Magin Rose

Spent the morning updating the website and sending out free rune journeys (don’t forget to ask for yours if you haven’t already).  All my downloads are now available via a different provider (this doesn’t matter to you at all of course, but I felt I needed to mark the end of a mighty effort).  I have also updated my home page to reflect the fact that I am taking a sabbatical from one-to-one healings for the next six months.  It wasn’t an easy decision but I know it is the right thing to do; a mixture of feelings including the ability to breathe a bit easier (as I suddenly have time freed up to do web pages!) and concern for my clients even though I know they are all amazing and this is a great opportunity for them to try out new practices on their healing path.

I am now more or less ready to move out of London into the countryside for the first time in my life; hugely excited but also glad that I will still be in London every week and able to continue running our circles and courses.  We have moved the London Shamanic Spirit Circle to Covent Garden which is going to be easier for a lot of our north/ northwest London community and Kay and I are busy plotting future projects.  Watch this space…

When I first started teaching rune practice I wanted to help my students to engage directly with the runes, on an energetic level rather than learning by rote their many meanings.  The runes are an alphabet, a method of communication and their power speaks to the imagination, the soul, and the emotions as much as the intellect.  I started working with Teutonic Magic: A Guide to Germanic Divination, Lore and Magic by Kvedulf Gundarsson.  Gundarsson created a series of pathworkings for each of the runes which I initially adapted for work with my students but, ultimately, I found that they weren’t suited to introductory work with the runes.  I would definitely recommend Gundarsson’s book but I would tend to use the pathworkings as part of longer ritual workings or as stories told in sacred space.

I therefore set about creating my own pathworkings for each of the runes in the Elder Futhark.  I began by reviewing all of the rune poems and selected an extract to use as a chant; I then created a drum rhythm for the rune based on its rune code.  I raised energy using the chant and then journeyed on the drum rhythm, travelling through the rune, just as you will do, to discover the rune’s realm beyond.  Each pathworking was then recorded so it can be used by other seekers of the runes.  Each pathworking is about ten to fifteen minutes long and I also recorded a space opening and space closing to ensure you will be safe when you do your journey.

Every journey starts in the great void Ginnungagap.  Together we create the rune in a glowing colour so that you may pass through the rune into the realm beyond.  The realm is described for you as you adventure into the rune’s mysteries, but it is then open for you to travel back at any time to explore the rune’s mysteries beyond this initial pathworking.  Discover the treasures of Fehu, the transformative fire of Kenaz, the magic of Laguz, or the personal power carried within Mannaz.

Get your free rune pathworking today!

I am very happy to be able to offer you one of the rune pathworkings for free.  Simply send your email address to magin@starfirealchemy.co.uk and I will send you the pathworking by file transfer.  You can select any rune within the Elder Futhark ; you might like to choose one of your birth runes and can use my article on the birth runes to find out what yours are.  You will receive the space opening and space closing with your free rune journey.

Journeys with the Elder Futhark

After two years of work the Journeys with the Elder Futhark are now complete!  You can purchase all the journeys in their three sets which correspond to the three Aettir (rune familes).  There are eight runes in each Aett (family) so you will receive ten recordings with each set – the eight pathworkings and the opening and closing meditations.  Each Aett coses just £9.

The journeys represent two years of  extensive work which have revealed new meanings and mysteries to me as well as bringing together many of the traditional correspondences.  No one journey can bring you every aspect of a rune (for this is practically infinite), but they will bring you a deeper understanding of, and an energetic connection to each rune.

I do hope you enjoy the journeys and would love to hear back about your experiences.

As the opening ceremony of the Olympics prepares to kick off I would like to offer those of you of a more spiritual bent the chance to do some meditation with the patron of the Olympics, Zeus.  This hymn to Zeus Kydistos was prepared for a devotional to Zeus which has been a long time in the planning, little did I know all those months ago when I set the date that the Olympic torch would be making its way through my home town that very day.  Little did I know as Zeus gave me the words for my hymn that I would be singing ‘Zeus reign over us’ over and over again for the last few weeks – and he has been well and truly raining over us (his pun, not mine, I promise).   The hymn is just under seventeen minutes long so make yourself comfy before you listen.

Please feel free to use the hymn for your own devotional work.  It is for Zeus Kydistos, Zeus Most Glorious.  Hail to Zeus during your great festival.

The Greenwich Shamanic Spirit Circle is a monthly event open to all who are interested in exploring the shamanic path and deepening their connection with Spirit. Each meeting focuses on a particular aspect of shamanic work, and usually begins with a talk on the subject followed by practical exercises. These meetings are suitable for absolute beginners as well as those who have some experience of shamanic work. Our circles normally include drum and rattle work so please do feel free to bring yours along!

The Soul Tapestry , Friday 13th July at 7pm

Within the northern tradition we work with the concept of ‘Wyrd’ which might be considered similar to karma.  Northern practitioners are skilled at weaving and re-weaving Wyrd as a means of bringing about deep soul-level healing.  In this special session we will be working with the Mistresses of Wyrd, the Nornir, to find out what our individual soul tapestries can tell us about our soul paths and healing journeys.

For more information or to book online visit http://greenwichshamanicspiritcircle.eventbrite.com/ or email magin@starfirealchemy.co.uk. Tickets are available on the door at £10 and are available on a first come first served basis.  Please do email me or telephone 07958 742 497 if you are planning to come along. 

Some of you may already know that I do a monthly podcast on The Shamanic Voice on northern tradition shamanic practice called Shaman of the North.  A lot of these shows include rune chanting and exploration of the northern mysteries through rune work.  If you’re interested, I have highlighted the specific shows at the end of each of my rune pages.  Check them out!

Fehu – Written in the Bones and Lady Luck and the Luck Dragon

Nauthiz – The Shamanic Calling

Eihwaz – Yggdrasil’s Song

Dagaz – Druid’s Walk

This month’s offering from Shaman of the North on The Shamanic Voice is called The Shamanic Calling.  The episode explores the role of the shamanic practitioner in alleviating suffering and manifesting desire.  What is suffering?  What is desire?  Are these things to be avoided, or do they teach us important lessons?  In the show we re-visit teachings from the earlier show Druids’ Walk where the druid Arnaud experienced a moment of powerful epiphany.  The northern circle of the ancestors sought to remind us, through this month’s show, that true epiphany comes rarely and moments of transcendance are much less frequent than moments of true presence and participation in our the here and now.  The episode concludes with a working using the Nauthiz rune where we are supported by our own ancestral circles in understanding what suffering and desire mean within our lives.

The next date for the one day rune making workshop is Sunday 8th July 2012.  If you can’t make that one, don’t worry, I set the dates on demand so just get in touch. The day is a journey to find the spirit of the runes, bring them into being, and empower them so you can use them for rune casting and spell work. We will be making runes in clay and wood so that you can learn all the techniques you need to make your own set.

See you there!

I wanted to let those of you based in London and the South East know about the calendar of meetings of the Greenwich Shamanic Spirit Circle in 2012.  Half of the Circles will have a ‘northern tradition’ flavour while the other half are being co-hosted by the truly magnificent Bhavna Mistry from Life Healing Values and will focus on connection, soul path, and heart-centred awakening.

The Circle is based at The Yogi Tree.  You can receive further information by following StarFire Alchemy on Facebook, joining our newsletter, or simply letting me know you plan to attend by emailing magin@starfirealchemy.co.uk

Friday 13th April 2012: Working with power animals

This class will focus on one of the most important, and well known, aspects of shamanic practice – journeying to find, and then working with, power animals.  This is the last in our first six-month series of Circles and the proceeds of the Circle will be donated to The Shamanic Voice.

Friday 11th May 2012: The Eagle and the Serpent

During 2012 a number of sessions will be devoted to the northern tradition which has a rich heritage of shamanic practice.  At the very heart of the Germanic cosmology is the World Tree Yggdrasil (‘Odin’s Steed’) which contains within it the Nine Worlds of northern tradition.  At the top of the World Tree rests a great Eagle while, at its base the serpent Nidhogg gnaws continuously upon its roots.  In this circle we will be exploring their mysteries and ways in which we can work with them.

Friday 8th June 2012: Power of the Sun

I am delighted to be running a number of circles with special guest teacher Bhavna Mistry from Life Healing Values.  Bhavna is a phenomenally gifted healer and teacher who works at an intense level with heart focused healing and soul path work.  In this first joint circle we will be sharing different approaches from around the world for working with the energies of the Sun.

Friday 13th July 2012: The Soul Tapestry

Within the northern tradition we work with the concept of ‘Wyrd’ which might be considered similar to karma.  Northern practitioners are skilled at weaving and re-weaving Wyrd as a means of bringing about deep soul-level healing.  In this special session we will be working with the Mistresses of Wyrd, the Nornir, to find out what our individual soul tapestries can tell us about our soul paths and healing journeys.

Friday 10th August 2012: Power of the Moon

In this joint circle Bhavna and Magin will be sharing different approaches from around the world for working with the energies of the Moon.

Friday 14th September 2012: Energy of Dragon

The dragon is a revered and often feared creature within many cultures.  Ferocious, terrible, powerful, beautiful, these fabulous creatures hoard wisdom, wealth and great magical skill.  Many cultures identify dragons with the elements, or as the spirits or protectors of the land, sea and sky.  Our work with dragon will be focused on the individual soul paths and healing needs of the group.

Friday 12th October 2012: Power of Star

In this circle we will be looking at the idea of the ‘guiding star’, exploring the idea of our soul path being ‘written in the stars’, and working the energy of star as a transformative and guiding force.

Friday 9th November 2012: Working with your Disir Circle

Within the northern tradition every person is said to have their own personal disir circle; a circle of protective spirits who guide and guard us from birth through to death (and quite possibly beyond).  The traditional disir circle is made up of female ancestral spirits and goddesses, although many find that their circle also includes power animals, male ancestors, and spirit beings.  Getting to know your disir circle is a hugely powerful way of connecting with your spiritual and ancestral heritage and forming a deeper connection with the protective powers who are there to help and guide you in times of difficulty, sorrow or danger.

Friday 14th December 2012: The Heart Seed

The shamanic path is sometimes referred to as ‘seeing with the heart’ and much of our work as shamanic practitioners is focused on removing the obstacles to this true vision.  The heart seed contains the potential of our true selves and, at the darkest time of the year the heart seed burns brightly, yearning to guide us into growth for the new year.

Altar to Hestia, the spirit of the hearth fire

For me spirit guides form part of my spirit family or community.  On Yggdrasil’s Path we work with the concept of ‘soul clan’; the spirits and energies we work with are bonded to us through the workings of Wyrd and the laws of orlog.  Guides, companions and protective spirits don’t just turn up out of the blue, they choose to work with us because they see us as kin, or because our intentions chime with theirs.  Family and community is formed through pre-existing ties of kinship, place and culture and this is the same for spirit family and community.  When we do power retrieval or soul retrieval we are re-connecting not just with that part of ourselves – but often with a whole new raft of spirit family who were connected with us through that lost aspect.  Often when people are preparing for retrieval work they will get dreams and visions that are strange and difficult to understand; it is only in retrospect that we recognise these premonitions as our lost spirit family reaching out to touch us – preparing the way for wholeness to be restored.

Power animals and guides do not just bring companionship, they also bring us wisdom, power and teachings to help us become strong and powerful in our own lives.  It is easy to assume that these beings are ‘higher’ than us in some way and, indeed, they will often have access to wisdom beyond our kenning.  However, my own experience has taught me that spirit guides do not choose people to work with indiscriminately, nor do they work completely altruistically.  Your spirit guides are with you because they want to be – so what sort of person is it that they have chosen to work with?

Your teacher will come when you are ready…

This is a phrase frequently used within shamanic practice, as well as within other magical traditions.  It is easy to assume that our teachers are watching us, waiting for us to reach the ‘level’ required in order to work with them; but perhaps this is a flawed way of viewing the teacher/ pupil relationship.  My most admired teachers have always told me that they learn huge amounts from their work with their students and Kay and I definitely find at StarFire Alchemy that the phrase ‘Your pupil will come to you when you are ready…’  is equally true.

What I have come to realise in my work is that, as I get to know my teachers, I see that they have chosen to work with me not just because I have so much to learn from them – but because we have so much in common.  This can be a very daunting thought when your hand is being guided by your Master Shaman, or when a deity is speaking through you, but I would invite you to consider what qualities your own spirit guides, power animals, deities and companions have in common with you.  My own Master Shaman comes from a very different tradition to my own, he teaches me techniques beyond what I have been taught by my ‘living’ teachers.  He is in all ways awesome and it took me a huge amount of time to recognise that the combination of enormous gentleness and utter ruthlessness in doing what was necessary for healing, was something that he also saw in me.  It is, I believe now, these shared qualities that brought him to work with me – far more than the techniques he identified I was lacking – for he wasn’t the only one who could have come forward to show me these.

Often it is hard to see ourselves in the spirit beings who we work with, indeed, it might feel presumptuous and big headed to assume you have much in common at all – but I promise you those share qualities will be there.

Connection through soul

I work with the concept of the ‘soul tapestry’ and this has been very helpful to me in understanding how connections come about between people and their soul clan.  When I was preparing for the channeling for Shadow Sister on The Shamanic Voice I was having a really hard time understanding how to help the spirit of such a strange, silent and dark being communicate through me.  She seemed totally alien to me and, in many ways, utterly scary.  I wasn’t certain that I would be able to do the channeling at all and sought advice from the northern circle of ancestors (the patron spirits of the show) on how to proceed.  I was shown that the channeling could only take place because their were parts of me that resonated with her essence, threads within my being that could connect with hers – once these were found we were able to connect and her energy flowed into me so that I could speak her message.  Shadow Sister represented an energy that felt very alien to me and, indeed, one that I might not want to draw on too often.  The experience of working with her was one of recognising that the dark mysteries of the death goddess flowed through my blood and cannot be denied.  Despite my trepidation the work with her was very valuable both for the show and, personally, for me.

Most of the time, however, the spirit guides we work with speak to aspects of ourselves which we are keen to embrace.  They make our hearts beat faster, expand our vision of ourselves and the world around us, and show us how to shed limiting beliefs, overcome our fears, and evolve beyond what we thought was possible.  My own healing work, and the work I do with my clients, often involves finding the part of me that is willing and able to connect with the troubling parts of myself I am having difficulty understanding and coping with.  I have learned that my soul clan are able to provide me with the support I need to work with the parts of myself I would rather reject – they know the value of these suppressed bits, even if I have yet to recognise it.  Most people will have times in their lives where they feel misunderstood, isolated and at odds with the world; at these times spirit guides provide the comfort and wisdom unavailable to us from other sources.  The reason we feel safe, accepted and ‘right’ with our guides is because they resonate with us, they ‘speak our language’, share our dreams, and understand our thoughts and emotions without us having to explain ourselves.

Childhood friends

When you start out on the shamanic path the guides and companions who come forward in your earliest journeys will often be those that have been with you from the beginning; their nature is kin to yours and your re-union is more like a recognition of a piece of yourself that you had always known was there.

For me, dreams and visions I had as a child now make perfect sense, the ‘imaginary’ friends I had in childhood have returned to me.  I didn’t recognise this for a long time because the way they present themselves to me as an adult is quite different to what they looked like to me as a child; but once I made the leap I couldn’t beleieve I hadn’t seen it sooner.  Four guides in particular are worth mentioning.  In my adult life they appear as two adult women (who are different to each other but ‘sisters’ in spirit), a dragon, and a dinosaur (who I originally thought was also a dragon until I saw her depicted in perfect detail on a BBC documentary).  As a child my closest imaginary friends were a pair of twin girls and a family of cuddly dinosaurs who looked distinctly like Barney but with polka dots.  It wasn’t until I was reading back over an old diary that I realised that the colouring of my poka-dotted pals was identical to the very beautiful, reptilian skins of my companions today!  At that point I reviewed my colourful collection of spirit guides and realised that many of them had made themselves known to me much earlier than I had originally thought…

Each of these beings has brought me a greater understanding of my own nature.  I would highly recommend journeying with your own spirits and simply asking ‘What can you tell my about myself? and ‘How are we related?’.

Meeting your spirit guides

You don’t have to be a shamanic practitioner to meet and work with your own spirit guides.  There are plenty of books and journeying CDs out there to help you and you can also work with an individual practitioner or in a group to help find these connections.  Those in the London area might like to join the Greenwich shamanic spirit circle and you can also contact me for a one-to-one session.

Runes for work with spirit guides and soul clan

On Saturday we moved into the half-month of Ehwaz, the rune of partnership.  Ehwaz is said to symbolise the horse and rider, its powers are often linked in with that of the shape shifter or journeying spirit who ‘fares forth’ riding upon or within their spirit companion.  The shape of the Ehwaz rune is sometimes likened to that of two horses facing each other and ‘twin’ deities are strongly associated with Ehwaz.  Our spirit companions might be thought of as ‘twin’ spirits to us; a fruitful relationship with spirit guides will be one of closeness, giving, and receiving.  A spirit guide can also act as a mirror for us, showing us what we need to know about ourselves, reflecting back our strengths and helping us recognise and embrace our weaknesses.

The ‘gifting’ rune of Gebo is also an excellent rune to work with for spirit guides.  It is the rune of balanced and fair exchange, it is the kisses at the end of a birthday card and the sign of a promise.  When a spirit guide shows you the Gebo rune you know that a gift or promise is being offered or demanded.  The word ‘sacrifice’ is a useful one to bear in mind here; it can feel like giving something up, but its real meaning is ‘to make sacred’.  When we make offerings to our spirit guides we acknowledge the sacredness of our relationship, when we ignore them, reject them or take them for granted we show them that the relationship is of little value to us.

Othala is the rune of homeland and inheritance.  It can be used to call in our ancestors as well as the spirits of hearth, home and land.  It is an excellent ‘connector’ rune and the image of the great hearth fire that calls the soul clan to assembly resonates with this rune which completes the rune row of the Elder Futhark.  You are the sum of your past, of the connections you have made, experiences you have shared, gifts you have given and blessings you have received.  Othala pays honour to that which has shaped and formed us, and it is testimony to our continued devotion to the land we live on and the spirits we share our lives with.  Sing Othala to bring them home.

The half month of Ehwaz snuck in yesterday without me even noticing!  Ehwaz is the rune of speed and it can represent the partnerships we form with our guides and companions working in the unseen realm of spirit.

As you know, the runic half months form excellent times to harness the energies of that particular rune – this holds particulary true of Ehwaz as it leaps forward, pulling the carriage of the sun high into the sky, bringing on Spring apace (or running away with the Sun if you are in the southern hempisphere).  Hold onto your hat and ask Ehwaz to carry away the things you no longer need in your life or carry you forward towards your goals.

The half-month of Ehwaz is a great time to re-visit your spirit guides and companions, faring forth on its energy to commune with them.  Ask for their assistance in your projects and plans, and don’t forget to ask them how you can help them with their own goals!  On Monday I’ll be publishing an article on spirit companions so watch this space…

The half-month of Ehwaz is, in fact, a great time for journeying of any kind.  It is a journeying rune and can be used in conjunction with Raidho to great effect – create a bind rune of the two of them to help you with journeying (just don’t forget to put it safely away before you go to bed or Ehwaz will run off with you).  The Ehwaz rune is often linked to the ‘night mare’, the dreamer literally being ridden like a horse, perhaps this is a lesson that if you don’t ‘ride’ Ehwaz it will ride you…  Safety precautions nothwithstanding, now is a great time to crack open your journeying CDs, grab your drum, or simply use your voice to carry you into the realms of spirit.

On a practical note, use the Ehwaz rune to speed up any projects that are faltering or delayed.  Things where energy and speed are necessary will benefit from this rune.  Taking some time to give your car/ bicycle (or other form of ‘steed’), some tender-loving-care will greatly please the rune and help ensure it blesses your endeavours.

Enjoy!