{"id":18583,"date":"2018-10-01T01:10:31","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T06:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=19173"},"modified":"2018-09-29T11:20:44","modified_gmt":"2018-09-29T16:20:44","slug":"the-road-to-runes-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/10\/01\/the-road-to-runes-5\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road to Runes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Road to Runes: Keeping it Balanced<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Any divination can be a double-edged sword. And isn\u2019t it interesting that sword is an anagram of \u2018words\u2019; our fiercest weapon and most powerful tool. We practice divination through our words, by asking questions of the universe or our deities via tools such as the runes. But it can be hard to ask the right questions, and very easy to attribute meaning in hindsight. How can we be sure that the interpretation of the runes is in relation to what we\u2019ve asked, and that we are not just shaping it around the answer we hope to receive?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

False Positives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m not talking pregnancy tests! Although I do know of situations where the runes have indicated possible future fertility, but that\u2019s quite another story. A false positive is what I call it when someone purposefully takes only the positive aspects of a rune and applies them to their situation or question. It\u2019s so tempting to reach only for the positive outcome, but in divination, we\u2019re looking for accuracy, not platitudes. It\u2019s even harder to avoid falling into this trap when doing readings for others, as who wants to be the bearer of bad news?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Balanced Readings<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, just because a rune or rune spread carries negative connotations, it doesn\u2019t mean a reading is all bad news. It\u2019s important to look at both aspects of the runes; the \u2018bad\u2019 and the \u2018good\u2019. Many aspects that may seem bad may actually be about cleansing or something negative being swept away or destroyed. Or they could be indicating the tumult of a current situation rather than a future outcome.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example. Today I drew Thurisaz in relation to a question about a personal issue I was dealing with. Thurisaz means \u2018giants\u2019 and is shaped like a thorn, representative of conflict and pain. It\u2019s associated with both Loki and Thor, particularly the tormenting and aggressive aspects of these deities. Immediately, I started looking for alternative meanings to the rune, and ways it could be viewed positively. Of course, there are positive aspects to Thurisaz. Conflict can lead to resolution, or the rune may indicate that you are being resistant to change. It can indicate a breakthrough or breaking down internal blockages that have been preventing you from progressing. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

divination vs. hope<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My problem wasn\u2019t that the rune doesn\u2019t have a positive aspect. It was that I immediately began to try and skew the rune\u2019s meaning to a positive outcome for my question. This is not divination, it\u2019s just being hopeful. Reading the runes should come with a balanced approach, and the understanding that the answers received might not be what we were expecting or looking for. But we should take them on board, just the same.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In my situation, once I took a deep breath and stopped grasping for the good, thurisaz means I might have to drastically alter my own view of myself and accept that there are parts of myself that I want to change, and actually do something about them rather than just saying \u201cthis is who I am.\u201d It tells me that there is pain, and may be more pain, but that it\u2019s up to me to take responsibility for my own actions and resolve to be the change I want to see; to set an example.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> Remember, the runes are sending a message in response to your question, or allowing you to dredge your own answers from your subconscious. Just because these answers aren\u2019t always happy and hopeful, doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t useful. Keep yourself open to all aspects of the reading, and of course, that includes the positive aspects too. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Next month I\u2019ll be talking about how to frame our words and questions in the best way to get the most effective readings. Contact me via Twitter @Mabherick if there\u2019s a particular rune you\u2019d like me to focus on.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mabh Savage<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She is the author of\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> and\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Road to Runes: Keeping it Balanced Any divination can be a double-edged sword. And isn\u2019t it interesting that sword is an anagram of \u2018words\u2019; our fiercest weapon and most powerful tool. We practice divination through our words, by asking questions of the universe or our deities via tools such as the runes. But it can be hard to ask the right questions, and very easy to attribute meaning in hindsight. How can we be sure that the interpretation of the runes is in relation to what we\u2019ve asked, and that we are not just shaping it around the answer we hope to receive? False Positives No, I\u2019m not talking pregnancy tests! Although I do know of situations where the runes have indicated possible future fertility, but that\u2019s quite another story. A false positive is what I call it when someone purposefully takes only the positive aspects of a rune and applies them to their situation or question. It\u2019s so tempting to reach only for the positive outcome, but in divination, we\u2019re looking for accuracy, not platitudes. It\u2019s even harder to avoid falling into this trap when doing readings for others, as who wants to be the bearer of bad news? Balanced Readings However, just because a rune or rune spread carries negative connotations, it doesn\u2019t mean a reading is all bad news. It\u2019s important to look at both aspects of the runes; the \u2018bad\u2019 and the \u2018good\u2019. Many aspects that may seem bad may actually be about cleansing or something negative being swept away or destroyed. Or they could be indicating the tumult of a current situation rather than a future outcome. Here\u2019s an example. Today I drew Thurisaz in relation to a question about a personal issue I was dealing with. Thurisaz means \u2018giants\u2019 and is shaped like a thorn, representative of conflict and pain. It\u2019s associated with both Loki and Thor, particularly the tormenting and aggressive aspects of these deities. Immediately, I started looking for alternative meanings to the rune, and ways it could be viewed positively. Of course, there are positive aspects to Thurisaz. Conflict can lead to resolution, or the rune may indicate that you are being resistant to change. It can indicate a breakthrough or breaking down internal blockages that have been preventing you from progressing. divination vs. hope My problem wasn\u2019t that the rune doesn\u2019t have a positive aspect. It was that I immediately began to try and skew the rune\u2019s meaning to a positive outcome for my question. This is not divination, it\u2019s just being hopeful. Reading the runes should come with a balanced approach, and the understanding that the answers received might not be what we were expecting or looking for. But we should take them on board, just the same. In my situation, once I took a deep breath and stopped grasping for the good, thurisaz means I might have to drastically alter my own view of myself and accept that there are parts of myself that I want to change, and actually do something about them rather than just saying \u201cthis is who I am.\u201d It tells me that there is pain, and may be more pain, but that it\u2019s up to me to take responsibility for my own actions and resolve to be the change I want to see; to set an example. Remember, the runes are sending a message in response to your question, or allowing you to dredge your own answers from your subconscious. Just because these answers aren\u2019t always happy and hopeful, doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t useful. Keep yourself open to all aspects of the reading, and of course, that includes the positive aspects too. Next month I\u2019ll be talking about how to frame our words and questions in the best way to get the most effective readings. Contact me via Twitter @Mabherick if there\u2019s a particular rune you\u2019d like me to focus on. *** About the Author: Mabh Savage\u00a0is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist. She is the author of\u00a0A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors and\u00a0Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways. A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}