We have finally made it to The Third Aett, called Tyr’s Aett. Be ready for a longer read than usual, because in order to understand the Rune Tiwaz, you need to know one of my favorite stories. The shape of the Rune Tiwaz shifts slightly in some younger futharks: rather than a diagonal line on […]
You are probably most familiar with Algiz when it is included in a circle, used in the 1960s as a peace symbol. Algiz is a rune of safety, protection, and stability. This card is the opposite of the Suit of Swords, which is all about the world falling apart around you. I would love to […]
Perthro is the well from which people would draw the water to make beer. Perthro is the cup you drink from while you tell ridiculous stories with your friends at the tavern. Perthro is the empty dice cup you ignore in your hand as the dice roll across the table. Perthro is that moment before […]
Eiwaz is the rune of the Yew tree. It is therefore associated with archery, medicine, and Yggdrasil (the World Tree which, in some translations, is a yew). I therefore associate this card with The Knights of the Minor Arcana generally, and more specifically with The Knight of Wands. Yggdrasil literally means Odin’s Steed. In any […]
Jera is the Rune of the harvest, but it is also the rune of the hard work that goes into the harvest and the changing of the seasons. The Nine and Eight of Pentacles represent the practical parts of this rune, while The World and The Wheel of Fortune represent the natural cycles inherent in […]
Isa is the rune of ice, and the patience that ice represents. This Rune is similar to the Fours in the Minor Arcana, which are all about waiting. The Four of Pentacles is trying to be this Rune, trying to hold onto his money and not let anything change. Similarly, the Four of Cups is […]
Naudhiz is a Rune of your basic needs. Think about the Five of Pentacles, with the two poor people trudging through the snow under the light of a church which should be there to help them. Naudhiz is the Rune of their rumbling stomachs. You may have heard that Naudhiz is a fire Rune, but […]
Hagalaz is as close to The Tower as you’re going to get.
Wunjo is the Rune of joy. Think of the joy waiting for you at the end of the Four of Wands. It is an ecstatic joy, not merely the pride shown by the Nine of Pentacles. Unsurprisingly, though, the Suit of Cups, the suit of strong emotions, is the suit that is most closely associated […]
Gebo is the rune of the Six of Pentacles. However you read the Six of Pentacles, that is almost certainly a reasonable reading of Gebo. Gebo is the rune of gifts, but don’t think of birthday presents. Think of Yule gifts. I don’t know about your family, but in my family, the tradition at Yule […]