The Runes as a Personal Gnosis
On the evening of April 5th 2023 I underwent a full moon ritual that going in I knew would turn my practice inside out in the best way possible. This ritual was and is necessary to move further along my path. Since I've been awakened the Runes have been everywhere in my craft. Since the beginning I've had to reversely learn them in a way as I knew them innately and was able to draw and use them without knowing what was flowing from my fingertips.
After my initial awakening I was met by Odin and Freya and they introduced me to the world of Esoteric practices, with the help of my now little sister answering all my asinine questions. Through Odin's and Freya's teachings and guidance I learned the Runes, and began my deep dive into Norse Heathenry cultures and Seidr practices, as well as divination, traditional and folk magic. Everything was new, and exciting and I let Odin's thirst take hold and I was taking in everything. And then I hit necromancy, and soul work and energy work and then the most important Deity to me made themselves known, my Fultrua Hel. She is as a mother to me, a best friend, and the best teacher I've had. She brought me to past lives, and hedgewalking. To cross over and to secrets of the Runes that I didn't know she held. Through her guidance I met the Norns and Heimdall, who in turn guided me in between the Wyrd, and the energy and strings of the cosmos. Hel was, is and will always be my Fultrua.
Fast forward two and a half years. I've penned my own Rune book, as well as a bindrune oracle deck; I've started a community and brand with my sister, for the eclectic friends like us. In addition I've interpreted the Runes in my own style, and in several other styles, as well as creating my Runic Ac Dey Magedca style of divination using the art of calligraphy and intuition to create bind runes for people's needs. I've developed my signature style of drawing bind runes and sigils using multiple disciplines, (ex. Ogham, Numerology, Astrology). Now I'll ask you to join me in the present, where my path has become increasingly more confusing and eclectic as I approach my personal Saturn return amongst the Earth's Saturn return phase as well. I'm now in several great education centers about different sects of polytheism; the most notably is the Gaulish discord server Touta Galation where i've learned of the Dewa’s Erditze and Artio who it seems will have a very prevalent role in my path going forward.
So now that we're all caught up with foundational details into myself in a smallish snapshot of my Praxis we can get into what I mean by, The Runes as a Personal Gnosis. I have been overwhelmed with anxiety and my nerves have been shot in the months leading up to this ritual. I knew there was a lot at stake, and that I would be saying goodbye to foundational aspects of this season of my path and adult life where my spirituality is concerned. This scared the Hel out of me, as i didnt know what to expect and in some ways I still don't, I've just gained my new foundation of me continuing into my next season. I seeked out counsel from those closest to me; and all relayed the same info, take the next steps, reach out. They sensed a conflicting of energies, my own against the change that was being set before me, and that's when I was asked to research a writeup for April, and I chose to focus on a Dewa of Spring and motherhood, Artio. The more I researched her, and delved into her lore, the more the advice from counsel fell into place and I began to feel more at ease about the incoming changes. This realization also tied into where I felt my praxis changing. Over this last year I've been trending towards soft polytheism, and a more animistic approach to worship and reverence and working with the energies around me, even moreso.
After I finished the paper on Artio I reached out to my past life sister, who led me through the counsel I needed, and that it needed to take place on the Pink Moon, the first full moon after the equinox. The paper was finished two weeks prior to writing this reflection. This Monday came around and I still had not laid out the structure of my ritual and it was two more days until the full moon. My past life sister came in clutch and shared the exact ritual I needed to base and modify my ritual off of. The ritual consisted of using Moon or blessed water to wash your hands of the negative, or other things you wished to clear yourself of coming into the new season. After the cleansing you then dry your hands feeling the warmth and setting the intent of welcoming what's to come, and the things you wish to manifest. I did keep this part of the ritual, but I also added my altar plate and scrying mirror as a base beneath the bowl and invited the Deities and Dewa and any other entity or energy that I've worked with, or would like to work with me to come forward and speak. They chose this night to speak through the Runes.
The ritual served as a starting place to see where the Beings lay, and whether or not they were staying and going into the next season with me. Once I used the Runes to identify all parties I was instructed to walk to them. To engage in trancework and go speak to them. After receiving the direction I lit my trigger incense and put on my playlist of mixed pagan-aligned music. I then sat back in my seat and began my deep breathing hands open and allowing myself to go wherever it was deemed I needed to go. Once I felt land, I looked around me and saw the different species of what I like to call the Royal trees; Oak, Birch, Ash, Rowan, Elm etc. But when looking down it was as if I was looking into mirror glassed water, so still it looked like black ice. I turned my head north, and nothingness aside from stars and colors, and whisps never moving. They brought me to the in-between, inside the lines of the web, where everything convenes and changes and is malleable. Finally looking forward I saw a giant orange glow, it appeared as if the grove of trees and life I was in was on fire, but I did not discern any immediate danger, but the opposite, that it was indeed my destination.
And so I began my walk towards that enormous orange glow, and as I was walking I noticed the ground I was walking upon began to change from lush grass, to dirt and gravel, and then finally to stone; smooth carved purpose made stone laid down as a road or path. I also made the observation that the grove was changing from a grove, but into mountainous terrain, dangerous and rocky, the trees were untamed and it had a primal intimidation about it. The further I walked the smaller the glow was getting as well and I knew I was getting close. When i arrived at my destination i knew it because the land gave way to a huge base of what had to be a mountain i could not see the top or ends on either side. What also gave it away was those gathered in front of it. Hel, Odin, Freya, Thor, Tyr, Loki, Heimdall, The Morrigan, Lugh, The Queen of the Unseelies, Erditze, Artio, and Deity or Dewas i couldn't place. One that was not present was the ferryman Charon which surprised me if i'm honest, as he helped me learn valuable lessons as well. They all stood in silence and as I reached the space in front of them the mountain appeared to move, and shudder. After the rock surface settled the Runes appeared on the mountain side. Each one as big as a large dining table. Once they all appeared, still glowing that same orange, the beings gathered decided to walk through Fehu’s door for lack of a better world. They treated Fehu as a portal, and one by one they walked through, Hel being the last to go through. All walked through but two; Erditze and Artio.
Once this happened a knowing epiphany came over me. My season of Fehu is over, now begins the season of Uruz, and after realizing or hearing that Artio and Erditze shifted into animal form and walked through the Uruz portal. I asked the question what does this mean? Who am I working with? How do I walk this out? I was met with a kind rumble, a voice of the earth; it said “Are you not the one who says you are one with the Runes? That is your answer. You answer and revere the Runes. They are your guiding powers, we are but ways to help you learn the lessons of the great Runic energies of the cosmos and liminal spaces. They are the in-between, the deep, the mysteries that you are so drawn to. You require no deity, or divine being, as you already have an insurmountable amount in them. The Runes.” The voice which I now attribute to Artio then stated my cheesy line I adopted from Star Wars-Rogue One and she said. “You are one with the Runes, The Runes are with you.”
That's when I was brought back, and was once again in my space. I no longer have a matron or patron or a spirit team that is recognizable to most. My fylgia is a legion of ancestors, and my deities are The Runes themselves, the energies, deities, and archetypes that come forward are to help me learn the true meaning of what each rune means in its season, and to personalize and evolve with them into the best version of myself.
If you decided to read this, thank you. This was a way to write down my experience and to help me make more sense of what exactly happened and it did just that. Stemming from this experience it's been posited by my colleagues and editors if I'd be willing to go in depth by what I mean by the powers, , and the idea behind the Runes being these deity level energies. Looks like it's time for a new series; Join me on this “Journey through the Runic Cosmos”!
-Liagis