Runecasting – True Destiny

I like to draw things out. I find it helpful to see patterns when thinking about energy flow. Various katas I created for my Brown and Black Belt tests were both written and drawn out over most of the mirrors in the dojo. The students were accustomed to filtered viewing of themselves during class, after all, in Kenpo, environmental issues are always considered. It only really affected my youngest son, who loved watching himself as he sparred the adults, never looking at them as he trounced them during the match. True, it was point fighting, but he was only eight at the time, so it was what it was. As a mom, I was proud, my baby boy and all. As an instructor, I had to set boundaries. It might have been workable if he would have looked at his opponent once in a while during the match, but he preferred to grin from ear to ear as he watched himself spar the other guy in the mirror. Annoying, yet adorable just the same, not to mention downright hilarious.

Anyway, back to drawing things out. I view runes as expressions of motion, so I like to view the relationship between the runes on each axis present in a spread. This spread illustrates the landscape at hand with three nonphysical influences above and three physical influences below with an X pattern in the middle. As an empath, I feel energy move about, change density, become receptive or projective, become chaotic or calm. That movement tells the story of what’s happening in the present moment far more accurately than what we see or hear. In Kenpo, we teach that movement has three perspectives or points of view: defense, offense and the bystander, similar to the receptive, projective energies and the observer resonance experienced by empaths. It was no coincidence that I was drawn to Kenpo, or runes given that they depict that same energy flow.

Kenaz, Gebo and Tiwaz begin the spread on the middle line illustrating influences of the general landscape. Above, representing nonphysical influence, sits the trinity of Ehwaz, Isa and Ingwaz; below, the physical influence of Berkano, Algiz and Nauthiz. There is a horizontal and a vertical axis as well as two following the X pattern begun interestingly enough by Gebo. Each line, if you will, is a stream of energy, similar to a ley line, blending the influences of the three runes comprising each one. With Gebo in the center, the rune of balanced energy exchange, the spread tells a story of how we balance our nonphysical and physical selves. In other words, how we balance the equation of our lives.

What I find interesting is that the spread mirrors the three pillars found on the Tree of Life in that the runes on the feminine or receptive energy side are both feminine runes, while the opposite is reflected on the masculine or projective side of the tree. The nonphysical trinity begins with a dual, balanced expression of masculine and feminine energies inherent in Ehwaz, with balanced support from Isa and Ingwaz. The lower, physical trinity of influence blends that same masculine/feminine balance into the feminine energy of creation. The vertical line reflecting the concept, as above, so below, reflects again the balanced force of creation, traveling into physical creation, the realm of the Goddess.

 

Briefly, the general meanings are as follows:

Kenaz – clarity, knowing, opening, binding together two forces in creation. Rune of openings 
Gebo – balanced energy exchange, interaction between two forces, physical/nonphysical, partnership
Tiwaz – moral compass, justice, order, corresponds to Libra, faith, trust, Divine Law
Ehwaz – Synchronicity, cooperation, commitment, momentum, collective consciousness
Nauthiz – need, necessity, self-knowledge, true destiny
Isa – stillness, inner focus, bridge to consciousness
Algiz – protection, defense, boundaries, Divine protection
Ingwaz – sudden release of energy, potential
Berkano – fertility, Great Mother rune, new beginnings, bringing ideas to fruition, bringing into being, family

Physical presence expressed on the horizontal axis is a balance of nonphysical and physical energies..energies that push and pull, expand and contract, that are considered masculine and feminine, projective and receptive. As the rune of openings, Kenaz sits on the left side of the physical axis, its feminine, receptive, transformative influence in balance with Tiwaz, the ardent warrior, the exemplar of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, on the right, masculine, projective side of the axis. Gebo in the middle of the spread balances that passion/creativity of Kenaz with the moral compass, justice, and order of Tiwaz.

On the vertical axis, Gebo balances the collective consiousness of Ehwaz with Nauthiz, our need for discovery, for creation and transformation. It is the realm of alignment, of nonresistance, of momentum and represents our vehicle of incarnation, our merkaba or quantum field as we focus into being.

The nonphysical trinity of influence brings together the influences of Ehwaz, Isa and Ingwaz. Synchronicity of the collective consciousness, cooperation, commitment, and momentum initiated by Ehwaz is supported by the stillness and receptive inner focus of Isa and the sudden release of energy and potential of Ingwaz. Our decision to incarnate has been made.

Below the landscape, Nauthiz, Berkano and Algiz influence our creative physical expression. Nauthiz represents our need to discover our true destiny in life, our transformation into our true self. Bringing ideas to fruition, the Great Mother rune, Berkano blends receptive influence with the protective, projective influence of Algiz, asserting personal choice and establishing the boundaries necessary for positive growth. It’s easy to lose oneself in the drama of the world. The interaction of influences of these runes support the alignment with Source, our only true need, expressed on the vertical axis of the  spread.

Gebo resembles an X. If you extend that X outward, two more lines are created. Isa, Gebo and Algiz on the receptive side of the X axis, blend inner focus and stillness with Divine protection, bringing to mind the influence of the Higher Self as Isa also represents the bridge to consciousness and Algiz represents the Bi-Frost Bridge to the nonphysical realm. Ingwaz, Gebo, Berkano, the projective side of the X axis, foster creation by the sudden release of energy bringing creation into being, our Higher Self and the co-creative energy of Source within always lovingly surrounding us.

Our destiny here, our reason for existing in physical form at all, is to create, to be that co-creative extension of Source Energy, in loving participation with all other expressions, all other manifestations. We are here to be aware of our oneness in Source with all others, awakening to that blessed inner stillness, that resonance which brings clarity and enlightenment. Runes provide us a pathway to that discovery of self.

~Blessed be the runes!