Tag: meditations on elder futhark runes

Reworking Runes

©2022 Michael Raven

I wanted to let anyone interest know that I am going through the pages for my Elder Futhark rune interpretations and giving them a newish coat of paint, modifying a few elements to hopefully make them more useful to others, and to clean up the errata.

After more than a year of using runes for personal reflection, a lot of things have changed in my mind since those pages were originally created. I have a slightly different understanding on some runes, while others have evolved more significantly. I’ve only hit the first three so far (fehu, uruz, and thurisaz), but plan to revisit all of them to clean house between now and sometime early next year.

A brief, incomplete list of changes made or being made:

  • Moderate formatting changes to make each rune a little easier to read about for visitors other than the primary audience of me.
  • Clean-up of meanings to remove direct associations with proper nouns from Norse mythology (some Old Norse and Icelandic words are retained). We can discuss my reasons for electing to do this if you wish, but the main reason is that I feel that the Elder Futhark (and derivatives) have a broader application beyond a single culture, some of which may have never bothered to consider someone such as, for instance, Thor. Proper names for aetts are have currently been retained, but may change in the future.
  • Transforming “/” to commas in interpretations to eliminate bleeding paragraphs on smaller screens.
  • Combining more interpretations on a single line where the meaning appears to echo, or directly infer, another meaning already listed.
  • Removing some “color commentary” in the meanings. Where additional information might be needed, I will try to link to moderately reputable sources.
  • [Forthcoming] I plan to add a “bucket aett” for runes that are outside the Elder Futhark, but have a close relationship with the Elder Futhark (e.g., Futhorc).

I know not everyone is quite so enamored as I am with runes, but I find them to be a useful way to think outside the box, to break the pattern of my normal thinking processes (which is how I approach tarot and other card oracles).

Please let me know if you visit the rune pages and find anything broken.

runepoem | 20 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

hagalaz (ᚺ)

sowilo (ᛋ)

fehu (ᚠ)

with a ghost at my side
dolmen doors open
unlocking underworld
understanding

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 19 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

tiwaz (ᛏ)

kenaz (ᚲ)

pertho (ᛈ)

meandering trails
appear to lead astray
additional alchemy
flame transforms
sacrifices made

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 17 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

isa (ᛁ)

tiwaz (ᛏ)

wunjo (ᚹ)

balanced on a
razor thin edge
eternal moment
only place where whole

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 15 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

kenaz (ᚲ)

laguz (ᛚ)

fehu (ᚠ)

her spirit journeys
on wing & prayer
over water, full of flame

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 14 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

eihwaz (ᛇ)

mannaz (ᛗ)

sowilo (ᛋ)

crossing over
no more hiding
behind shadow
or the poison path
time to rise to obligation

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 13 may 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

After a six-week hiatus, I am using runes for my prompt today because the mushin prompt, “cooper”, does not have good kanji that I can easily find, nor does it resonate with me today. I may return to using the runes — at least intermittently — for my “uncontrived” writing each day.

pertho (ᛈ)

ingwaz (ᛜ)

kenaz (ᚲ)

what chance today --
a spark ignites
a torch to
light the Way?

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 04 apr 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

mannaz (ᛗ)

wunjo (ᚹ)

thurisaz (ᚦ)

two joyous ones
hand in hand
mouth to mouth
&
breath for breath
pain as they slide into
solitude

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 31 mar 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

isa (ᛁ)

wunjo (ᚹ)

uruz (ᚢ)

entranced & enchanted
by joyous promise
ground out such things
put your ear down & 
listen to the earth

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.

runepoem | 28 mar 2022

©2022 Michael Raven

dagaz (ᛞ)

gebo (ᚷ)

pertho (ᛈ)

> between spaces empty <
after uncertain trades
cast the lots
& await returns:
maybe large
maybe small
certainly, ørlǫg

Note: For the purposes of these runepoems, I randomly select three runes and consider the meanings of each rune as I interpret and understand them based on a number of different resources, which may or may not be in alignment with accepted interpretations. I am a rune enthusiast, not an expert or scholar. These “runecasts” are not intended to be treated as divinatory, although there are elements of personal alchemy and shamanic practice in the crafting of each poem.