Magin Rose

Gebo - the rune of exchange, gifts, and contracts

Yesterday we entered the half month of Gebo.  This is a great time to consolidate all the inspiration and creativity of Kenaz into long term commitments; the Gebo rune combines two Kenaz runes and we might see this as the process of manifestation whereby inspiration is internalised and then expressed as action/creation.  Thinking about the rune calendar I am reminded that Kenaz is a fiery rune, poised on the rim of the year where light and dark meet in perfect balance.  With the coming of Gebo, light and dark cross over and journey away from each other – the exchange has been made and one must strengthen and the other weaken.  Gebo is an airy rune, bringing with it the cooler temperatures of autum and reminding me of the sails of a windmill that gracefully convert the power of the wind to power the mill. 

 The autonomy of Kenaz (represented by the craftsman) is now superseded by the need for exchange – his wares must be traded for other things he needs (particularly as the harvest continues and stores are replenished to get the community through the winter).  The Gebo rune is very much about the lifeblood of community, it represents all of the ways in which we form and maintain bonds with each other.  This half month should therefore be a good time to sign contracts, exchange promises, enter into partnerships, and re-affirm commitments.  Once this work has been done, the celebratory Wunjo will appear to remind us to enjoy one another and strengthen our clan bonds through love, friendship and feasting – but for now there is work to be done!

A lovely way to experience Gebo is to make its shape with your body.  Lie down in a comfortable place (e.g. the biggest bed you can find) and spread out your arms and legs to form its cross shape.  Think about the blessings that you receive every day and silently give thanks for them: the air filling your lungs, food, warmth.  Go through all the blessings in your life and give thanks for them in the past, present and future.  Declare that you are ready to receive the gifts of the universe and know in your heart that the universe will provide them. 

My reading for the half-month of Kenaz was The Craftsmanby Richard Sennet, a fascinating and in-depth exploration of  ‘an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake’ (pg. 9).  The book weaves back and forth across history, drawing parallels and contrasts between the goldsmith and the computer programmer, the glassblower and the astronomer, the mortician and the musician.  He discusses repetition, inspiration and obsession, drawing out the qualities and failings of some of the greatest craftworkers ever known.  Although perhaps not intended, Sennet’s words will resonate with anyone who ’crafts’ in the sense of transforming self and creating your one’s own reality.  The book in itself, is a crafted object, and I found it both inspiring and satisfying.

Craftwork establishes a realm of skill and knowledge perhaps beyond human verbal capacities to explain; it taxes the powers of the most professional writer to describe precisely how to tie a slipknot (and it is certainly beyond mine).  Here is a, perhaps the, fundamental human limit: language is not an adequate “mirror-tool” for the physical movements of the human body.  The Craftsman (pg. 95)

This half-month I will be reading The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World which I have high hopes for.  It includes chapters called ‘The Labour of Gratitude’, ‘The Bond’ and ‘Usury: A History of Gift Exchange’ which I hope will help to enlighten the half-month of Gebo.