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Religion is a candle
inside a multicolored lantern.
Everyone looks through a particular color,
but the candle is always there.
...Mohammed Neguib

Viking Runes
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RUNES - The Viking Oracle

For as long as anyone can tell, runes have been around helping people in the northern European area and now they are making quite a comeback on a worldwide basis due partly to commercialism and partly due to the unknown uprooting of many occult practices. People are looking for a better way to live and people are looking towards oracles for answers and guidance to their troubles. This is where the runes come into play. In this area, we will be looking at the meanings of runes and how they can help you.
At this point, we will give only a brief overview of what they are and where they came from.
Runes come from the Nordic area where the ancient Vikings once lived, worked, and fought. Though they were relatively savage in their outings, the Vikings were people in touch with Earth and the many forces that coexisted with them. They have a whole lore that includes many popular god figures such as Thor, the son of Odin. Thor carried a mighty hammer and many of us know him from comic books. The father of Thor, Odin, was the creator of the Runes and is the most important holy figure of the Viking people. Odin hung upside down from a tree limb for a chance of higher knowledge and right before he came down from the tree limb, he was bestowed with the new system called the Runes. These symbols were used for writing and magic by the high priests.

I have put the Runes in order with the picture above, Reading from left to right so you can compare the symbols with their meanings. Runes are usually  listed from right to left. You can use Runes in your spell work also. 

1. FEHU - Cattle
This is what the community considers wealth. The commodity of the norse peoples before a currency was established, and you better believe that they sacrificed one of the herd now and then to keep the gods happy. The important reminder is to always be thankful and humble when things are well in the economy. Meditation focuses on a type of thanksgiving for what has been acquired and not to squander when things are plentiful. Appreciate that there will be a rainy day by the rules of cycles and to prepare for it.

2. URUZ - Brut Strength
The strength of the wild animal is desired by the best warriors. The notion of living to survive and to know the possibility of death and to accept it as the simple answer to what life is. Meditation is knowing that life is to be lived at full speed and to live life for life. When your life is over, a new life will begin in your place on earth and you will go on. A person who lives like this has no regrets of a premature death, for each day was fully lived.

3.THURISAZ - The Seeing of Things to Pass
There is a controversy of the meaning of this rune. Some note the negative forces of the dark side ourselves. Some say that it represents the ugly things like demons, trolls and giants. Overall these may be in the same area of meaning. There is a dark side that we must take control of in ourselves to break free of them and not become them. Be careful on the meditation. Focus mainly on the identification and overcoming of the darker sides of things inside and outside ourselves.

4. ANSUZ - Messages and Signals
Noting marks tell us where we are and what action we should take from this point. The Ash tree is represented here and this is a strong tree, usually weathering storms and leaving clues of its battles. We grow as we weather our own storms and the perceptive person can read the marks of our environment. The meditation here is to focus on the marks on our past to direct us in our future plans.

5. RAIDO - Journeys
There was always a time when a far traveled journey must be taken. Sometimes it is a spiritual journey and sometimes it is physical. Anxiety is always a factor, some positive and some negative. Journeys are a type of calling for a learning. Meditate on what is the right time and method of your particular journey. Identify if the higher forces are telling you that it is time to learn away from your home base. Most journeys are favorable in retrospect.

6. KANO - An Opening
When you are in the darkness, an opening with light is the best and most gracious thing to have bestowed upon you. This is a great time for putting energies into new opportunities. Meditation revolves around seeing out of seemingly dark situations for there is a way out of every situation. Focus on what the action is and invest energies into breaking through.

7. GEBO - The Gift of Harmonic Relationships
When we acknowledge our higher power and in turn the higher power gives back to us, then we have harmony. This is a great representation of the working of karma. Good things come in return for good deeds. We need to meditate on the magic of working with knowing our spiritual forces and treating them as we want a pleasing and easy environment to allow us to set us up for good things to come. There is a strong showing for respect of nature.

8. WUNJO - Bliss and Glory
This can mean a lot of aspects of joy, but mainly it is the lack of need and lack of pain. It is the realization of what you have worked for and the temporary enjoyment of all your goods. Being in this mindframe sometimes induces a separate state of mind. It is a good meditation to realize where you are now and what you have and being satisfied to the point of bliss. Preparation for meditation is not needed when a tough task is completed.

9. HAGALAZ - Destructive Forces
This is an acknowledgement of the force of nature at its worst. The Vikings had many a harsh winter and year-round poor weather. Months of work could be ruined by an act of nature. This also represents those things that are out of our control. We should meditate on the acceptance of the tough times brought on by the seasons. We cannot control everything that goes on around, so we should to learn to "let go and let G-d" as the saying goes.

10.NAUTHIZ - The Negatives of Human Needs
It was at the hardest times that the true meaning of what is needed for survival is missed the most. It was at these times that misery sometimes was the only companion. The proof of how delicate we really are in this somtetimes harsh world comes clear in the mind. One should meditate how bad things can really get and what things are not needed to maintain true survival at the deepest times of need.

11. ISA - Ice and Freezing
There are dangers of the cold. Slippery ice and freezing weather were well regarded in these northern regions. This is a powerful rune for the rune spell caster, for the one who understands this force can have great power of influence. Meditate on the physics of nature and notice the slowing of all things when the cold is omnipresent.

12. JERA - The Cycle of One Year
As many of the farmers know, crops are not impulsive or an ovenight success. Usually a period of time must pass before on can count the blessings and success of the harvest. The meditation here is very simple. Persistence and foresight must be used to see what is to come from a venture. Most good things do not come from a short period of time like a season.

13. EIHWAZ - Yew Tree
Weapons decided if you would keep your land and resources. To defend themselves, the Vikings found the use of the Yew tree and made bows. This tree gave them the ability to defend themselves. The characteristic crackle of the wood soothed them during the cold winter nights. Meditate on the actions necessary to defend our position in our lives and to enjoy the things we have worked for in our "down" time. Keep learning the best ways to defend against the malicious actions of others and strive to never be caught off-guard.

14. PERTH - Things Unexplainable
We often wonder why things are still so random when science explains so much. The female end of the miracle of life is also noted. The so called "Murphy's Law" is also a big part of this rune. Vikings often wondered why some survived in battle that shoud have died. Mysteries bothered them and seemed to not have anything to do with the gods. We can meditate on this rune that there will always be things unexplainable and to hope for these mysteries to work in our favor.

15. ALGIZ - Protective Sanctuary
This is the place to stay when you are in need of a safety zone. The warrior goes to the sanctuary to reflect and heal the wounds of the battle. This is a place to feel the full pain and not to shy away, for there is a lesson here. Meditation on this rune should involve the painful things in life and what is to be learned from the anguish. Facing the pain will make you stronger and wiser for the next battle.

16. SOWOLU - The Sun, Giver of All Life
The spiritual warrior knows where the true power of all things reigns. The life force which is felt from the warm sun on a cold day makes itself obvious. Be aware of your essence and where life began. We are dependent on the sun which is the ultimate ruler of all the forces and is in a sense the true source of all the gods. Meditate on the fact that realization of this truth can bring you to wholeness.

17. TEIWAZ - Spiritual Warrior
This is the rune of Tyr, the god of war, and was often seen painted on the shields of many warriors in battle. This is the protector of the warrior and the giver of victory. For meditiation, this rune is best known for gaining strength in overcoming an adversarial situation. It is also a great rune to keep serious physical harm as far away as possible.

18. BERKANA - Growth
A spring-like perpetual growing is the meaning of this rune. The Birch tree is highly associated with berkana and the "b" is with smooth lips, not like saying "bird". The meditations associated would concentrate on the rapid growth of a new situation or fertility. Problems that are treated with berkana usually come to pass with fruitful outcomes.

19. EHWAZ - The Sacred Horse
Where would the viking be without their horses to take them on the long journeys. The goddess Frey had special appreciation for these animals. The message here is to not forget the useful beast given to us for us to train to take us to a higher level of civilization. In meditation, we focus on the tools that take us to higher levels in our lives. We thank those responsible for making these things accessible and then we learn the use of these items to their full potential, as if it were not for our tools, we would make little progress.

20. MANNAZ - The Nature of Humankind
The self and its place in the collective conscience of humanity is the recognition here. We are all part of each other, made of the same things, subject to similar experiences. This is a time of personal reflection, of what it is all about and what one person can really do for the community. Also, acknowledment of the importance of every one self to the greater many.

21. LAGUZ - Water
All aspects of water are implies here. Flow, sea, river, lake, etc. are all one thing in the greater picture. The mystery of the tides also imply as it was not known that the moon had such a profound influence. The flow of the water is incorporated and respected in the human body. This is for deep meditation of higher forces and the materials that make up the body. Cleansing is important now.

22. INGUZ - Fertility
Another linking to Frey, this represented the fertility of the joining of human beings. This has a direct meditative purpose of the wanting of pregnancy. Because of the ultimate creative power of this sort of unity, a lot can be learned from deep meditation on this rune.

23. DAGAZ - Daylight and G-d's Light
This is the time of the light, the time to work and the period of the normal day. Christian faith had some influence on the meaning. G-d's light is given to save man from the chaos of darkness. The meditation here is to concentrate on performing well in the days' working hours. This is the time for labor to bring about "fruit". Use this time to do your part to make the things around you better for the people in the community.

24. OTHILA - Inheritance, Usually from Separation
We inherit by our birthright. When a life's cycle ends, the next of the lineage inherits the wealth and responsibility. Sometimes a retreat is necessary from the severity of the loss. Meditation is to take the retreat to find the true meanings of what actions are to be taken since the influences of the past are now gone. New ideas may be introduced and tried with the acquiring of the new items.

25. THE UNKNOWABLE - Rune of No Meaning
Some dispute the existence of this as a true rune. The meaning is that of the non-knowable nature. It is the black hole of knowledge. Zero by anything is still zero and it sometimes represents the darkest fears of us because it represents the nothingness we may come from and may return to. Use meditation on this concept to confront your darkest fears of our reality. This Rune is Blank.