessarily so, joy can be a kind of quiet contentment that brings them into alignment with the energy of the world around them allowing them simply to be. Joy can be the little taken path that shows us new aspects of ourselves unfolding like the petals of a flower until we get to the center and smell the delicate fragrance. Sometimes having another to share it with can heighten your experience and sometimes it is the moment(s) of aloneness that do this for each individual, it is a moment by moment journey. 

Many people perceive the Vanir simply as deities of Sex and Death, seeing the ecstasy of orgasm as the ultimate moment of joining, one individual to another, reaching out for that moment of perfect communion and this too is a secret contained within Wunjo. When sex and death meet, and pass one another by there is a moment of perfect clarity of purpose for the individual.  There is a moment when you can see beyond any illusion you have cast for yourself.  

Wunjo is the perfect path, showing the individual that no matter what, in which manner you set out, no matter what direction you face ultimately you will reach the same goal at the end. It is simply a matter of perception. The experiences you gather as you proceed throughout your life are what make you, the dynamic individual you ultimately are, and that each of us in our own way is on the path to self perfection. The Vanir bring us along this path, through moments of clarity, both allowing us to unfold gradually, as well as through moments that cut through the veil. Sometimes those moments are traumatic and sometimes you will treasure those moments and wish to relive them over and over again.

 

Written by, Ayla Wolffe©2008

The Vanir are those most concerned with bringing the harvest to its fullness and thus this rune is intrinsically connected to Them. Those deities connected to Gebo are Freyr, Idunna and Sif. Freyr gives his own life essence back to the earth at Loaf-Fest (also known as Lammas) each year, as the sacrificed God. In the act of being cut down, his blood returning to the earth nourishes it and makes it fertile. The secret being that He is again born in the crop the following year. Thus you get the essence of what the saying "The king and the land are one," truly means.   Without the willingness to give in such a manner the land would simply be a hunk of earth, without the consciousness of this mystery the people would simply be eating a bit of grain, it might nourish their bodies but not their spirit. 

Sif also is a deity of the grain; She too sacrifices a part of herself, her beautiful golden hair. Each year it is shorn short so that we may eat and become nourished. Though this does not seem as heavy a sacrifice as the blood which is given by Freyr, it is indeed, for each portion of the body holds a secret; and in Scandinavian and Germanic society a woman's worth was measured in large part by the length and beauty of her hair. This sacrifice shows that Sif is measured by more than the beauty of her hair, but by what she has to offer, and this is the ability to nurture and kindle within each individual that which they value. Sif by nature is a nurturer as can be seen by the way in which She raises a blended family with skill and with patience. If one concentrates on these traits when making bread or eating products of any kind of grain, whether they are maize, or wheat, rye or barley then you can partake of Sif's true gifts and not just fill your belly. 

Idunna also is a deity connected with Gebo, though not a deity of grain; She embodies the concept of generosity with a kind of quiet grace. It is She who raises the trees that put forth the apples of youth and health for the Gods; and it is She who bestows them as well. None can partake of these treasures except that they come from her hand. As has been demonstrated when Thijazi captured Her and tried to force Her to give him one. When he reached for it himself it withered and shrank from his touch.  The relationship which Idunna has with the trees themselves is one which expresses the give and take of Gebo, it is almost symbiotic, with a kind of love being exchanged between them, at least this is what I believe; I believe that the love that is exchanged between Goddess and tree is contained within the apples and this is what causes them to be so potent and to give the years of youth and to restore health to the other Deities. 

Because these Deities do so much for humanity, for the earth, and for the other Gods, They embody the essence of Gebo. A gift for a gift. We, in return must be mindful always that where we put our feet upon this earth we tread lightly and that we leave little trace of ourselves. We must always try to conserve and pay attention not to create more strife in our wake. This is our part of Gebo, to honor and give back in as many ways as we can; Because it is truly a gift for a gift. Our hearts must be filled with gratitude for those things that are bestowed upon us, and where we can help others that too we must be mindful to do. This exchange instead of taking advantage is the essence of Gebo. .

Written by, Ayla Wolffe©2008

Kenaz is about the fire that consumes one, bringing transformation of the self, bringing you to new consciousness. In that this is the case the deity most associated with Kenaz is Gullveig who was thrice burned. This should come as no surprise.  

When one encounters Kenaz often it is not obvious at first, because we are not always very conscious of ourselves a very real sense, we simply define ourselves by how we experience the world around us and this becomes what life is all about. Sad to say, it is reaction rather than action.  Because of this, even those individuals who make the statement that they take personal responsibility for their actions are actually taking responsibility for their reactions.  Kenaz forces us to look at this truth and inspires us to take actual conscious action(s) sometimes for the first time in our life whether that is as an adult or as a teen. If we are lucky we deal with this process well, if not we get bitten by the flames so to speak.  

Because of this, it is often true that those individuals who are conscious of their own worth, who carry the ability to determine their relationship with the world act as beacons to those around them, lighting the way for other individuals who are just 'getting by' as it were. This can cause incidents of jealousy, or even complete clashes between folks where one has to be extricated from the situation. It is not always on a conscious level as that comfort zones are being crossed, many times on both sides. In my opinion this is the secret of what happened between Gullveig and the AEsir.  The AEsir had a certain determination of what an individual's value was so to speak, and then in walked Gullveig, strong in Her own belief of what Her worth was among her own people who defined worth in a completely different manner. The two belief structures were at complete odds and Gullveig was the focus; Thus She had to be eradicated. Yet so strong was She in knowledge of Herself that She could not be overcome.  Kenaz is the ever burning torch, it is all consuming inspiration.  

Once the AEsir and the Vanir declared a truce and exchanged hostages, no longer were They strangers to each other; They knew and absorbed some of the values from each tribe. Thus a kind of symbiosis occurred and transformation was the result.   

 

The way in which the Vanir travel through the world is different from that of the AEsir, when you look at most of the journeys that the AEsir take, they generally have some kind of aggression or contest of wills connected to them in some way.  The stories in which the Vanir travel through the world generally have to do with seeking those whom they love, or bringing prosperity to the land, sometimes these themes can even be combined together. Raidho is not just about the mode of transportation that is used for the journey, but about the purpose of the journey and the outcome of it, at least in my opinion. A good contrast might be the instances of Frigg and Freyja dealing with the grief of losing their loved ones, Baldr and Odr. 

When Frigg loses Baldr, She is bereft to such a point that She seeks to bring Him back from death itself. This is something that is not within the wyrd of Baldr, but her grief is speaking deeply to Her and She will not hear anything less. So, after having Odin send a messenger to Hel, and finding out that if every living thing in the 9 worlds will weep for Baldr, Frigg sets out on Her own journey through the worlds, to beseech all those things to do what She wishes. This is an expression of grief enacted as a journey, one that hopes to bring change and a reweaving of wyrd. Setting ones' will against the established order. 

In contrast, when Freyja loses Odr, She too is grieving greatly and sets out on her own journey. This is one in which She hopes to reunite with Him and bring back the joy that They once had. She also goes over the land, as the tears stream down her face and touch the land, it responds to Her, gold veins form from her tears... And the land blossoms to her presence. Those lands which She leaves behind mourn for the lack of Her. Not because She has asked anything of them, but out of sympathy, and a kind of  need, because there is a bond between the land and Freyja.  Freyja is working within the natural bounds, hoping to find her love but not demanding that He be returned to Her. 

Both Frigg and Freyja come to the realizations that They will have to deal with their grief in it's own time and that they will have to ride it out.The way in which They process this is different for each according to their nature, but healing does take place...This is not only a difference between Asynja or Vana, but simply individual to individual.   A journey is not just traveled in miles, but often is internal as well. By making deliberate choices as to your path in life you can go much further than simply taking the random 'ride'.  

The Vanir have a way of slowly opening the proper ways, guiding the individual toward the paths that are most beneficial for them... Often you may not even see this happening until it is too late. Once you have begun making choices according to what is more natural for you, you never want to go back as it were. Many looking at it from the outside will see you as 'simply going with the flow' and may even envy you that 'relaxed pace', but the fact is that it builds as time goes on until it is a constant and you begin to find that you are capable of far more at the 'relaxed pace' than you thought you were when putting yourself under a great deal of pressure on the 'fast track'.

Fehu is the essence of Freyja. It has been commented on more than once, that one of the ways that Fehu is reflective of the essence of Freyja, is that Freyja knew her own worth and made her own bargains without looking at how society would judge Her, when seeking to obtain Brisingamen. In the process She had many lessons to learn, as She sought out her husband Odr, only to find that never would They again know each other as They had before. But, She had gained a great embodiment of Her personal power, one which could never permenately be taken from Her. One which all the worlds have connected to Her just as ineffibly as Thor is connected with Mjollnir.

Fehu shows that wealth is transient, it moves not just from hand to hand but from a dormant to an active state. Just as when Freyja went searching over all the earth seeking for Her lost love the land responded to the presence or absence of Her so it is the same as when it is being tended or used and when it is not. If you do not keep wealth flowing in a positive direction, if it feels misused it will simply cease to work for you. Because Fehu is mobile wealth, transient and transitory There is a way that it can be used to stabilize you, but you have to keep it moving in order to do so, you have to work, whether creatively(even if you are on disability or whatever, exercising your creative muscles allows for this to be fulfilled)or in the open job market. You have to own your abilities and not be deprecating of them.

Fehu honors that which is within each of us that calls out to bring forth a way of making life better for ourselves and those around us. If we constantly say that what we do is of little or no worth than that is what you will get from it, little to no compensation. No matter how hard we work for the money. It will simply evaporate the minute the check hits your hand. There is a folk belief among many different people that if you let the crumbs from the bread you are eating fall to the ground, or you waste the bread you are eating, then you lose your wealth but if you save them you will gain in wealth. This is because you are actually becoming mindful of where you spend your efforts and the fact that everything comes into your life, or flows out of it for a reason.  If you decide when and where to allow that to happen, rather than being careless of it, your wealth increases if you simply 'let the chips fall where they may' you end up getting whatever hand is dealt you.

Uruz is the trial of initiation from one stage of life into the next. It is a stage of becoming. The Vanir are very concentrated on the concept of supporting each other and those who came into their tribe as a kind of collective conciousness in a sense. Because of this, there is a sense that at certain times, the individual needs to seperate themself out, and find their own path, become more than they were before. This brings greater strength to them as an individual which they can then add to the whole. 

In times past, young men would go out to face the aurochs in a contest of strength and cunning and if they survived and brought back evidence of their kill (usually the horns) this was a sure sign that they had become an adult and capable of contributing to the survival of the whole. There was more to it than this though, because those who chose could in fact pick the rite of utiseta(setting out on the burial mound of one of their closest or eldest ancestors) in place of the hunt, this was considered just as dangerous if not more so. and had other connotations to it.. I believe that in allowing oneself to be opened up to the spirits of their ancestors individuals allowed for personal insights which caused great leaps in growth that might have taken years of development otherwise, but, risked the lack of being able to process it, which is why it was considered so dangerous. The Vanes, particularly Freyr, were mound oriented so the rites of initiation in my opinion are connected integrally to uruz and the Vanir. 

We don't have a huge amount of information on the rites of initiation for women, but I sincerely doubt they were any less harrowing.  Some believe that it was simply the act of beginning to have a monthly cycle that initiated a girl into the world of womanhood at which time she was given more knowledge and responsiblity. Others believe that though this was an 'introduction' into the world of womanhood, one did not become a full woman until actually giving birth because until that moment a female did not in fact risk their life in the same manner that a male did. I think that it was a matter of personal perception, especially as women were the peaceweavers of the tribe, and upon the point that a girl was able to be marriageable she picked up a responsibility that would weigh heavily in ways we today can only imagine.

When one looks among the various tribes of deities one of the first things that comes to mind is that They are most likely to want to bring about peace. Though They will fight for that which is right, in order for prosperity to reign peace must also dominate. This is why Freyr does not permit criminals in His holy places and why when Nerhtus travels through the land in her wain peace must reign wherever She happens to be.In marrying Skadi, Njord brought peace between Her and the AEsir... Though Freyja is a deity who is concerned with warfare, it can easily be said that She fights for peace. Though this is a hard concept for many people to encapsulate, it does exist. One must excise a disease so that the whole will be healthy again. 

Uruz is, therefore, a rune both of individual growth and of the tribe. It is a rune that shows us the many faces of strength, not just physical, but of character and of spirit. It gives resilience in difficult situations and allows us to bounce back against difficult odds.

Thurisaz speaks about the thorn how it can be used as means of defense for an individual or group of individuals. In times past those who were not wealthy, and needed a means of defense for their family would build hedges of thorn bushes about their homes, to keep the harmful things at bay. This allowed them some layer of defense, before the wolf was directly at their door so to speak..  The family had a way of then coming together and fighting as a unit, or at least supporting the person most qualified to do so. 

In the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty we see the function of the hedge of thorns at it's most potent. Here all those who are not supposed to have access to the Princess Aurora and try to breech the hedge become caught in the thorns and die gristly deaths.  The prince who comes at just the right time, walks right through, because the hedge is in full bloom, roses are everywhere and it magically parts just to let him pass and have access to her. Allowing him to break the spell she has lain under. 

Thurisaz is seen as the bane of women, because of it's highly phallic shape, but this is inaccurate, it is only that women must bleed each month and thus be pricked by the sharpness of the thorn so to speak, whether they would bear children or not. At least until that stage of life is over for them..It does in fact give to women a great gift, allowing them to carry many secrets of how to focus the life energy if they can master the sharp pains both of monthly cramping and of giving birth. Childbearing has always been inherently dangerous, in the past moreso than it is today, though it is still possible for a woman to die in the act of giving birth. It is easy to see how this could be interpretted as a bane to women when so many sacrified their lives in the act of childbearing.  

Those Vanes who are most associated with Thurisaz are those who have taken Jotynja as mates(Njord,Ullr,Freyr, ) finding a way to bridge new ways in being. The Vanir themselves are about fighting primarily from a defensive standpoint, the Jotunar are about fighting as a means of resolution, which we see when Skadi confronts the AEsir as well as from a more aggressive stance if need be. It should be noted, that in the story of The Ragnarok no Vanes are really noted as dying other than Freyr who takes part in the fighting. There is a kind of unspoken agreement on the part of the Jotunar, that if the Vanir don't take aggressive action against Them neither will They harm the Vanir. Of course having bonds of marriage between the two tribes is bound to be helpful here.

Traditionally, Ansuz is seen as the rune of Odin there is good cause for this as He is the one who brought the runes to all the races so that they might use them as best they could. But it is because the runes are so flexible, because they are the ultimate current for communication that we are where we are. And ansuz embodies the manner in which the Vanir bring to bear Their presence in this world. Ansuz is representative of both The Gods themselves as well as the ability to communicate with both the divine and those around you. It is a rune of conceptual thinking and spiritual being. Ansuz is representative of both The Gods themselves as well as the ability to communicate with both the divine and those around you. It is a rune of conceptual thinking and spiritual being.  

The Vanir are very active in the world around Them and us. They are Gods of becoming, each of the Vanes in one guise or another has a way of encouraging growth, whether that growth is of plants that will be  harvested, taken into us and used to transform into energy which can be used for the growth of the body... Or whether that is more of a transformative, personal growth, which allows for the individual to go from one state to another. 

What it takes to foster this state may not be obviously different to those around them at first but will in time, as the individual learns better communication skills.  Often, part of the transformative process that I have noticed has to do with how one learns to express themselves, and their emotions, and how one relates to the world around them...   It seems to me that one goes to the Vanir for lessons in learning to express the harshest of your feelings and emotions in a manner that causes the least controversy and pain. Though they may at times be blunt, it is most often that you will find because of Their desire to bring peace and light into this world that they will attempt to show you the way to peace within yourself and how to foster it in your surroundings.  For that true communications skills are needed not just the surface things that one gets taught to get by in a social setting. 

One of the main ways in which personal transformation takes place upon bringing ansuz to bear is that those who have shut off their ability to communicate their own feelings to themselves will often find the floodgates opened. This can be uncomfortable, in that dealing with those things you have suppressed/repressed is not easy, but by doing so you become stronger and find yourself capable in ways you did not previously imagine. Transformation cannot come from an outside source it must come from within. This is one of the things which the Vanir like to teach us.  After all the grain of wheat transforms because the pattern was there all the time. It may get encouragement from Them, but it already knew what to do.