ægishjálmr

http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/aegishjalmr.shtml

mystical marriage

Gebo

"It is the giver, the giving, the given and that which is given to... By the power of this rune persons are bound together through an act of will in order to effect a result." (Thorsson)

According to Paxson, this rune also governs esoteric exchanges, "especially exchanges of of energy or magical power, whether between individuals or between humans and gods." (Paxson, 2005)

Gundarsson also suggests that Gebo has a sacrificial role - as Odin sacrificed himself to himself, so "the vitki's sacrifice to himself or herself [is] a prelude to transformation."

It's amazing what happens on a misty morning

Bindrunes

A way of combining runes for the purpose of magic. They are a potent force and can be used for good or ill. The vitki can take some creative license in her work to ensure that the bindrune is ascetically pleasing as well as powerful.

Stay tuned

Wherever you are is precisely where I want to be

Thurisaz

Thurisaz represents the giants, Thor or both. The Jotnar were the giants in Norse mythology - the enemies of the AEsir. It fell to Thor to protect humans from the power of the Jotnar - their power being natural forces that can destroy. I see these forces as being psychological, emotional etc. Just as Restall-Orr treats fear as 'deity', a current to be respected but one that can be stepped out of (Restall-Orr, 2006), all such forces can be treated this way. Thus, Thor is needed. James Peterson suggests, 'the thurses, or Jotnar, represent elemental, unconscious, irrational, or chthonic forces." Sibley continues, 'It represents those powers that can grip and seize one with surprise and terror." (Paxson, 2005)

As Thor is a reliable and dependable force for regeneration and fertility, his protection in overcoming these forces is welcome. From their defeat comes new life and liberty.

Realisations

"Realisations come in bursts, exquisite breakthrough moments followed by frustrating periods of no change... Gently we find the freedom to let the wild soul breathe.

What we actually see in our increased sensitivity is up to each individual to decide. The same is true of where we go, when we have broken up the limitations of the mind and, no longer constrained by beliefs and expectations, we find ourselves in what appear to be entirely different worlds.

What the individual sees, what he experiences, is framed by his own footsteps upon the path. We see through the filters of our own physiology, our ancestry, our cravings and understanding.

What is important is simply that in our visions we find inspiration, new ideas, insights and realisations. What is equally crucial is that they are integrated, that the energy of that inspiration can flow through into true expression of our soul's creativity." (Restall-Orr, 2006)

open the door

When you are told to open the door, it is wise to obey.

But, opening the door is only the beginning. You have to walk through into the next space.

There are things to learn, to see and to understand.

Hagalaz

Hail. Ice. Sleet. All things cold that fall from the sky. "Hail shocks you with stinging hardness (confrontation) then it melts into water which creates germination of seeds (transformation)." (ref: http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/hagalaz)
It can mean that a destructive power beyond your control is coming and that change will obviously follow in its wake. Esoterically, this can mean that there will be fundamental changes to your own patterns and ways of thinking. These changes will be brought about by external powers. You can prepare for it by accepting that it will happen, and "...live within the limitations of nature and accept events beyond human control." (Paxson, 2005)
When bound by JERA and BERKANO, the outcome is good - JERA is the harvest, the results of the good work done through the season. While JERA is vulnerable to the powers of HAGALAZ, the existence of BERKANO suggests, "...bringing into being..." (Gundarsoon in Paxson, 2005). It is about new growth from the branches broken by HAGALAZ.

Real Spirits?

"The difference between a real spirit and a spirit which we imagine at an idle moment or while reading a horror story is that the former connects with realms of energy and consciousness and the power of the deep mind, while the latter is more or less constructed by the ego and connects with very little. Its shape is like an emplty shell. The real spirt will have a mind of its own and enough power to upset the ego if needed, while the constructed spirit will simply reflect our wishful thinking, and this is a vast difference, no matter that thier bodies are equally imaginary."
(Fries, 2006)

The Druid Philosophy

According to Restall-Orr (2008), "...Druidy is unambiguoulsy polythestic: it accepts that there are not one but countless gods. As far as archaeologists and historians can access and understand the clues left by time, Druidry always has been polytheistic and contiunues to be so."

How does that apply to me:

Who is right? Which philosophy has the answers? I know which ones are more acceptable to mainstream society. I know which ones are deemed to be nothing more than romantic links to a bygone day. I also know what my experience is and how it relates to the theories and practices I have read so far. Restall-Orr's words make sense: "...if we get stuck in the sticky details of other's visions and experience, we can quickly find ourselves tying to accept or believe in something that doesn't settle naturally within us."

Imbolc

Also known as Spring Equinox, Imbolc is a major festival in the Celtic calender. It is celebrated at the first sign of spring. In the Southern hemisphere, that is early August - wattle season. Imbolc celebrates the return of warmth after a long winter.
On a personal level, it celebrates the emergence of a new commitment after a long period of internal reflection. The seed starts to break through the soil and test the air above. Sometimes it is too cold, and the new shoots may be burnt by the frost or want to retreat to the warmth of the soil. Eventually though, it is warm enough to start to bloom and reach for the sky.
It is the time to put into action the new plans and ideas that began to take shape during winter.

Who watches over us?

In Norse mythology, a fylgia is a supernatual being who accompanies a person and is connected to their fate or fortune. Usually, it appears in animal form but can also appear in human form- normally the opposite sex of the person concerned. Fylgia or fetch are bound to a specific person for life and act as a guardian spirit.

In Ancient Greece, the daemons were divided into good and bad categories. The good would watch over humans and keep them out of trouble. Christian writers used this term and applied it to demons - nasty spirits associated with the devil.

Jung applied the terms anima/animus. For a female, her animus is in male form and represented the true inner self of an individual. It is the totality of the unconscious masculine psychological qualities possessed by a female. It manifests itself in dreams and also in how women relate to men and vice versa. This may be an over simplification - but I am still weary of Jung!

Synchronicity

"A synchronicity is a meaningful coincidence, when outer events (happenings) coincide with a psychic event (an awareness of meaning)." (Thorsson, 1999)

These are moments when meaningfulness, consciousness and time all come together and shake hands, creating an "ahhh" moment. It is at these times that true change can happen, but only if we are aware of the moment.

For me, this is like fireworks! There is lots of noise and light, and a real buzz throughout my body.

Fate

Ancient Germanic lore had a number of ways to describe and explain the concepts of fate. The first was the three norns - Urdhr, Verdhandhi and Skuld. These sister are the weavers of fate, the three hags who sit in the roots of the World Tree, spinning and unspinning the fates of all. Each represents a time: Urdhr is the past, Verdhandi is the present and Skuld is the future. In old Germanic lore, fate is not a set thing, but, "...is being transformed constantly by ongoing action." Thorsson (1999) continues: "[fate] itself is a complex idea. The word (in Old Norse) literally means 'primal layers', or 'primal laws' and really indicates action that has been laid down in the past... both the past actions we have dealt out...in the previous existences of our essential selves, and that which others...have dealt out to us over the same span of time."

Interestingly, in Greek mythology, there were also three sisters known as the fates. Clotho was the sister who was responsible for the birth, death and lives of men (humans). Like the norns, the Greek sisters used thread to weave the fates of humans.

The norns are also known as the Wyrd Sisters, Wyrd meaning 'life unfolding'. Stories abound of parents taking their children to the 'norns' to have their fates read. According to Bates (2002), "Through the centuries, stories about the three sisters persisted. In England, they are mentioned by the medieval poet Chaucer, and famously a few centuries later by William Shakespeare in his play Macbeth."

For the ancient Germanic and Scandanavian vitki, the purpose of runecasting was to try to get a picture of what had been spun by the Wyrd Sisters. Once a person's 'fate' is made visible by the runes, it can be read and analysed - not necessairly changed, but perhaps better understood.

Ancient Theories of Soul

I wasn't aware of how many of the ancient philosophers had pondered the concept of a soul - and me, a teacher of Ancient History!

The thinking underwent several revolutions throughout the Greek era and some of the key philosophers were: Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras and Epicurius. Many of the theories are a little odd to me, bit some are very interesting.

Socrates asked:

"Haven't you realised that our soul is immortal and never destroyed?"

What a great question! He goes on to say not only is the soul immortal, but also " ...it contemplates truths after its separation from the body at the time of death."

Plato continues the thinking by pondering the idea of a imperishable soul and a perishable body - do both t he body and soul die when the body dies?

Aristotle's theory suggests that, "...all of the vital functions of all animate organisms are related to the soul." That's a big responsibility for the soul!

Epicurius holds that the soul is made up of atoms, inclusing a mysterious kind of atom that accounts for sense-perception. It is also made up of two parts - rational and irrational.

Stoic philosophy (Marcus Aurelius was a stoic) limits the responsibilities that Aristotle outlined the soul had. This was quite a revolution in thought for its time. (ref:http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/#4)

Pythagorus was not just a maths genius. He also believed the soul was immortal and after the death of a person, it would transmigrate into other animals. He also believed that, "...after certain periods of time the things that have happened once happen again and nothing is absolutely new." This is the theory I like best. (ref:http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pythagoras/)

Ancestor Knowledge

I am very interested in how we know what we know. I don't mean the knowledge, facts, stats etc we get out of books, or that we learn from the TV, radio or from talking to others. I mean the knowledge and information that is stored deep within our own souls and our minds, the intimate knowledge unique to each person.

The runes
The rune Othala relates to community, kin, family and ancestors and inheritance. Gundarsson (1990/3) writes that, "...this inheritance may include not only genetic material inherited from one's physical ancestors, but the spiritual legacy of one's previous lives." Paxson (2005) suggests that "...rather than physical inheritance, Othala may indicate connection with an ethnic group-soul."

The Druid Concept
IN her book (2004), Emma Restall Orr comments that, "...at any time, an ancestral soul may touch the cells that ignite the moment of conception. Created by the spark of the spirit, the soul establishes its link to the zygote, guiding its development from there. Thus our ancestors become our descendants... " She goes on to say that, "Listening to our ancestral songs, finding the notes of our genes, our history, blood and bones, the wash of continuity through evolution is exquisite, sometimes painful but always poignant."

Collective Unconscious
This is the one I struggle with. I am least able to understand psycho-babble....... Carl Jung coined the term "collective unconscious" to explain the idea that each of us share knowledge and experiences common to all humanity. Jensen et al (1997) comment that the collective unconscious is, "a reservoir of the experience of our species." This collective unconscious is separate to the personal subconscious, which is particular to each human being.