bloodteethandflame

A life in threes

Month: June, 2017

New.

In a further effort to dedicate to working with Odin, I decided to order a new set of runes recently.

Though I have two other sets – one Elder Futhark and one Anglo-Saxon – in keeping with the spirit of creating a new devotional practice, I wanted to have a custom set made specifically for working with Odin.*

After receiving some recommendations and talking to different artisans, I chose a rune-craftsman whose shop is based in the Ukraine – Eril’s Workshop -because his work is simply stunning:

 

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So my new runes were finished last week.

The artisan sent me a neat little photo essay that showed the creation process of my runes.

The runes blanks he used are made of a beautiful light oak – the color of honey -uniformly cut and neatly carved.

Despite being made of slices of oak, looking at the photos, they appear deceptively thin, light as feathers.

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And they are…my runes arrived today.

They remind me of delicate cookies – honey wafers.

(Yes, the color of them does make me (almost!) want to lick them, imagining the sweet flavor of Daelmans Dutch Honey Wafers.)

I will be blooding them in the next few days, with intent to begin using them soon; perhaps by this coming Wednesday. 🙂

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*Yes, I thought about making my own runes.  Perhaps that will be a project for further down the road.

 

 

 

Rune-pull: Uruz.

I haven’t done a rune-pull in a long time, but the other day, I had the surprising urge to do so.

And I pulled Uruz.

(artwork: Uruz, by Miky, from his Book of Shadows; here.)

Funny, of all the runes, I will admit that Uruz – the second rune of the first Aett of the Futhark – does not come up in my readings very often, and so I am not as familiar with its meanings as much as I am about some of the other runes.

This is odd, as I was showing my son K a bindrune that I had seen that incorporated Dagaz, Gebo and Uruz as part of its structure earlier that morning, so it was an unusual coincidence that this rune –which I had mentioned to K that I was not so familiar with – would be the next rune to come up in a rune pull.

How amazing it is when the Universe conspires to highlight a lesson.  I was just saying I wasn’t so sure of the meanings/power of Uruz…and now here it is. Perhaps I should have expected it.

My overall impressions of this rune are vague at best, as I knew that it is a rune associated with that animal, the auroch (as pictured in the artwork above), and in a reading, I often felt Uruz represented a physical obstacle or unpleasant task that must be faced in order to move forward.

Doing some research on Uruz, I found this description, and I was pleased to see that my basic impression of Uruz wasn’t so far off:

This rune signifies the power of the universe but it is a power that cannot be owned or controlled. [Uruz represents] the strength within you to fulfill your dreams, but with that strength comes responsibility.  Strength is not a force to wield over others but a force to stop others from exerting power over you.  Use your strength to keep focused on your present path and stop yourself from being outmaneuvered.  

[Other aspects of Uruz] include emotional and spiritual strength, male sexual potency, and good health.

Another interpretation I got when reading the translation from the above mentioned website that featured the artwork:

Uruz is a physical manifestation of a challenge which leads to a major life change. Much depends upon the strategy you choose when you approach this challenge or task, as you may be required to overcome yourself in rising to the challenge or task.

Uruz represents personal success, so be ready to accept the process and…step into personal power. 

Uruz is also known as a rune of healing and health, so if you need that vitality,  Uruz is the rune.