Okay folks, so times are a bit hard. The world is crazy, we’ve got a bundle of planets in retrograde and I’m fairly certain Ragnarok is closer than it’s ever been. The normal ‘pull yourself together’ methods aren’t working and every empath, psychic, seer and sensitive I’ve come into contact with this year is in some sort of crisis. Happy Days. Coupled with that my rune for this year was Hagalaz (that’s the mother *** rune by the way) and it just keeps on coming up.
My heart feels wounded and inadequate. My mind is incapable of stretching to encompass the sheer magnitude of the problems that face humanity and our planet. Spirit whispers of consensus, collaboration, unity, tolerance, sacrifice, love and hope. Now I’m an optimistic person (and I mean really annoyingly optimistic) but I’m struggling to get with that programme right now.
The signs point to some major shifts come September so, in the meantime here’s my runic first aid bag this week. Feel free to dip in.
Holding my intention with Raidho
Keeping my rhythm with Raidho through drumming and meditation. Keep mindful, keep intentional, keep focused. I’ve been listening to a meditation I did for Raidho a while back; it’s a bit rough and ready but you’ll get the idea. For the best of the drumming start at minute 3.
Walking the bounds with Othala
Othala is the rune of ancestry, home and boundaries. The witches among you will be familiar with the concept of walking the bounds (as well as various other forms of boundary keeping). My favourite practice of the moment is to draw Othala on my feet when I’m home for the day. It’s really helping me keep connected with the land, stead spirits and my ancestors. I’ve also set the intention for the runes on my feet to help me hold my own personal boundaries and remember that not every problem is mine to be solved, nor is it always the right time to bring about resolution. Through setting clearer boundaries we give ourselves time to restore our energy so we can channel our efforts where, and when, they are most needed.
Daily cleansing with Laguz
So if you like singing in the shower this is a winner. Laguz is the rune of water, but also of growth, healing and regeneration so let it wash away all the energy that’s not yours and call in some juicier, more beneficial energy from the earth. Stand under the running water with your knees slightly bent and spine straight. Stretch your arms out behind you to make the shape of the Laguz rune. Don’t over-do it – you should get a nice stretch in your shoulders. The Laguz rune will direct the flow of energy up through the soles of your feet to the top of your head and then down your arms and out through your fingers. If you really want to get into the spirit of it you can chant Laguz with gusto to add extra oomph (but don’t choke).
Keep in touch!
I would love to hear from you if you use any of the above. Comments welcome or email me at magin@maginrose.com. If you are interested in developing your rune practice I will have some mentoring options coming up in September so please feel free to register your interest now.
Strangely Dagaz of all runes has no comment function like we are not supposed to see and understand more about it 🙂 So I´m posting a piece of Dagaz here although the article links to it without mentioning it…
It seems the wisdom of Dagaz indeed comes from its polarity. One slice of Dagaz insight granted to me goes like this:
Odin and Loki circle around each other like the two halves of the Dagaz rune, attached and not separate like it would be the case for Jera. Neither of them is absolute. Loki is the wild fire of destruction and Odin the wise forge of creation but both have committed acts that were heroic and acts that were terrible. They are mortal enemies because of the Baldur´s death and blood brothers at the same time. As you said recently in your work with Loki and his special captivating wisdom – they respect each other for playing out their roles. Through your channeling of the story of Loki and the subsequent pathwork both in the group and on my own I was gifted by having some of my ignorance being shifted a bit towards insight as I began to see (in the light of the day) that knowledge indeed requires ignorance. . Yin without Yang is not possible and vice versa. Odin is not possible without Loki and Loki´s wild fire would only be senseless destruction without Odin´s order and structure. Rulers and rebels alike are nothing without a cause.
Another grain of wisdom gained – and again Maggie this seems reflected in the work with Loki you brought forward – is that we cannot hope to be perfectly pure and saintly. Nor are the mistakes and selfish acts we commit are absolutes that define us. All we can hope for is that in the end the light that we emanate outshines the shadow.
And yet a third thing became clear to me. You are right once again that Dagaz is the gateway. And this gateway in particular calls you to pass through in ignorance without knowing what is on the other side. You have to do it and when you try to divine in advance what awaits you, chance are that you will be denied the safety of knowing in advance. That is at least what happened to me these days. Some gateways must be walked through and life must be lived without knowing the outcome beforehand. Now one of my past shamanic experiences makes sense. I was on a journey, passing down a mist covered river and a voice kept whispering “You will never know everything…”
It is about the adventure of life and the courage to pass forward without the safety net of reading the future first. But that is a better entry for the Perthro rune….
And speaking of adventure: the three *** you left in the mother *** rune leave some room for interpretation. And yes, once again you are right. I can vouch for the fact that she is one bad mother rune. Over the course of the last year some of the hail landed in your garden. Many thanks for helping me clean up.
Tyr´s chariot is about to leave Dagaz as I write this.
Nurture your soul. Regroup. Breathe out. Rest before you do battle again. These were the themes of Tyr´s transit through Dagaz. It was difficult for me to flow with this stellar cycle. I´m in a position where I would rather hustle, create, plow through. But Tyr´s remaining hand is a firm guide. Last time I saw him in my pathwork his lost sword hand was covered by a spiked mace.
“Sometimes our greatest weakness is our greatest strength.” That was his message. An he was right, of course he was. I discovered pieces of my past when I followed his guidance, old stories buried for a long time. It reminded me of The Dream Witch, one of Maggies most enchanting stories. And these stories of mine brought me recovery, strength and new perspectives where only single-mindedness had been.
So it was good to held the bow strung out for a while without releasing the arrow. Tyr´s arrow will fly again soon in honour of him, Skadi and Ullr. So that I pass through the gate of Dagaz which I will only accomplish when I´m at my best.