Mannaz et al.

   Its interesting to think of the Runes from the perspective of the 3 Aett.  It
gets me thinking about the why’s of it all.  Why study the runes?  What does
living the runes mean?  And now that I have regained my perspective…..

   Why study the runes?  That is a good question and one I think should carry
tremendous weight in the general scheme of things.  Having asked my self that
and run the gauntlet of possibilities, ranging from studying to read the runes
for divinatory purposes, expanding spiritual horizons ect, I have come to some
conclusions.  The runes are a pathway from one aspect of the self to another.
Each rune is a phase of life, a phase of the human experience, a phase of the
universal experience, a phase of magickal experience.  We begin the journey at
Fehu, spirit, essence of humanity.  Then comes Urus, the body, the flesh, DNA.
We then find ourselves at Thurisaz, the beginning of consciousness, what makes
us feel good, what makes us feel bad, knowing without understanding.  Ansuz is
the beginning of understanding, the moment we begin to reflect and ask why.
This leads to Raidho, law and ethics, values and morality and then Gebo, the
gift of discipline.  We exchange the pleasures of the Id
  for the freedom of structure and code.  This leads to Wunjo, and joy.  The
human spirit, mind and body cannot remain static for long, even in the presence
of joy, and we find ourselves at Hagalaz.  Here is where we begin to feel the
need for a continuation of the journey, we assess and find what we wish to take
with us, what we will leave behind, what can be changed, what must be destroyed.
Sometimes we are reluctant to make the journey, but the spirit cannot stop, and
it becomes necessary for the universe to thrust Hagalaz upon us, and we feel
that our lives are ripped apart.  Then we come to Isa, a moment of stillness
that allows the necessary changes to take place, slow evolution and transition.
We are born anew of ice.  As we return from the deep freeze, the cold sleep we
find that we must relearn ways of interacting with the world.  This takes time
and patience.  We learn this in Jera, the art of waiting for the right moment,
until we reach the point in the cycle that we must
  seize upon the next step using Eiwaz to make contact and “hook” what we need.
I think of a great merry-go-round, that we must jump onto as it spins ever
faster.  There is an element of risk and the unknown in this action.  Perthro
can be a boon or a bomb.  It is the unknown variable.  This leads us to an
understanding that the world exists beyond us, and that there is help to be
found there.  Algiz is help and protection.  Through Algiz we understand that
the void of Perthro need not be a fearful place when we place our faith and
trust on the protection and guidance of the Gods, our ancestors and other
helpful beings.  In this we find freedom and a sense of our own personal inner
power.  Our inner sun, Sowulo.  Through this act of discovering that fear cannot
defeat us, that all happens with a reason and purpose, we can move on to
discovery of the self.  The 3rd Aett is the gift of Allfather, and his gift is
the gift of the self.  We sacrifice our selves to our selves, and in turn
  we receive the gift of our Self.  We discover our inner warrior through Tyr,
and our inner mother through Berchta.  We discover that the polarities of
warrior and mother become one in Ehwaz.  Ehwaz is duality and the place in which
unity is born.  Here we find the magnetic force of attraction and longing for
both pieces of ourselves and others.  Mannaz is where we begin to move into the
world, acting on the longing for unity and togetherness that is community,
family, friends, and something more.  The active energy and fire of Dagaz causes
Mannaz to be a quandary of pushing and pulling, nurturing and destruction.
Mannaz is where we learn to manage ourselves, our environments.  When the
lessons of Mannaz are learned we can then move on to the gifts, Laguz, Inguz,
Dagaz and Othila.  Water, Earth, Fire and Air.  The final four runes are the
gifts and tools of the Shaman, the magician, the healer.  How they are used and
how effectively they are used depends upon the steps taken before,
  the completion and awareness of the cycles.

   I know now that I have begun to recieve the gifts of the tree, the freedom
that comes with knowledge of the self.  The gift of Odin.  I can choose what is
important to me, and I am no longer a slave to fears of loss and rejection.
Fear cannot defeat me, though it remains present, I can move through it, past
it, secure in the knowledge that what will remain is the most precious.  The
freedom to choose.