Magin Rose

On Monday we moved to the half month of Kenaz.  After the inspiration of Ansuz and the planning and action of Raidho, Kenaz gives you the opportunity to combine thought and action to manifest your desire.  Kenaz is the rune of the artisan, the craft worker, and particularly of the blacksmith who uses the magic of the forge to transform the elements.  In a sense, each of us is our own smith – because we are able to create outselves anew each day.  This half month should therefore be a good time for creative projects, burning away the ‘dross’ in our lives, and re-forging ourselves.  I ended the half-month of Raidho by going on a firewalk at the Martinsell Centre which was an immensly transformative experience, and began Kenaz doing some decorating and beginning a new painting…

The negative side of Kenaz is the responsibility that comes with its gifts – will yor act of creation be ‘good enough’?  Kenaz is not just the fire of the forge, it is the torch light: the light that shines the way but also reveals the shadows lurking ahead.  Kenaz is sometimes described as an ‘ulcer’ and, for me, its negative side can be about worries and fears, those ominous shadows that stop us manifesting our desires – although all too often they are just a trick of the light.

The Autumn Equinox falls within Kenaz.  Make the most of the remaining light and hold your torch high - ready for the descent into darkness.  At this time, prisoners were released, restoring the balance (and perhaps also cutting down on the number of mouths to feed!).  Now is the time to burn away your worries and fears, to free yourself to create and harvest: ready for the gifts and binding power of Gebo.

My reading for this half month is The Craftsmanby Richard Sennet.  Sennet suggests that there is a craftsman in every person and explores what this means and whether whether our competitive, consumer driven society has eroded the true meaning of ‘craft’.