The difference between three and four in the runic framework is very similar to that in Qabalah and the classical planetary correspondences. Three is dynamic, it combines the polar opposites of one and two into something different: through three manifestation occurs, but with it comes disruption.
In Qabalah the third Sephira is Binah, the great mother through whom all manifestation is possible and time flows forth. The planet associated with 3 is Saturn – the first ‘father’, Lord of Time, agriculture, death and loss who presided over the Golden Age before being defeated by his three sons (in a sense he is the father of his own doom). Incidentally, in runic astrology Saturn is associated with Loki – the mischief maker.
When discussing the three rune spread the three Norns (Fates) were particularly important – through them the Fate of each individual is birthed, spun out, and comes to an end. The number 3 therefore brings a sense of ‘narrative’ into our lives, it means that there is a story to tell, but also signifies the end of the Golden Age where everyone is blissful but boring. The rune associated with the number 3 is Thurisaz, an extremely powerful rune but one that needs to be handled with care as it both contains and controls the forces of chaos.
In contrast, in Qabalah, 4 is associated with benevolence, stability and ordered authority; the planet associated with it is Jupiter – the wise and benevolent King. In runic astrology the Charioteer of this planet is Thor, the protector of Midgard (our world). In Rune Lore Thorsson says of the number 4 that it is:
a number of stasis, of solidity and waiting. It contains power, and this is one of its chief operative uses. In myth we learn of the four harts that chew the leaves of Yggdrasill and of four dwarves Nordhri-Austri-Sudhri-Vestri at the four cardinal directions (pg.162, Rune Lore).
The four harts, four dwarves and four directions speak of stability, but also of natural process. The harts nibble at the leaves but do not threaten Yggdrasil, rather they are sustained by it (unlike the serpent who continuously threatens its roots). The four dwarves are not only associated with the four directions, but also with the elements – dwarves forge the Goddess Freya’s necklace Brisingamen which gives power over the elements. Interestingly, Thorsson’s description of the number four also fits well with the four sided, four cornered rune Ingwaz which contains great power and is strongly associated with the cycles of nature and the storing of energy (paricuarly the seed and the act of consumption).
As with other Western systems, therefore, the number four in rune practice is associated with stability, foundations, authority, power and the natural cycles of the Earth. Because of its associations with solidity and stasis, a four-fold rune spread seems almost counter-intuitive – as readings tend to focus on the changeable, the unpredictable, and the movements taking place in an individual’s Wyrd. There are few four-rune spreads and, those that I have found somehow don’t ring true. For those of you who do tarot readings, you might think about the Celtic Cross spread with its four cards at the cardinal points – somehow it isn’t complete without something going on in the middle. As an exercise try laying out four runes in a diamond formation (like the four points of the Ingwaz rune); read the left hand rune as the past, right as the future, top as your mental state and bottom as your emotional state – then add a fifth one in the centre to represent the particular issue at hand and see whether this provides greater assistance to you…
The number four is, however, important for rune castings where a pre-determined ‘pattern’ has been drawn upon the rune cloth – what it lacks in ‘dynamism’ it makes up for by providing a foundation upon which we can build our readings. I will be discussing this in greater depth when we move from spreads to casting but, as a taster, Freya Aswynn gives a Fourfold Wheel pattern in Northern Mysteries and Magick with a circular cloth divided into four quarters – the vertical axis represtenting consciousness (with higher at the bottom and unconscious at the top) and the horizontal axis running from past (on the left) to future (on the right). You can see similarities to the Celtic Cross spread here but there are oportunities for a much more complex reading as you can potentially cast all 24 runes upon the cloth and get a very detailed reading based on where in time, and the individual’s mind, the runes fall.
The fourth rune is Ansuz, the rune of the God Odin, the All-Father and leader of the Aesir, or sky gods Gods. As the rune of communication and inspiration, Ansuz beautifully complements the solid and stable nature of the number 4 and the pairing of rune and number can remind us that Odin’s nature is complex and varied – he is both the trickster whispering upon the wind and the sage enthroned upon the mountain who converts the whisper of the fool into the wise rule of the King.
Ansuz combines within it the ecstatic frenzy of the divinely inspired poet and the ordering capability of the wise and responsible sovereign.
Addendum
I wrote this article back in 2010. 14 years on my Mastery group rune reading library contains four 4 rune spreads. I just love breaking my own rules…
One is a present from the Gebo rune which, like Inguz, is a four-element rune. The remaining 3 are divinely inspired by the Disir, Hermod and Syn respectively. Lesson – never say never.
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