©2018 by Linda R. Reneau - Life Energy Powers€¦ · L. R. Reneau [email protected]...

L. R. Reneau [email protected] Contemplation with Cerule’s Runes

This system of contemplation

is dedicated to those who enjoy playing with the runes

in a spiritual way,

in the contemporary tradition

of Ralph Blum,

on their journey to wholeness.


Table of Contents

The table of contents also serves as a quick reference guide to the runes.

Preface: The Coming of Cerule…………………………………………………………………i

1. Portals to Contemplation……………………………………………………………………..1

2. Playing with the Runes……………………………………………………………………….4

3 The Blank Rune – Divine Love, All-That-Is..…………………………….………..…….…11

spirit, consciousness, the immense; the divine, the ground of being, all potential, reality;

divinity, the greatness, divine matrix, holy (whole) spirit; intelligence, universal mind, creator, God, source; all knowledge, all power, all substance; the good, the true, the

beautiful; the akasha or ground luminosity, radiance, primordial matter

4. Aihwaz – The Rune of Truth, Discernment, Right Action……...………………..……..…15

Pronounced aye-wahz. Other names: Eihwaz, Eo, Ihwaz. Letter: I.

Symbol: The Bow. Qualities: discernment, seeking truth, taking right action;

cutting through illusion, conditioning, assumption; hitting the nail on the head, splitting

the apple in half; seeing beneath appearance, lifting the veil, getting to the heart of the matter, facing the truth; direct knowledge, belief, deduction, testimony

5. Algiz – The Rune of Vigilance, Aliveness, Protection………..……….…..……………..…18

Pronounced al-geez. Other names: Yr, Eolh. Letter: Z. Symbol: The

Green World. Qualities: discretion, readiness, aliveness, alertness; being quiet,

still, attentive, observant, objective; waiting, watching, using all the senses; mindful-

ness, being present and grounded; caution, camouflage, protection; accepting help, taking opportunity, timely action


6. Ansuz – The Rune of Messages, Authenticity, Responsibility…………….………...…….21

Pronounced ahn-sooz. Other names: Os, Assh. Letter: A. Symbol: The

Feathered Staff. Qualities: communication, teaching, learning, guiding; calling,

vocation, right livelihood; authenticity, being genuine; accepting responsibility, authority, service; guides, guardians, masters, higher beings; writing, speaking, singing,

chanting, breathing

.

7. Berkana – The Rune of Beauty, Nature, Happiness………….……..………..…………....24

Pronounced ber-kah-nah. Other names: Berkanan, Beorc, Bjarkan.

Letter: B. Symbol: The Mother Tree. Qualities: naturalness, happiness,

playfulness, kindness; gentleness, caring, appreciation, being yourself; healing, nurturing, nourishing, renewing; restoring, regenerating, revitalizing, increasing; open,

curious, exploratory, creative, birthing; resilient, healthy, attuned to nature

8. Dagaz – The Rune of Awakening, Breakthrough, Shift……………..…………………...27

Pronounced dah-gahz. Other names: Daeg, Dag, Dagar. Letter: D.

Symbol: The Butterfly. Qualities: illumination, revelation, new vision, insight;

breakthrough, sudden clarity, understanding; unexpected options, surprising solutions;

dawn, new leaf, fresh perspective; change of direction, heart, or mind; shift, rebalanc-ing, turning point, tipping point

9. Ehwaz – The Rune of Power, Equality, Cooperation…...……………………………...….30

Pronounced ee-wahz. Other name: Eoh. Letter: E. Symbol: The

Horse. Qualities: moving with the inner flow, following deeper impulses; having a

destination, maintaining balance; making steady progress, working together; equality,

cooperation, consideration, respect; planning, organizing, implementing; taking care of resources


10. Fehu – The Rune of Wealth, Receiving, Fulfillment……………...……….…………….33

Pronounced fay-hoo. Other names: Feh, Feoh. Letter: F. Symbol: The

Open Arms. Qualities: abundance, opening, allowing, receiving; fulfillment,

overflowing, releasing, giving; knowledge, wisdom, contentment, peace; accomplish-ment of life purpose, mission, goals; having what is required to follow highest path;

right livelihood, right relationships, being free of clutter

11. Gebo – The Rune of the Heart, Commitment, Values…………....………….……….....36

Pronounced ghee-boh. Other name: Gyfu. Letter: G. Symbol: The

Treasure Chest. Qualities: commitments, agreements, promises, vows; fairness,

loyalty, being true to oneself and others; values, truth sense, golden compass, knowing; gifts, talents, valuables, treasure chest; special encounters, exchanges, locations,

moments; saying “no,” declining, refusing, rejecting; making choices, setting

boundaries

12. Hagalaz – The Rune of Transformation, Disruption, Manifestation.....................…..….39

Pronounced hah-gah-lahz. Other name: Haeg. Letter: H. Symbol: The

Rainbow Bridge. Qualities: life as continual transformation; passing, arising,

death, birth, rebirth; destruction, creation, disruption, reconstruction; dispersing, gathering, dissolving, reforming; essence, pattern, seed, template, code, identity; being

prepared to handle sudden change, delay, disaster

13. Inguz – The Rune of Relationships, Harmony, Belonging………….……………...….…42

Pronounced in-gooz. Other name: Ing. Letters: ING. Symbol: The

Trellis of Life. Qualities: harmony, balance, contentment in life; at home in the

world, a sense of belonging; at ease with self, others, environment; general well-being, wholesomeness, resolution; feeling whole, complete, sane, natural; mentally,

emotionally, physically, spiritually, sexually healthy


14. Isa – The Rune of Stillness, Reflection, Meditation………………………….…….......…45

Pronounced ee-sah. Other name: Is. Letters: EE. Symbol: The Crystal

Core. Qualities: meditation, deep listening, alert receptivity; prayer, devotion,

communion, being; the I AM presence, contemplation, going within; centering, being

impartial, objective, reasoning; reflection, self-inquiry, examination, analysis; ice, standstill, downtime: preparation and planning time

15. Jera – The Rune of Harvest, Encouragement, Experience………………………....…...48

Pronounced jeh-rah. Other names: Ar, Ger. Letters: J, Y. Symbol:

The Rotating Earth. Qualities: action and consequence, results, returns,

feedback; vibration, resonance, magnetism, attraction; seasons, cycles, themes,

repetitions, conditions; learning through experience, life as teacher; encouragement to persist in right action; change of vibration, surrender, grace

16. Kano – The Rune of Illumination, Intelligence, Passion…………..……………….….....51

Pronounced kah-noh. Other names: Cen, Kenaz, Kauno, Ken. Letters:

C, K; Q; X is Kano-Sowelo combined. Symbol: Fire. Qualities: fire,

passion, light, perception, creativity; intelligence, being inventive, finding solutions;

focusing attention, keen vision, seeing eye; pursuing science, art, philosophy, special

interests; investigating, exploring, inquiring, uncovering; illuminating the hidden, shedding light, dispelling darkness

17. Laguz – The Rune of Freedom, Forgiveness, Flow…………….…………………..….….54

Pronounced lah-gooz. Other names: Lagu, Lagus. Letter: L. Symbol:

Waterfall. Qualities: water, flow, forgiveness, surrender, release; letting go,

nonattachment, flexibility, adaptability; spontaneity, responsiveness; moving forwards

with ease, unhindered; going downstream, immersion in life; not holding back, jumping

in


18. Mannaz – The Rune of Self-Realization, Inner Joy, Enlightenment…….…….......……57

Pronounced mah-nahz. Other names: Man, Human, Humanity.

Letter: M. Symbol: Crossing the Heart. Qualities: inner joy, enlighten-

ment, integration, wholeness; becoming congruent, aligned with true nature; evolving individuality to express divinity; self-knowledge, personal characteristics, talents;

preparing/readiness for a new level of engagement with life; compassion, being called to

greater service

19. Nauthiz – The Rune of Resourcefulness, Skillfulness, Necessity………………...………60

Pronounced naw-theez. Other names: Naudiz, Nyd. Letter: N.

Symbol: The Fire Sticks. Qualities: doing what needs to be done, tending to

necessity; skillful means, strategies, approach; working within constraints, budgets,

schedules; understanding requirements, conditions, rules; meeting barriers, obstacles,

hardships with equanimity; setting priorities, recognizing needs; self-restraint; retreat

20. Othila – The Rune of Heritage, Home, Territory.…….……………..………………...…63

Pronounced oh-thih-lah. Other names: Odal, Othel, Ethel. Letter: O.

Symbol: Home. Qualities: origin, ancestors, inheritance, home, property;

spiritual and earth families, groups, lineages; inherited characteristics, traits, talents, gifts; personal space, territory, private environment; field of service, influence,

expertise, responsibility; state of consciousness as primary home

21. Peorth – The Rune of Mystery, Chance, Revelation….…………..………………....…...66

Pronounced peh-orth. Other names: Perth, Pertho. Letter: P. Symbol:

The Matrix. Qualities: uncertainty, the unknown, the hidden; humility, honesty,

patience, restraint; gestation, the time before birth; faith, allowing things to unfold; taking a risk with no guarantees; keeping confidences, being trustworthy; seeking

revelation, asking for knowledge


22. Raido – The Rune of the Journey, Direction, Pacing……………….…………..….........69

Pronounced ray-doh. Other names: Rad, Raidho. Letter: R. Symbol:

The Path. Qualities: direction, movement, intent, wise counsel; pace, rhythm,

timing, style, moment-to-moment; questing, exploring, traveling, passing through, vehicles; managing affairs, keeping order, taking care; honoring needs for rest,

recreation, social activities; rituals, habits, routines, affirmations

23. Sowelo – The Rune of Goodness, Wholeness, Blessings…………………….…….….....72

Pronounced soh-weh-loh. Other names: Sowelu, Sowilo, Sigil, Sigel,

Sol. Letter: S. Symbol: The Sun. Qualities: blessings, impartiality,

nonjudgment; generosity, encouragement, optimism; confidence, recognition, praise, acceptance; abundance, prosperity, success, plenty; magnificence, greatness, glory,

radiance, life giving; bliss, peace, health, happiness, well-being, enthusiasm

24. Teiwaz – The Rune of Self-Mastery, Reliability, Congruence..……………….…......…75

Pronounced tay-wahz. Other names: Tiwaz, Tyr, Tir, Tiw. Letter: T.

Symbol: The Arrow. Qualities: loyalty, self-discipline, dependability;

consistency, reliability, trustworthiness; being accountable, upright, congruent; focus,

steadiness, concentration; mind and heart working together, without conflict; exercising choice, eliminating distractions, maintaining intent

25. Thurisaz – The Rune of Initiation, Justice, Opportunity………………….…..……….78

Pronounced thuh-ree-sahz. Other names: Thurs, Thorn. Letter: TH.

Symbol: The Portal. Qualities: threshold, gateway, portal, next level or stage;

inevitable, unavoidable change due to growth; loss or release of the old; opportunity,

crisis, eye of the needle; being prepared, watching for signs, taking the initiative; justice, fairness, reckoning, verdicts, edicts


26. Uruz – The Rune of Strength, Potential, Resolve………………………………….....…81

Pronounced ooh-rooz. Other name: Ur. Letter: U. Symbol: The

Chalice. Qualities: will, firmness, solidity, fortitude, endurance; stamina, resolve,

perseverance, persistence; absolute security, safety, sufficiency, stability; ground of being, all potential, nourishment; edge of unmanifest-manifest; gap, cosmic fire and ice,

polarities

27. Wunjo – The Rune of Celebration, Appreciation, Sharing……………………....……..84

Pronounced woon-joh. Other names: Wyn, Wynja. Letters: V, W.

Symbol: The Flying Banner. Qualities: mutual acknowledgement and

recognition; appreciation for all contributions; shared warmth, pleasure, joy, humor, praise; achievements, successes, accomplishments; gatherings, parties, birthdays,

weddings, wakes, milestones; anniversaries, holidays, memorials, remembrances

28. Rune Play……….…………………………….…………………...…..….......................…87

29. Resources…………………………………………………………………………………...97

30. About the Author…………………………………………………………………………. 99

For more information, contact the author at:

www.lifeenergypowers.com


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Preface: The Coming of Cerule

In April 2003, while crafting a Native American flute, a sparkling bright blue energy ap-

peared all around me. Without forethought, I picked up a piece of cedar and drew one of the

runes on it. I had a sudden, overwhelming urge to make a full set of runes, which surprised me

because I had not worked with the runes physically for a couple of years. I had internalized the

runes; I had a rune set in my head. Why would I want to make a physical set?

From the early 1980s when Ralph Blum’s The Book of Runes first appeared, until the fall of

2001, I had studied the runes in depth, reading every book I could find on the subject, and used

them frequently as a focus for meditation and inner exploration. I had taught classes in the runes

and used them to give readings for people. I had a natural affinity for the runes, and I often wrote

in rune script, but I no longer carried a physical rune set with me. The runes had become an

integral part of my intuitive guidance system, appearing naturally in my mind when relevant.

But that day, since I had plenty of wood scraps on hand left over from several years of flute

making, I proceeded to make a variety of rune sets in different woods, but mostly in aromatic

cedar, burning the runes into the wood and spending much time shaping and sanding each piece.

I experimented with different sizes, shapes, and finishes, and also made rune sets from tree

branches. I made rune necklaces as well, selling some along with flutes and rune sets, giving

some away, and keeping a set for myself. I thought to myself, I don’t know why I’m doing this,

but it’s great fun!

The bright blue energy, lively sparks of “intelligent joy,” as I thought of them, continued to

dance a jig around me while I worked. At some point, the runes began coming to me in dreams

and during meditation, changing into three-dimensional, luminous forms in many colors. It was

fun to play with them as vehicles on inner journeys and objects of meditation. Before, I had used

them mainly for contemplation, but now they took on new, dynamic dimensions.

Over the months I gained a new appreciation for the elegance and simplicity of the runes as

nonverbal affirmations and contemplative portals. In dreams I played them like a flute, and

waking, I began to write everything down in rune script. They turned into mathematical symbols

and songs. I got out my drum, blessed by many sweat lodge ceremonies, and drummed patterns

for each rune. I did many drawings using the runes as inspiration.

Several weeks after my initial experience, I began seeing a slender, white-haired, blue-eyed

child of about nine years old in my mind. She wore a simple dress with a white apron and lived

in a small cottage in the woods of a northern country. Each morning she untied the green ribbons

holding together strips of birch bark composing a small book and read for a while, sitting in a

rocking chair by the window, often closing her eyes in contemplation.

I wondered who she was—my muse, a part of myself, a future or past self, someone in my

spiritual family, someone alive in the present in another country, or someone somewhere in

another elsewhere or time? Whoever she was, her presence began deeply enriching my senses.

When she looked out at the world through my eyes, colors came alive, space opened up, the


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world took on new depth and breath. Oddly, perhaps because I was too busy with the usual

challenges of everyday life, but also because I had learned that such mysteries became clear in

time without pushing it, I didn’t at first connect her to the runes or the bright blue energy.

Several months after I drew the first rune on the first wood scrap, I became aware of the

word “Cerule.” It would pop into my head and I would forget it, then it would pop back into my

head and I would forget it again. Finally, one day when it popped in, I managed to write it down

before it popped out again. Over the next couple of weeks I thought about the word several times

a day, but I could not figure out what it meant. I knew it had something to do with the color blue;

then one day it hit me. It meant “sky blue,” just like the child’s eyes. Of course! Cerule was the

child’s name, and the child was symbolic of the bright blue energy.

Four years later Cerule’s symbolic form changed from that of the child to that of a great

being of divine love. She looked larger than the earth, and I could see stars and galaxies glowing

through her semi-transparent form, which was clothed in emerald green, gold, white, silver, and

amethyst. An egg-shaped field of electric blue radiated outwards from her form for many feet.

Three more years passed, and I learned that Cerule and I are a part of a spiritual Viking

heritage. The Vikings made extensive use of the runes (which I did not know until the 1980s, but

as a child in the 1950s, I read everything I could find on them, as I felt a strong connection to

them). Whether I have Viking blood in this lifetime or not, my soul is a part of an esoteric

spiritual lineage of rune play. When I was reintroduced to the runes by Ralph Blum, it was like

resuming an old relationship with a good friend I hadn’t seen in a long time but knew and loved

well.

Since 2003, Cerule has refreshed my knowledge of this inner tradition of spiritual develop-

ment, and I have written it down here as I use it in conjunction with Cerule’s teachings.

Contemplation with the runes is both fun and serious, simple and profound, easy and arduous,

gentle and powerful. When you contemplate the qualities of the runes as portals to the infinite,

you do not know beforehand what you will discover, but you can rest assured that whatever you

discover will lead you deeper into the flow of your authentic self as an expression of divine love.


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1. Portals of Contemplation

In this system of contemplation, the qualities of the 24 runes and the blank rune are used as

portals to the experience and expression of divine love. Each quality is a vibration, key, or

harmonic that opens the portal to the natural state of joy, compassion, appreciation, gratitude,

curiosity, and humor. Each quality of the runes is like a ray in a color wheel, connecting with all

the other colors at the hub.

Contemplation consists of both meditation and reflection. Meditation can be described as a

state of inner listening, alert receptivity, or simply “being your experience.” Reflection, on the

other hand, is a state of mental activity, reason, and self-inquiry.

“Divine,” as used in Cerule’s system, refers to knowledge. Divinity refers to the field of all

knowledge throughout all time and space. To access information in this field is “to divine,” or

read the akasha. “Divination” is the act or process of accessing information within the divine.

“Divine love” means love with knowledge encompassing the field of all possibilities.

The Origin of the Runes

The runes, angular symbols representing natural forces, elements, activities, animals, and

objects, are native to Northern Europe and Scandinavia, including the Germanic, Norse, Anglo-

Saxon, Celtic, Greenlandic, and Icelandic peoples. Their true history is lost in the mists of time;

except for a few brief tales and rune poems, the only writings about the runes (the Prose Edda

and Poetic Edda) were written more than two centuries after these lands had been conquered by

Rome, and the authors were scholars, piecing together the older history as best they could with

their Greco-Roman educations.

The traditional story is that perhaps two thousand or so years ago, Odin, a “god,” sacrificed

an eye and wounded himself in the side with his own spear so that he could drink from Mìmir’s

Well, the well of wisdom at the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree. For nine days and nine nights,

Odin hung upside down over the well from a branch of the tree to gain knowledge of the runes.

Symbolically, this tale might refer to a shaman (or various shamans melded into a composite

over the years) who went into meditative retreat (hanging upside down symbolizes “going

within”) until achieving his goal (the number nine signifies completion), which was to under-

stand the cosmic forces, or the nature of reality, first hand.

Duality, expressed as two eyes, had to be sacrificed to achieve single vision, and the small

self had to be voluntarily sacrificed (wounding himself by his own hand) so that he could expand

into his greater self. It is said that Odin gave his “self to his Self.” He gave up his separateness to

become one with his own divine nature. “Divine” here refers to the field of all knowledge,

power, and substance, or the akasha (the Sanskrit word for subtle space, subspace, or the

radiance of the ground luminosity from which we come and into which we return).

Water symbolizes life, and the well symbolizes the source of life.


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Yggdrasil, the axis linking the nine worlds or levels of reality in Nordic mythology, sits at the

center of the universe, where it has always been and will always be, to rebirth the universe each

time it implodes. It is tended to by the three norns, or fates (the laws of physics dealing with

space, time, and matter; the three gunas of Hinduism that maintain balance in the universe; the

three-fold nature of divinity as energy, knowledge, and substance; and perhaps the three angels

of Caroline Myss: the angel of compassion, the angel of choice, and the angel of necessity). The

three norns, “weavers of destiny,” are sisters: Urd, the elder, “that which has become,” fate, or

the past; Verdandi, the mother, “that which is becoming,” what is, or the present; and Skuld, the

maid, “what will be,” the future, or necessity.

Recent theories in physics postulate a new universe “budding” from the bottom of a black

hole after implosion of the previous universe, which is prevented from total collapse by

neutrinos. Could Yggdrasil be symbolic of a black hole that continually rebirths the universe?

(And does it retain the information that was created in the old universe? I would think so; what a

waste if it didn’t!) Also intriguing is the latest idea that the universe unfolds from the implicate

order in nine dimensions. We can find endless connections in the mythologies of the world with

scientific fact and theory. This is not surprising when we consider that we are literally composed

of reality and can experience the true nature of reality firsthand through meditation. “Be still and

know,” says the Sage.

If you wish to read a more colorful and detailed history of Norse mythology and the runes, I

suggest Paul Rhys Mountfort’s Nordic Runes. It is scholarly as well as entertaining.

Naming the Runes

In Cerule’s system, each rune is named for qualities of divine love consistent with the basic

meaning of the rune, with additional qualities listed below the rune. Over time, we develop our

own personal correspondences with the runes and think of them in terms of the qualities most

meaningful to us. For example, one person might think of Berkana primarily in terms of healing,

another in terms of gardening, and yet another in relation to a flourishing business. It is the rune

of natural growth, healing, increase, nature, and abundance. Cerule likes to call it the rune of

beauty, for whatever is natural, healthy, good, and plentiful is also beautiful.

Although the names, shapes, and number of runes have varied over the centuries and in

different geographical locations, 24 runes are in common use today. Ralph Blum added the blank

rune to the set, which is perfect for symbolizing fundamental consciousness or divine love in the

contemplative system. It may also represent the unknowable, the undecided, and unlimited

potential.

At the beginning of each rune chapter, you will find the pronunciation of the rune’s name,

variations of the name, English alphabet correspondences, and Cerule’s symbol for the rune.

The runes are presented in alphabetical order to make them easy to look up; otherwise, order

isn’t important in Cerule’s system because every rune is an equal portal into the infinite

mansions of divine love. Cerule says that all attempts to put the runes into groups, hierarchies, or

special orders usually reveal the desire to control or conquer nature, which cannot be done. The


3

only thing we can conquer is our ignorance of nature's laws. Then we can use our knowledge to

cooperate with nature to achieve our ends. Nature is All, and we are nature, too. (But, she adds,

playing with ordering the runes in different ways is useful for gaining self-knowledge and

working with temporary frameworks; we just have to remember what we're doing and that what

the runes stand for transcends linear order.) We must remember that nature can do very well

without us, but we can do nothing without nature. We would not even exist to do anything.

I have changed the common spelling of the rune Eihwaz to Aihwaz to avoid confusing it with

Ehwaz, another rune. One writer spells Eihwaz “Ihwaz.”

Each rune has a variety of original names. I use the name I like the most, but you might

prefer to use a different name. For example, you might prefer Sol to Sowelo, Eolh to Algiz, or

Beorc to Berkana, Tir to Teiwaz. Unless you have strong ties with a particular tradition, or are a

stickler for etymological and historical consistency, choose the name of origin with the ring tone

you like.

Tradition and the Runes

The runes evolved within a colorful mythology of goddesses and gods (the goddesses were

more visible, powerful, and freer before these lands were conquered by Rome; the runic shaman

was frequently female), elemental forces, giants and dwarfs, warriors and wizards, and

sorceresses. While I personally can’t relate to the ancient gods and goddesses and the cultural

trappings of historic times, and I am not interested in using the runes for “magick,” or any such

purposes of control or manipulation, I do encourage those interested to read the mythology if

they wish.

To Cerule, the runes are like leaves on a green growing vine, vital and adaptable. Cerule tells

me that the contemplative use of the runes for spiritual growth has been traditional from the

beginning of time, only it was followed by the few, as it is today. While some have maligned the

runes by using them as a focus for power, gain, and greed, there have always been those who

have used them in the spirit of divine love.

The runes themselves are neutral, innocent symbols of natural, impartial forces or qualities.

For me the runes have proven to be perfect as a system of contemplation and focus, as well

as inspiration for creativity and intuitive insights. They are rich enough in meaning to generate

open-ended questions and ideas that lead us beyond what we already know or can imagine and

specific enough to give us a starting point. They are handy, easy to use, and personal. Ultimately,

we each find our own “correct” way of relating to and using the runes. We each evolve our own

tradition and practice.


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2. Playing with the Runes

Choosing a Rune

First, you’ll need a rune set. If you don’t already have one, you can buy one online or at a

bookstore. You can also make your own rune set out of ceramic, stone, glass, clay, metal, wood

trim, or a tree branch. You can make round, square, oval, rectangular, irregular, hexagonal, thick,

thin, flat, or other-shaped runes. You can make a little pocket set or a big house set or both. You

can carve, engrave, impress, wood burn, or paint the runes on a suitable material of your choice.

While the energy of the runes is electric blue in Cerule’s system, you can paint them any color

you prefer. The runes encompass all the colors.

To make a quick rune set, you can buy a bag of small wooden squares or hearts at a craft

store and draw then paint the runes on them. Or you can buy 25 differently colored tumbled

stones about the same size each and assign a rune to each stone. Your runes will be invisible to

everyone but you!

You can keep your runes in a rune bag, a sock, a box, a bowl, a tin, or any other container.

You can also make a quick deck of rune cards by drawing them on 3x5 index cards. Or even

draw them on paper, cut and fold them in small squares, and put the squares in a jar. You can

buy a deck of blank playing cards that have a glossy finish on one side. You can make your cards

plain and simple or colorful with designs.

Second, decide on your way of choosing a rune. My method consists of running my fingers

several times through the runes in my bag, taking my hand out and jiggling the bag to further

mix the runes, then reaching in and pulling out the first rune my forefinger touches. When I use

my cards, I mix them up thoroughly, shuffle them once, cut them three times, then pick the card

on the top. Some people like to spread them out and choose one by feel.

Third, after deciding on a method of choosing a rune, stick with it, only changing it after

giving the universe due notice. It is well known in the field of oracular play that you must be

consistent. Why? Because the universe is consistent. It plays by rules. Consider the atomic table

of the elements, the conservation of energy, the laws of motion, the properties of materials, the

mathematical intelligibility of the cosmos, and communication between waves and particles from

the subatomic level on up. If you wish for consciousness (the universe or divinity) to put the

right rune in the right place, use one method consistently so that it will know where to put it.

For those who say that we see order where none exists, I would say that, yes, consciousness

creates reality, and we are a part of the creating. We do indeed, as a subset within nature, create

order. That is why we exist: to create. And by growing in divine love, we learn how to create

better and better.


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Contemplating the Qualities

After drawing a rune, note your first feeling and impression, then read the chapter on that

rune and choose one of the qualities to explore for the day or period. What you choose may or

may not be the same quality you explored the last time you received that rune. Incidentally, it’s

not uncommon to receive the same rune two or more days in a row, or to receive the same rune

on the same topic you asked about a month or year ago.

As you read the chapter on the rune, notice any comments or questions that stand out for you.

Notice any thoughts, images, or sensations that come to you spontaneously. Sometimes you may

find yourself associating a quality with the rune that is not listed in the chapter. Go with it.

All during the day, or the period for which you drew the rune, notice how the quality you

chose manifests in your life. Be aware of your actions, thoughts, emotions, dreams, impulses,

relationships, environment, work, commitments, attitudes, and motives—in short, everything you

are engaged with in your life that day, including events and interactions with others—in relation

to the quality you have chosen. This may seem like a tall order, but: You only have to be aware

of one thing at a time: whatever is going on in the present.

Engage playfully with the rune quality. For example, let’s say you receive Algiz and you

pick the quality of aliveness. Pretend that you can see aliveness as a color. What color or colors

do you see? Is there movement? Do you see patterns? How big is it? Does it have a shape? If you

could touch aliveness, what would it feel like? What is its texture? Thickness? If aliveness had a

sound, what sound or sounds would it make? What would aliveness smell like? If it had a flavor,

what would it taste like? Wear the quality of aliveness like a robe. Notice what it feels like when

you put it on. Let the energy permeate your body. What does aliveness feel like inside your

body?

Once or twice a day, contemplate the quality by using it as the object of meditation, much as

you might use a mantra, image, or affirmation. In fact, you can contemplate the quality as any of

these. The quality of awakening could be a white lotus, rose, or daybreak, for example.

Contemplation of qualities is an ancient way of praying and meditating. Use the quality in

meditation as a vehicle to carry you into fundamental awareness, then enter the stillness and just

be, resting in your core identity. Release all thoughts about the quality and practice deep

listening. Explore fully the immensity, being present, or whatever you are experiencing. Return

to the quality as energy or image each time you notice your mind wandering. This will

strengthen your ability to center yourself and hear your inner knowing.

If you find it difficult to meditate, you might take a class in meditation (live, online, or on

CD).

Several times during the day, use your reason constructively to explore the quality, your

associations with it, and your current knowledge of it.

Don’t be satisfied with superficial conclusions or confirmation of what you already know or

believe to be true. Learn something new!


6

Reflecting on Your Experience

At least while learning this system, keep a record of which rune you received, which quality

or qualities (sometimes you will choose more than one) you explored, the date, your observations

and experiences, intuitive impressions, and any relevant dreams, inspirations, and events. Your

notes can be brief, consisting of single words, phrases, or quick sketches.

Review your rune log periodically. You might draw a rune every day for a while, especially

while you’re learning this system, or draw a rune every other day. You might draw a rune for

half a day, just for meditation, or for exploring a specific topic. At this point, having used this

system so long, I generally draw a rune “for this time period,” without specifying how long the

period will be because I don’t know. I only know when the time’s up.

While learning, set aside an hour each week to review your log. Notice any patterns in the

runes you receive and any correlations to life events. When reviewing your log, see what new

things you can discover about the quality you chose in relation to divine love. Do not stop with

anything that does not surprise you.

Once you’ve learned this system, you’ll be drawn to review your log when it’s time. Eventu-

ally, you will want to use the runes spontaneously and intuitively, following your natural flow.

Using the Runes for Divination

Here we define divination as “turning to the divine for knowledge.” Divinity is all

knowledge; divinity knows who you are as an individual (because you are it, too) and contains

all the information you need to know right now to follow your highest path. Divinity is the

ultimate database, the akasha (fundamental luminosity or subtle space), consciousness, and spirit.

The runes can be used as an oracle to interact with the field of consciousness as long as you

do not use them in a rote way as a substitute for your intuition, overuse them and desensitize

yourself, or misuse them by trying to force them to tell you what you want to hear, or what you

think the answer should be.

Generally, avoid “yes” and “no” questions, questions dealing with time or prediction, and

questions containing the word “should.” Especially avoid asking the runes what you “should” do.

Also avoid combining two topics in one question or statement.

Often it’s best if you just state the topic and don’t turn it into a question. Here are some

sample questions (with the statement version in italics): “Which rune quality is most relevant to

this job interview?” “How can I help my husband with this challenge?” “What is this health

issue about?” “How can I improve my health?” “What would be a wonderful viewpoint to take

about this disagreement with my father that would really transform my approach?” “What is my

role in my sister’s life?” “What qualities would help me decide on whether to take this class?”

“Please comment on the realtor’s offer.” “I ask for a rune to orient me in this new project.”

“How can I help Susan?”


7

If you have to make an important decision, say a choice between A and B, you can do this:

Choose a rune for A and explore your impressions. Clear yourself. Put that rune back. Choose a

rune for B and explore your impressions. Clear yourself. Put that rune back. Ask to receive a

rune on an option or approach you haven’t thought of yet. Clear yourself. Put that rune back. Ask

for a rune suggesting an approach to take in making a choice. You get the idea.

When we’re clear, committed to following our highest path, have a high degree of self-

knowledge, and know what we truly want, the runes can inspire us with many valuable ideas.

When we’re fuzzy, we get fuzzy results. When we’re afraid of making a mistake or not

getting what we want, when we’re are anxious about the future or want to control outcomes,

when we don’t trust ourselves or want to avoid responsibility, the runes will be hard to read, or

we will mislead ourselves by reading into them what we hope, fear, want, or expect.

A great advantage of the runes is that each rune is like a set of encyclopedias: You still have

to use your intuition to find the right page.

Writing in Rune Script

Writing in rune script is fun. It takes a little practice, but it can come in handy, especially for

recording personal notes, feelings, and dreams. One of the meanings of rune is “secret.” You

might find yourself recording things you would not otherwise write down—things you would not

want someone else to read and misunderstand or judge. Example: You can put your daily

affirmation on your refrigerator in rune script and no one will know what it says but you.

At the beginning of each rune chapter, the English letter or letter combination corresponding

to the rune is given. Most of the letter correspondences are the same designations you will find in

other books on the runes, but some are different. For example, in many systems, Isa is assigned

the letter I. However, because Isa is pronounced EE-sa, I use Isa to denote EE in the English

alphabet. I use Ehwaz to denote a single E. For the letter I, I use Aihwaz.

When writing in rune script, I have also evolved other conventions, such as using an apostro-

phe to distinguish a K from a C (since both letters are indicated by the rune Kano), a W from a V

(Wunjo is used for both), and a J from a G (Jera indicates either). I use two apostrophes to

indicate that a letter should be doubled. If you are drawn to writing in rune script, you may use

these conventions or develop your own.

You can also write in rune script by using the qualities of the rune, rather than its corre-

spondence to the English letter. This type of esoteric rune script is only decipherable by the

writer.

Here are some examples of words using Kano, Wunjo, and Jera:

JOY LIVE WORLD

DIVINE LOVE


8

You can do rune writing in either of two ways: you can use the meaning of the rune itself or

you can use the rune corresponding to the letter you want. For example, if you want to write

“strength,” you can simply write the rune Uruz, the rune of strength:

Or you can write the runes Sowelu-Teiwaz-Raido-Ehwaz-Nauthiz-Gebo-Thurisaz (S-T-R-E-

N-G-TH):

When I use a rune to mean itself, I circle it, as above. An empty circle or oval refers to the

blank rune.

On the next two pages are tables to refer to when you want to write something in rune script.

CONSCIOUSNESS

KINDNESS YOU


9

English to Runic

A Ansuz

N Nauthiz

B Berkana

O Othila

C Kano

P Peorth

D Dagaz

Q Kano

E Ehwaz

EE Isa

R Raido

F Fehu

S Sowelo

G Gebo T Teiwaz

TH Thurisaz

H Hagalaz

U Uruz

I Aihwaz

ING Inguz

V Wunjo

J Jera

W Wunjo

K Kano

X Kano-Sowelo

L Laguz

Y Jera

M Mannaz

Z Algiz


10

Runic to English

Aihwaz

I

Hagalaz

H

Othila

O

Ansuz

A

Inguz

ING

Peorth

P

Algiz

Z

Isa

EE

Raido

R

Berkana

B

Jera

J, Y

Sowelo

S

Dagaz

D

Kano

C, K, Q

Teiwaz

T

Ehwaz

E

Laguz

L

Thurisaz

TH

Fehu

F

Mannaz

M

Uruz

U

Gebo

G

Nauthiz

N

Wunjo

V, W

Kano-Sowelo

X


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3. The Blank Rune – Divine Love, All-That-Is

spirit, consciousness, the immense, the divine

the ground of being, all potential, reality, divinity

the greatness, divine matrix, holy (whole) spirit

intelligence, universal mind, creator, God, source

all knowledge, all power, all substance; the good,

the true, the beautiful; the akasha or ground

luminosity, radiance, primordial matter

What is divine love? At least twice today, preferably upon awakening and before sleep, sit

and meditate on a quality of divine love for 10 to 30 minutes. The rest of the day, notice how

divine love, or the quality you have chosen, expresses itself in your daily life. Be open to

revelation. As you interact with others, go about your work, tend to your chores, and engage in

activities, look at your life through the lens of divine love. How do you experience it? How do

you express it? How is it a part of your life? Be direct and honest with yourself. Be objective,

innocent, curious, willing to learn. Experience what is actually true for you right now.

As you interact with others, notice the range of emotions you experience associated with

love. Reflect on past love relationships that come spontaneously to mind. What did “love” mean

in those relationships? Love as an emotion or desire can mean an attraction to fantasy, adventure,

attention, being taken care of by someone, or taking care of someone else. Conventionally,

“love” may have nothing to do with anybody but oneself and one’s own needs.

Romantic love is typically conditional, fraught with ups and downs, demands, worry, con-

flict, heartbreak, control issues, and jealousy. As an emotion, love can quickly turn to dislike,

anger, and even hatred when the loved one does not meet the needs or requirements of the lover.

Many people think of love as something that they can get, win, or possess that will make

them happy. They think they seek love because they want to share, when what they truly want is

to escape from pain by filling that terrible emptiness inside with the energy of another self. Or

they want recognition, security, status, comfort, or confirmation of their value. They want to

complete themselves by possessing another self and incorporating what the other has that they

lack. As an ordinary emotion, love is often based on lack, need, and fear.

Osho, a spiritual teacher, notes that from an early age, we are taught to love on command:

love your neighbor, love your parents, love God, love your enemy, love everybody. You are

supposed to love —, and if you don’t, you must be a bad person. Consequently, we become

confused about what love is. “I don’t know if I really love him or not.” “Of course, I love —,

she’s my sister!” He points out that if someone were to say to you, “I hate you!” you would

immediately believe him. Who would lie about that? But if he said, “I love you,” you might

wonder, “Does he really love me? Or does he want something from me? Is he trying to impress

me, make me feel better, or make himself feel good?”


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In exploring your beliefs and feelings about divine love, you will want to examine your

beliefs about divinity. Fearful beliefs about divinity can keep us from experiencing divine love.

Instinctively, we don’t want to get too close to what we fear. Anger, distrust, and grudges toward

divinity raise barriers to divine love. Images of divinity as a wrathful, heavy-handed patriarch

demanding obedience, childhood memories of bargaining with or threatening divinity to answer

our prayers, or beliefs that we are inherently flawed and unlovable can prevent us from

surrendering unconditionally to divine love and receiving divine love freely.

Today, explore your ideas about divinity. Update any ideas that need updating. Question

those beliefs that prevent you from experiencing divine love. Where did they come from? Are

they true? Which beliefs do you want to keep? Which beliefs do you want to release? Which

beliefs do you wish to keep until you know for sure?

Other obstacles to experiencing divine love are feelings of unworthiness, self-doubt, self-

criticism, self-condemnation, guilt, and inner conflict; grudges, grievances, prejudice, anger,

condemnation, and judgment of others; and trying too hard, not trying hard enough, seeking

distractions, giving in to habit, being unable to relax, and procrastinating.

We cannot remove all our obstacles to divine love at once, but we don’t have to. All we need

to do is be in the present and respond to whatever comes up in the moment. We only have to

handle one thing at a time.

Divine love is all knowledge everywhere, across all space, time, and dimensions. We are

individual extensions of this great living database, continually receiving all the information

specific to our journey as we need it. We receive updates throughout the day as we make

choices. Essential data may come to us directly through knowing or symbolically through

dreams; it may come to us through thoughts, emotions, events, physical sensations, other people,

animals, clouds, a song on the radio, a book, an overheard conversation, a stubbed toe, and any

other media. While we may receive knowledge through any media, it is the heart that apprehends

it and lets us know we have a message. The heart also informs us of the meaning and value of the

data.

When you receive the blank rune, ask yourself if you are alert to intuitive guidance through-

out the day. There are three levels of intuition: The first level is survival intuition, which is

sensitive to threats and danger; we feel it in the gut, the solar plexus, and other areas of the body.

It speaks through bodily sensations such as nausea, sinking or butterflies in the stomach, chills,

prickles, or the hair standing up on the back of the neck. It lets us know when something is

wrong or a loved one is in danger. The second level is creative intuition, which brings us

inventive ideas and constructive hits regarding our personal and professional life and relation-

ships. The third level is transcendent intuition, which consists of revelation, spiritual wisdom,

and vision, that extends beyond the personal self to include humanity or life as a whole.

Using all levels of our intuition in ordinary daily life enhances our ability to use our reason,

common sense, education, and life experience to the fullest. When we deny our intuitive nature,

we fall into depression and anxiety, or we become angry and don’t know why. We don’t feel safe

in the world and we don’t feel creative—and no wonder!


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Divine love is all power, or creative flow. When we are in the flow of divine love, we are like

a wave with the power of the ocean behind it. We cannot have divine power, but we can

experience it. We cannot keep it, but we can give it away. In fact, to experience divine power, we

must continually give it away as we receive it. The more we give away, the more we receive, and

the greater our capacity to receive grows.

When the separate self gives power away (which it think of as “its” power), it soon becomes

depleted. Not only is its personal store limited, but in its lack of knowledge, it may squander its

power on things that turn out to be wrong for it. It works hard to get power, keep power, and use

power. It fears others’ power and fears losing power.

In the flow of love, we can afford to be generous and give power away because power is

everything everywhere. We need only to open to receive it to experience it as abundantly

available. When you receive the blank rune, play with opening to receive power, all the power

you are currently capable of receiving to follow your most wonderful, joyful path of fulfillment

and service in the world.

Also, explore your ideas and beliefs about power, divinity, and divine love.

Divine love is all abundance, or substance, as it is everything. It is not only all knowledge

and power, but all that is created with knowledge and power. When we create abundance in the

flow of divine love, we create from all knowledge and power, and whatever we create will be

deeply satisfying to us, bring us joy, and bless others.

When you receive the blank rune, consider your ideas about abundance. What does abun-

dance mean to you? How would you define it? How abundant do you feel today? Do you feel

abundant in some areas but not others? What do you think would make you feel abundant? If you

were absolutely abundant right now, by your definition, what would you be doing with your

time? What would your day be like? How would you use your resources in the world?

When we forget our divine nature, we create from our small store of personal energy and

knowledge. We can create great material wealth from this perspective, but it always feels like

something is missing, and we live with a constant underlying anxiety. We know we cannot

control everything, and we fear loss. We identify with our body, career, status, possessions,

relationships, successes and failures, our age, worries, and hopes. We feel basically powerless,

like a wave without the ocean, because we are basically powerless as a separate self. No matter

how much we acquire, we can never get enough to really feel secure.

The masters say that all types of poverty arise from falling asleep in the world and thinking

we are separate from love. Poverty manifests in many forms—anxiety, depression, war, illness,

violence, greed, anger, cruelty, and all other expressions of unhappiness and pain. Poverty

manifests as thinking that the financial bottom line determines whether we can take care of our

species and world or not. But what if, instead of asking, “Do we have enough money to provide

our children with good schools?” we asked, “Do we have enough love to provide our children

with good schools?” As humanity evolves in consciousness and joins the flow of divine love, we

will automatically put our resources into the things of love: education, shelter, nutritious food,


14

medical care and the healing arts, care of our home—the earth—and care and consideration for

all sentient beings.

Divine love is all. When deep joyful compassion wells up from within us when we see the

sun rise, a child playing, a great mountain, or a tiny delicate flower, we know divine love as the

world. When we call upon divine mother, father, master teacher, guide, or any other, we know

divine love as a personal “other.” When we are suddenly lifted from within by the luminosity, we

know divine love as the core and fundamental energy of life, intelligence, and compassion.

The blank rune is perfect for symbolizing divine love as spirit, for divine love in essence is

beyond form. It is a song composed of infinite harmonics. It is boundless joy, transcendent

peace, deep compassion, absolute freedom. It may be known as a quiet softness or inner

certainty, deep appreciation, waves of light, vast intelligence, or a sense of eternity. It is open. It

is empty. It is infinitely vast. It may feel indefinite because it cannot be defined. It may feel

indifferent because it is impartial and unconditional. It may feel impersonal because in essence it

is not a person. It may feel unemotional because it is not an emotion. When the clear light

strikes, lifting us momentarily from our seat, we are shifted, tweaked, rearranged. The bottom

drops out of our heart. “What happened?” we wonder, holding our breath. We gasp, then laugh.

We get up. Everything is the same but everything is different.

Mystics, people who seek direct experience of reality, all report similar experiences regard-

less of religious background or lack thereof. Divine love in essence is the same everywhere, but

as it flows through each one of us, it manifests through our individuality and personal character-

istics. Maybe that is one reason we exist—to give divine love the personal touch.

When you pick the blank rune, go with what comes first to mind. Explore how you conceive

of the source of all life and your responsibility to make choices and decisions. Play with

transparency, openness, your original innocence, beginner’s mind, and just being and letting

things be as they are. Practice observing without having an agenda. Dance with emptiness and

form, nonduality and duality. Allow space to open up around you to make room for something

new or unexpected. The field of all possibilities is your playground.


15

4. Aihwaz — Truth, Discernment, Right Action

discernment, seeking truth, taking right action

cutting through illusion, conditioning, assumption

hitting the nail on the head, splitting the apple in half

seeing beneath appearance, lifting the veil

getting to the heart of the matter, facing the truth

direct knowledge, belief, deduction, testimony

Pronounced: aye-wahz Other names: Eihwaz, Eo Letter: I

Symbol: The Bow

Aihwaz is traditionally called the rune of defense, symbolized by a bow. There is no better

defense in life than being able to see clearly what is right in front of us, to know what we are

dealing with, and to respond appropriately to what is actually the case. Aihwaz is the rune of

taking right action based on accurate perception.

What do you know to be true for certain, beyond any doubt? Today, ask yourself this ques-

tion frequently. Try to apprehend your basic assumptions and question them.

Distinguish between what you know and what you believe, for a belief is not knowledge but

an inference or deduction (let’s pass on inductive reasoning; it may generate beliefs, but they will

be perpetually inconclusive). A belief may be based on reason and evidence or only on hope. It

may be based on the testimony of an authority you trust or were told is trustworthy.

You may believe something to be true, but not be certain it is true and hope that it is, or you

may believe something to be true but hope that it is not.

Make two lists: a list of what you know to be true from direct experience and a list of what

you believe to be true. Then, look at the list of what you know to be true. How do you know it is

true? Look at the list of what you believe to be true. Why do you believe it is true?

What about those things you believe are untrue? This could be a third list. Why do you

believe they are untrue? Is there anything on your list that you know with certainty is untrue?

Today, ask yourself any questions about truth that come to mind, and question everything.

There are no right or wrong answers with Aihwaz; there are only truthful or untruthful answers

with regard to being honest with yourself.

Do you have any beliefs that might be true only for you but not for others? What beliefs do

you have that you believe are true for everyone? What is the difference between belief, opinion,

preference, conclusion, and assumption?

When you receive Aihwaz, make an effort to apprehend your beliefs as you go through the

day so that you can question them. Tell yourself that you will become aware of the beliefs that


16

are most appropriate for you to examine at this time. What you do and what you say will clearly

reveal to you what it is you believe to be true. Also be aware of your emotions.

Our emotions always tell us the truth about our beliefs. Each time we experience an emotion,

we can ask ourselves, “What belief must I have to be feeling this way?” All beliefs evoke

emotions. However, not all emotions arise from beliefs. Some emotions arise from our truth

sense in the deep heart and provide us with practical guidance on everyday matters. Other

emotions are not ours at all, but rather the emotions of others that we are picking up. Paying

attention to our emotions and learning how to tell where they’re coming from are essential skills

for correctly interpreting our experience and the world around us.

When you receive Aihwaz, ask yourself if you seek to know the truth in all things. If there

were a particular area in your life in which you would not want to know the truth, what would it

be? What belief is underneath the desire for something to be true when it is not, or not true when

it is? What belief is underneath the pretense that something is true when it is not, or not true

when it is?

Contemplate the thought: Only truth is valuable. Why? Because it is true. Why would we

prefer the unreal to the real, fantasy to reality, deception to honesty, the insubstantial to the

substantial? Only the truth enables us to respond intelligently to the world.

But this doesn't mean that fiction is useless when it comes to the truth; to the contrary! From

the beginning of time great teachers have used storytelling, parables, art, and music to illustrate

the truth in such a way that we can feel it. Facts alone can be cold bones without flesh and color.

Sometimes it takes the right book, movie, painting, or song to spark understanding in us.

Divine love is the truth sense in the deep heart. When we take time to listen to it, it helps us

greatly in everyday life, where truth can be challenging to discern no matter how many facts we

have. Did the salesman tell me the truth? Is my son being honest about his feelings? Would it be

wise to loan my friend the money? Should I trust this person with carrying out an important task?

Which dentist would be the best one for me? Whose advice should I follow? Am I participating

in the fundraiser because my heart is in it, or because I want the approval of others? Which

applicant would be the best person to take care of my child while I’m at work?

Today, notice any social or white lies you tell, why you tell them, and whether you could

easily tell the truth (in a good way) instead. Notice when you profess something only because it’s

expected or presents you in a desirable light. Notice whether you say what is really true for you

or whether you agree with others out of expediency or to gain their approval.

Notice when you speak the truth and why. Truth can be used in the wrong way or be said at

the wrong time, to hurt or harm, inadvertently or on purpose. It can be used as a dagger in the

back or a razor-sharp scalpel. Truth can be told to lay the foundation for deceit.

Aihwaz is the rune of being honest with ourselves as well as with others. Are you being

honest with yourself about your work, commitments, and relationships? Explore your life today

from this perspective. Is there any area in your life in which you are trying to fool yourself, sell


17

yourself short, or compromise your integrity? Being completely truthful with ourselves, taking

responsibility for our lives, and not blaming others or conditions, provides us with the power to

consciously choose and create.

As the rune of right action, Aihwaz reminds us that truth is greater than form and convention.

To be true to divine love, would you hide innocents who would be massacred in a war? Would

you lie to authorities to serve compassion? Right action is action that rings true to your soul, that

is honest and genuine, that speaks to knowledge within you. Centered in divine love, we naturally

seek to take right action because it feels good. It feels right.

When it comes to seeing the truth about others regardless of their appearance, words, creden-

tials, or body language, we must have the desire to see through our preconceptions and guard

against interpreting their behavior in terms of our own values, preferences, and background.

Aihwaz encourages us to listen beneath words, to look beneath appearance, to ask for clarifica-

tion, and to “judge right judgment.” Centered in divine love, we can exercise critical judgment

without being critical or judgmental; our aim is only to see what is actually present so that we

may extend love in the most appropriate and beneficial way possible.

Aihwaz is the rune of discernment. To discern means “to identify.” To respond appropriately

to something, we must first be able to recognize what it is. If we think a rattlesnake is a rope, we

are in for a surprise. Discernment is especially important when we come upon something new,

something we have never seen or experienced before. Learning the habit of discernment can stop

us from mentally turning something new into something it is not.

Aihwaz is the rune of facing the truth about our challenges, whether it’s a physical addiction,

a fear, a fantasy, denial, wrong relationship, an illness, talents we are not using, assets we

disregard, and opportunities we aren’t taking.

The ultimate truth is recognizing divinity in all creation, seeing through the temporary forms

into the clear light of spirit. When you receive Aihwaz, you can spend the day contemplating

your own divine nature and recognizing divinity in everyone you meet, in all your activities, and

in all the forms about you.


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5. Algiz — Vigilance, Aliveness, Protection

discretion, readiness, aliveness, alertness

being quiet, still, attentive, observant, objective

waiting, watching, using all the senses

mindfulness, being present and grounded

caution, camouflage, protection

accepting help, taking opportunity, timely action

Pronounced: al-geez Other names: Yr, Eolh Letter: Z

Symbol: The Green World

Algiz, traditionally the rune of protection, is the rune of being fully alive and alert, of using

all our senses, of being present and clear minded, ready to run, fight, hide, or freeze, as the case

may be—not daydreaming, not lost in the past or the future, and certainly not oblivious to our

surroundings.

When you receive Algiz, notice how present you are to life. As you go through the day,

notice how often you experience life directly and how often you go unconscious, on automatic,

and fantasize or worry about problems that do not and may never exist, wish you had made other

choices, regret lost opportunities, or relive old grievances.

How embodied are you? Take a deep breath and feel the air as it moves into your lungs. Hold

it for a few moments, then exhale, and feel the air as it moves out of your lungs and into the

world. How conscious are you in your body and of your body? Where do you locate yourself

inside your body? Are you alive in your feet, legs, knees, lower abdomen, torso, shoulders, arms,

and head? Are there any parts of your body you are not inhabiting?

In your meditation today, before entering the stillness, take time to allow the light of con-

sciousness to flow effortlessly into every part of your body equally from your head to your

fingertips to your toes. Let your spirit come deeply into the cells of your body. Algiz is the rune

of prayer and calling light to you, of enlightening your body to become full of light.

Which senses do you use most often and how do you use them? Today, notice what you

typically notice and notice what you typically disregard. For example, you may notice colors but

not shapes, shapes but not textures, or architectural details but not landscaping. You may notice

faces but not remember names, or remember names but not faces. You may be primarily visual,

auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic. What are you drawn to notice and what do you usually overlook?

Think of a place you go often and describe it in detail. Have you been there a hundred times

but can’t say what color the walls are? Or do you remember the colors but not the dimensions or

the arrangement of the furniture? Do you think of the sounds or smells but not the colors? Today,

discover something new about how and what you perceive.


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Think about the idea of aliveness and what becoming more alive would mean. Divine love is

life energy. As you increase your capacity to channel the flow of divine love into the world, you

also increase the amount of life energy flowing through you.

Algiz is the rune of sensing energy with both our physical senses and our extended field of

consciousness. Even when we perceive through our physical senses, consciousness is doing the

perceiving. Without consciousness, the ear would be deaf and the eye blind. Consciousness

blends data obtained through our physical senses and extended consciousness and presents it to

us as a seamless whole.

Our most basic extended sense is our ability to sense ambient information, the emotional tone

or feeling of a place. Just under this feeling tone are layers of impressions about the building,

objects, people who have been here, and things that have happened.

The better we know our own energy, the easier it is for us to detect and trace changes in our

energy due to the environment or thoughts of others. If you know what is “you,” you can

recognize what is “not you.” Sensing energy, we can also know when an environment, a food, an

activity, a job, or involvement with a particular person would be harmful or beneficial to us.

How do you translate the energy you sense? Do your impressions come primarily as “feel-

ings”? Fleeting images? Sounds? Colors? Shapes? Textures, pressures, or dimensions? Tastes,

smells, odors, or fragrances? Think about these common expressions: “That rings true (false) to

me.” “Smells like roses.” “Something smells fishy.” “That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” “She

had a warmth about her.” “There is a darkness about him.” “A heaviness came over me.” “I’m

feeling blue.” “I’m in the pink.” “He was green with envy.” “The hair on my neck stood up.”

“His words had a slimy feel.” “That feels right.” “She had an icy stare.” “I got goose bumps and

tingling.” “It felt wrong.” “I got the picture of a cave in my mind.” “A sparrow came to mind.”

“When I thought of him, I saw a map of California.” We often translate ambient and remote

energy in terms of our five physical senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. Sometimes

words or songs will come, or we will get strong physical sensations or emotions.

Algiz is the rune of “look before you leap” but also of “he who hesitates is lost.” It is the rune

of caution but also the rune of recognizing opportunity and seizing the day. Algiz advises us to

be prepared but restrained. Wait and watch; be still but be ready to act on a moment’s notice

when the time is right. We don’t know exactly when we will receive a great opportunity or have

a close call with danger, nor do we know when an important intuitive impression will come.

As the rune of protection, Algiz counsels us to recognize when it’s wise to lay low. The root

meaning of to protect is “to cover,” or put something in front of, that which we want to safeguard

from damage, loss, attack, theft, or injury. It is the rune of concealment and camouflage, of

waiting until the coast is clear. Sometimes it’s best to blend into the background and not call

attention to ourselves.

In the 1500s Saint Teresa de Ávila experienced divinity as a field of light, without gender or

form, comprising all power, substance, and knowledge. This was during the (unholy) inquisition

when people were tortured and killed for heresy. Sister Teresa (not yet recognized as a saint)


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knew she had to fly under the radar and act with extreme discretion if she were to continue to

teach and be a channel of divine love in the world. Algiz is the rune of being as wise as a serpent,

as harmless as a lamb, as vigilant as an elk, and as crafty as a fox. It is the rune of being sneaky

when sneakiness is truly essential.

Although Algiz is traditionally associated with the elk, I like to imagine red fox hiding in the

tall grass by the clearing in the meadow. She is still, waiting and watching, every hair on her

body standing at attention. She sniffs the air to discern every scent, and cocks her ears to hear

every sound. She extends her awareness, sensing ambience. Is it safe to cross the clearing? Are

any predators nearby? Are there any other possible dangers she has never encountered before?

Red fox uses the sense of touch in her toes to test the ground. Will the wet grass help or

hinder her flight? She takes everything she can sense into account, including the nest of hornets

nearby and the rattlesnake over to the left. She is aware of every part of her body and feels the

vitality flowing through her muscles, the balance of tension and relaxation, the air moving in and

out of her lungs, the gnat brushing against the hairs in her left ear, the sore toe she positions to

advantage in anticipation of flight.

Even while she leaps into the air, she is aware of the angle of the sun, the amount of humidity

in the air, the vibrations of the earth, the coming change in weather. She does not allow herself to

be distracted by anything that is not there. She does not see what she prefers to see nor does she

imagine dangers that do not exist. She is alive and present in every fiber of her being. Her

survival depends on it, and her kits depend on her survival. If she maintains vigilance and uses

all her senses, she will not fail.


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6. Ansuz — Messages, Authenticity, Responsibility

communication, teaching, learning, guiding

calling, vocation, right livelihood

authenticity, being genuine

accepting responsibility, authority, service

guides, guardians, masters, higher beings

writing, speaking, singing, chanting, breathing

Pronounced: ahn-sooz Other names: Os, Assh Letter: A

Symbol: The Feathered Staff

We are continually receiving messages in one form or another, and in fact, all of life, from

the subatomic to the cosmic, involves the interchange of information in some form. When you

receive Ansuz, explore the day through the perspective of communication. Check the spirit mail

in your heart as well as your email and your mail box, while also noticing signs and signals and

how you interpret them. What is life telling you?

In addition, notice what messages you are giving to the world. What are you telling other

people with your words, your posture, your expressions, and your actions? If you had one great

message to give to the world, what would that message be? If you could not give it in words, but

had to act it out, what would you do?

What you do, your life, is your message to the world.

Ansuz is the rune of teaching and learning, of both the teacher and the student. Sometimes

you will be primarily a teacher and sometimes you will be primarily a student, but you will

always be both, for there will always be someone one step behind you and someone one step

ahead of you.

Is it time for a new teacher to come into your life? Are you seeking a genuine teacher? Or is

it time for you to step forward and teach what you have learned?

Every day we teach others through our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. We may not

have actual students, but we have friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors. We

interact with clerks at stores and strangers in public places. No matter where we go, we are

teaching. Even when we sit alone in meditation, we are broadcasting our knowledge, beliefs,

emotions, and values into the collective field of consciousness.

Just as we teach others through our life, we are also learning from our life and from the lives

of others. Today, notice what conclusions you are making from your observations and experi-

ences and question them. Are there deeper truths?

Ansuz is the rune of guides, angels, masters, teachers, guardians, and beings of light on the

higher or inner planes. If you have no direct knowledge of these other beings, you can table this


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concept for now, or you can acknowledge them provisionally in case they have any messages for

you. Take a quiet time to relax and listen to your heart.

Ansuz is the rune of giving guidance or counsel to others. It is the rune of the leader, the

teacher, the therapist, and the healer, whether formally or informally. A child might temporarily

be the guiding light of a dying grandmother, or a friend might intervene to prevent us from

stepping into harm’s way. Ansuz is the staff of responsibility, of responding to the call for love

in the world, of following your calling.

Today, think about your work in the world. You may or may not know what your calling is

specifically, but whatever you do, if you do it with love, listening to your inner knowing, you are

on your path. You may have work you love, and find it easy to contribute through your work, or

you may not have found work in the world that suits you, but you can share divine love through

any job that does not go against your deeper impulses. In a basic sense, our calling is whatever is

calling to us for love at the moment.

People call for love in many different ways. Few call for it directly or consciously, and some

call for it in destructive ways. Not only humans call for love, but so do the animals, plants, and

the earth. Whatever love we give to the least of these, we give to divinity, and whatever we give

to divinity, we give to all.

Are you here primarily to serve those who are advanced or those who are just beginning? The

animals, children, those who are physically ill, the gifted, the plant kingdom, the homeless, those

with physical or other disabilities? Are you here primarily to make beautiful music or art, to

teach, to be the administrator of an organization, to work primarily with guides on the inner

planes, or to grow an herb garden? No job is too small when we do it from greatness. No job is

too “materialistic” when we do it from spirituality.

You will know if you are on track with your soul plan and following your calling by being

aware of how you feel. Your feelings are messages. When you are not on track, you will be

generally unhappy and anxious. Depending on your temperament and personality, and the length

of time you have been going against yourself, you may feel irritation, depression, anxiety,

confusion, listlessness, or anger.

When you are on track, following your heart, you will know it because you will be generally

happy and motivated. You will feel like you are going with the flow of life rather than against it

because you will be in alignment with divine love within you and in the abundant flow of

creative power. Another symbol for Ansuz is the mouth of a river. When we are flowing with our

life, we are going downstream, home to the ocean. Your life may not be free of challenges, as a

stretch is needed now and then to grow, but you will see them for what they are—opportunities.

When you receive Ansuz, think about what it means to be authentic, genuine, the real thing.

Ansuz is the rune of giving what we authentically have to give to the world with honesty and

integrity. We are careful to not overstep ourselves, to be clear about our strengths and limita-

tions. We can say “I don’t know” when this is the case. We can refer people to others when we

can’t help them.


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Also, consider how you feel about your doctor, therapist, spiritual teacher, or other authority

in your life. It might be good to express your appreciation, or it might be time to disengage if

your feelings are prompting you to look in another direction.

As the rune of sound, Ansuz is the rune of singing, toning, chanting, speaking, the breath,

and breathing. It is the rune of the original “word” of divinity in the beginning, the OM of the

expanding universe. Ansuz can remind us to speak our visions aloud, to be more vocal, to speak

up. It is the rune of inspiration, channeling, and working with qi, chi, or prana, the life force

energy. It can remind us to breathe properly.

We can channel divine love into the world through our voice. Verbal communication consists

not only of the words we speak, but also of the tone and inflection of our voice, the thoughts and

feelings we have when speaking, and our purpose in speaking. We also communicate through

our facial expressions, body language, energy presence, and deeds.

Ansuz reminds us that words have creative power and we should choose them carefully.

Today, notice what you say about yourself, what you say about others, why you say what you

say, and how you say it. Notice the effects your words have on your own energy and on the

energy of others. Ansuz could be called the rune of sharing, for whenever we communicate with

others, whether vocally, energetically, or through other senses, we share our energy. In sharing

our energy, we share what and who we are.

Be observant and notice when your words and actions, and your feelings and words, match

up and when they do not. How much in harmony are you with yourself? What are your areas of

conflict? Of responsibility? Ansuz reminds us we are both message and messenger.


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7. Berkana — Beauty, Nature, Happiness

naturalness, happiness, playfulness, kindness

gentleness, caring, appreciation, being yourself

healing, nurturing, nourishing, renewing

restoring, regenerating, revitalizing, increasing

open, curious, exploratory, creative, birthing

resilient, healthy, attuned to nature

Pronounced: ber-kah-nah Other names: Berkanan, Beorc, Bjarkan

Letter: B Symbol: The Mother Tree

Berkana is Cerule’s favorite rune. She walks the beauty path between the worlds wherever

she goes, seeing beauty everywhere, enhancing beauty with her gaze, embracing beauty in love.

In constant adoration, Cerule knows creator in creation, the deep indwelling compassion like a

rising sun whose light is like arrows piercing the heart. The essence of Berkana is the beauty of

natural growth, the unfolding petals of a rose, a baby’s smile, the tenderness in a loving mother’s

touch, the strength in a gentle man, the wag of a dog’s tail, the wind in the pines, the taste of

honey, the feel of satin, the heavens on a clear night, and the sound of the ocean.

Today, see the world through eyes that beautify. Whatever you look upon, contemplate

beauty. Have a beauty meditation, letting the energy of beauty build until it fills every cell of

your body. Let the energy of beauty build and build until it overflows into the world all about

you and becomes a revitalizing gift to others as well.

Beauty sees vitality in the ill, power in those who believe themselves powerless, continuity of

life in those who fear death, abundance in those who are experiencing hardship. Love is present

everywhere, but without the eye of beauty, it goes unseen.

Berkana is the rune of natural growth and nature; its traditional symbol is the birch tree.

Form and function are one in beauty, arising simultaneously, the form revealing the function and

the function determining the form. Creation is art. Divinity is an artist, continually turning itself

into stars, worlds, flowers, gemstones, frogs, whales, humans, wolves, and sunlight.

When you receive Berkana, think on this: Being natural is being happy. What a great joy it

is, the feeling of oneself, deep within divine essence, the I AM creator, immortal and exultant,

forever expanding and forming new expressions out of itself. Berkana is the rune of naturalness.

Naturalness is happiness. Today, think about happiness. What “makes” you happy?

If there is one thing that is true for everyone, it is the desire to be happy.

Berkana is the rune of happiness. Essentially, everything you do, you do to increase your

happiness. Even when you do things you don’t want to do, such as study for a test, wash the

dishes, or change a flat tire, you do them to avoid unhappy consequences or gain future

happiness.


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You seek to be in the flow of divine love because you want to be happy. You seek spiritual

development because you want to be happy. You wish to follow your calling and serve others

because you want to be happy. You want abundance, health, well-being, good relationships, and

right work because you want to be happy. You want to help others because you want to be happy

using your skills and see others happy, too. You want to enjoy life. You want to be in joy.

No one ever asks, “Why is there so much happiness in the world? What can we do about it?

We must solve this problem of happiness!”

Instinctively, everyone knows that “happy” is normal and desirable and “unhappy” is not.

Every organism moves towards pleasure and away from pain. Pain is a prod telling us we need to

correct something, that something’s wrong. Being happy is our natural, healthy state. When

we’re happy, we feel at home in the world.

You would never say, “Something’s wrong with me. I feel so good! I’d better go to the doctor

and get something to make me feel bad.”

Deepak Chopra writes in The Ultimate Happiness Prescription: “My happiness can heal

someone else just the way it heals me. The most important contribution I can make to the healing

of our planet is therefore to be happy. By spreading that happiness everywhere I go, I create a

healing response.”

Berkana is the rune of pure divine desire welling up from within the heart. Desire is meant to

lead the self to happiness. Today, think about desire. When the self is in separation from divinity,

it will translate the fulfillment of desire through its conditioning and small perspective. Instead of

listening within, it will listen to the world to tell it what it needs to have, do, and be in order to be

happy. It might even think desire is undesirable and go into denial of joy.

When we are in separation, we think happiness is something we must get from the world. We

seek it in romance, money, status, food, image, substances, entertainment, worldly power, and

comfort. We see it as something that we can get—but also as something that we can lose.

When we are in the flow of divine love, we see the desirable things of the world as creations

of happiness rather than as sources of happiness. This fundamental shift in perception puts us in

the creator’s seat. We can fully enjoy the things of the world when we know they are not the

source of our happiness and our happiness is not dependent upon them.

How happy are you? Identify those areas in your life in which you are happy and at peace

and those areas in your life in which you are not happy and feel confused, angry, depressed, or

anxious. Notice whether you believe your happiness is dependent on somebody else being

different, not being in your life, or staying in your life. True happiness is impossible when we

feel we must control other people, the weather, or anything else.

Choose an area in which you are not happy and ask yourself, “If being natural is being

happy, how am I not being natural in this area?” And “If I were being natural in this area, what

would I be doing differently?” See what ideas come up for you.


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We go against ourselves when we try to be what we are not, when we say “yes” but mean

“no,” when we do and say things only to please others, and when we follow someone else’s

advice against our inner knowing. When we are struggling against our innate pattern, we feel

diminished, drained, and confused. We may feel angry or depressed. We are likely to condemn

ourselves, blame others, feel guilty, and be resentful. When our life is cluttered with possessions,

relationships, and obligations that are not right for us, we feel impoverished no matter how much

material wealth or worldly success we have.

When you receive Berkana, play with sensing your natural self during a quiet time in medita-

tion and at odd moments throughout the day. Who are you? What is your natural self? Also,

notice whether you support others in being their natural self. How many times today did you try

to change somebody to meet your expectations and ideals?

As the rune of natural growth, Berkana is a reminder that proper pacing and timing are

crucial. Growth unfolds over time and cannot be forced. Berkana is the rune of renewal, healing,

recovery, regeneration, restoration, and nurturing. Beauty is gentle. If you look upon a person

who is ill through eyes that beautify, you will naturally support her well-being. Healing may

mean physical recovery or making a smooth transition to the next level of light.

While illness and depression are sometimes a part of our path, we can still look for the beauty

in the gifts our challenges bring. It is actually possible to be depressed on the physical and

emotional levels and yet be happy at core. Depression that occurs after a wonderful experience of

awakening is often due to a natural readjustment of energy. Depression that is not due to denial

signals a time for retreat and gathering strength for a future surge in creativity. In between

realities, we have to wait for things to settle down.

Whatever we focus on, we water with our attention, and it will grow. Today, the focus is on

beauty. Being natural and happy, we are beautiful and beautify the world wherever we go.


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8. Dagaz — Awakening, Breakthrough, Shift

illumination, revelation, new vision, insight

breakthrough, sudden clarity, understanding

unexpected options, surprising solutions

dawn, new leaf, fresh perspective

change of direction, heart, or mind

shift, rebalancing, turning point, tipping point

Pronounced: dah-gahz Other names: Daeg, Dag, Dagar Letter: D

Symbol: Butterfly

One day you are going along as usual when the light dawns and you suddenly have an insight

that stops you in your tracks. It’s like waking up from a dream when you didn’t know you were

asleep. A Dagaz illumination seems paradoxical when put into words because the experience

itself surprises you, like an ambush, but the contents do not. You knew that! You already knew

it! “Of course,” you think, “That’s true!” And then, “That means …”

Dagaz symbolizes coming to a realization about something that you already knew was true,

but you did not know that you knew it was true, or you only knew that it was true intellectually.

You had all the parts but they had not yet come together as a whole. When they do come together

and spark illumination, you feel lifted and energized. You see the implications and possibilities

clearly in that moment and feel motivated to apply your new understanding in a concrete way.

Dagaz is the “wake up” rune. When you receive Dagaz, ask yourself if you need to wake up

in some area of your life. Is there anything you need to address, change, or tend to? Have you

had any insights lately that you have not acted upon? Or have you received many small insights

that you cannot yet act upon because you still don’t have the complete picture? An awakening is

precipitated by the accumulation of many small insights coming together. If you feel the pressure

building, you might be on the edge of an awakening.

An awakening can happen anytime, anywhere. You could be doing anything. It comes all in

one piece, a complete packet of data, accompanied by surprise, realization, elation, implication,

and energy. It’s like receiving an inheritance from an uncle you didn’t know you had, or finding

a winning lottery ticket stuck to the bottom of your shoe. When mind, heart, and body come

together in an awakening, your new perspective becomes visceral, not intellectual.

Dagaz is the rune of shift points, quantum leaps, mutations, epiphanies, and tipping points. It

refers to sudden awakenings that occur due to the gradual accumulation of knowledge and

experience over time. Illumination may seem to come from nowhere or be set off by nothing

specific; it may seem like a gift or an accident, a miracle or an intervention. It’s the last piece of

a puzzle snapping into place. Now the picture makes sense! Dagaz is the rune of synthesis.

Awakenings occur in cycles as a part of natural growth and development. The traditional

meaning of Dagaz is one day, referring to a 24-hour period, with dawn at the center point. Dagaz

may also be seen as the infinity symbol and the continuous transformation of light into dark and


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dark into light. As such, it is a symbol of wholeness, continuity, the transcendence of opposites,

and the upward spiral of evolution and growth.

However, at the level of duality, it is also symbolic of the wheel of karma, of repeating the

same errors over and over, spinning its wheels and getting nowhere, of losing spin and spiraling

downwards. When you receive Dagaz, examine your life to see if you are repeating, or about to

repeat, an error you already know well. Here we will define an error as something with

consequences that you do not want to experience. Again.

Dagaz is the change-of-direction rune. Have you ever had your mind set one way and then

suddenly and unexpectedly reversed your thinking, perspective, or course of action 180 degrees?

For example, you were dead set on staying home and not going on vacation, then suddenly you

find yourself enthusiastically packing your bags. Often we can’t understand or explain these

reversals in our thinking; they seem to just happen on their own.

We are reminded to leave a part of our life open, to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate

radical internal reversals and unexpected surges of divine impulse. We are also warned about

taking an extreme position on some issue: the pendulum may swing, and we discover that we

have become what we were against. The person who hates gossip may become a gossip; the

person who hates violence may become violent. The self becomes whatever it is strongly against

(or for!).

Dagaz is the equivalent of the Chinese yin yang symbol: “in darkness there is light, and in

light there is darkness” or, “in knowledge there is ignorance, and in ignorance there is

knowledge.” No matter how much we know, we do not know everything; no matter how

ignorant we are, we do know something. The dark does not mean “evil” but rather the unknown,

the edge of our knowledge. Both this symbol and Dagaz are two-dimensional representations of

the spiral.

An awakening cannot be forced, but neither can it be avoided when its time has come.

Awakenings are not under our conscious control, but we can be prepared for them, if only by

acknowledging that they happen. They are always about the truth, and the truth is always

beneficial and liberating, even when it’s initially painful. A Dagaz experience can be shocking if

we have been taking great pains to hide our head in the sand regarding some matter. A Dagaz

experience can also be extremely mild; it may simply be a matter of adding two and two and

getting four.

Often, an awakening is subtle and gentle, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. Even

so, when you have an awakening, you feel a rush of energy. You might stand up if you were

seated, straighten up if you were slumped over, run if you were walking, or stop still in your

tracks if you were running. You might take a gulp of air or run around in circles. There is a

moment of feeling lifted and expanded—ah, hah!—and a moment of disorientation. There may

even be an oh, no! You might feel stunned, or shocked. There is a period of reintegration while

you find a new point of balance. Dagaz is the rune of rebalancing after a tipping point.

After an awakening, you might be tempted to tell the first person you see about it, but it is


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best to keep it to yourself for a while and let it settle. If you tell someone about it and are met by

a blank stare or a “So what? Everybody knows that,” you might begin to doubt yourself. A fresh

Dagaz experience is like a new, tender plant that needs time to establish its roots.

You might change your external life radically after an awakening or you might not, but you

will be at a different place in consciousness than you were before. You might do all of the same

things you did before, but you will experience things differently and you will put a different

quality of energy into what you do. Your actions will have different effects and get different

results.

Dagaz is the rune of the breakthrough, of unexpected or unusual solutions and creative ideas

that come in response to great need or intense questioning. Sometimes we are led to a book or

teacher, or we see something in nature that acts as a catalyst. We might witness an event or an

interaction between people that ignites understanding. We might follow up on an impulse to

make a phone call. We might have a dream or mental image. We can set ourselves up for

creative solutions by concentrating on a matter intensely for a while and then letting go of it and

doing something else. We can also think about our topic as we’re falling asleep and ask for a

dream about it. Dagaz is the rune of inner vision. It is the rune of our time, a time of great

awakening. Are you ready to wake up to a new day and fly higher than you have ever flown

before?


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9. Ehwaz — Power, Equality, Cooperation

moving with the inner flow, following deeper impulses

having a destination, maintaining balance

making steady progress, working together

equality, cooperation, consideration, respect

planning, organizing, implementing

taking care of resources

Pronounced: ee-wahz Other name: Eoh Letter: E

Symbol: The Horse

Traditionally, Ehwaz is the rune of the horse, movement, and progress, of horse and rider

working together to reach a destination. It is the rune of cooperation, partnership, equality,

consideration, and mutual respect. These qualities are key to real power in life.

Today, examine your ideas about power and how you experience power in your life. What

are your associations with the word “power”? What are your associations with the words

“power” and “love” used together? What about “divinity” and “power”? How powerful do you

feel? Do you feel a lack of power in some area? If so, what do you think would give you more

power in that area? What seems to have power over you? Do you feel the desire to have power

over another or a situation? Do you have few or many control issues?

In meditation, play with the energy of power. What does it feel like? Be that feeling and

explore it. What feelings come up? What are its characteristics (imagine power as color, shape,

size, sound, smell, and taste)? If power were an animal, what animal would it be for you? What

images and memories come up?

Touch in with the feeling of power as you go through the day and notice how you use power

in the world. What do you do with it? Be aware of your words and actions, for they are your

expressions of power in the world. They reveal your beliefs and feelings about power.

Common obstructions to experiencing power include a fear of power, feeling unworthy of

power, feeling basically powerless, believing the amount of power in the world is limited,

believing it is wrong to want power, fearing the responsibility that comes with power, fearing

others with power, believing power is bad, associating power with pain and guilt, craving power

and feeling shame, fearing loss of power, and seeing the source of power as out in the world in

status, money, appearance, connections, privilege, being smarter or stronger than others, having a

partner with status and resources, and so forth.

Whether you were raised in an organized religion or not, you will want to examine your

beliefs about power and divinity. These terms are linked together in all the religious thought we

have been exposed to. When we see ourselves as separate from divinity, divinity has all the

power and we are weak; we try to get what we need from divinity by being good and doing what

we think divinity wants us to do. If being good doesn’t get us what we want, we resort to

begging and pleading. If begging and pleading don’t work, we try crying to make divinity feel


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sorry for us. We might even resort to throwing a tantrum. If emotional drama doesn’t work, we

start bargaining. If bargaining doesn’t work, we make threats: “If you don’t give me what I want,

I can’t do your will!” If threats don’t work, we begin the cycle again (maybe we weren’t good

enough the first time) or give divinity the cold shoulder and turn away. (Incidentally, you can

substitute a parent for divinity and your answers are likely to be the same.)

The separate self sees power as something that it must acquire, keep, protect, and increase; as

something that can be lost, stolen, used, misused, hoarded, and bargained with. It sees life in

terms of how much power it has, how much power others have, how it can get more power, and

how it can keep and increase its own power. If it sees money as the source of power, it loses

power when it loses money; if it sees beauty as the source of power, it loses power with age; if it

sees status as the source of power, it loses power when it loses status.

To the self in the flow of divine love, power is the flow itself. We cannot get it, but we can

open to let it move through us; we cannot have it, but we can be it. We cannot keep it, but we can

experience it as long as we give it away. We cannot store it, but we can increase our capacity to

accommodate greater flow. We cannot lose it, but we can turn our attention away from it and

forget it is there. Centered in reality, we know the things of the world to be creations of power,

not the source of power.

Horse power is a measure of applied energy. In dreams, the horse symbolizes the physical

body, health, vitality, and the ability to get to where we want to go. The rider must take good

care of his horse, providing him or her with sufficient nourishment, rest, training, and exercise,

for if his horse is to serve him well, the rider must serve his horse well. He must be sensitive to

the needs of his horse and not neglect or abuse him if he wants to make good progress on his

journey. He must value his horse and train him well, with respect, firmness, love, and apprecia-

tion. He cannot ride a wild, weak, or sick horse to a destination of his choosing, and he cannot

push his horse too hard without harm. Steady pacing and good communication between horse

and rider are essential. When horse and rider move together harmoniously as one unit, there is

progress.

The body is our primary vehicle and tool of experience, expression, growth, and service in

the world. It also contains spiritual knowledge and gates to greater realities. Its life is dependent

upon the cooperative efforts of many billions of smaller lives working together to perform

billions of very precise chemical activities every moment.

Ehwaz is the rune of group work. Our first and most important group is self and source.

Today, notice how “together” you are, how much you are in alignment with source. All the

elements of our individuality—personality, mind, and heart—must work together if we are to

live fully and be happy. Our intent, desires, beliefs, and actions must be congruent. We cannot

reach our destination when we are trying to go north and south at the same time. What happens is

that we run in place and wonder why nothing changes.

Today, be aware of your primary groups, such as family, friends, coworkers, marriage part-

ner, business partner, meditation group, book club, and community in terms of the qualities of

Ehwaz. Are you working together for mutual benefit? Do you share the work in a balanced way?


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Are you respectful and considerate of each other, honoring each other’s abilities and contribu-

tions? Do each of you support and enhance each other’s well-being?

Your groups also include your spiritual family, teachers, and guides on the inner planes.

As the rune of equality, Ehwaz is not saying that everyone is the same or has the same abili-

ties, skills, knowledge, or role, but rather that each person’s contribution is essential to the

outcome. Everyone should be acknowledged as valuable.

When we have a strong, sincere desire to serve in the world, and our desire is in alignment

with our true nature, vitality rushes in to fill us up because it has somewhere to go. It has a

destination. When our heart is in what we are doing, power arises naturally to propel us

forwards. The spirit horse is heart powered with divine intent.

If you feel you’re not making progress in some area, ask yourself these questions: “Am I

trying to do it alone?” If “yes,” stop and connect with the ocean, metaphorically speaking! “Am I

being considerate to those who are trying to help me?” If not, slow down and listen; what are

their needs? Do you need help managing the office? Find someone. Are you pushing your body

too hard? Give it regular rest. Do you have the right destination in mind? Be open to inner

knowing.

When riding Ehwaz, the spirit horse, we must be prepared to change course on a moment’s

notice. In the flow of love, our commitment is to extend love in the world, and we don’t know

beforehand where love will call us.


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10. Fehu — Wealth, Receiving, Fulfillment

abundance, opening, allowing, receiving

fulfillment, overflowing, releasing, giving

knowledge, wisdom, contentment, peace

accomplishment of life purpose, mission, goals

having what is required to follow highest path

right livelihood, right relationships, being free of clutter

Pronounced: fay-hoo Other names: Feh, Feoh Letter: F

Symbol: The Open Arms

When you receive Fehu, think about what wealth means to you. Take some time to think

about this, then write down your definition of wealth. When you are satisfied that your definition

is complete, answer the following questions:

If you were totally wealthy right now, by your definition, what would your day be like? What

would you do with your time? How would you live? What would you create? What would you

have in your environment? What would your relationships be like? What would you do for fun?

What would you do alone and what would you do with others? What would you not have in your

life? What would you avoid? What would you give to the world?

Take plenty of time to answer these questions and include as much detail as possible. See

how concrete you can be. Also note down any feelings, memories, and thoughts that come up. Be

thorough. The first time you receive this rune, you might want to work with it for a few days.

What is the difference between abundance and wealth? Here, in this book, we will define

wealth as “what is valuable” and abundance as “having plenty of what is valuable.”

Make a list of what is valuable to you. What do you value? What are your values? How does

this list compare with your definition of wealth? Do you include health, happiness, education,

loving relationships, and work you love in your definition? Can you be wealthy without being

happy?

What are your feelings about money, poverty, people who are wealthy, and people who are

poor? Do you relate differently to people who are far above or far below you financially?

When we are in the flow of love, following our deeper impulses, listening to our inner know-

ing, being ourselves, being natural, following our true path, and being basically happy,

optimistic, and ready for opportunity, we feel rich. We come to trust that what we need will be

provided as we need it (but not always without action on our part). Being wealthy can include

being true to ourselves, feeling free, being open to unlimited possibilities, and embracing the

world and all creation with compassion.

One of my teachers defines wealth as “having what you need to follow your path.” I have

found this to be a useful definition. What would this definition mean to you? What is your


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purpose in life? Can you express your purpose right now with the wealth you do have? My

teacher says we always have what we need at hand to take the next step, and the step after that

won’t come until we do.

We’ve been told that when we’re aligned with our true nature, whatever we need will auto-

matically come to us. This seems to be the case. But what about when this doesn’t seem to be

true? To answer for myself, I will say that it’s because I sometimes get ahead of myself, or I

misunderstand my intuition. Other times I get exciting ideas and implement them before

meditating on them and checking with my truth sense. Occasionally I’ve taken other people’s

suggestions without thinking things through. It all comes down to taking the time to get really

clear with my inner guidance before taking action.

Also, sometimes I discover later that I had on hand what I needed but I didn’t recognize it at

the time. Or that what I thought was an obstacle was divinity herding me over in the right

direction. And that unexpected opposition helped me gain strength and knowledge that would

prove essential to my path later on. Last, once an illness made me quit a job and stay home and

meditate and teach others. So it also comes down to trusting that if my intent is to follow my

highest path, everything that happens is helping me realize it.

Negative things like illness and accidents may be caused by negative thinking, but sometimes

they are not. When your state of mind is virtually always positive, and you affirm with love and

enthusiasm every day that you want to follow your highest path, and negative things happen—

look for the gold in them. Don’t preclude subtle negative thinking as the cause, but don’t assume

it to be the cause, either.

Wealth also consists of wisely using what we have on hand to move forwards, even if we

only take a small step at a time, and not waiting until we have everything we think we need. In

addition, wealth consists of being free of clutter and burdens we don’t need that drain our time

and energy.

Fehu is the rune of opening to receive. We cannot be wealthy if we are not open to receive.

Today, examine your ideas about receiving, for your ability to receive from others and the world

will reflect your ability to receive from divine love. Do you receive sincere compliments and

gifts with grace and appreciation, or do you reject them with self-effacement and protest? Does

receiving embarrass you? Do you feel envious or jealous when someone else receives something

and you don’t? What did you learn from your family and culture about receiving? Do you feel

unworthy to receive? Do you think it’s noble to be poor? Are you afraid of receiving more than

your share? Are you afraid of being greedy? Do you feel superior and self-important when you

give, and inferior when you receive? Do you feel poor and needy and think you deserve much

more than you get?

Observe throughout the day those things that you receive easily and those things that you

reject. Consider offers of help, opportunities to learn, friendship and support, love and admira-

tion, and inner guidance. Do you ever reject divine guidance because that would make things too

easy? Do you believe that you must work hard for what you receive? Do you enjoy talking about

how difficult something was to achieve? Do you like to feel self-sufficient, that you don’t need


35

anybody else’s help, advice, or company? Do you put yourself last, considering everyone else’s

needs and desires first? Do you tend to hoard what you have from fear of scarcity? Or are you

excessively and indiscriminately generous?

Today, open to receive all abundance from love. The process of receiving is simple to de-

scribe but may be difficult to do. What resistance do you have to receiving? Where does it come

from? Do you put a cap on how much you allow yourself to receive? Or do you reach out and try

to pull energy into yourself?

Sometimes we have to let go of the benefits of poverty. We cannot be truly wealthy and

indulge in self-pity, blame, grievances, and complaints. We cannot be wealthy and not take

responsibility for our lives, keeping our illusions of limitation and lack handy in case we need

them. We have to give all that up!

Divine love is all abundance. In meditation when we experience the consciousness of love,

we feel absolutely abundant and wealthy beyond measure.

Wear the energy of wealth today. Pretend you have an energy robe of wealth in your closet.

Go to the closet, take it out, and put it on. What does it feel like? What color or colors is it? Try

wearing this energy robe in public, at work, to a job interview, in meditation, or at the grocery

store. Remember it frequently during the day. Go to sleep in it and see what dreams you have.


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11. Gebo — Heart, Commitment, Values

commitments, agreements, promises, vows

fairness, loyalty, being true to oneself and others

values, truth sense, golden compass, knowing

gifts, talents, valuables, treasure chest

special encounters, exchanges, locations, moments

saying “no,” declining, refusing, rejecting

making choices, setting boundaries

Pronounced: ghee-boh Other name: Gyfu Letter: G

Symbol: The Treasure Chest

“Is your heart in it?” This is one question you might explore today as you go about your

ordinary activities. What are you committed to? What are you for (what do you promote and

support)? What do you give yourself to? What do you value? What do you give your time,

money, energy, and other resources to?

Many people are very clear about what they are against, but they have trouble thinking in

terms of what they are for. They hate prejudice or war, for example. The problem is that we give

energy to what we focus on. Instead of focusing on hatred, we can focus on what we love, such

as equality and peace, and give that energy. We can focus on solutions instead of problems.

When we are for something, we flow with the creative stream of love.

As the rune of commitment, Gebo asks us to look at our first, most important commitment:

being true to ourselves. Gebo is the rune of the golden compass in the treasure chest of the heart.

It is here, deep in the truth sense, that we keep our valuables and knowledge of our path and

purpose. It is here that divine love speaks to us.

We make a variety of commitments in life, such as to a business or marriage partner, to a

child as parent, to a teacher as student, to a student as teacher, to a spiritual path or vocation, or

to a mission. Many books on the runes have Gebo as the rune of marriage, and while marriage

involves commitment, I prefer Ehwaz as the rune of marriage. Ehwaz emphasizes working

together cooperatively as equals with mutual respect and consideration. Inguz, the rune of

relationships, includes marriage, but it also includes all our other relationships.

Gebo is the rune of clear agreements, promises, pacts, pledges, and contracts. At its simplest,

it is symbolized by a handshake. As an X, Gebo can stand for a person’s signature in a legal

document to confirm his commitment to keeping an agreement. We use Gebo to stand for

ourselves when we fill out an application and put an X in the boxes that apply to us.

When we were kids, we used to say, “Cross my heart and hope to die!” to indicate that we

were telling the truth and would be willing to die if we weren’t, or we really meant the promise

we were making and would be willing to die if we broke it. What would you be willing to cross

your heart and die for if you didn’t mean it? What do you swear you’re telling the truth about?


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Gebo as an X is also used to denote “no,” or “invalid,” as in voiding a check or crossing out

incorrect information. We commit ourselves by saying either “yes” or “no,” and when a

commitment is not for us, we must say “no” if we are to be true to ourselves. When we say “yes”

when we mean “no,” we feel angry with ourselves and may project our anger onto others.

Today think about being true to others as well as to yourself, about any promises you’ve

made and whether you’re keeping them or need to discuss them and do some updating.

Examine your commitments and your motivations for making them. What is the energy

behind each commitment? Which commitments energize you and which commitments drain

you? Feel the deeper impulses in your heart. They will give you a “yes” or “no” feeling about

each commitment. Which commitments have you made in being true to yourself? Have you

made any commitments out of fear, the desire to obtain recognition or approval, allay guilt,

fulfill a sense of duty, use self-sacrifice to punish someone, obtain status, get out of a worse

commitment, or get something else that you want?

Work is a major commitment. Fortunate are those who begin early in life recognizing and

developing their natural abilities and choosing work that allows them to give their gifts to the

world with joy. Gebo is the rune of believing in yourself, honoring yourself, and living your

values. You keep your values and valuables in the treasure chest in your heart. Your golden

compass is there, too, guiding you.

It’s common to hear people say, “I hate to go to work,” “I hate my job,” “I can’t wait to get

off.” But none of us would want to overhear our surgeon say, just before operating on our spine,

“Boy, I hated to come in today. I just want to get this over with so I can go home.” Some people,

we feel, should love their work!

If you have negative feelings about your job, but don’t feel you can quit, you can begin

making a change by focusing on the positive features of your job. This will help you generate

positive, attractive energy. The goal is to resonate with what you want rather than with what you

don’t want. Also, affirm to yourself that you are temporarily keeping your present job by choice,

not against your will. Last, practice being a channel of divine love for everyone you come in

contact with at your present job. If you do these three things without thinking too many thoughts

that negate them, positive change will occur in the quickest possible time.

The treasure chest in the heart also contains our gifts, our talents and natural advantages,

which we were given to give away to the world in some form. It also has plenty of space in it to

receive the gifts of others. We are all here to exchange gifts with each other.

When you receive Gebo, ask yourself if you are open to receiving the gifts of others, as well

as giving yours, and supporting others in developing and giving their gifts. As the rune of fair

and equal exchange, Gebo expresses the truth that giving and receiving are the same.

Gebo is the rune of significant encounters and alerts us to be aware of who and what crosses

our path. Momentary encounters can have far-reaching effects on our lives and the lives of

others. You might be able to think of a stranger who smiled at you years ago for only a split


38

second, but who touched your heart in a deeply powerful way. Something you overheard as a

child might be influencing a decision you’re making today. Or that butterfly or cloud, if you

notice it, could spark an inspiring idea or the solution to a problem. Gebo is intersections in time

when we connect with another.

Also be aware of how you might be influencing others in momentary encounters.

Gebo is the rune of the present moment, of time and space intersecting, of being alive now.

How do you experience time? Does time hang heavy on your hands? Do you seek distractions or

watch the clock? Or are you so happily engaged in life that you don’t think about time at all? If

you spend much of your time doing what you don’t want to do, are you taking steps to change

your situation?

In meditation, or during the day when you feel scattered, you can picture Gebo in your heart

center to return to the present moment, to real time. Our power to create our experience lies in

this point of real time where we are in alignment with divine love: all power, all knowledge, and

all abundance.

Gebo is the rune of integration, of coming together within ourselves. It is the rune of emo-

tional wholeness and integrity. It is the rune of wholeheartedness.


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12. Hagalaz — Change, Disruption, Manifestation

life as continual transformation

passing, arising, death, birth, rebirth

destruction, creation, disruption, reconstruction

dispersing, gathering, dissolving, reforming

essence, pattern, seed, template, code, identity

being prepared to handle sudden change, delay, disaster

Pronounced: hah-gah-lahz Other name: Haeg Letter: H

Symbol: The Rainbow Bridge

When you receive Hagalaz, think about change. What is your first reaction? Is it apprehen-

sion or fear? It is common to fear change because we don’t know what is going to happen. We

know that it is going to happen, but we don’t know what it will be about. We want to keep it

under our control as much as possible. We plan for it in advance as much as we can, yet we still

feel uneasy because it could be about anything and it could happen at any time!

When things are going badly, we hope for change, but we only want the bad things to

change. When things are going good, we want things to stay the same. Change is always

disruptive (and Hagalaz is known as the rune of disruption), even when it’s good, because

change means making adjustments. It’s not really change that we fear but the inability to control

what will change, when it will change, how change will come about, and how one change might

cause other changes in our life.

Every day tremendous resources are spent on the attempt to predict the future so that we can

control it, use the data for various purposes, or at least be prepared for it. Meteorologists predict

the weather, seismologists predict earthquakes, doctors make prognoses, and businesses make

projections. People in all fields of human endeavor, from science to politics to agriculture to

insurance to economics to metaphysics, are involved in prognostication on a daily basis. The

stock market goes up and down based mainly on predictions about what might happen.

As you go through the day, notice how many of your thoughts are related to anticipating the

future. You will find that you are continually sensing out the future, especially at each juncture

of decision making about what to do next and in what order. How many of your thoughts are

generated by fear, and how many come from inner knowing? Notice the difference. Knowings

will always be useful, accurate, relevant, and timely, as well as empowering. Fear thoughts will

be useless, disorganized, irrelevant, and disempowering. When inner knowing uses fear to warn

us of real danger, it has an immediate, clean feel to it. It isn’t fuzzy and generalized like the

useless fear generated by needless worry.

Become aware of those areas in your life in which you fear change, resist change, put condi-

tions on change, have decreed off limits to change, believe change is impossible or would be

impractical, selfish, embarrassing, foolish, dangerous, painful, or wrong.

When we accelerate our spiritual growth, we accelerate change in our life. We cannot change


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on the inside and have our lives not change on the outside. Even when things on the outside

don’t change physically, we experience them differently. If we insist on being in control of what

will change, we end up trying to go north and south at the same time, with the result that we just

run in place, all the while wondering why nothing is happening when we’re working so hard.

Hagalaz is traditionally symbolized by hail. Hail forms high in the atmosphere from water

vapor, falls to earth in crystalline form, eventually melts, evaporates, and returns to the sky as

water vapor to fall once again to earth as hail, sleet, rain, or snow, its essence preserved. As hail,

Hagalaz was considered to be a seed, to contain a pattern like a genetic code, or DNA, that

would ensure its eternal replication.

Spirit, our basic nature, is unchanging; Hagalaz, the changing world, is never still. Without

movement, we could not know stillness; without stillness, we could not know movement. For

existence to exist, both the changing and unchanging are needed. Divinity needs two hands to

clap; the changing world is the natural radiance of the unchanging.

As we evolve in the flow of divine love, we come to feel secure in our core and look upon

change with great interest. We begin to take more responsibility for what we create and which

creations of others we accept into our life. We become more aware of the events we choose to

participate in and the relationships we form. We feel increasingly wealthy, powerful, and happy,

regardless of what’s going on. And while change always involves loss, it also always involves

gain.

As the rune of change, Hagalaz is the rune of death as well as birth. What are your beliefs

and feelings about death and dying? Do they need to be updated? Could they be unconsciously

affecting other areas of your life? In Tibetan terms, Hagalaz is the rune of the bardos, or

transitional states, from physical life to the after death states to the bardo of becoming, where we

choose a new form (or fall into one by default).

Change as continual destruction is essential to life and creativity. Deconstruction enables re-

creation and reconstruction. One form is destroyed, another form is created. When you eat an

apple, you destroy the apple and it becomes nourishment for your body. When you burn wood,

you destroy the wood and turn it into warmth, ashes, and smoke. You destroy gas when you

drive your car and turn the gas into energy. To paint a picture, you must destroy the blank canvas

and use up some of your paints. To bake bread, you must destroy the original state of the

ingredients.

We think of being destructive as negative, and this can be a practical distinction, yet in basic

terms, any time we create something, we destroy something else. The rosebud blooms into a

rose, and the bud is no more. Each moment millions of cells in our body die and millions are

born. An old house is knocked down so a new house can be built in its place.

As the rune of disruption, Hagalaz is the rune of things falling apart and reorganizing them-

selves, of unexpected and untoward events. How do you react to minor disruptions, such as an

unexpected change in your schedule, finding you left a bag of groceries at the store, having to

take a defective product back to get a refund, being late for an appointment, resolving a mistake


41

on a bill, being delayed at the airport, getting a bad haircut, having the hot water heater go out,

having a fender bender in the parking lot, and so on? What about getting laid off? Losing your

job? Losing your home?

Winning the lottery, discovering a rare treasure, becoming famous, achieving something

great, and positive life-changing experiences all fall under this rune, too. The fundamental

concept is a discontinuity due to the dissolution of what is.

Hagalaz is also the rune of major disasters, both natural and human made. Do you have an

emergency plan in place for the family in the event of evacuation? Are you prepared for the

types of natural disasters typical for your location? We can take reasonable steps to be prepared

without dwelling on the possibility of disaster.

When you receive Hagalaz, ask yourself if there is anything you would like to transform in

your life. Is there anything you would like to dissolve (such as a bad habit, creative block, or

grudge)? Hagalaz is related to the dissolution of form or structure as hail melts. In transfor-

mation, the energy composing a form, whether a physical form or an activity or event, is

liberated and set free to be used by consciousness to create something new. Yet, at the same

time, Hagalaz is also about crystallizing or preserving a pattern.

Hagalaz is the rune of manifestation—from energy to object or event. If you are working on

a project, what stage is it in? Is it still an idea? Or have the pieces been created? Are they being

put together into a concrete form? Hagalaz is the rune of an idea stepping down through the

dimensions of density to become real—for a time.


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13. Inguz — Relationships, Harmony, Belonging

harmony, balance, contentment in life

at home in the world, a sense of belonging

at ease with self, others, environment

general well-being, wholesomeness, resolution

feeling whole, complete, sane, natural

mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, sexually healthy

Pronounced: in-gooz Other name: Ing Letters: ING

Symbol: The Trellis of Life

Inguz is the dance of life between self and other. Today, examine everything from the per-

spective of relationship. You’re in relationship with your body, possessions, home, work, others,

and community. You’re in relationship with your dreams, hopes, fears, plans, desires, thoughts,

and feelings. All your relationships will not only reflect, but affect, your relationship with

yourself and divine love.

As a symbol, Inguz may be seen as you and other moving together in resonance—or disso-

nance. No relationship is neutral; a relationship either increases or decreases your vibration.

Every relationship either supports or hinders you in extending love in the world and following

your greatest path of joy. Today, explore your relationships as you encounter them.

Inguz is the rune of feeling at home and content in the body. It is the rune of healthy sex,

enjoyment of all the senses, and play. Our body is composed of individual cells that are very

sensitive to our feelings and attitudes towards them. They glow when we shower them with

appreciation, praise, and admiration, and they wither in shame when we attack them with

criticism and hatred.

When you look in the mirror today, notice what passes through your mind. What is your

relationship with your body? What kind of energy are you sending to your body? In a quiet time

today, play with appreciating and thanking your body for all that it does for you. Do this for your

hands, your eyes, your ears, your feet, and so on. Send your liver, heart, stomach, and other

organs an inner smile. You can have a great time with your body just sitting there doing inner

smiles, bathing the cells of your body in loving kindness. Smiling relaxes every bone in your

body and stimulates the most evolved areas of your brain. If any part of your body is not working

well or is in pain, hold that part in love. Wrap it up in love and bless it. Reassure it that it has the

power to heal itself and that you love it no matter what.

Your relationships with your personal belongings and home come next. Your environment

and possessions absorb your energy and reflect it back to you. You put energy into the objects

around you through your eyes, your hands, and your energy field, and you will want the energy

in your environment to support your well-being.

One of the first things you do in the morning is dress. You have a relationship with your

clothes. Get rid of any items you don’t wear because they are not “you” or that you don’t like.


43

Get rid of any clothes that remind you of past events with energy that you do not want to activate

in the present. Your closet should only contain items that lift you when you look at them. As

soon as possible, clean out your closet.

When you do not feel grateful or positive about any object in your environment, pass it on if

you can’t change the way you feel about it. Release any object that activates the energy of

criticism, dislike, poverty thinking, restlessness, hopelessness, and other negative energy. Again,

you want your personal environment to support your meaning, purpose, and direction in life.

You will want to have only those things that you use, plan to use in the foreseeable future,

enjoy, and find attractive. You will want to remove from your environment anything that you

don’t like, don’t use, or that reminds you of past unpleasantness, that reinforces nostalgic

attachments that hold you back or have negative effects on you for whatever reason.

Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, when you look at an item in your home, you

think about its entire history. For example, that microwave oven an old boyfriend bought. Every

time you look at it, whether you realize it or not, you activate the entire unfortunate affair. Do

you really want to keep that energy in your life and have it influence your future? However, if

you’ve moved beyond the perspective of “unfortunate affair” and are now able to appreciate

what you learned and bless the other, you can use the object to remind you to bless, appreciate,

and see life through a higher perspective.

Having only what pleases you in your environment will not only free up physical space, but

free up energy in your body and mind, open up the future, and connect you more deeply with

your true nature.

If there is anything you dislike but must keep because you need it, such as an old car that’s

about ready to fall apart, it’s important to appreciate it for serving its function. The energy of

gratitude will draw to you much better things than the energy of hatred or despair.

How is your relationship with your work? Do you have true work in itself, or are you able to

use just about any job to do your true work? When we must take a job mainly for survival, we

can still focus on its positive aspects. If we look for them, we will find them. Also, since we need

money to survive in our times, it isn’t wrong to work only for the money. In addition, we can use

just about any ordinary job as an avenue for sharing divine love with others.

Inguz is the rune of harmony. When we are at home within ourselves, we can be at home

anywhere, even when the external world is manifesting great disharmony. We’re also in

resonance with the best in others. Being in harmony in our relationships with others also means

we’re able to ride out occasional dissonances, as even the best of relationships is not harmonious

all the time. Today, observe your relationships with family, neighbors, coworkers, customers,

clients, patients, clerks, officials, and others.

Are you in any wrong relationship? You will know it if you are. Wrong relationships are

emotionally depleting and drain us in many ways. We know we’re in a wrong relationship

because we’re not happy and feel alone. We probably entered the relationship for security,


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money, status, duty, pity, fear of being alone, someone’s advice, or fantasy.

Our relationships also include those with individuals in our spiritual family alive on earth,

alive on other worlds in the universe, and alive in other planes of existence. If you work with

guides or teachers, you might reflect on these relationships as well.

Inguz is related to the hara center or dan tien (the center of balance within the body below the

naval) and memory. It symbolizes the double helix of DNA, longevity, and rejuvenation as well

as physical, mental, emotional, sexual, and spiritual stability and health. The qualities Inguz

represents are beneficial for people with bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and other

mental illnesses. They promote feelings of security and self-reliance, which lessen paranoia and

feelings of helplessness. The core qualities of Inguz are resolution, peace, completion, and

satisfaction. It is a good rune to contemplate for mediation, reconciliation, and acceptance of

others. It carries the energy of win-win solutions.

Today, see what new ideas you can have by thinking about how you have a relationship with

everything in your life, animate and inanimate. Explore in particular those relationships that

attract your attention the most.

Traditionally the rune of fertility, Inguz has both male and female aspects. Within its trellis is

a diamond-shaped doorway through which the life force enters to fertilize the seed of potential

life. As such, it is the rune of creating and nurturing new life.


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14. Isa — Stillness, Reflection, Meditation

meditation, deep listening, alert receptivity

prayer, devotion, communion, being

the I AM presence, contemplation, going within

centering, being impartial, objective, reasoning

reflection, self-inquiry, examination, analysis

ice, standstill, downtime: preparation and planning time

Pronounced: ee-sah Other name: Is Letters: EE

Symbol: The Crystal Core

Isa symbolizes the individual self in alignment with the “I,” the divine self, or divine love. It

is a wonderful rune to bring to mind any time throughout the day for centering and being present.

During meditation, when you drift away from the “I,” you can bring Isa to mind to help you

move back into alignment. You might see Isa inside your body, illuminating your spine as your

central column or light body core. During the day, especially when you feel scattered, you can

bring Isa to mind to help you center and focus.

Isa is the rune of inner peace. Stillness is the doorway to divinity, infinity, and eternity.

Sitting in stillness with our own divine nature each day is one of the most practical things we can

do. When we sit in stillness, we come into alignment with the great database of all knowledge

everywhere. Isa reminds us to take time every day to be still and listen.

We learn the value of meditation by engaging in it. It is very practical in ordinary reality to

have all the information we can get, work we love, fulfilling relationships, the resources we need

to live in the world, and a sense of purpose, meaning, and direction in life. Meditation, however

you do it and whatever you call it, assists in clearing obstructions to creativity and guidance.

Once you become accustomed to meditating, you will be able to calm your mind under a

great variety of conditions. You won’t have to sit still or close your eyes to meditate. Even so,

it’s good to have a quiet time every day to give your full attention to just being and listening.

When you receive Isa, ask yourself if you are stopping often enough to rest and gather your

strength. Are you rushing headlong from one thing to another all day long without stopping to

catch your breath? Are you out of touch with your body, lost in worries, thoughts, and interior

stories about what is going on? Are you self-absorbed or isolated? Do you spend too much time

alone, brooding? Are you meditating too much?

Isa invites you to come home to yourself. Coming home, or reclaiming the natural state, is

one way of describing the purpose of meditation. Meditation is like pushing a pause button. We

stop the world, get off … then come back refreshed. After meditation, the world may look more

orderly, we may feel stronger or more capable, and we may have a new perspective on life, or a

creative idea in some area.


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There are many different ways to quiet the mind, such as prayer, music, yantras, mantras,

chanting, or a physical discipline like yoga, qi gong, tai chi, or a martial art. Aromatherapy,

candles, crystals, drumming, art, and dance can also bring us to the doorway of the extraordi-

nary—the natural state of calm, curiosity, compassion, and intelligence. Aids to meditation also

include sufficient exercise, a healthy diet, and adequate sleep. Supportive characteristics include

playfulness and a sense of humor.

We begin meditating by relaxing the body and just being our experience. We notice thoughts

and emotions as they arise in the mind but we don’t engage with them or resist them. We just let

them come and go, like clouds in the sky, observing them impartially and staying centered in the

present. Each time we notice that we have wandered off into a story, memory, or emotion, we

move back to the present. Watching the breath or bringing an image to mind can serve as a tether

to keep us alert in the present. As we persist in returning home to the present, at some point we

rise above mental activity and know stillness, the immensity, or the clear light.

The main obstacles to meditation are trying too hard, being unable to surrender, having

expectations, fear of growth or the unknown, fear of loss of control, fear of change, fear of

becoming different from other people, fear of disruption, and so on.

Meditation practice helps us to experience our emotions deeply, without judgment or fear.

Instead of denying or repressing them, we listen to them in case they have a message for us. We

let them come, we let them go. We don’t say, “That’s a bad emotion,” and try to push it away,

nor do we say, “That’s a good emotion,” and try to keep it. During meditation, we observe,

listen, and experience, but we refrain from evaluating and analyzing our experiences.

However, meditation practiced as only a mental technique may be used to help us avoid our

experience, deny our emotions, or insulate us from the world. We can use it to put ourselves to

sleep, to fall deeper than ever into the dream of the world. It is possible to meditate for many

years and never go beyond merely relieving the stress of the day. In such a case, the benefits of

meditation are extremely limited and only serve the ego-personality in comfortably maintaining

the status quo. If you have been meditating for a long time, you might take a fresh look at your

practice and your reason for meditating.

If you don’t meditate and would like to learn how, check for teachers in your area. Today,

many wonderful courses are available online and on CD. There is a style and technique of

meditation for everyone.

After meditation, we can reflect, analyze, and explore our experiences all we want. Isa is the

mirror of reflection. We reflect to discover truth. We study our life to digest what we’ve learned,

to gain self-knowledge, to become clear about our strengths and weaknesses, to know what

supports us on our path and what hinders us. As the rune of reflection, Isa reminds us to ask

ourselves, “Is there something I need to stop and look at? What is going on that I might need to

review, revisit, or examine? What did I learn from my experiences today?”

As we move forwards in life, we also gain new wisdom when we look back on past experi-

ences with what we know now. It’s strengthening to appreciate the wisdom we’ve gained and the


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good experiences we’ve had. Happy memories give us energy and attract more happy events into

our life. Sad or hurtful memories come up for our recognition, love, and forgiveness.

Self-inquiry is an important aspect of contemplation. The great questions such as “What am

I? Why am I here? Where is here? What am I here to do?” can only be answered experientially.

No one has ever given satisfactory intellectual, scientific, or rational answers to these questions.

They can be answered, only not in words. But they can be hinted at indirectly in poetry, art, and

music.

Reflection also involves understanding our motivations, clarifying our values, and in general,

gaining self-knowledge about ourselves as individuals. While the East has evolved the greatest

meditation techniques in the world, the West has evolved the greatest psychological tools and

methods for personal development. We can enjoy the best of both worlds in becoming all that we

can be. To truly get the most out of meditation, we need to examine our life regularly and make

adjustments as we go along.

Traditionally, Isa is the rune of ice, or standstill, when nothing is happening and no progress

is possible. Life may seem stagnant, like we’ve reached a dead end or run out of ideas. We may

be in between jobs or experiencing a lull in business, and no matter what we do, we just can’t get

things going. When downtime happens, what do you do? How do you spend your time? Isa

reminds us that downtime is rich with possibilities. We can’t grow a garden in the snow, but we

can plan our garden, order supplies, and make sure we have all our tools ready.


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15. Jera — Harvest, Encouragement, Experience

action and consequence, results, returns, feedback

vibration, resonance, magnetism, attraction

seasons, cycles, themes, repetitions, conditions

learning through experience, life as teacher

encouragement to persist in right action

change of vibration, surrender, grace

Pronounced:jeh-rah Other names: Ar, Ger, Jara Letters: J, Y

Symbol: The Rotating Earth

Jera reminds us that we reap what we sow, that the seeds we plant today sprout when the

conditions for it are right. Jera encourages us to choose our thoughts carefully and reassures us

that our positive thoughts will eventually manifest in our life if we continue to think them. Every

thought is a seed. Every thought we think is creative and produces a consequence.

Of course, every negative thought we persist in thinking will also manifest itself in some

form in our life. When you receive Jera, examine the contents of your mind and note those

thoughts that will bring you what you want and those thoughts that will bring you what you don’t

want.

What seeds are you planting today and watering with your attention? What seeds are you

feeding with your emotions? What stories do you tell yourself? What emotions do you nurture

and indulge in?

Look about you and notice what you have harvested to date. Ask yourself, “What thoughts

have I been thinking to create what I am now experiencing?” While persistent negative thinking

will always create negative conditions, not all negative conditions were created by conscious

negative thinking. Some things we create unconsciously, not knowing what we’re doing. Some

(apparently negative) things we create on purpose from a higher level of consciousness to help us

learn certain things or to set up the energy to accomplish a specific mission.

Our fundamental nature desires to create what is good, true, and beautiful. It seeks to extend

divine love into the world. What do you want to create? Can you tell which desires come from

conditioning and which ones come from your soul? Which ones make you feel anxious, or

uncomfortable? Which ones come with a sense of joy and happy expectancy? What we create in

the flow of divine love brings us deep and abiding happiness because it is in alignment with who

we really are.

When we aren’t sure about the form of what we want to create, we can focus on essence. For

example, let’s say you are unhappy with the work you have. How would you feel if you had

wonderful work? That feeling is the essence of what you want. You want to feel that way. Focus

on feeling that. Then go about your ordinary activities feeling that way now. If you do this,

wonderful work cannot help but manifest for you in the perfect form, with the perfect timing, and

in the perfect way.


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In contrast, let’s say you focus instead on form and believe that only a certain position in a

certain company with a certain salary will give you what you want. You use visualization

techniques and see yourself getting that job. You generate the beliefs and emotions and say the

affirmations. You do this over and over until you either get the job or give up. Think of a time

when you did this. How did you feel when you were using the manifesting techniques? Did you

feel truly happy and expectant, or did you feel anxious, afraid they wouldn’t work?

Whenever we use manifesting techniques to try to create something that is not for us, we will

feel a sense of struggle, force, and anxiety. When something is truly on our path, we will feel

light, free, and supported.

Today, ask yourself how would you feel if everything in your life were perfect, and feel that

way now. This takes courage and stamina. Things will change, but you don’t know what is going

to change or how change will come about!

On occasion, we know that a certain thing is on our path. We have an inner certainty, not an

acquired desire or a hollow hope. Then, when we use manifesting techniques, we will feel joy

and ease while using them, knowing that they will be of benefit to us in manifesting what is just

right for us.

Your harvest will be unique to you and cannot be judged by the world, for the world cannot

tell you why you are here or what you are here to do. No one can tell you with certainty what

your work is, where you should live, how you should live, with whom you should associate, or

how to manage the details of your life.

Jera is the rune of cycles and seasons, recurring patterns and themes. What features do your

relationships have in common? What kinds of things do you always experience in relation to

work? In relation to money and possessions? In relation to learning and growth? Look at each

aspect of your life: relationships, work, things, growth, and health.

When you receive Jera, think of something that you are for. Notice how you feel when you

are for something. Next, think of something you are against. Notice how you feel when you are

against something. Jera is a reminder that we manifest in our life what we feel strongly about. If

we are strongly for peace, we will manifest peace. If we are strongly against violence, we will

manifest violence. Focus on what you are for to manifest what you want.

Jera is the rune of karma, one aspect of which is feedback. When we are small, we touch a

hot stove and get burned. We learn that if we don’t want to get burned, we shouldn’t touch a hot

stove, and by extension, anything hot. Without feedback karma, we couldn’t learn anything from

experience.

Another type of karma occurs when we act from attachment, an agenda, or a selfish motive,

seeking personal gain from the manipulation of others. In these instances, we become enmeshed

in a web of collective negative karma. Of course, we also make karma by being generous and

helpful, but we welcome these seeds when they sprout.


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Jera is the rune of samsara, or the wheel of rebirth into the same-o same-o, whether after

birth in this world or after death into a familiar consensual reality created by our group.

When we act from knowledge, without any motive at all, from divine love in the heart, we

make no karma at all. It is not our ego-personality acting, but love acting through us. Isn’t that

the coolest thing!

In meditation, as we learn how to look deeply into our thoughts and emotions and see into

their true nature, we burn up karma rapidly. Jera is the rune of grace. According to the diction-

ary, grace is “divine love bestowed freely.” Grace is “unearned.” You cannot work for it. You

cannot make it come to you through effort or force. You can only surrender and open to receive

it. You must do nothing to receive it; “doing something,” even trying to do nothing, will obstruct

the flow. Divine love is always available to us to be received freely, but we have to completely

empty ourselves to receive it.

When grace relieves a person of the consequences of his past errors, what is actually occur-

ring? Is divinity being partial and making an exception? No. Divinity is not a person and does

not show partiality. “The law is not mocked”; divinity is no “respecter” of persons. The law

(“lord” and “law” were once synonymous) is impersonal and impartial. Divinity is unchanging

and eternal, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So, what is happening when grace

dissolves past karma?

When our vibration truly changes through realization, we are in resonance with a new state of

mind. We are no longer in resonance with the past pattern and it is no longer a part of us. We

seek to bless where before we cursed, heal where before we harmed, give where before we took.

When we have truly changed to a higher vibration in the flow of divine love, we can both receive

divine love freely given and give divine love freely to all.


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16. Kano — Illumination, Intelligence, Passion

fire, passion, light, perception, creativity

intelligence, being inventive, finding solutions

focusing attention, keen vision, seeing eye

pursuing science, art, philosophy, special interests

investigating, exploring, inquiring, uncovering

illuminating the hidden, shedding light, dispelling darkness

Pronounced: kah-noh Other names: Cen, Kenaz, Kauno, Ken

Letters: C, K, Q; and X = Kano-Sowelo

Symbol: Inner Light

As the rune of illumination, light, and fire, Kano symbolizes passion and enthusiasm, the

creative energy of divine love in the pursuit of knowledge. Being neither a skeptic (negatively

biased) nor a true believer (positively biased), but a student wanting only to know the truth, we

can practice true science.

Kano is the rune of art as well as science. A good scientist has the eye of an artist and a good

artist has the eye of a scientist. Being perceptive and imaginative is the key. Whereas science

strives to present the bones of a matter, art seeks to flesh it out. Art shows rather than tells, feels

rather than thinks. Art deals with meaning and value and has no problem exploring questions of

ultimate concern. When you receive Kano, ask yourself if you need to study, do your homework,

or finish (or start) a special project or inquiry.

As the rune of problem solving, finding solutions, and being inventive, Kano reminds us to

use our creative abilities in practical ways. At work and at home, we’re often presented with

choices and opportunities to try out different approaches. Today, notice how you go about

solving problems. Do you focus on solutions or on problems? Inventiveness requires playing

with perspectives, standing back and pausing to give things time to come together in the mind.

Kano is the rune of insight through investigation and exploration. It is the rune of the detec-

tive seeking to uncover the facts, to illuminate the hidden; it is the rune of the philosopher,

thinker, and explorer. Do you need to do some research? Get the facts about something you’re

thinking of buying, investing in, or building? Kano is the rune of dispelling darkness.

As the rune of creativity, intelligence, and perception, Kano is like an inner eye through

which divine love illuminates the field of consciousness and creates-perceives form. Creation

and perception are one thing. Today, notice what you perceive, how you influence what you

perceive with your thoughts and feelings about it, and how what you perceive influences you,

reflecting back to you your own thoughts and feelings.

Perception-creation goes beyond merely influencing thought to having effects on the physical

level. When you look at something and think “That is so beautiful!” you actually add beauty to

it. When you look at a person and admire him, you reinforce everything in him that is admirable.

If he is open to it! If he is not open to it, you will only affect yourself in a positive way. Anything


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that we think-perceive affects us first. We all affect everything in our environment by how we

perceive it, including our material possessions and relationships.

Kano reminds us to discover and develop our abilities. Today, take an inventory of your

abilities, being sure to list all of them that you know about, including those that are not valued by

your culture. Include those that you know about but have not yet developed. Some of your

abilities may be invisible to you because you take them for granted and don’t recognize them as

abilities. Each time you receive this rune, assess your abilities anew. Over the course of the day,

observe yourself to identify your abilities while you are using them. You may discover abilities

you didn’t know you had.

Your abilities include your easily identifiable gifts and talents, but they are more than this.

They include your ability to respond to the world in your own unique way. They include your

temperament and predisposition toward involvement in certain areas of life and expression and

not others. What calls to you in the world? What gives you a special feeling? What interests you?

What activities do you really like to do? Our abilities arise from our individuality as natural

inclinations and tendencies. When we follow our deeper impulses in the heart, we will naturally

unfold our abilities in the world.

Kano is the rune of pursuing special interests. What are your interests in the world? Are you

pursuing them? Or are you putting them on the back burner until a “better time” that may never

come? When you are following your deeper impulses, you cannot help but pursue your interests.

You will be going with yourself and not against yourself, doing what divinity-intelligence within

you wants to do and not necessarily what the world wants you to do.

It is by going with ourselves that we make our greatest contributions to others and the world.

When we’re in alignment, our heart is in what we’re doing. We’re in the flow of love and

intelligence, and we cannot help but benefit others as well as ourselves.

As the rune of special interests, Kano is the rune of groups of people who share the same

passion. Do you connect with other people who share your interests? Kano is the rune of the

hearth and strong feelings. Would it be of benefit to you to join with others? If there is no local

group, you can find one online.

Today, make a list of your real interests. Not a list of what you are supposed to be interested

in, or what would be practical to be interested in, but what you are actually interested in from the

core of your soul. Your greatest interest may have become buried under layers of clutter from the

world, but it is still there waiting for you to turn your attention upon it.

Your personality may say, “It is too late. I am too old. I am too busy. I’ve made other com-

mitments. I have other things to do. It would be impractical, a waste of time. It would be

embarrassing.” But don’t listen to your personality; listen to your soul. After making your list,

pick a major interest and pursue it in whatever way you are drawn to do. Make it your hobby, if

you have to, and see where it leads you.

If you are already pursing your interests in the world, so much the better. If your work and


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life are in alignment with your deeper impulses, you know the value of being your natural self.

Even so, keep a part of your life open for surprises. You may think you know yourself well and

will never want to do anything but what you are doing now, but your life is continually

unfolding. The world around you is continually changing. In addition, as you grow older, you’ll

find that each stage of life offers new opportunities of expression. Be prepared to explore new

areas and apply your abilities in ways you had not thought of before.

Kano is the rune of building consciousness and dream lucidity. The boundaries of our con-

sciousness are not rigid or static, and from time to time, such as when we sleep and meditate, we

expand beyond them. We have dreams and experiences in expanded states that we forget about

when we come back to ordinary reality. When we go back out, however, we remember them. It’s

like waking up in reverse. Then, at some point, we manage to retain a memory from an expanded

state and bring it back across the boundaries.

We could call Kano the rune of curiosity. When we’re really curious, we can’t leave any

stone unturned or discard any idea off hand. When you receive Kano, ask yourself if you indulge

in your curiosity, your desire to learn and discover new things, or if your natural curiosity has

been squelched by conditioning. To enter the kingdom of wonder and see things the way they

really are, we must become like a child and look at things as if we’d never seen them before.


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17. Laguz — Freedom, Forgiveness, Flow

water, flow, forgiveness, surrender, release

letting go, nonattachment, flexibility, adaptability

spontaneity, responsiveness

moving forwards with ease, unhindered

going downstream, immersion in life

not holding back, jumping in

Pronounced: lah-gooz Other names: Lagu, Lagus Letter: L

Symbol: Waterfall

What is freedom? Define the meaning of freedom for yourself. As you go about your day,

notice when you feel free and when you don’t. Is there any area in which you would like more

freedom? Is there any area in which you are willingly choosing restriction for a special purpose?

Why is freedom generally considered desirable? Why do we sometimes fear it?

If you want more freedom, what would you do with it if you had it? What do you do with the

freedom you already have?

What is freedom for? What purpose does it serve? Cerule says freedom has only one purpose,

that it’s good for only one thing: To enable us to be who we really are.

Who would want freedom for any other purpose? Who would want freedom so that he could

be what he is not, so that she could please others, so that he could accumulate what he doesn’t

want or need, so that she could struggle against herself and be miserable? Who would want

freedom so that he could be socialized and conditioned and told what to do, how to do it, and

how to be?

Freedom as a quality of divine love is not something that we can have, like a possession; it’s

not something that we can win or acquire. It’s not something we can lose or have taken away

from us, either. But we can experience it. It is always available to us because it is what we are.

We can fall asleep in the world and forget what we are, but we are still what we are.

Traditionally, Laguz is the rune of water. As such, it is the rune of flow and nonattachment.

Nonattachment means we are not attached to others or our possessions, preferences, plans,

desires, goals, conditions, status, or ambitions in the sense that they do not own us and we do not

try to control the uncontrollable.

Nonattachment doesn’t mean emotional indifference, not having things, or giving things up.

It doesn’t mean not making commitments. What it does mean is living in the present and

responding to life, not grasping or manipulating. It means being forgiving and not holding

grudges. It means being spontaneous; crying in grief and laughing in joy. It means not being

“sticky,” not letting things “stick” to us. Nonattached, we can truly commit ourselves more fully

and honestly than ever before, and we can experience all our emotions more intensely and

deeply.


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Laguz is the rune of immersion in life. Being in flow, we keep moving, not resisting or

stopping our thoughts by judging them. We don’t “go mental,” entangling our mental and

emotional bodies. We don’t deny or repress our feelings (though we might keep them to

ourselves when appropriate). Being in flow doesn’t mean feeling good all the time. We can be

angry, irritated, and in deep despair and still be in flow. We just don’t latch onto our feelings and

stop them; we let them come, and we let them go. We can study them for self-knowledge without

getting stuck. We can study them for information coming from the environment.

However, even the most adept get snagged every day, at least momentarily. We have attach-

ments to our opinions, attachments to doing things our way, attachments to our plans, attach-

ments to having others do what we want them to do, attachments to our achievements, attach-

ments to our grievances, attachments to things that make us happy, attachments to our group or

organization, and attachments to things that make us unhappy—from which we get various

benefits we can use for manipulating others, justifying our actions, blaming the system, or

blaming the weather. While we can’t avoid getting snagged from time to time, we can get in the

habit of periodically “dusting off the mirror (of our mind),” as the zen people say. With practice,

we can also learn how to apprehend them as they arise and choose to respond in a new and better

way.

Laguz is the rune of forgiveness. What is forgiveness? Releasing what we do not wish to

carry around with us and attract more of; releasing anything that weighs us down, causes us

suffering, and prevents us from following our highest path of joy and contribution. Forgiveness

is freedom: it is getting your wings back! When you release a dead weight, you feel light and

free. You can fly again!

It isn’t always easy to forgive, but it gets easier when we realize that forgiveness is not

saying, “It’s OK.” We all know it was not OK. Part of being able to forgive is to affirm that what

happened was not OK! When something was not OK with us, and we say it like it is, we can

move on to the next step. We can focus on healing ourselves with divine love, letting it in,

surrendering to it, until our vibration changes to joy, and the gunk slides off our energy field.

Also, we want to be sure to forgive ourselves and release anger. Anger lets us know when

violation has occurred and gives us the energy to heal our integrity. When we respond to anger

with self-love, it will dissolve. If we repress it or feed it, it becomes self-destructive.

As the rune of water, Laguz encourages us to be adaptable, flexible, and at ease. It is the rune

of purification, cleansing, and baptism. Water is essential for life; we are made mostly of water.

Do you need to drink more water? Is your drinking water safe? In dreams, clear water symboliz-

es emotional clarity, health, and well-being. Stagnant, dirty water relates to something unhealthy

in our life, whether a food, an attitude, or a behavior. Be alert to water imagery in your dreams:

clear mountain lakes, murky swamps with snakes and alligators, swiftly flowing rivers,

waterfalls, and ponds. Water can be sweet, bitter, holy, salty, poisonous, hot, or cold.

Water is humble; it stays close to the earth. Water is empathetic; takes on the shape of any

container and flows over and around obstacles. Water is persistent and penetrating; it doesn’t

back down and it leaves no crack unfilled. Water interacts with many substances to create new


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solutions. It can be used to transport the heaviest objects and harnessed to make electricity. It can

be overwhelming and destructive, like a tsunami, or emotions stirred up by fanaticism, fear,

anger, or frustration. Sometimes we feel we’re in over our head, or at sea.

Laguz is the rune of the twilight between waking and dreaming. If you learn to maintain

awareness in this in-between state, you can walk right into dreaming. You can bring Laguz to

mind to promote restful sleep, relieve pain, and incubate dreams. Dream incubation is dreaming

on purpose. When you have a reason to dream, you are more likely to create dreams specific to

your topic, remember them in the morning, and understand them. To incubate a dream, think on

the topic you want to dream about as you are falling asleep. If you don’t receive a dream on your

topic the first night, try for at least three nights in a row, then wait a night or two and begin

again. When you receive Laguz, ask yourself if you have had any memorable dreams lately and,

if so, reflect on them. Also, take special note if someone stops by to tell you about their dream.

When someone shares her dream with you, just listen. Never interpret another person’s

dream for them. You might ask questions about the facts of the dream, or what they associate

with something in the dream, but let them explore the questions in their own way. If they ask you

what you think the dream was about, you might say, “I don’t know what it means for you, but if

it were my dream, it might mean …”

Laguz is the rune of surrender to the flow of divine love, the higher will. We give up small-

ness for greatness, restriction for freedom, poverty for wealth, and ignorance for knowledge.


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18. Mannaz — Self-Realization, Inner Joy,

Enlightenment

inner joy, enlightenment, integration, wholeness

becoming congruent, aligned with true nature

evolving individuality to express divinity

self-knowledge, personal characteristics, talents

preparing/readiness for a new level of engagement with life

compassion, being called to greater service

Pronounced: mah-nahz Other names: Human, Humanity Letter: M

Symbol: Crossing the Heart

To realize means to “make real.” Today, think about what self-realization means to you.

There are many stages of self-development, from childhood and the creation of a healthy ego to

maturity and transcendence of the ego. Some of us are evolving our individuality, our personali-

ty, and self-esteem; some of us are learning how to live as a nondual being; some of us are

learning independence and others interdependence. Personal development is not a straight line,

as we may be highly advanced in some areas and still immature in others.

Our development of the person we are today began before birth and even conception, in pre-

life planning. In the womb we were influenced by our mother’s diet, emotions, relationships, and

environment. From birth on, we have been on a journey of “making ourselves real,” or

manifesting our individuality in this world. We were, are, and always will be real as pure spirit,

but Mannaz is about becoming real as a unique human being in community with others. As the

rune of being human in community, Mannaz reminds us that our self-development is not for

ourselves alone but for others as well. What we make of ourselves is not only our gift to

ourselves but our gift to others.

Where are you on the journey of selfhood? What is your next step? Are you just beginning a

career, or retiring? Just starting a family, or waving goodbye to the last child leaving home? If

you’ve been on a spiritual path for many years, do you need to get out in the world and teach

what you have learned? Or do you need to take more time to reflect and meditate? Are you

meditating too much? Do you need to get out more, or take up yoga or qi gong?

If you’re just beginning a spiritual path, how do you feel about it? Is it the right one for you?

Is there anything about it that makes you feel uneasy? If you’ve been on a path of development

for a while, have you outgrown it? Do you need to seek further instruction? Is it time for a

teacher? Is it time to release a teacher?

Mannaz is the rune of seeking self-knowledge and reclaiming our true identity in spirit. This

requires unlearning as well as learning. To wake up from amnesia, we have to clear the sleep

from our eyes and release the obstructions we’ve accumulated while we were lost out in the

dream of conditioning, thinking it was the only reality there was. Finding wholeness, we

embrace both unchanging immortal spirit and ever-changing unique individuality.


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Do you have any fears about self-realization or spiritual growth? We have all had moments

when we didn’t want to grow too fast, when we weren’t ready to face the truth about a relation-

ship, a job, a habit, or something else. Newcomers to a path sense that they can only go so far

and still be honest with themselves.

Others fear that self-realization would isolate them from others, make them a target of reli-

gious fanatics, require them to be the center of attention, or make them different from others.

Some of us fear perfection, failure, humiliation, not being understood, being rejected, making

mistakes, or being betrayed.

What are your concepts about self-realization as enlightenment? Do you believe it is impos-

sible for you, beyond your grasp? Do you think it is only possible for people more advanced than

you are, or for people who renounce the world and accept poverty, chastity, and obedience to an

authorized religious authority? Today, many people are achieving enlightenment outside of

organized religion. It’s no longer about religion; it’s about spirituality.

As we grow in remembrance, we begin wanting and looking for soul companions here on the

earth plane. We want to share knowledge with others who understand, and we want their input,

to help us see our blind spots and be our mirrors. At some point, we also become aware of the

teachers and guides, the guardians and great ones of the unseen world, overseeing our develop-

ment and helping us to help ourselves.

Mannaz encourages us to follow our true calling in life, or find ways to use our gifts, so that

we can make our greatest contributions to others. We may have come to serve a few people in

very specific ways, or many people, with greater fame but less personal contact. We may be here

to serve the animals, or a specific species, or to work with the plant kingdom. Our talents may lie

in being a good manager or organizer of resources, or in implementing legislation that helps the

community. When we use our gifts for the good of all, we are doing our highest spiritual work,

whether we are a mechanic or a banker or a store clerk.

As we grow in self-realization, we become sensitive to where others are in their growth and

development and we learn how to support them wisely, paying attention to our inner guidance.

We become increasingly sensitive to what their real needs are, what we can do for them, and

when it’s best to just stand by and just be available.

A spiritual path may have nothing to do with religion or a formal system of meditation. It

may be the way of art or music or involvement in one's calling. While following your calling,

you might spontaneously fall into meditation and self-inquiry. You might naturally take time to

meditate without calling it that. You might be well on your path of self-realization just by doing

your thing in divine love.

Mannaz is the rune of deep and abiding joy in divine love, of the marriage of heaven and

earth, of the ego-body-personality shining with the light of divinity, its basic, fundamental, true

nature. Ultimately, it is the rune of transcendent bliss, of reclaiming sanity. It is the rune of the

beginning of a greater life and involvement in a greater community.


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We no longer mistake our body, clothes, car, career, status, achievements, or other temporal

things to be ourselves. We would think it funny if a person thought his coat were himself. We

would tell him, “No, you are not your coat, your coat is only something you wear.” But this is

more difficult to see when we mistake our body for who we are. On the other hand, once we

achieve self-realization, we know everything to be made of the same “stuff.” Is this confusing?

Hinduism puts it well: “The world is illusion. Only Brahma [the source or creator] is real. The

world is Brahma.” First we discover that we are not our bodies, that we are spirit; then we

discover that everything is made up of spirit, including our bodies. But before we can embrace

the totality, we have to discover what part of us is still and what part of us is moving …

Mannaz is a complex rune composed of many other runes. In the middle, we see Gebo, the

rune of the heart, the treasure chest of inner joy, seated within Dagaz, the rune of awakening and

vision, supported by Ehwaz, the spirit horse. Two Laguz’s touch each other over the heart center:

freedom, surrender to higher will, adaptability, and flexibility. Two Isa’s stabilize the self in

love. Two Wunjo’s of celebration and four Kano’s of illumination meet at the core of the heart

center. And that’s not all. There is a double Uruz of strength and nourishment.

Which rune or runes within Mannaz are you drawn to? What is most important to you today

in your self-development? Do any of the qualities of the runes within Mannaz strike a chord?

What area do you want to explore? Many veils obscure our perception of reality. There are the

veils of fear, guilt, anger, mistrust, unworthiness, shame, and so forth. Which veil would you like

to work on lifting today? Where is your growing edge? Ask yourself, “What is the most

important thing in my life today?” This is a really profound question if we keep going deeper,

deeper, and deeper with it, into the layers of the journey of the soul.


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19. Nauthiz — Resourcefulness, Skillfulness,

Necessity

doing what needs to be done, tending to necessity

skillful means, strategies, approach, priorities

working within constraints, budgets, schedules

understanding requirements, conditions, rules

meeting barriers, obstacles, hardships with equanimity

recognizing needs, self-restraint, retreat

Pronounced: naw-theez Other names: Naudiz, Nyd Letter: N

Symbol: The Fire Sticks

Nauthiz is traditionally the rune of necessity, the mother of invention. Its symbol, the fire

sticks, refers to a saying, “When cold, light a fire.” It is the rune of doing what needs to be done.

The basic necessities for keeping body and soul together are air, water, and food. If we did

not have even one of these three basics (especially air), it would quickly become our top priority.

The next level of need is shelter, or protection from the elements, even if it is only a tarp attached

to a tree limb.

After that, we would want to feel safe. We would want to know that we could go to sleep and

not be eaten by a predator or attacked by another self. Once we felt safe, we would want

companionship. We would want somebody to talk to.

Next, we would want to be a member of a community. We need others not only for company,

but also for what they can do for us. We cannot do everything for ourselves. We need others to

develop and use their gifts to provide us with food, clothing, shelter, tools, education, healing,

and entertainment. Then, we would feel the need to discover and develop our own gifts and

become a contributing member of the community. We also need others because without them

there would be no one to receive our gifts and consequently no need to develop them. Last, once

these needs have been fulfilled, we would turn our attention to growing in divine love and

spiritual growth.

Today, become aware of your needs. Each time you feel a need, notice what needing feels

like. Identify the need and trace it back to its origin. What touched off the need? What kind of

need is it? Some needs, such as the need to grow and learn and use our abilities, arise from our

deeper impulses. Some needs are simple physical needs everyone has, such as the need to eat,

rest, work, or play. Other needs come from conditioning. For example, a person might think he

must have a certain position, car, hairstyle, house, or lifestyle. When you receive Nauthiz, take a

look at your needs and assess them. Which ones are real; which ones come from your heart?

When you receive Nauthiz, ask yourself if there is something that you need to tend to. In

particular, is there anything you need to do that you’ve been putting off? Become aware of your

characteristic attitude toward doing what needs to be done. What quality of energy do you put

into tending to necessity? What emotions do you experience? When you must deal with


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something you would rather not deal with, how do you approach the task? If you are unhappy

with something you have to tend to regularly, are there any changes you can make in your

schedule, agreements with others, or attitude, to take a positive approach?

Today, look at those things you must tend to that you have brought into your life by choice.

Do you want to give up any of them? If the thought of releasing something gives you a feeling of

relief, it may be time to let it go.

Nauthiz is the rune of all types of obstacles, barriers, and opposition, including prejudice,

illness, disabilities, disasters, and accidents. It is the rune of difficulties, of all the things that

force us to be inventive and think, to grow and develop! How we take care of life’s large and

small problems are a part of our earth curriculum and training. Nauthiz is essential for the

development of intelligence, skill, expertise, and knowledge.

It is the rune of elbow grease and sweat, of changing that which can be changed through

effort. One of the major challenges in life is to know when we can change something and when

we cannot, when we must accept the conditions that exist and when we don’t.

When you come across an obstacle in your life, examine it closely to discern what type of

challenge it is. Run it past your truth sense. Is it a real challenge, or is it a challenge that would

not even exist if you looked at it differently? Is that a monster in the closet or just a shadow? Are

the underlying assumptions true? Do they make sense? Am I missing anything? What other

perspectives can I play with?

Nauthiz includes inner obstacles as well as outer obstacles. Inner obstacles include limiting

beliefs, inexperience, fears, arrogance, prejudice, and self-doubt, for example. These may

manifest as challenges with food, substances, allowing yourself to get distracted, or settling for

what you think is possible and not listening to your inner knowing. Sometimes conditions or

limitations imposed on you by others cannot be changed and sometimes they can. For example,

rather than settle for a given budget for a project, you might seek and find more funding. As the

rune of constraints, requirements, conditions, and limitations, Nauthiz teaches us to think and

plan.

Some limitations are fundamental. As soon as we were born, we were faced with the con-

straints of a physical body. We had to learn what it could and couldn’t do, and what happened

when we tried to make it do something it wasn’t designed to do.

Our individuality as a personality is also defined by limitations. We have certain characteris-

tics, talents, strengths, and weaknesses, and not others. We are unique not only because of what

we are, but because of what we are not. Nauthiz reminds us to recognize and honor our

limitations, because we cannot be everything or anything, but we can be who we really are. In

fact, one of our tasks is to develop our uniqueness, to grow into our own individual pattern and

become fully ourselves.

Some constraints arise from natural law: nobody can put 50 gallons of liquid into a 25-gallon

container. Two objects can’t occupy the same space at the same time (unless they’re in different


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realities, but then they’re not in the same spacetime). Materials have specific properties under

specific conditions that we must take into account when working with them. Nauthiz may remind

us to take these considerations into account in our plans.

Other constraints, such as community laws, work schedules, building codes, safety regula-

tions, driving requirements, and other specifications or frameworks are agreed-upon conventions

and can be changed by consensus.

When you receive Nauthiz, think about whether you are sensitive to the challenges and

requirements in your life. Is there anything or anyone you need to respond to with special skill

and ingenuity? Is there anything or anyone in your life you need to let go of? Or is there

something that you just need to get done? Nauthiz is the “get to work” rune.

Are you aware of any “no” signals in your environment, or inner messages regarding poten-

tial problems or dangers? You will get a “no” feeling or warning sensation when a potential job,

relationship, food, contract, person, or activity would be harmful to you or pose special

challenges. You will feel a “no” sensation when you are flirting with danger or temptation that

would surely bring you grief if you got involved. Nauthiz reminds us to listen to our gut instinct.

We must use our energy sensing abilities as well as common sense and reason to know when

to retreat and when to respond. Some challenges are ours to take on and others are not. At the

same time, Nauthiz reminds us that no matter what we do, we will learn from it. Often we gain

our greatest knowledge and deepest compassion by doing the wrong things. We learn how to

forgive and be compassionate with ourselves and extend compassion to others.


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20. Othila — Heritage, Home, Territory

origin, ancestors, inheritance, home, property

spiritual and earth families, groups, lineages

inherited characteristics, traits, talents, gifts

personal space, territory, private environment

field of service, influence, expertise, responsibility

state of consciousness as primary home

Pronounced: oh-thih-lah Other names: Odal, Othel, Ethel, Othala

Letter: O Symbol: Home

As a symbol of heritage, Othila relates to origin, home, spiritual and earthly families, the

ancestors and posterity, wisdom passed down through the generations, and tradition. It is the

rune of family property and possessions, and as such, the rune of inheritance, and separation

from loved ones through death. Our inheritance includes not only material possessions, but also

our physical body, DNA, and the opportunity for life in the world. Even people who do not know

and will never meet their biological parents have received an inheritance from them.

Othila may represent not only a family group, but a professional field, a religious denomina-

tion, a group of diverse people joining together for a common purpose, an institution, a

corporation, or other special group. When you receive Othila, think of the kinds of groups you

are involved in.

We each move in certain circles: family, social, work, hobbies, special interests, and so forth.

What are your circles? One exercise you might try is to draw a moderately large Othila on a

sheet of paper. Put yourself in the middle of the Othila and write down the names of those who

are also a part of your home group. You might draw additional Othila’s for external groups you

are a part of as well and have them overlap your personal Othila. What can you learn about your

relationships and the groups you are involved in?

As the rune of the home, Othila refers not only to our physical home, but to our state of mind,

the home we live in no matter where we are or where we go. Our consciousness is our most

intimate personal space; we live in it all the time, every moment. It is our most valuable asset,

the only thing we take with us after we leave our body in this lifetime.

Today, examine the contents of your mind from this perspective. Imagine you are inside a

large Othila as your personal space. You might picture your beliefs as furniture, shapes, and

structures, and your emotions as colors. What kind of home do you live in? What do you furnish

it with? Is your home clean or cluttered, gloomy or bright? Do you take out the garbage

regularly? Do you give conscious attention to selecting the contents of your mind-home? Explore

your state of mind as your greatest wealth. Check it out as you go about your day. Notice what

you allow into your mind, your most intimate personal space.

When you receive Othila, think also about your heritage of gifts. It is up to each one of us to

discover, explore, and develop our abilities and skills to serve the larger community of families.


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On a sheet of paper, you might draw another large Othila and label it “the people I am here to

serve.” This represents the group of people who are responsive to what you have to offer, those

who are drawn to you to be in your company, to buy your products, to read your books, or to

listen to your music. These people are your friends, customers, clients, students, readers, patients,

patrons, supporters, fans, and so forth.

Consider your field of service. Most of us know what it is like to work in the wrong field, or

with the wrong group within the right field. We might be able to do a great job in spite of it all,

but our work will lack a special quality if our heart isn’t really in what we are doing.

One person’s field of service may be in the home, another’s away from home. We may be

here to serve many people we’ll never know in person, or only a few that we come to know well.

The important thing is to listen to the deeper impulses of divine love in the heart, not to what

other people, convention, or tradition tell us is correct.

Our heritage also encompasses the earth and all our relations on earth, including the plant and

animal kingdoms as well as humanity. We partake not only of the heritage of our ancestors, but

also of the richness of all earth’s cultures, races, traditions, and legacies. Earth offers much to us

in exchange for our gifts and services. Here on earth, we are challenged in ways we would not be

challenged anywhere else, and we have the opportunity to develop strengths and skills we could

not develop otherwise.

Othila is the rune of all ourselves and counterparts in time, including our other lives, which

are all concurrent in simultaneous time, although we tend to think of them as past, future, and

probable in linear time. When you receive Othila, you might be drawn to explore another

lifetime for its relevance to your present. You might also use gifts and abilities now that you

have developed in other times and places. If this is appropriate, you will know it; it doesn’t hurt

to explore the possibility or be open to it.

You might also want to link with your groups in other parts of the world or universe. Many

of us on earth have lived elsewhere and have a far-reaching legacy among the stars. This is the

time to bring forth those gifts from other worlds to help humanity prepare for the coming

centuries. Humanity is at a turning point and needs all the knowledge and spiritual assistance it

can receive.

One of our tasks is to find and join with others in our spiritual family on earth at this time to

work together. But how can we recognize someone in our spiritual family? We can’t tell from

appearance or behavior, nor can we tell from compatibility. Being in the same spiritual family

doesn’t necessarily mean we will easily recognize each other or get along, nor does a strong

attraction to someone guarantee that we’re to work together or have a close relationship. But

there are a few signs we can look for.

When you meet someone in your spiritual family, you will probably feel like you are resum-

ing an old relationship rather than starting a new one. You will probably feel at ease around the

other person. You are likely to speak freely of things you usually keep to yourself because most

people can’t relate to them. You’ll have similar and complementary skills and want to use them


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in the same general direction to accomplish similar goals. Your relationship will be about what

you can do together, rather than on egos and self-serving interests. For example, if you are

writing a book together, the focus will be on the quality of the book and its value to the reader,

rather than on who gets credit for what, or making a lot of money.

Othila can symbolize the light body, rainbow body, or indestructible diamond body. It may

be used as a vehicle of light, like a spaceship, for travelling in expanded states of consciousness,

or as a protective field where the frequencies are very high or very low. You can visualize

yourself riding upon Othila like a surfboard or within a three-dimensional Othila shaped like a

boat. Othila may also be seen as the “hall of records” in the akasha (fundamental ground of

being, luminosity, or subtle space). Energy follows thought; we can use the imagination to access

real places.

When you receive Othila, identify your home base or territory and its contents. How do you

relate to your heritage? What do you appreciate the most about your heritage? Are there any

ancestral issues that need healing? As you find compassion and peace within, you bring healing

to your entire ancestral soul group, both now and into the future. Every gain we achieve in divine

love overflows to everyone we are connected to. We never do anything for ourselves alone.


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21. Peorth — Mystery, Chance, Revelation

uncertainty, the unknown, the hidden

humility, honesty, patience, restraint

gestation, the time before birth

faith, allowing things to unfold

taking a risk with no guarantees

keeping confidences, being trustworthy

seeking revelation, asking for knowledge

Pronounced: peh-orth Other names: Perth, Pertho Letter: P

Symbol: The Matrix

How do you feel about uncertainty? What would life be like if uncertainty did not exist?

Traditionally symbolized by a dice cup, Peorth is the rune of not knowing the outcome but

playing the game anyway. Perhaps playing the game because we don’t know what the outcome

will be. Would you bother playing a game if you knew how it would turn out?

But games of chance can only be played in accordance with definite rules, and anybody who

refuses to play by the rules is out of the game. Many people say, “I don’t believe in chance.” But

they believe in making choices, taking a chance on themselves, and overcoming the odds through

faith and perseverance. What does “taking a chance” mean? As long as we don’t know the

outcome, we have hope.

If there is no chance or unpredictability, does that mean you are guaranteed to accomplish

your purpose in life or certain to fail? If everything that happens has to happen regardless of any

choices you make, are you left without responsibility, blame, or credit? Today, think about life,

certainty, and uncertainty.

The mystery of existence is as great today as it has ever been. It is still true that the ultimate

nature of reality can only be experienced firsthand and cannot be explained in words, not even

scientifically. When you receive Peorth, contemplate the greatness of existence and the smallness

of yourself as an individual. Are you comfortable being small? You are small, but you are also a

part of greatness. Therefore, you are also great.

Traditionally, Peorth is the rune of the three norns, or “fates” (we might call them laws of

physics), who weave the threads of life into harmonious patterns to maintain balance in the

cosmos. Order is not only at the heart of mystery and uncertainty, it makes mystery and

uncertainty possible.

Peorth reminds us that we do not and cannot know everything consciously. Although we are

one with all knowledge in divine love, continuous with omniscience, as individuals we can only

access so much information at one time without overload. Over time, from experience, we

develop trust that we will receive the information we need when we need it. Peorth is the rune of

trust, defined here as “confidence in reliability.”


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It is also the rune of humility, defined here as “honesty.” When we are honest, we are hum-

ble; we can say, “I don’t know.” We stick to the facts; if we don’t know why that person did that

thing, why somebody became ill, why that tornado struck, why something happened or didn’t

happen, why a bad thing happened to a good person, why a good thing happened to a bad person,

why somebody died, why someone was healed, and so on, we say, “I don’t know.” We don’t

come up with rationalizations or fantasies to explain things when we have no idea of what the

truth is. When we are honest, we are true to ourselves, and when we are true to ourselves, we can

be trusted, not only by ourselves, but by others.

Peorth is the rune of faith, defined here as “confidence in the truth.” Truth is true regardless

of whether we know what it is or believe in it. (Here we are not referring to personal relative

truths, preferences, and opinions.) Only the truth is ultimately of any value. When you seek truth

above all else, you can have confidence in yourself because you can trust yourself. Only the

honest seek truth, and when you are honest, you know what you are up to and won’t fool

yourself. You won’t reject the truth even if it “disturbs” you or is not what you prefer. When you

have nothing to defend, fear, or hide, you can be confident in yourself. You can have faith in

yourself, and others can have faith in you, too.

Peorth is the rune of patience and caution. It advises us to not come to hasty conclusions, to

give things time to unfold and become clear, to wait until we have more information, to reserve

judgment until we know for sure, to exercise self-restraint until we know it’s time to act. It is the

“wait and see” rune. When you receive Peorth, ask yourself, “Have I overlooked anything? Is

there anything I need to inquire about, tend to, or take a second look at?”

Sometimes we don’t have all the facts, or there are decisions yet to be made. Peorth is the

rune of blind spots, of something happening behind the scenes, of incomplete or missing

information. It is also the rune of inexperience. Are you moving into new, unfamiliar territory,

perhaps a new field of work, or phase of life? Be prepared for the learning curve.

As the rune of the unknown, Peorth invites us to seek revelation and be prepared to receive it.

Even though we cannot know everything, we can seek to learn more. We can practice self-

inquiry. “What is the truth of my life?” We can purposefully shine our light into the darkness and

try to see what is there. We can be open to new knowledge, to discovery. What are the limits of

our understanding? What new places can we explore? What new things can we do? Peorth

invites us to discover our hidden potentials, unknown talents, overlooked treasures, and

unperceived possibilities.

As the rune of the unknowable, Peorth relates to invisible influences, greater realities, cosmic

storms, solar flares, black holes, and universal movements that create energetic weather we

might vaguely sense and be a part of but not completely understand. We cannot know with our

individual mind all the multitudinous connections at work in our life.

Peorth is the rune of incipient events, gestation, and the time before birth, not just the birth of

a child, but also the birth of an event or idea. The original symbol for Peorth may well have been

the womb rather than a dice cup. Before something new emerges into the light, we do not know

for certain what form it will take. When we begin a project, we don’t know for certain what the


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finished product will look like, nor can we predict all the effects it will have upon others or our

own life. We don’t know for sure how far out into time it will extend or what its spinoffs will be.

Peorth is the rune of what is gestating, or germinating, of what is brewing just out of sight. It

reminds us to be in touch with our inner knowing so that we will be prepared for what is coming.

It advises us to be alert to signs. Future events lap onto the shore of the present, casting long

shadows, like tall trees at sunrise. To interpret signs of the future accurately, we must be deeply

in touch with the present. If we are aware of what we are bringing into the present from the past,

and what we are aligning ourselves with in the future, we can most accurately interpret signs of

the future. The present moment is the cauldron of creation.

Peorth is the rune of keeping confidences, both our own and those of others. Our inner

knowing will always advise us of when to keep something to ourselves, when to share it, and

with whom to share it. It will also advise us of when to accept a confidence from another person

and when not to. You will not want to accept a confidence when it is a disguise for gossip,

criticism, manipulation, harmful intent, or a play for sympathy.

When you receive Peorth, contemplate mystery as an aspect of divine love. We live in a

dominant culture that eschews mystery, that wants to explain everything in mechanical terms,

and when it cannot explain something, it tries to explain it away as an “anomaly.” But mystery

isn’t that easy to disrobe and dissect. The truth is that mystery is immortally alive and well.


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22. Raido — Journey, Direction, Pacing

direction, movement, intent, wise counsel

pace, rhythm, timing, style, moment-to-moment

questing, exploring, traveling, passing through, vehicles

managing affairs, keeping order, taking care

honoring needs for rest, recreation, social activities

rituals, habits, routines, affirmations

Pronounced: ray-doh Other names: Rad, Raidho Letter: R

Symbol: The Path

How do you move through life? Raido is linked to the horse with regards to the act of riding.

Today, identify your natural rhythm, pace, and style of movement. Do you dart, saunter, amble,

stride, tread, trudge, march, meander, ramble, shuffle, or wend your way through the day? Try

out different ways of carrying yourself and notice how each way makes you feel. Become aware

of any stiff, aggressive, defensive, or evasive postures or movements as well as those expressions

that feel good, right, and energizing.

When we are following our deeper impulses, we will naturally move through life at the pace

and rhythm that are right for us and express our natural style. On occasion we might temporarily

have to drive ourselves hard or change to an unnatural rhythm or style, but overall, for health and

happiness, we will want to follow our own way.

Raido has been called the rune of wise counsel because it is the rune of our deeper impulses,

which arise from divine love in the deepest part of our being. These deeper impulses provide us

with our true inner sense of direction. Today, take a quiet time to be with your deeper impulses,

to sense them and be open to what they have to tell you about your direction in life. Raido is the

rune of following your deeper impulses in the world on a vision quest to unfold your meaning

and purpose in life. Your deeper impulses can keep you on track even when you don’t know in

concrete terms where you’re headed. When you are centered and alert and honest with yourself,

you can feel when you’re going in the right direction and taking right action and when you are

not.

Along with pace, rhythm, and style, consider smoothness and timing. Raido is the rune of

moving through time with moment-to-moment awareness, which is a high state of awakened

consciousness. In moment-to-moment awareness, we are continually releasing the present to the

past and experiencing the future emerging into the now.

Since you can only apprehend a knowing in the present, when you are moving in moment-to-

moment awareness, you become aware of a knowing immediately, as soon as it arises, and you

have the momentum to act on it immediately.

Raido is the rune of personal space and social interactions. How much personal space do you

need? How do you maintain your personal space? Are you direct and natural, or do you do things

consciously or unconsciously to keep people at a distance? Do you feel good or guilty about


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having and maintaining your personal space? Are you sensitive to the personal space needs of

others, or do you intrude on their space and crowd them?

Life is continual movement, feedback, adjustment, and readjustment. Think of driving a car,

how you continually make adjustments in response to traffic signals, speed limit signs, other

vehicles, road conditions, the weather, and unexpected events, such as an animal or child running

out into the street, or a rock falling off a truck. You are alert and ready to react to a wide range of

possibilities. You want to see what is actually present, not what you prefer to see or think should

be the case, but what is actually the case, whether it pleases you or not.

Raido is the rune of keeping your balance while moving. It is the rune of managing your

personal life and keeping your affairs in order. How orderly is your life? Do you feel like you’re

in charge, or do you feel like the dog wagged by the tail? Do like to be on top of things, or do

you manage through crisis, always tending to things at the last minute?

Keeping your life in order involves taking care of your children, pets, and other responsibili-

ties; of paying your bills on time, taking out the garbage, knowing what your insurance covers,

having the number for road service on hand when your battery goes dead, budgeting and keeping

a positive balance, making sure your pipes are insulated before winter, repairing your roof when

it leaks, having a place for your important papers, and so forth. You cannot have great personal

disorder, frequent crises and drama, and distractions in your life and focus on your highest path.

Traditionally the rune of traveling, the word Raido is associated with “wheel,” “red,” and the

shaman’s drum, or “spirit horse.” (For Native Americans, walking the red road means living in a

sacred way.) Vehicles of travel, such as wagons, cars, buses, planes, motorcycles, boats, and

trains, are also associated with Raido. Your body, which you take with you everywhere you go,

is your primary vehicle of travel in the world. It is your home base for the duration of this

lifetime and enables you to discover and fulfill your purpose in the world. It is a transceiver, able

to both receive and transmit; it is a translator of frequencies; it is a filter; it is a perceptual,

focusing, and manifesting device. It is a finely tuned, complex arrangement of energy systems at

different densities straddling many dimensions.

Raido includes symbols of transition: roads, trails, bridges, doors, tunnels, stairs, elevators,

maps, and travel items. Raido reminds you that are always en route, that the journey is the point,

and each point on the journey is the destination because the journey itself never ends. Life

consists of ups and downs, coming and goings, arrivals and departures, reunions and partings,

beginnings and endings: all the ongoing vicissitudes of life.

When you receive Raido, you might ask yourself if you have been wanting to go on a trip or

vacation, to attend some event out of town, to visit a relative in another state, or go to a seminar.

Also ask yourself whether your car or motorcycle (or horse, if you have one) or other vehicle of

transportation needs attention.

Raido is the rune of shamanic journeying, interdimensional and out-of-body travels, imagina-

tive journeys, remote viewing, inner planes work, psychic activities, and dreaming. It is the rune

of inner as well as outer travel. If some type of inner travel is a natural part of your path, ask


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yourself whether you are devoting enough time to developing your skills. It is the rune of

rhythmic activities such as singing, dancing, drumming, and playing an instrument. The drum is

the shaman’s horse that carries him on his journey, the heartbeat of the earth, the pulsation of

subatomic particles. Life is a song and dance we learn as we go along.

On the energetic level, Raido refers to ritual, repetition, affirmations, setting up and reinforc-

ing energy patterns, and developing habits. These are all forms of the same thing. Today, observe

your daily rituals and habits, noticing which ones are benefiting you and which ones are not.

Your life is a vision quest made up of many smaller quests and adventures. Raido is the rune

of your personal journey of discovery, of what you have learned about life, yourself, and your

path. Today, examine your life as if it were a novel, movie, fairy tale, drama, or play. What is the

title? What is the main theme? Describe the main character in detail. What challenges must the

main character meet? What are the main character’s strengths and weaknesses?

Raido is the rune of the photo album, the box in the corner of your closet holding memories,

the collection of elephant figurines on the shelf, the special colors you painted your walls, your

style of dress, the memory of those flowers on the camping trip, the people you think about at

odd moments, your hopes and dreams. It is the rune of samsara, the ever-turning wheel of life,

the natural radiance of reality.


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23. Sowelo — Goodness, Wholeness, Blessings

blessings, impartiality, nonjudgment

generosity, encouragement, optimism

confidence, recognition, praise, acceptance

abundance, prosperity, success, plenty

magnificence, greatness, glory, radiance, life giving

bliss, peace, health, happiness, well-being, enthusiasm

Pronounced: soh-weh-loh Other names: Sowelu, Sowilo, Sigil, Sigel, Sol

Letter: S; an X = Kano-Sowelo

Symbol: The Sun

Imagine being a great star like the sun and letting your life-giving light bless everyone impar-

tially wherever you go. Imagine the freedom you would feel giving your light equally, without

judgment, to all creation everywhere. You might envision Sowelo deep in your heart center, or as

larger than your body. Allow yourself to freely receive the flow of love and allow it to flow

freely through your body, out into the world. You are the first one blessed by the flow, and the

greater your capacity to receive the flow and release it, the greater you are blessed.

Radiating light takes no effort and is no sacrifice; just the opposite. If you try to receive and

radiate light, you will only slow the flow. If you try to give light to others or bless them, they

will feel the pressure of your pushing on them and back away.

Today is a day to let go of a very great burden: criticism of the world. Remind yourself

frequently, at least once an hour: “Today I will not criticize the world.” Notice what this feels

like, what it does to your mind and body. You can tend to things and exercise critical judgment

without being judgmental or critical. There is a difference. Notice this difference as you go about

the day. You can be wise, use common sense, and bring reason and intelligence to bear upon

matters without condemnation coming between you and the world. Today you are free to act in

accordance with divine love and follow your golden compass without sitting in judgment upon

the world. You can see clearly how things are manifesting and simply ask yourself, “What is for

me to do?” and do that.

Sowelo is the rune of blessing. Today, think about the definition of “to bless.” What is yours?

The self in separation from divine love defines “to bless” as “to approve of.” It only blesses what

it approves of. Its blessing, like its love, is conditional. The other must meet its requirements or it

will not give its blessing. When divinity is experienced as separate from us, it is also seen to sit

in judgment and only shine its light on those it deems worthy.

Although you are free of the task of criticizing the world today, you will find yourself criti-

cizing it out of habit. Become aware of when you are criticizing the world and examine your

criticisms objectively, not to judge them or change them, but simply to note them as present. Do

not engage with them in any way; do not try to push them away, change them, deny them, or

avoid them. Do not react to them emotionally. Simply be aware of them as if they were

curiosities, perhaps passing clouds or things in the landscape.


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Like the sun, Sowelo is symbolic of life, optimism, generosity, abundance, positive thoughts,

happiness, healing, and freedom. We can look at the sun or think of Sowelo within our heart

center when we feel separated, lonely, depressed, or dispirited. We can think of Sowelo to

enlighten ourselves with confidence, vitality, and enthusiasm. Thinking of Sowelo or being

aware of the sun can help us remember to release our light into the world freely. We can be

generous, like the sun, when we are rich in the flow of divine love.

On the other hand, we cannot be generous when we have little to give. When we give from

our small store of personal energy alone, we will not have much to give, and if we give too

much, we will become depleted. Giving without receiving from source eventually leads to

fatigue, depression, anxiety, guilt, anger, and resentment.

When we radiate divine love impartially, we do not need to concern ourselves with who is

receiving blessings through us and who is not. We might heal in passing by and never know it.

The art of blessing the world is the most gentle of arts. The more gently we bless the world, the

more powerful our blessing is. This is because we will be transparent to divinity and offer no

resistance to the flow of blessing. Empty, we become an open channel through which greatness

can flow.

To bless with goodness, we hold the world in mind as lightly as we would hold a butterfly

without disturbing a single grain of powder on its wings. Blessing the world with goodness

means seeing the world as perfect, just as divine essence is perfect. We cannot bless the world

unconditionally if we see it as flawed and demand that it change first to meet our conditions.

When you receive Sowelo, allow yourself to be blessed unconditionally. Can you receive

with abandon, like our furry friends who just roll over and take in all the love we can give them

and never once question their self-worth? This is innocence, honesty, and humility, to not reject

the love of divinity, which only seeks the joy of giving. During your meditation today, open to

receive divine love with abandon! Then, when you are full, open without abandon to let divine

love flow through you into the world.

As the rune of wholeness, Sowelo calls us to explore shadow work: reclaiming those parts of

ourselves that we have rejected, lost through trauma, or do not even know exist. Some shadows

are aspects of our personality we have rejected as bad, evil, shameful, or unworthy. They take on

the guise of monsters, murderers, thieves, and rapists in dreams. During the day they reveal

themselves in fears, self-condemnation, acts of self-destruction, depression, anger, prejudices,

illnesses, accidents, bad days, and projections onto others and the world.

When one of our buttons gets pushed and we react out of proportion, a shadow self has been

activated. Our shadow selves also include our potentials and unknown talents, such as our inner

artist, musician, scientist, teacher, healer, or leader. Whether liabilities or undeveloped abilities,

our shadow selves pursue us relentlessly in many guises until we stop, take notice, welcome

them home, and listen to them!

When we bless a negative shadow self, such as our inner bully, it will begin changing at

once. If we persist in blessing it unconditionally, it will evolve into its positive expression, our


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inner leader. It will learn to assert itself in ways that empower both us and others.

What about blessing with goodness those people the small self would condemn? It is no

accomplishment at all to bless those we love and admire. It is no accomplishment to bless the

world when the sun is shining and things are going our way. It is no accomplishment to bless

those who are nice to us, who do what we want them to do, and who treat us well. But it takes

greatness to bless those most in need of light.

Today, think about those people your small self would condemn (put in separation from

divinity) and judge not worthy of blessing.

Think also on how, when ego tries to appropriate the cosmic power of the sun in order to rule

others (as in the use of this symbol to have power over others, or in the use of nuclear weapons),

only suffering comes into the world.

Condemnation withholds divine love, the source of all solutions, from those who need it the

most. The separated self thinks it can restore harmony by inflicting pain and further damaging a

soul already in separation instead of using skillful means of redirection, education, instruction,

and appropriate support. Divine love, on the other hand, naturally provides correction rather than

punishment.

Today be like the sun and bring light wherever you go, illuminating the world with encour-

agement, knowledge, healing, optimism, enthusiasm, acceptance, and all the other qualities of

solar light.


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24. Teiwaz — Self-Mastery, Reliability, Congruence

loyalty, self-discipline, dependability

consistency, reliability, trustworthiness

being accountable, upright, congruent

focus, steadiness, concentration

mind and heart working together, without conflict

exercising choice, eliminating distractions, maintaining intent

Pronounced: tay-wahz Other names: Tiwaz, Tyr, Tir, Tiw Letter: T

Symbol: The Arrow

Self-mastery enables us to do what we really want to do in life. It allows us to become the

master of our instrument, to play our own music and dance to our own tune. With self-mastery,

we can follow our heart, unfold our individuality, and apply ourselves, becoming all we can be.

Traditionally, Teiwaz is the rune of the warrior. As a warrior, our supreme commander is

divine love, and our mission is to express divine love in the world. Today, think about the

highest qualities of the warrior spirit, such as dedication and loyalty, and apply them to the

exploration of your life.

When we are dependable and reliable in small things, we can be trusted with big things. If,

however, we cannot rely on ourselves to tend to ordinary things, how can we be relied upon to

tend to extraordinary things? If we are not attentive when given a routine task, who would rest

easy putting a treasure into our hands for safekeeping? If we’re diligent and committed one day

and sloppy the next, we cannot be given tasks that require care and follow through.

Teiwaz is the rune of developing consistency. Consistency is not rigidity, but rather “firm-

ness of character.” If you’re known for telling the truth, and being fair and unbiased, for

example, your testimony on a matter will be valuable. People will listen to you.

Self-mastery begins with making time to do what is important to you, arranging your life and

schedule so that you put first things first. What is important to you? What is valuable? Your time

on earth is limited. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you regret having

put off? Or would you have no regrets, having given your time and attention first to what was at

the top of your list? Today, get clear on what is at the top of your list—and go farther than “my

children.” We all put them at the top of the list. But, at the same time, what about your own well-

being and growth? Doesn’t your development affect how well you can take care of your children

and loved ones? And go farther than “being responsible” or “taking care of others.” Go deeper. Is

there something even more fundamental that underlies these specific priorities?

Do you take time to listen consistently to your inner knowing? Do you keep your eye on

what you want to create, or does your eye frequently wander to what you don’t like and don’t

want to create? What do you dwell upon? Are you able to choose the thoughts you habitually

entertain? Can you redirect your attention from what you don’t want to what you do want?


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Today, practice choosing your thoughts. Not changing your thoughts, but choosing them.

When an unwanted thought comes unbidden into your mind, acknowledge it, then gently redirect

your attention toward a thought of your choice. Do not deny the unwanted thought or fight with

it. Do not push it away. Give it a quick mental nod, then turn your attention to your chosen

thought. Gentle redirection works best most of the time. On occasion, greater firmness may be

necessary, such as when you wish to be free of a destructive habit or obsession.

Practicing redirection makes us aware of what we prefer to think, for we must redirect our

attention towards something. It helps us become more conscious about our preferences and

choices.

But always acknowledge an unwanted thought before replacing it because: first, if you deny

it, fight it, or push it away, it will stick to you and exert increasing pressure; second, it may

portray an old belief or attitude that you need to consciously update; and third, especially if

you’re empathetic or sensitive, it may be somebody else’s thought. You can usually tell if it’s the

latter because the thought won’t make sense in terms of your own life, it won’t have the same

impact on you that a similar thought of your own would have, and it won’t go away until you get

the message. We generally pick up the thoughts and emotions of those we are connected to and

care about. Paying attention to these telepathic communications helps us understand others and

know better how we can support them on their path.

We don’t want to exert rigid control over the thoughts that come to us because we don’t want

to block creative ideas, self-knowledge, inner knowing, and telepathic information and calls for

help from loved ones. While learning how to choose our thoughts, we will also want to cultivate

mental flexibility and fluidity.

You can allow a mental image to come to mind as a redirecting touchstone. One person

redirects his mind to an image of green rolling hills when he feels tense, another to a silver staff

when she feels weak, another to the color orange when he feels vulnerable, and yet another to a

white lotus when he feels self-doubt. Having an image, statement, affirmation, or prayer on hand

to redirect our attention towards works well for many people who otherwise find redirecting their

thoughts difficult. We can also use a physical object, such as a cross, angel, crystal, artwork, or

what have you, as a touchstone.

Teiwaz is the rune of head and heart working together. The split between head and heart and

the valuing of head over heart reflects the split between the individual self and divinity. The

mind thinks. The heart knows. Working together, each doing its proper job, the mind and heart

make a great team. When the mind is forced to do work it was not intended to do, such as judge

truth or value, the result is inner conflict, confusion, and anxiety. When inner knowing in the

heart is ignored, the mind is left without a rudder. When the mind is not developed, we cannot

pursue our inner knowing efficiently in the world.

The heart knows what is valuable, true, and right. It knows right action. In the deep heart

reside your golden compass and truth sense, your divine impulses and inclinations. The heart

provides meaning, purpose, and direction in life, but the mind cannot do this. The mind gathers,

organizes, analyzes, processes, and synthesizes information. It is good at logistics, structure,


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routine, reasoning, theorizing, planning, and research. The heart was meant to consider the

findings of the mind and determine priorities, values, meaning, right action, and timing. We

cannot be consistent, dependable, or loyal when our mind and heart don’t work together because

we will often be confused. Teiwaz symbolizes the head and heart going in the same direction

with no cross currents or cross purposes. Another symbol of Teiwaz regarding purpose is the

North Star.

There are many teachers, courses, and books out there to help us develop and improve our-

selves, but many of them work on the personality with the personality. This is like trying to pull

ourselves up by our bootstraps, or turn around to see our back. Self-improvement techniques

work best when applied from at least one level higher than the personality. Whether we’re

working on focus, weight loss, behavior, or getting organized, we can more effectively influence

our personality from a higher, or more expanded, perspective of our self.

Teiwaz is the rune of order, of the dependability of the forces of nature, or the laws of phys-

ics. An ancient symbol for Teiwaz is the spindle of the goddess who spins the order of the

cosmos. Order is essential to creativity; our materials must have consistent properties and

characteristics for us to work with them; we must be able to depend on fire being hot, on ice

being cold, on gravity to hold us against the earth. These laws are not negotiable. When they

seem to be breached, it’s only because other, currently unknown, laws are coming into play.

When you receive Teiwaz, think about the difference between human law, which changes with

the times and cultures, and divine law, which is unchanging and impartial.


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25. Thurisaz — Initiation, Justice, Opportunity

threshold, gateway, portal, next level or stage

inevitable, unavoidable change due to growth

loss or release of the old

opportunity, crisis, eye of the needle

being prepared, watching for signs, taking the initiative

justice, fairness, reckoning, verdicts, edicts

Pronounced: thuh-ree-sahz Other names: Thurs, Thorn Letters: TH

Symbol: The Portal

When you receive Thurisaz, think about the new beginning that brought you to where you are

now. Were you prepared for the change? Was the transition smooth or traumatic? What did you

have to let go of to embrace your new life? Life consists of many small beginnings, endings, and

choices, but from time to time we encounter a threshold—change we cannot stop or run away

from. We can’t avoid it because our own growth has created it. Thurisaz encompasses the

initiations of birth, death, and rebirth, as well as all major thresholds in life and between lives.

You might ask yourself, “Where am I headed? If a threshold appeared before me right now,

would I be ready for it? Have I seen any signs of coming change? Is there anything I need to do

today to prepare for the next threshold?”

Look at what you are doing today and ask yourself what kind of threshold you are setting

yourself up for. Do you fear or look forwards to the next threshold? What do you think it will be

about? Do you have a positive attitude toward the future?

Thurisaz is the biblical “eye of the needle.” We cannot go through the eye of the needle if we

are “rich”; burdened, that is, by attachments to conditions, beliefs, requirements, relationships,

things, and the past. Since Thurisaz symbolizes an unavoidable transition due to our own growth,

the process of passing through the gateway relieves us of everything that we cannot take with us.

We are unburdened of anything that no longer fits, that no longer serves our purpose and has

become useless. Cultivating trust and nonattachment during stable periods makes Thurisaz

transitions far easier to negotiate with equanimity when they occur.

Many people attribute a threshold experience to good or bad luck, a deity, the actions of

others, the times, a natural disaster, or anything else external that can be blamed. On the surface

they might sometimes appear to be right; however, a Thurisaz experience is not caused by

external events, even when it coincides with them.

Rather, when the conditions are right, the rosebud must bloom into a rose—or wither on the

vine. Resisting initiation, we may die or languish in limbo. When the old life no longer works

and a person refuses to move forwards, nothing much can happen except an unsatisfactory death-

in-life existence. And when we fail to respond to inner change, we may experience unusual

incidents, encounters, illnesses, and even accidents because we are out of sync with our life.


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Each moment, with every decision we make, whether we are aware of our decisions or not,

we are preparing for initiation into the next chapter of our life. We are setting up the energy for a

coming threshold. Our next threshold is forming and gathering momentum every moment. We

cannot know beforehand exactly how it will manifest in form, but we can know its essence and

flavor by being aware of our thoughts and feelings today.

A threshold doesn’t just appear out of nowhere without first casting many shadows of what is

coming. Long before a threshold appears, we will know about changes we need to make, habits

we need to stop, things we need to say or do. If we don’t tend to these things, we will likely

experience a threshold as crisis. We will be loaded down with loose ends and baggage when it

happens, and it will seem like everything is falling apart. We will have no idea of what to do

next, or we will be forced to do what we could have done earlier by choice and on our own

terms. We get fired from a job we hated, we are divorced of a relationship we knew was wrong,

we become ill of a habit or substance we knew we needed to release.

When you receive Thurisaz, ask yourself if your truth sense has been nudging you to take

some action or pay attention to something. Have you been drawn to make adjustments in some

area? Have you received any dreams or images, however fleeting, to inform you of what could,

or is about to, emerge into your life? The golden compass in the heart is connected to the bigger

map of our life and has access to all the information we need to negotiate a threshold. It

continually, every moment, accesses the information from divine love, the database of all

knowledge, that we can use right now. But we must be listening to hear it, and we must act on

what we hear to keep the flow strong.

As you reflect on the major threshold events you have experienced to date in your life, do

you remember any deeper impulses or knowledge you acted on or failed to heed? Do you

remember any external signs or dreams? Any odd events? Did you notice something you’d never

noticed before? Did you catch yourself doing something unusual?

Thurisaz is the rune of thunder and lightning, of clearing the way for a new life. But initiation

may also be as subtle as it is sudden. If you have been asleep in the world and not listening to

your inner knowing or alert to signs in your environment, the shift may seem to happen

overnight. You just wake up one day and know that something’s different, but you can’t pin it

down. The look and feel of things is not what it was, as if the season had changed. Things that

were working well for you have stopped working, and the harder you try to make things work the

way they did before, the worse things get.

Ideas you believed in with a passion have lost their shine. People are not responding to you in

the same way as before. Perhaps you meet with perplexing opposition instead of support. Some

people might disappear from your life and others come into it. Your work might change, even if

you stay in the same employment. Some physical possessions might leave your life one way or

another and new possessions come into it. You discover you’ve lost interest in activities you

used to enjoy and are now attracted to new ones.

Thurisaz always involves loss, but it also always involves gain. Often we experience a gap

when the old has left and the new hasn’t come in yet. This gap can feel like a real pit. We might


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become anxious and depressed and wonder what is going on. The worse thing we can do during

this time is to try to get the old energy back, or turn to distractions to numb ourselves. Instead,

we need to pause, stay alert, and be ready.

Traditionally symbolized by Thor’s hammer, Thurisaz is the rune of protection and justice

for those who take the initiative to make needed changes in a timely manner before a crisis

forces their hand. As the rune of justice, Thurisaz warns that the indiviual going against its true

path, misusing power, being full of egotistical pride, wallowing in self-pity, or abusing others is

in for a rude awakening. The day of judgment has arrived, and justice will be served! Thurisaz

says that all beings are in resonance with their own consciousness, that we can’t escape from

ourselves. No matter where we go, there we are. We cannot run from, hide from, or not live with

ourselves.

Once in sweat lodge ceremony on the Yaqui reservation in Arizona, while a young girl was

saying a prayer for her family and I was staring into the hot grandfather stones in the dark and

breathing in the scent of sweet grass, I had a vision in which an elder appeared to me, standing

on a vast gridwork of light. His head and shoulders were bowed, and he was covered from head

to toe in broken feathers. He said to me, “Tell the young ones they must grow new feathers. They

keep trying to mend the old feathers. This will not work. They must grow new feathers.”

Thurisaz is the rune of growing new feathers.


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26. Uruz — Strength, Potential, Resolve

will, firmness, solidity, fortitude, endurance

stamina, resolve, perseverance, persistence

absolute security, safety, sufficiency, stability

ground of being, all potential, nourishment

edge of unmanifest-manifest

gap, cosmic fire and ice, polarities

Pronounced: ooh-rooz Other name: Ur Letter: U

Symbol: The Chalice

Traditionally, Uruz represents strength and stamina, along with courage and unfaltering

resolve in the face of challenge. It is the “Don’t give up!” “Be assertive!” “Speak up and be

heard!” rune. It is the rune of seeking nourishment from the source of all strength, the ground of

being. It advises us to be well grounded equally in body and spirit, to keep both feet on the

ground as we reach for the sky. Earth breathing exercises, qi gong, yoga, or other exercise might

be called for, along with a basically good diet and sufficient rest.

Uruz reminds us to see our life as a blank canvass and ourselves as artists with all the colors

imaginable right at our fingertips. We just need to apply our will, pick up the brush, and begin

painting. Uruz says, “Believe in your dreams. Envision them. Feed them.”

On a daily level, when you receive Uruz, think about how you use your strength in meeting

challenges both large and small in everyday life. Become aware of how you apply yourself, of

when and under what circumstances you are passive, assertive, aggressive, and submissive. You

are continually expressing strength through your actions, thoughts, words, feelings, and energy

presence. How do you process energy, nourishment? How do you project your energy into the

world?

What do your actions tell you about your beliefs about strength? Do you usually apply the

right amount of strength to do something or do you use too much or too little? How do you use

your strength when you are happy? Angry? Sad? Do you ever use your strength forcefully when

force is not called for? Sometimes a stuck door must be forced open, but what happens when you

use more force than necessary? Today, notice whether you are ever abusive with your strength

(even slightly) and whether you use it to force or harm others, even in small, subtle ways. Notice

also when you use your strength to lift and support others. How do you use your strength towards

yourself? How do you talk to yourself, what do you say?

How do you use your strength when you feel threatened? What threatens you? How often do

you use your strength through words to hurt others, to gossip, to make yourself right, to look

superior in intelligence, and to manipulate other selves? How often do you use your strength

through words to encourage and heal? The strength represented by Uruz is not the strength of

power, but the strength of firmness that gives us the ability to endure, persist, and not give up or

be blown away by external forces or internal emotions.


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When you receive Uruz, also become aware of your weaknesses. Assess your weaknesses

objectively, without criticism. It’s just as important to know our weaknesses as it is to know our

strengths. We must be able to compensate for them through mindfulness and skill. We need to

know if any weakness is keeping us from being all we can be and doing all we want to do. Also,

some weaknesses can be reformed and evolved into strengths when we know about them.

As the rune of nourishment at the bedrock of divine love, Uruz is like a garden plot where we

plant our seeds of thought and water them with our attention. From within Uruz flows a

continuous stream of infinite vitality and life force into our being. Deep in the bedrock, spirit is

calm and solid, unmoving and unchanging. It is utterly reliable and always present. Here,

individual will and divine will are one. We are one with all knowledge, power, and substance,

totally safe and secure.

The inside of Uruz symbolizes the field of the unmanifest, all possibilities, the void, the gap

of nonbeing between the polarities of fire and ice, right on the edge of manifestation. In this

sizzling boundary, matter is first birthed as sparks of light. From the gap within Uruz (it’s like a

spark plug) come all things in creation, emerging from nothingness into patterns of energy in

vibration at high frequency. As these patterns step down through the dimensions, they form

different densities. We live within a range of vibration that we call the physical dimension, yet it

is no more or less physical (or spiritual) than any other dimension. It is simply a range of light at

specific frequencies.

Whatever we plant and maintain within the field of Uruz will grow.

When you need to stop and gather your strength and cultivate your connection to love, you

can use Uruz as a symbol of shelter or retreat. Picture Uruz as larger than your body. Feel its

strong walls all around you, protecting you. You might experience it as a cave or stone structure.

When you feel shaken up, weak, afraid, or vulnerable, you can move inside Uruz and sit in

meditation to regain perspective and absorb nourishment from divine love. You might imagine a

small Isa or Gebo inside Uruz to symbolize being in your central channel or heart center.

Uruz is our safe place. We can enter Uruz, refuel, and return to the world refreshed. We can

learn to move into this state quickly and come back deeply rested fifteen minutes later. We don’t

live by bread alone, but by every vibration (or “word”) of divine love. Frequencies are to the soul

what food is to the body. In the depths of Uruz, we can nourish ourselves with the full spectrum

of divine vibration, allowing it to well up from infinity within us.

When you receive Uruz, identify your current challenges and examine how you are using

your strength to meet them. Receiving Uruz is a reminder to tap into source energy and not rely

merely on our stored-up personal energy, which is finite and has to be replenished frequently. If

we maintain our connection to love when our challenges are small, we will have ready access to

strength when our need is great.

Uruz is the rune of tests given to us by life. Our life tests naturally form from the choices we

make, not just the big choices, but the small moment-to-moment choices that make up our

habitual state of mind. When we have seriously committed to a path of growth, our spiritual


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teachers will test us as we gain mastery. Nowadays, few people live with their teachers on site,

and our nonphysical teachers must take over all the testing. Testing may occur at any time, but

especially during nonlucid dreaming, when we don’t know we’re dreaming and take our

experience to be physically real.

In such a test, we may be tempted with something we want very much that we can get if we

are dishonest or take advantage of another person’s weakness. Or we are asked a question or

presented with a task or situation. We may be shown something symbolic to test our understand-

ing. Our guides and teachers may take on any appearance, human or animal, in these dreams.

When we pass a test, chances are high that we will become lucid and wake up. The guide or

guides involved may reveal themselves or turn into light. When we fail a test, we will likely

remain nonlucid and continue dreaming. This is also true for tests occurring in daily life. In daily

life, we can be just as nonlucid and unquestioning as in a dream. Only later, we realize we passed

by an opportunity to shift into a higher stage of development.

Uruz is the rune of using our fundamental strength to meet our challenges. When you receive

Uruz, become aware of how much resolve, stamina, and firmness you have developed, and ask

for knowing on how to further develop yourself and use your strength wisely.


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27. Wunjo — Celebration, Appreciation, Sharing

mutual acknowledgement and recognition

appreciation for all contributions

shared warmth, pleasure, joy, humor, praise

achievements, successes, accomplishments

gatherings, parties, birthdays, weddings, wakes, milestones

anniversaries, holidays, memorials, remembrances

Pronounced: woon-joh Other names: Wyn, Wynja Letters: V, W

Symbol: The Flying Banner

Wunjo is the rune of shared joy and celebration, mutual victory and success, plenty for all,

good news, laughter, and recognition of everyone’s contribution. It is the rune of delight in the

achievements of others, praise and admiration for all, contentment in the company of others, and

acknowledgment of everyone’s talents and skills.

It is the rune of the happy home, family reunions, birthdays, potlucks, honoring the ancestors,

and welcoming new life into the world. It is the rune of the family, including the chosen family,

the work family, the community, and the greater family of all our relations, from the grandfather

stones to the star nations. When you receive Wunjo, ask yourself whether you get together with

others as much as you would like. Today, many people feel alienated, have few close friends,

and live apart from family members. With whom do you celebrate the joys and achievements of

life?

Recognize the significant people in your life right now who are assisting you in your growth

and development, even indirectly, and contributing to your success in the world. Make a list of

these people and think about how they are helping you and the gifts they are giving you. Don’t

leave anyone out.

Next, make a list of the significant people you have known that are no longer in your life and

write down what you learned from them and what they gave you. Your present accomplishments

were made possible by many people, including the teachers and providers in your life, those who

helped you form a foundation for creating your own contributions. Think of significant people in

your childhood and what they gave you. You can read and write because of those who taught you

how, for example. In spite of any shortcomings of those who cared for you or raised you, here

you are now, growing in divine love and creative expression.

Sometimes people taught us what not to do, and how not to be, because we observed how

they were, what they did, and what the results were, and decided we did not want that.

Acknowledge their contributions. We can find the contribution in everything we experience in

life if we look for it. If there is any area in which this is difficult, just table it for now.

Whatever you have accomplished in your life to date, others were involved in your success.

Remember them, acknowledge their contributions, and celebrate your mutual victory today. Send

mental “thank you’s” to everyone who comes to mind. Do not exclude anyone. You might think


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of people you haven’t thought of in years, and you won’t remember everyone today, but your

intent will be felt all throughout the gridwork of divine love. Whether they are alive in this world

or another, they will know at some level that you recognize them and appreciate them.

When you receive Wunjo, acknowledge your contributions to others. You have contributed

far more than you might think. Remember the time you told somebody, “You can do it!” or

smiled at a stranger. Think about specific contributions you have made, services you have

provided, and any other contributions you have given to the world or specific individuals. When

you really see people, listen to them, acknowledge their value, remember their divine nature, and

appreciate them as individuals, you are contributing greatly to them. Today, notice what you are

contributing to others.

Also, look around you and acknowledge the contributions to your life of those you will never

meet in person. Become aware of all the many people in the world who are contributing to the

quality of your life right now. Do not take the smallest thing for granted. Somebody somewhere

invented, made, or obtained what is right in front of you. Actually, many people are responsible

for any one contribution because many other resources needed to be in place first. Just think of

all the human history and effort that goes into making a can of beans, from mining the metal and

manufacturing the can to planting the beans, taking care of them, harvesting and cooking them,

to putting them into the cans, transporting them, and stocking them in the stores.

When you drink a cup of tea, turn on the faucet at the sink and water comes out (this is

especially magical to me because of the years I spent in Alaska without plumbing), regulate the

temperature, pick up a pen, sit down on your couch, listen to music, turn on your TV, feed your

pet, take your vitamins or medicine, use your pots and pans, paint your fingernails, put out your

garbage, pick up your mail, or put paper in your printer, you are benefiting from the contribu-

tions of thousands of others.

The glass in your windows and the flooring beneath your feet were made possible by a long

history of individual contributions. Even if you grow your own food and sew your own clothes,

you depend on others to provide the seeds, gardening equipment, fertilizer, cloth, sewing

machine, thread, and scissors. Not only are we connected to others in present time through their

contributions, but we’re also connected to all those who have gone before us and made the

discoveries and inventions that make the present contributions possible.

In taking stock of all the contributions others have made to our lives, let’s not forget the other

kingdoms. Because of plants, we have seasonings, flowers, medicines, paper, and many other

products. Because of bees, we have many different kinds of fruits and vegetables we would not

have otherwise, not to mention honey. And what about our animal friends? And food animals,

for meat eaters? What would we do without cows and chickens? Perhaps you eat meat and eggs

and drink milk and have never slaughtered an animal, collected eggs, or milked a cow. Other

people do all of this for you. We have no national holiday honoring the animals we take so much

from, but we can at least in private acknowledge their immense contributions to our lives.

Wunjo is the rune of compassion, of “feeling with” all beings in the one heart. As we grow in

consciousness and knowledge of interconnectedness, we become increasingly sensitive to the


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suffering in the world and feel the need to respond to it. In meditation we can transmit love and

joy. Inner knowing will lead us to what we can do locally to support others in the community.

Wunjo is the rune of supporting others on their path, of people supporting each other. It’s not

only the rune of the flying banner of victory, but also of the flag of truce and reconciliation. It’s

the rune of “let’s sit down and listen to each other with love and respect. Let’s create win-win

solutions.”

Traditionally, Wunjo is symbolized by a weathervane to suggest fair weather and sunshine,

along with the expectation of a bountiful harvest. The weathervane shows us which way the

winds of fortune are blowing: in the direction of “one who knows no sorrows and few troubles.”

This means that fortune smiles on the person who does not dwell on grievances and, instead,

dwells in joy. Meeting sorrows and troubles with faith and gratitude for the good attracts

happiness and well-being in all areas of life.

Wunjo is the rune of well wishing, miracles, fairy tales come true, good luck, humor, well-

being, peak experiences, and unexpected moments of joy whenever two or more come together

in the vibration of love. Who can you get together with today or this week and talk about all the

good things in your lives, about what is working, what you appreciate, and what beautiful things

you have seen and want to pass on?


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28. Rune Play

Here are further ideas for being playful with the runes and stimulating inner knowing. You

might think of the runes as nonverbal shorthand. It only takes a fraction of a second to think of a

rune, yet each rune symbolizes a wide range of qualities. Runes, being pictographic, appeal to

the intuitive artist within us. They can also be seen as an abstract system that deals with qualities

rather than quantities.

Three-Rune Word Play

Pick three runes, one at a time, and place them face down in a line like a sentence from left to

right. Turn them all over at one time and see how many sentences you can write in five minutes

using the qualities the runes represent. Write quickly without stopping to think or censor your

writing.

For example, the other day I received Inguz, Peorth, Thurisaz.

Here are a few of the sentences I wrote based on these runes:

Relationships can be mysterious; you never know everything about a person. Rela-

tionships make you grow, even when you don’t want to! A person just has to be

content with not knowing everything and enjoy all the beauty and mystery in life.

Never know what’s going to happen for certain. Am I content? Do I feel like I be-

long here? Oh, I need to get in touch with B. And P. Why, I forgot. Have been so

caught up in work. Relationships change, too, over time, as people grow and

change in their individual ways. I sense I may be making some new relationships

soon. (Note: Of course, you don’t have to write in complete sentences; you can jot

down phrases as long as you will remember what you’re referring to later.)

Alternatively, instead of timing yourself, write at least two full pages. You may write more

than two pages if you wish, but not less than two. If you do this exercise fairly often (say, several

times a week for a few months), you will discover why it’s best to write two pages minimum.

Nine-Rune Grid

Select a topic. Reach into your rune bag, bowl, or box, mix up your runes, and grab a hand-

ful. Without looking at the runes in your hand, quickly put them down one at a time in a grid

pattern, three rows of three across.

Return any extras to the container, then look at your rune grid and write down the first quali-

ty that comes to mind for each rune. Play with groupings of the qualities horizontally, vertically,

and diagonally. Play with patterns, including triangles, rectangles, and other shapes.

You can write single qualities, combine them in phrases, write sentences, and play with

acronyms. There are so many possibilities, you will need to explore this configuration and

customize your approach to suit yourself. The rune grid will exercise both your head and heart


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and encourage them to work together.

Rune Toss

After choosing your topic, run your hand through your runes and mix them up well. Toss all

of them out of your container at one time onto a rug or blanket. The runes that are face up will

apply directly to your topic.

Write down their qualities and notice the overall shape they form and their relation to the

center of your throwing area. The closer a rune is to the center, the more influence it is exerting

on your topic.

You may have to practice the rune toss several times to get a feel for the right amount of

force to use. You may also want to experiment with different types of material for the throwing

area. You might prefer a wood or vinyl floor.

You will want the runes to be able to move freely and roll into position. Avoid throwing

them forcefully on a hard surface that could scratch or break them. Also, if you throw them too

hard, you might lose a rune or two and have to spend time searching for them.

Rune Roulette

You can make a rune wheel and spin the wheel to choose the rune of the day or do other rune

play exercises. Begin with two pieces of wood, one round and at least six inches in diameter, and

the other round or square but several times larger.

Buy or make a metal assembly that will allow the wheel to spin freely and evenly once you

attach it to the larger piece. You will have to drill a hole in the center of both pieces to accom-

modate the metal assembly. Be sure you use the right size of drill for the size of the assembly.

Draw the runes in pencil on the outside edge of the rune wheel before you attach it to the

larger piece of wood. After you are satisfied with your rendition of the runes, use paint, markers,

or a wood burner to put the runes on the wheel permanently. If you wish to decorate the inside of

the rune wheel, do that before you finish the runes.

Find the center of the larger piece of wood and drill the hole for attaching the rune wheel. Put

three or four one-inch blocks or “legs” on the back to make sure that the rune wheel will be able

to spin freely.

Varnish, paint, or decorate the larger piece of wood before you attach the rune wheel to it.

Also, make a notch, paint a V, or secure a pointer on the larger piece of wood to indicate the

chosen rune. You can set the rune wheel on a table or hang it on the wall.

Making a rune wheel takes some tinkering with materials on hand in the garage and at the

hardware store. It also takes some skill to make a balanced rune wheel, but you can do it if you

take your time and visualize each step before you do it.


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Rune Art

Buy yourself a sketch book and set of colored pencils, watercolors, or paints. (OK, you can

just use a pen or pencil and doodle in your notebook if you wish.) Play with drawing the shapes

of the runes. You can make them short and thick or tall and thin. Give your imagination free rein.

Draw them in settings with different backgrounds. Also play with the runes within the runes.

For example, Mannaz contains two Isa’s, two Laguz’s, one Gebo, one Dagaz, two Kano’s,

two Wunjo’s, and so forth.

You could draw different versions of Mannaz, highlighting the different runes within its

composition. Let this be pure fun. You may be surprised at the discoveries you will make.

Pick a rune and notice any color or colors that come to mind. If no color comes to mind, ask

yourself, “If this rune were a color, what color would that be?” Then pretend you can see a color.

What color is it? Next, ask yourself, “If there were shapes around this rune, what would they

look like?” Draw whatever comes to mind.

You might end up making yourself a unique, personal set of rune cards.

Rune Songs

Pick a rune and let it inspire you with a song. Begin by humming at random. Don’t try to

make anything up or figure out anything, just look at the rune and hum. Think of a quality of the

rune that attracts you. What might this quality sound like?

Right now, think of Uruz, for example, and let a song or sequence of sounds come to you.

You might try humming these sounds aloud.

You can use sounds to generate specific energy states. Some people call this “toning.” You

could also develop chants.

Rune Poems and Prayers

You can write your own rune poems and prayers in your rune-of-the-day notebook, or you

can buy yourself a special notebook just for poems or prayers or both. This is amazingly

effective in overcoming blocks, both creative and psychological. It’s especially effective if you

write in rune script. Another word for rune is “secret.” Writing in rune script can inspire you

with a feeling of freedom to write down your most treasured secrets.

Rune Jewelry

You can make rune necklaces and earrings of your favorite runes. You can make a rune set of

wood or polymer clay with a small hole drilled or punched into the top of the rune for attaching

it to a chain or cord. Wearing your rune of the day will help you remember to explore the quality

you have chosen.


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Rune Combos

You can combine runes in ways that are personally meaningful and powerful to you. You can

use these combinations as nonverbal touchstones, affirmations, and aids to focusing, remember-

ing, and reinforcing your intent throughout the day.

Rune combos differ from word play in that you concentrate on the meanings of the runes and

how they fit together for you. The following are some of my favorite rune combos and what they

mean to me personally:

A small Isa inside a large Uruz: “I rest in the strength of divinity.” Or, “I am aligned with the

higher will.” A small Gebo inside Uruz is “the cave of the heart.” Or, “I am centered in the

ground of being.” Other combinations include:

Fehu-Ansuz: “Giving and receiving are one.” To balance inflow and outflow, I visualize first

one, then the other, as if they were blinking on and off, or alternating, and I play with different

speeds. Sometimes I imagine Fehu turned over to face the left, positioned beside Ansuz facing

the right. I see energy coming into Fehu, going down the stem, coming up, entering Ansuz, and

going out, like a wave. You can also use Fehu-Ansuz as a mantra in breathing exercises. Inhale

on Fehu and exhale on Ansuz.

Fehu-Gebo-Ansuz: Gebo, symbolizing exchange, connects inflow and outflow.

Ehwaz-Berkana: “I ride with beauty. I follow the beauty way.”

Ehwaz-Raido-Mannaz: “I move forwards, making progress on my quest for wholeness.”

Gebo-Teiwaz: Sometimes with Teiwaz centered over Gebo: “Brave, loyal heart.”

Hagalaz-Laguz: Form and function, structure and flow, divinity unimpeded: “Miracles,

something to see!”

Aihwaz-Kano-Dagaz: “I wish to see the truth today. I seek and value truth above all else.”

Aihwaz-Dagaz: “Let me see the truth of my being and the vision of my soul.”

Laguz-Inguz-Uruz-Berkana-Wunjo: “I will heal myself and be healthy and strong for all my

relations.”

Aihwaz-Gebo-Wunjo: “I love all creation.” “For all creation, I center myself in the flow of divine

love and celebrate all creation.” “In truth, I am one with all creation.”

Berkana-Raido: “I walk the beauty path, the way of happiness.” Berkana-Kano: “I see beauty

everywhere I look.”

Isa-Gebo-Mannaz: “I center myself in the joy of expressing divinity.”


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Fehu-Ansuz: “I seek instruction from my guides.” Fehu-Dagaz-Thurisaz: “I accept awakening

and transformation to my next level of growth.”

Rune combos are a way of writing in rune script using the qualities of the runes. Since each

rune represents a number of qualities, only you will know for certain what a rune combo means

to you. You would write different sentences with the above combos. I like to combine rune

combos with rune script using the English correspondences. I circle the combos to remind myself

to read them as combos and not translate them into English letters. I also circle any single rune

that stands for itself and not for an English letter.

Rune Transformers and Inner Journeys

This is best done as an inner meditation journey. First, allow a rune to pop into your mind.

Let it move, become larger or smaller, change colors or orientation, become multidimensional, or

do whatever it wants to do. It may be very small or expand to include the world or space. Just

observe and experience.

Let it combine with or transform into another rune if it wishes. Just let things keep moving

along without interference. That is, don’t visualize in order to try to control anything. You will

naturally find yourself participating and interacting with the runes and inner landscapes as they

evolve on their own. Become completely involved in the journey and wait until it’s over before

you write it down or record it in some way.

For example:

Teiwaz presents itself as a long beam pointing forwards; it is golden. I am strad-

dling it, riding it into the void. It is dark all around me like outer space but with

no stars. Teiwaz divides into a diamond shape and turns into a glowing, snowy-

white Othila moving at tremendous speed. We, Othila and I, pop out over a broad

plane and land in front of a large stone Uruz in the side of a mountain. Uruz is

peach colored and appears ancient. I go inside Uruz. It is dark, but I see a bluish

glow ahead. I move towards the glow and discover the staff of Ansuz, like a mag-

ic wand with moving bluish-white energy full of sparks. I grasp the staff and am

suddenly transported to a green hillside by the trellis of Inguz. I have been here

before, only yellow flowers, not red ones, are growing on Inguz today. My staff

turns into Isa and I sit down in the grass to be still. A tiny golden Gebo appears

in my heart center. I wait here for some indeterminate time, just being, contem-

plating the tiny Gebo. Then Ehwaz the spirit horse approaches me and invites me

to travel into the blue-indigo reaches of Peorth and see how Hagalaz translates

energy into form. Something new is being born. I am to seek new knowledge and

revelation. At the bottom of the bridge, a large, stern Aihwaz (in black, like a

judge’s robe) reminds me to face the truth and not be afraid of it.

Often only two or three runes will present themselves on a journey. Sometimes only one will

appear. Just let your journey unfold as it will; ask divinity within you to use the language of the

runes as a nonverbal shorthand to communicate with you.


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Image Streaming

This technique, similar to inner journeys, comes from The Einstein Factor: A Proven Method

for Increasing Your Intelligence, by Win Wenger, Ph.D. and Richard Poe.

Image streaming is a way to bring subconscious data to conscious attention.

You can use anything to start image streaming, including whatever presents itself to your

mind immediately. You could also start by remembering a dream, the words of a song, or

exploring a past event. The book gives an abundance of techniques to jump start the process.

You could also start the image streaming process by picking a rune.

The three commandments of image streaming are:

You must describe the images aloud, either to another person or to a recorder.

You must use all five senses in your descriptions.

You must phrase all your descriptions in the present tense.

Speak aloud with your eyes closed so that your brain can hear what you say. This creates a

feedback loop that lights up new areas of the brain.

Describe what you see/experience in great detail. If you see a chair, describe what it is made

of, what it feels like to touch it, what it smells like, the exact design, and even what it would taste

like if you licked it! And where is it located? In a den, on a front porch, in a bedroom, in the

kitchen, or in an office? Or in an attic? Describe its location in detail. If the chair suddenly

disappears and you find yourself on the moon or at the beach, describe that. In present tense. In

detail.

If you do this playfully every day for 21 days, your IQ is destined to go up. More important-

ly, your psychic abilities and access to akashic or field data will also increase dramatically. You

will find that you will want to continue image streaming because there are many things you can

do with it. I encourage you to read this book to learn all the techniques. They are very practical!

Rune Energetics

Imagine a Fehu over each ear to enhance your hearing, a large Dagaz over your eyes like a

pair of glasses, and a three-dimensional cone-shaped Kano coming out of your third eye!

Enhance your senses further with a large Algiz. Use Algiz as an energetic extension of your

hand to touch and feel the objects around you.

See Laguz in your spine to increase emotional flow and sensitivity. Use Laguz to increase

flow in an area of your body or aura that feels dense, stagnant, weak, empty, or congested.

Increasing flow means increasing movement; it does not mean increasing quantity unless an

increase in quantity is needed. The amount of energy will increase or decrease as appropriate.

(Please note: Laguz does not have the power in itself to increase flow; you are using it as a

symbol of your intent to increase flow. It’s like programming a macro.)

Fehu is also good for receiving information. Visualize it in the brain stem where information

is channeled from the field of consciousness into the brain to be decoded and brought into

awareness.


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Use Gebo, the transformer in the heart, to indicate that you wish to balance your energies.

Bring Gebo to mind and let it be wherever and however it manifests itself. For example, it may

appear over or inside your head as an electric blue or soft green or other color; it might appear

inside your abdomen or in your mind’s eye. Let it be whatever size, style, and orientation it

presents itself as, and let it change as it will. Be your experience.

Notice any blockages in your body and aura. Mentally state or feel your intent to dissolve

any blockage that it would be beneficial to dissolve at this time. You might use both Gebo and

Laguz. Allow yourself to act in accordance with knowing. Knowing may draw you to interact

with the runes, but if it doesn’t, just allow them to evolve into increasingly beautiful and orderly

patterns.

For me, three Gebo's often form: one over the lower abdomen, one over the heart center, and

one intersecting with the third eye.

You can use the runes to work with parts of your physical body. Here are some of my corre-

spondences: Ehwaz, the back, muscles, thighs, and legs; Raido, the nerves, ankles, and feet;

Gebo, the heart and lungs; Jera, the arms, hands, and fingers; Inguz-Peorth, the lower

abdomen; Laguz, the circulatory system; Algiz, the skin and sense of touch; and so forth. Be

inventive and exploratory. You will develop your own correspondences over time.

Rune Chakras and Light Body Development

The chakras are energy centers in the body. If you are not familiar with them, you can easily

learn about them through any of the many books available on the subject. The definition of “light

body” depends on the system you are using, the states you have experienced, and your stage of

growth.

In the beginning, the light body is personal; in advanced stages, the light body encompasses

totality. Ask your own knowing what this term means for you right now and whether it is useful.

You may simply think of it as the field of light or the holy (whole) spirit.

You may use any rune to work with any chakra in accordance with your profound intuition.

Each rune symbolizes qualities that are expressed in different ways in all of the chakras. For

example, you may want to use Laguz to show you intend more flow in a certain chakra, or Kano

to bring more light and energy into a chakra, or Inguz or Gebo to balance a chakra.

However, knowing may indicate that Sowelo or Jera would work better to achieve your goal,

depending on which qualities are needed. Over the past few days, for example, Kano has

presented itself to me as the rune most beneficial to visualize over my throat chakra. Ordinarily I

associate Ansuz with the throat chakra because Ansuz is the rune of sound and communication.

However, the throat center is also associated with creativity, like Kano.

In general, however, I relate the follow runes to the following charkas:

Dagaz: The third eye or crown chakra. Sowelo: The crown chakra.

Kano: The third eye chakra. Also Dagaz with Aihwaz in the center to enhance clarity. I use

Wunjo to make a triangle of light between the third eye, throat center, and base of the brain

where it connects with the brain stem. Sometimes Wunjo also appears over my head as a

triangle for transmitting light.

Ansuz: The throat chakra. Peorth: Gives voice to revelation. (And lately Kano, though that may


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be temporary.)

Gebo: The heart chakra. I think of Gebo as “inner joy.”

Sowelo: The solar plexus chakra. Sometimes Thurisaz.

Inguz: The lower abdominal (creative, sexual) chakra. Also Jera and Peorth (womb or divine

matrix).

Uruz: The first chakra. Also Othila.

Isa: Light body core; light in the spine. Isa can be visualized to stabilize energy; Nauthiz: To set

parameters or tone down energies.

Teiwaz: In light body core, pointing upwards, or pointing inwards for the purpose of expanding

inwards. You can use Teiwaz to direct energy toward or away from you, to untangle energy, and

to bend energy.

Othila: Personal light body or cocoon. A small Thurisaz or Inguz inside Othila: doorway to

home and spiritual family. A large Othila: energy field of greater spiritual family.

Spot Runes in the World

Notice runes out in the world. My porch table legs are connected by a Gebo, for example.

Many houses have Algiz supports. Once I found Algiz on the bottom of my foot in the form of a

plant. You’ll find Kano in traffic signs and Isa in many places. Teiwaz is also common. A

railroad may be indicated by two Raido’s. Reflect on any rune shape that stands out for you,

especially if you were not intentionally trying to spot runes. Also, when you choose a rune for

the day, look for it in the shapes around you in the world.

Combine Divination Tools

If you use other tools, such the Animal Medicine Cards or tarot, you can pick a rune or runes

to elaborate on the cards you get.

For example, the other day my cousin came over and picked three tarot cards. We explored

the meanings of the cards, then she picked three runes to go with the cards. She received Ehwaz

to go with the Chariot, Hagalaz to go with the Tower, and Jera to go with the seven of cups. No

kidding! This generated more insights than if she had used either tool alone.

Custom Make Your Own Rune Set

You can make a rune set out of just about anything. You can collect 25 pebbles about the

same size and engrave the runes onto them. You can find a fallen tree branch, saw it up into 25

pieces, and wood burn the rune symbols into the pieces. You can use clay, metal, glass, wood, or

plastic. Paint will chip off of stone and glass, however, which is why you might want to engrave

the runes before painting them.

Your runes can be square, rectangular, round, oblong, heart-shaped, or any other shape. You

can paint the runes the color of your choice. Your runes can be very small or very large. You can

make a pocket set, a table set, and a house set; a set just for yourself, a set for other people to use,

and a set for giving readings.


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If you make your own rune set, you can add other symbols to it. A few examples include a

square (earth, stability), a wavy line (water, flexibility, the changing), a circle (wholeness, sky,

air), a star made of three intersecting lines (fire), an inverted V (mountain, aspiration, challenge),

a Christian cross (Christ consciousness), and an equilateral cross (the four directions). If you

expand your rune set, you must determine what the additional symbols mean to you.

Several runes have popular alternate forms. The alternate form of Inguz consists of the

diamond center alone. You can make Hagalaz like a star, snowflake, or magic wand by drawing

an Isa and putting a small Gebo near the middle top. The alternate form of Jera is an Isa with two

small Kano’s forming a diamond over the center, representing the earth rotating on its axis.

Exploring a Quality in Relation to the Four Quarters

The four quarters in the following table on the next page include the four directions in Native

American spirituality, the four quadrants of Ken Wilber, the four pillars of development of

Marshall Vian Summers, the four elements of nature, Christine Stevens’s four elements of music,

and the four realms of Cerule.

This table contains a great deal of condensed information. It may appear simple but it is

invaluable as a resource for exploring any topic imaginable, with or without the runes. You can

use it in many different ways to generate insights and inner knowing. It was inspired by Ken

Wilber’s four quadrants in his books A Theory of Everything, A Brief History of Everything, and

Sex, Ecology, Spirituality—all highly recommended reading.

When you choose a rune, you can explore its qualities as they manifest in each quarter. Take

the quality of beauty, for example. In the 1st quarter, it might manifest as a rose; in the 2nd

quarter as a beautifully functioning system of food delivery or health care; in the 3rd quarter as a

culture that values and appreciates art or nature; and in the 4th quarter as direct experience of

transcendent order, exquisite harmonies, profound structures of thought.


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The Four Quarters, Quadrants, and Directions

NORTH Spirit, source, guidance, guides, teachers, wisdom, ancestors, knowledge, immensity. Element:

Air. Music: Silence. Colors: white, black, luminous, silver, clearlight, electric blue, indigo,

lavender, purple, rose, gold. Runes: Ansuz, Isa, Othila, Sowelo, Peorth, Uruz.

4th Quarter

Wilber: Interior “I,” consciousness, intent, self,

subjective, transrational, transpersonal.

Summers: Mental environment, spiritual

development, knowledge/divinity.

Cerule: Being, meditation, building consciousness skills, self-development. Inner self-image.

1st Quarter

Wilber: Exterior “it,” behavioral science,

study of exteriors, surfaces, objective.

Summers: Health, vitality, the physical; ability

to contribute.

Cerule: Discernment, objectivity, reason, logic, deduction. Personality, ego.

WEST

Sunset, retreat, rest, meditation, dreaming,

remembering, reflecting, integrating, digesting,

understanding, synthesizing. Element: Water.

Music: Harmonizing. Colors: Black, dark blue,

deep purple, peach, red. Runes: Aihwaz, Fehu,

Gebo, Laguz, Mannaz, Teiwaz.

EAST

Sunrise, advance, activity, awakening,

envisioning, preparing, beginning, freshness,

pursuing. Element: Fire. Music: Rhythm.

Colors: Yellow, gold, orange, bright blue,

white. Runes: Algiz, Dagaz, Ehwaz, Kano,

Nauthiz, Thurisaz.

3rd Quarter

Wilber: Interior “we,” culture, shared values,

intersubjective.

Summers: Relationships, emotional environment, influences.

Cerule: Fields of interactive consciousness, group

activity, participation. Group, family image.

2nd Quarter

Wilber: Exterior “its,” physical and social

structures and systems, interobjective.

Summers: Work, service, performing one’s function in the world.

Cerule: choosing and expressing individuality

in collective structure. Public image.

SOUTH

Living, ordinary reality, natural radiance, creating, responding, experiencing, journey of the soul

in time, incarnation. Element: Earth. Music: Melody. Colors: yellow, red, brown, green, earth

tones. Runes: Berkana, Hagalaz, Inguz, Jera, Raido, Wunjo.


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29. Resources

Here is a list of books and websites for more ideas on playing with the runes.

The Book of Runes, by Ralph Blum. St. Martin’s Press. And all his other books on the runes as

well, such as The Relationship Runes.

Goddess Runes, by P.M.H. Atwater. Avon Books, 1996. The Elder Runes are said to date back

more than 12,000 to 17,000 years B.C. Atwater emphasizes free-form casting and uses 16

symbols. The full story of her discovery in 1978 to the writing of her book is quite a tale. This

book is very rich in intuitive wisdom on using the runes and exploring historical wisdom.

Atwater is also the author of Future Memory and a book on after-death experiences---the rest of

the story.

Empowering Your Life with Runes, by Jean Marie Stine. Alpha Books, 2004. Stine groups the

runes into life categories, such as work, relationships, and so on. Like everyone who enjoys the

runes, she gives her special take on each one.

Lady of the Northern Light: A Feminist Guide to the Runes, by Susan Gitlin-Emmer. The

Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1993. Here you will find research and depth not available in any

other rune book. Copious footnotes provide the reader with plenty of documentation. You'll

discover things about the goddesses, rune symbolism, and meanings of the runes that will add

greatly to your knowledge and understanding. It doesn't supplant the patriarchial interpretations

and history, but rather provides the inside story, the back stories, the rest of the story that got

lost. This information fills in a lot of gaps and rounds things out.

A Practical Guide to the Runes: Their Uses in Divination and Magick, by Lisa Peschel.

Llewellyn Publications, 1989, 2002. This small paperback contains the main correspondences of

the runes. It has a "fortune-telling" air to it but also some good ideas on developing intuition,

creating spreads, and studying the relationships of the runes.

Rune Magic, by Donald Tyson. Llewellyn Publications, 1988, 1995. The beauty of this book is

all the historical information on the runes. It includes different runic alphabets and their origins.

It's a good background book for knowledge of the runes.

The Rune Mysteries, by Nigel Jackson & Silver RavenWolf. Llewellyn Publications, 1996.

Great for ideas and information not found in other books. My book came with a deck of lovely

rune cards.

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, & Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle, by Paul

Rhys Mountfort. Destiny Books, 2003. A thoroughly enjoyable book with lots of history, rune

poems, and writing on the qualities of the runes.

Rune Power: Make Sense of Your Life Through the Wisdom of the Runes, by Kenneth

Meadows. Castle Books, 2002. A truly original book on the runes. He overturns the division of

the runes into aetts (he says this is only an attempt to "control" them) and arranges the runes into

a never-ending circle, much as I have done, only he has an order for them. I have no set order

because every rune, to Cerule, is a doorway to the whole; the runes themselves are like

holograms, each one emphasizing an aspect of the whole.

The Runes Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning the Wisdom of the Staves, by Leon


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D. Wild. Thunder Bay Press, 2004. Lots of exercises and historical information.

The Spiritual Runes: A Guide to the Ancestral Wisdom, by Harmonia Saille. Winchester, UK.

Washington, USA. 2009. This slim volume has some real pearls of wisdom. The main thing is

that her energy comes through the book and reflects her first name. She is definitely a vibration

of harmony. She offers concise meanings and a particularly unique exercise: Select a rune but

don't look at it. Meditate first. Then, after meditation, see which rune you got.

Runes by Guy Oglivy, is a lovely, slick book on the runes. It comes in a boxed set with wooden

runes (minus the blank rune). The information is traditional, and he gives historical details not

found in other books.


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About the Author

Born in Borger, Texas, in 1948, Linda Reneau has worked as a nurse, EMT, firefighter, editor,

and flutemaker. She has taught classes in handwriting analysis, dreamwork, first aid with the Red

Cross, the Awakening Your Light Body course by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer, basic

meditation, and the runes. In Alaska, she won state and university awards in poetry under the

name Linda Ravenwolf and wrote many articles on dreaming. In 1969 she began studying

the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sri Nirvananda Deva at the Temple of Silence in New Orleans.

In 1973 she traveled to Shasta Abbey in California to study soto zen with Houn Jiyu-Kennett

Roshi. In Alaska, she "practiced the presence" on Sundays with the Silent Quakers for a decade.

Since 1991 she has been an advanced light body student of LuminEssence Productions. For five

years in the 1990s to 2001 she studied with several elders of different Native American tribes in

Arizona, attending weekly ceremony. Since 2007 she has been a student of scientific and

controlled remote viewing as developed by the military program Stargate over a 20-year period.

Linda is also a student of tai chi/qi gong/chi kung and the Diamond Approach by A. H. Almaas.

She has lived in Louisiana, Missouri, NYC, California, Arizona, Alaska, New Hampshire, and

briefly in Washington State. In June 2018 Linda became a certified advanced practitioner by the

Linda Howe Center for Akashic Studies and does spiritual akashic records readings for growth

and development. Contact Linda at www.lifeenergypowers.com.

©2018 by Linda R. Reneau - Life Energy Powers€¦ · L. R. Reneau [email protected]...

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