Whereas my other service is a consultation and guided meditation on a given problem, the creation of a Bindrune is a means of providing my client with a constant mimetic tool for overcoming a central issue once identified. A Bindrune is a sort of talisman or sigil made of a few Runes combined in order to evoke the forms associated with each. I will design and draw up your Bindrune, and provide a written summary of its constituent parts in PDF form. It will not solve your problems on its own, but it will help give you an edge.

It's what it says on the tin: I'll cast the Runes like one would with tarot in order to answer a question or provide insight on a troublesome matter. I place emphasis on solid, useable advice, as problems are not solved with empty platitudes.

Tiw’s Aett

TIWAZ – phonetic T, representing conquest, law, victory. The Germanic war god which preceded Wotan as folk patriarch (note the Aries to Scorpio evolution here), he was regarded simultaneously as a conqueror and as a lawbringer, thus sending a very clear, stark message about the substance of authority from an ancient perspective. Tiwaz also carries notes of sacrifice for a goal, as represented by the titular god losing his right hand in order to bind a great wolf. The Rune of taking and holding what is desired by any means necessary.

BERKANA – phonetic B, representing a wife, woman, mother. That which is nurturing and fertile, and symbolic of many of the female deities within the Germanic pantheon. Also representing the birch tree, which throughout European mythos is considered a symbol of fertility, and to early humans, it was a precious resource which offered much, and so in a sense, birch/Berkana was a very real mother to those people of the distant past.

EHWAZ – phonetic E/EH, representing a horse and its rider, a partnership. The relationship between a horse and rider is symbiotic, one must direct while the other goes where it is directed. Both need each other in order to function in this way, as neither will be nearly as effective without the other to complement the areas where they are lacking. This could also represent the mind and body dynamic, which function in much the same way as the aforementioned horse and rider – one to command, and one to obey.

MANNAZ – phonetic M, representing a folk, the tribe. The relationship between oneself and one’s people, “man” in a gender-neutral context. Note the appearance of two Wunjo Runes meeting, indicating a supremely positive cultural view of maintaining relationships with one’s peers, for survival was difficult back then, and a strong network of individuals supporting each other – the tribe – meant that an arduous existence was made somewhat less arduous due to the proverbial load being shared. Thus, kinfolk were a source of joy, as they were comrades in the struggle of life.

LAGUZ – phonetic L, representing deep water, a lake, the subconscious/deep mind. Once again evoking astrological symbolism in the form of Neptune, Laguz can be thought of as that which is liquid and solidifies into Isa, the conceptual which becomes actual. Being a liquid, Laguz is always is always in motion, deep and lightless, and home to all manner of strange, alien things.

INGUZ – phonetic ING, representing a seed, ejaculation. A masculine creative Rune which shares its name with a fertility god, and whose form depicts shoots growing upwards from the seed, or sometimes just the seed itself. Still other variants resemble the double helix of DNA, which is passed on via the seed/ejaculate. That which Berkana nurtures into maturity.

OTHAL – phonetic O, representing inheritance, homeland, ancestry. Legacy was a great deal more important to ancient Germanic tribes than it was to modern people, for to them, the family name was more than an inherited set of syllables, it was a history they were trusted to maintain and to contribute things of value to, and they in turn would pass this down to their sons and daughters, just as they would the more literal inheritance of land, material, station, etc

DAGAZ – phonetic D, representing day, morning, something revealed. That the Rune of dawn is at the end of the Elder Futhark (according to some, this is a point of contention which again relies more on internal consistency than any dogma) is fitting and well in line with Germanic views on life and death, beginning and end flowing ceaselessly into each other as with the yew tree. While Dagaz is commonly accepted to represent the break of day and the sun’s light revealing all, its placement at the end in this model also gives it a symbolic value of dusk, a time of ending before day gives way to night.

note - one will see that some of my Runes have been turned to the side, this is done so that the Rune depictied is facing the right way up.

Heimdall’s Aett

HAGALAZ – phonetic H, representing inclement weather, a storm. One bemoans skies of dark clouds, and the torrential downpour of rain, snow, hail, etc which often ensues, however, one cannot avert the course of weather patterns, and so are completely at the mercy of of nature’s indifferent cruelty. Despite such negative connotations, one must remember that the same precipitation which they might dread is also a key factor in growth and organic processes, and that their discomfort is not the intent of the rain, but merely an unfortunate side effect. This is the place where the Jotnar dwell – Jotunheim.

NAUTHIZ – phonetic N, representing poverty, the bare minimum for survival. Some have likened this Rune in its appearance to sticks being rubbed together in order to start a fire, thus it has been described as “need-fire”. Nauthiz lacks frills, being only what is truly needed to get by, and in the modern era of excess, it’s easy to think of pure necessity as “lacking” or otherwise deficient, but thousands of years ago, existence was considerably more harsh, and one often thanked their gods for something so trivial as a warm fire or a bit of food. If one has what one needs, it is hardly “poverty”.

ISA – phonetic I, representing ice, standstill, an imposed rest. Ice is quite literally water or another liquid which has been slowed down to the point of relative stillness, thus solidification. It is also worth noting, as certain others have, that water, when frozen into ice, floats to the surface, and so Isa can also be the manifestation of something which originated in the fluid depths, but has been solidified or “frozen” into a real form, and thus it has transitioned from the realm of concept to that of actuality.

JERA – phonetic J/Y, representing harvest, year. Quite literally a pair of sickles reaping what is sown, the harvest which is gathered after much planning and hard work – or the lack thereof. Supplementary understanding of mythology and other esoteric systems, such as astrology, lead one to equate Jera with Saturn, who is regarded as lord of time, harvest, and consequences, and who is as benevolent – or as cruel – as one’s own actions dictate.

EIHWAZ – phonetic EI, representing alchemy, sorcery, the transition from one phase to another. Evocative of the tarot’s Death card, Eihwaz is the yew tree, continually moving through stages, growing, dying, and rebirthing itself from its previous iterations. Having much more occult associations, it could be argued that Eihwaz is equally as much the Wotan rune as Ansuz, and it reveals a great deal of insight into how one would apply what is often called “witchcraft” in a practical manner, which is not to be thought of as spontaneous manifestation, but as guided phase changes to achieve a desired result.

PERTHRA – phonetic P, representing the lot-cup, Wyrd, the yoni. As mentioned in the previous article, I have removed the blank rune which came with my set, as Perthra already fills the role of being the chaotic tangle of the threads of fate or “Wyrd”. When one rolls dice, the result is assumed to be “random”. However, there are many subtle factors present in dice rolling, and hypothetically, if one could identify and control these factors, they could exert a reasonable amount of control over the outcome. The Chaos of data present in all things is not random, indeed, nothing is, rather, it is an order so complex that it is beyond normal human capacity to perceive, let alone control.

ALGIZ - phonetic Z, representing sacredness, protection, life. Various sources describe it as both an individual with his arms raised, which evokes imagery of a priest or one who is otherwise enraptured, and as the antlers of an elk, which are its primary means of defense. Algiz implies a sort of active defense, and not the passive sort as implied by a wall or shield, and it makes a clear statement that what is under its protection is sacred, a claim which is assured to be substantiated if the threat persists.

SOWILO – phonetic S, representing a bolt of lightning, the sun, both of which are matter in a highly energetic plasma state, and the opposite of Isa’s frozen stillness. Sowilo is quick and powerful, whereas Isa is motionless, Sowilo is dynamic, ever moving and brimming with energy, almost to the point of appearing impulsive. As with the hammer wielded by the thunder god, Thor, Sowilo is both a potent creator – and a destroyer.

It goes without saying that the most crucial parts of my practice are the Runes themselves. As previously stated, I use the Elder Futhark for its completeness as an esoteric system, but others exist, such as the Younger and the Anglo-Saxon, as well as the Armanen, which I consider as more supplementary than a standalone Futhark. The Elder Futhark is so-name for the first six Runes in its sequence, much like how the Alphabet is named for its first two letters, and is divided into three sets of eight, or “Aettir”, for a total of twenty-four Runes. Each Aett is given a name which corresponds with the first Rune in sequence, though there is no real orthodoxy to the exact names are they are purely mnemonic devices.

Interpreting the Runes is a tricky process, as there’s a complexity to symbolic language which absolutely requires cross-disciplinary study in order to fully utilise, in addition to lengthy and obsessive meditation on each Rune ad nauseam. It’s also crucial that one examine the meanings of each Rune in the same way that the ancient peoples who first used the Runes would have viewed such concepts, not necessarily in superstitious context, but in the hyper-practical way a true nature-worshiping tradition would engage them. They are quite compatible with any spreads commonly used in tarot, and in fact I tend towards the Cross spread most often, though I am open to using others, such as a simple three-Rune “past-present-future” spread or even drawing a single Rune to answer a single question. A point of contention among those who use the Runes is that of the inverse or “Merkstave” position, which is said to imply a negative or inverted state. I personally use Merkstave, as it clarifies what would otherwise be a vague reading, though there is no right or wrong in this case. Additionally, I have removed the blank from my set, as it is simply redundant and thus unnecessary in my opinion, which will be explored in greater detail when I get to the Rune which serves the purpose attributed to the blank.

As a final note before I begin with the first Aett, the observant will notice something peculiar about my Runes. I will leave the reader to solve this puzzle, as it is key to certain insights about the nature of Wotan that I think many overlook.

Freyja’s Aett

FEHU – phonetic F, representing cattle, wealth, assets to be carefully cultivated and tended to, spent only when in need. Unlike modern attitudes in regards to livestock, ancient peoples were reverent of those animals in their care, cattle being producers of food in the form of milk, and they would continue to provide so long as they were well-maintained. For as long as cattle were kept, one had wealth of sorts, in the form of a reliable food source, as well as a source of other goods such as leather and meat. Thus, Fehu is not just wealth, but the mindfulness which is able to create and sustain it.

URUZ – phonetic U, representing a large neolithic bull. I consider this Rune to be a hint of pre-civilisation traditions and lore, as the earliest believed instances of the domestication of the animal represented by Uruz, the Aurochs, date back to about 11,000 BCE. Uruz is something strong, physically healthy, stable. An earthy, grounded Rune.

THURS – phonetic TH, representing Thor and his struggle against the Jotnar, also called Thursar in some contexts (this is a subject of fascination for me and entire articles could be written just exploring these primordial giants). Thurs is conflict, harm, pain. The Anglo-Saxon poem for Thurs describes it as a “thorn” which at first seems nonsensical, until one considers what exactly a thorn’s purpose is – a small, vicious thing defending a frail plant against one who intends to harm it. Thurs is thus the conflict between a superior aggressor and a lone defender.

ANSUZ – phonetic A, representing wisdom, language, a god – more accurately, Wotan. Not so much knowledge, but the meta-knowledge to properly utilise knowledge. Intellect doesn’t just gather information, but instead gathers the means to use information most effectively, which is to say, wisdom. There is far too much data out there for anyone to ever take it all in, and so the real prize in one’s own mental faculties.

RAIDO – phonetic R, representing travel and the hardship thereof. In modern times, the means to travel quite easily over long distances is taken for granted, but back thousands of years ago, even a journey of maybe a hundred miles was not something undertaken lightly, requiring no small amount of preparation, and while en route, all number of things could go wrong which either impeded progress or halted it altogether.

KENAZ – phonetic K/C, representing a torch, knowledge. The distinction between Kenaz and Ansuz is vital, as the former without the latter is quite literally handling a torch without wisdom. It is knowing the inherent qualities of the world around oneself and the various reactions which can occur, though these reactions can prove destructive and catastrophic if initiated without thought.

GEBO – phonetic G, representing marriage, a gift, sex. The general themes of Gebo are that of an equal exchange, “this for that”. Something fair and balanced, as agreed upon by the parties involved.

WUNJO – phonetic W/V, representing joy and satisfaction. Nothing so simple as instant gratification or a fleeting pleasure, Wunjo is that which accompanies accomplishment, a sense that the results of one’s efforts are satisfactory. The sigh of relaxation after much straining and hardship.

When it comes to discussion of the Runes, a subject which is just as important as the god who first obtained them is the tree from which he hung to do so. Understanding the full symbolic value in a given myth enables one to attain the insight necessary to complete the chain between intangible, unreal things and tangible reality, in other words, looking past the flowery prose enables one to get to the heart of the matter, and so obtain practical information which, in its use, yields practical results. Most, if not all mythology contains bits of knowledge from people who lived much closer to the harsh reality of the natural world, and so they had to deal primarily in the kind of practical thinking which kept them alive – never mind that they didn’t understand the exact mechanisms of the world around them, but that they had functional models based upon their direct experiences was enough.

The world tree, according to the Germanic mythos, was a great yew tree called “Yggdrasil”. Other interpretations have likened it to an ash tree, and they are entitled to their (very wrong) opinions, but given the yew tree’s unique life cycle and poisonous traits, it is much more suitable to the morbid, Plutonian nature of Yggdrasil, and of Wotan himself, than an ash tree, which has no such attributes. The yew has a curious means of reproduction, wherein its branches grow so long that they root in the surrounding soil, either growing into individual trees or sometimes from the stump of the previous iteration. In addition, practically every part of the tree is extremely poisonous, and while folklore states that it might have mind-altering properties, attempting to ingest yew is strongly discouraged unless one’s goal is to validate Charles Darwin’s theories on natural selection.

In the mythos, Yggdrasil can be divided into three main regions, each with a series of subregions: The roots, the trunk, and the branches. Each serves a different role which, surprisingly for such an old mythos, can be substantiated by examination of a literal tree and its corresponding parts, and thus the wisdom of pagan traditions will outlive any written text, as it is contained within natural phenomena.

The roots of Yggdrasil contain very dark, earthy things, such as the Svardalfar, or “Dark Elves”, who forged Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, and Wotan’s spear Gungnir, and Helheim, a general sort of afterlife – and of course Nastrond, the corpse-shore; a sort of anti-Walhalla for the villainous and Sinister. Here, a great Wyrm, or serpentine dragon, named Nithoggr chews at the roots of Yggdrasil. This is also the place of the well of Urd, where Wotan offered his own right eye in exchange for wisdom and true sight. Much like a real tree, this is the part which holds it secure in the ground and provides nutrients from rotting matter, and here, everything which has died is broken apart and remade into new life. While unpleasant as decaying plant and animal remains might be, they are nevertheless essential parts of the whole, and to the nature worshiper, are as lovely as springtime blossoms.

Moving upward, the midsection/trunk contains the world of men, called Migard – and the forces which threaten it, known as the Jotnar, who dwell in the aptly named Jotunheim. As with all of Yggdrasil, which drips with symbolism of contrasting forces, such contrast can be seen in the war of transient order vs. primordial chaos which takes place between Midgard and Jotunheim, and in the meeting of fiery Muspelheim and icy Niflheim. This conflict between opposing elements is what drives the machinery of existence, and without it, there would be nothing, as no reactions would occur due to the lack of action. It may seem chaotic, even destructive at times, but the music of the spheres is in fact a cacophonous din.

The upper regions of Yggdrasil are, unsurprisingly, the branches. Home to the realm of the Gods – Asgard – and a race of ethereal beings called Alfar (Lljosalfar according to some obscure texts, or “Light Elves”), who, in contrast to the Svardalfar below, are more inclined towards the arts and other less practical interests than their earthy counterparts. It is here, in the great hall called Walhalla, that Wotan keeps the heroic individuals which he has selected from those who have met a spectacular end on the battlefield, where they wait until Ragnarok to ride into oblivion alongside Wotan – yet another instance of contrast, in this case a contrast to wicked Nastrond. A great eagle, whose name is unknown, dwells at the top of Yggdrasil, and unkind words are exchanged between it and the Wyrm Nithoggr in the roots. Ultimately the branches of Yggdrasil are a place of light and idealism, and while less substantial than the earth beneath it, a tree still needs the subtle nutrition of air and light in order to grow. It is a more peaceful, luminous contrast to the turmoil beneath, and to the darkness lower still – a less tangible, cerebral balancing factor which aspires upwards.

In my personal view, Yggdrasil is both a symbolic model of the world, and of oneself. The interplay between contrary aspects and the emphasis on a perpetual state of flux between what was and what will be. One who is rooted in what has passed while reaching upwards amidst earthly tumult, and extending downward once at the apex in order to start anew – a cycle of unending creation and destruction which, in my opinion, cements the Plutonian essence of Yggdrasil, and of Wotan, who hung from its branches and reached far down below to obtain the Runes from the darkness of the roots. Wotan is said to never remain in any one place for long, either, and is always wandering the realms of Yggdrasil, as he is in pursuit of wisdom, something which is not obtained just by lingering in once place with one’s nose in a book, but by going out and doing in order to obtain the kind of insight which is otherwise unobtainable.

As a final note, it is difficult to assemble a comprehensive model of Yggdrasil, given the dependence on fragmented, distorted accounts, which is an unfortunate consequence of the ravages of time. What I have done, and what I highly suggest anyone do with things like this, is read a few different sources and looked for common factors, and from these common factors, I have constructed a model. Is it this model the same as the ones used thousands of years ago? There is no way to be sure. However, if the model is internally consistent and holds up to its own logic, then it is enough, and one need not drive themselves mad with unanswerable questions of orthodoxy.

Art- 1886 Friedrich Wilhelm Heine

In my previous article, I discussed what the Runes were, as well as giving both mythical and historical origins for them. In the former, I mentioned that they were discovered by Wotan in a nine-day and nine-night ordeal, but just who exactly is Wotan? In this piece I will be exploring the mythic folk patriarch, who is not only an evocative figure of European mythos, but also representative of something more, which is only implied in the attributed stories.

Wotan is, according to myth, the Allfather and lord of the place of the gods known as “Asgard”. He often described as a god of wisdom and magic, and it is he who discovered the Runes. He is also given the attributes of war, poetry, death. He has many names, which are far too numerous to list here, but they describe both his personality and his appearance, as a gaunt, red-haired fellow with morbid inclinations and a touch of madness about him, intense and flinty-eyed. He frequently wears a cloak and a broad hat, and carries a spear called “Gungnir” or “Swaying One”. Accompanying him are the two ravens Hugin and Munin, and the two wolves Freki and Geri. Wotan is the son of the human male Borr and the Jotuness – female frost giant – Bestla, and he has fathered many sons himself, some by his wife Frigg, and others by more amusing/terrifying partners such as the Jotuness Jord. His exploits are many and varied, from the aforementioned discovery of the runes, to plucking his own right eye out in exchange for wisdom, to being the ancestor/founder of royalty, to his prophecised leading of the Einherjar – those warriors he has chosen from the dead – in a final apocalyptic battle called Ragnarok.

It has been difficult to find an exact historical point of origin for Wotan, with the Romans around the first century likening him to Mercury – albeit with distinct differences beyond their fixation on communication – after observing the rites of Germanic tribes. Much lore than exists is from a Christian perspective, written long after the period of Wotan’s dominance, as monks and scholars merely recount the fragments of legends from a bygone age. Given that several of Wotan’s names refer to him as an ancestral figure, the idea that he is based on a very real person from ancient history seems the most likely, with the name “Spjalli Gauta” referring to him as “friend of the Goths” thus placing him around the same time period, if not earlier. While it is but a pet theory of mine, I do often wonder if perhaps these mythic cycles are in fact the dim recollection of times before recorded history, the accounts of Neolithic tribesmen repeated over generations until a wise leader becomes a god.

As with many mythic figures, Wotan is a halfway point between symbolism and the distant past, an encoded history concealed inside of allegory, and the insights of a given culture contained in such a way as to survive the passage of centuries, millennia even. For example, it has been noted by a few scholars that the ravens Hugin and Munin were never literal birds, but the concepts of thought and mind. Wotan would dismiss both, caring only that Mind returned, representing the act of meditation and dismissing noisy thoughts so that only pure mind was left. His Wolves, Geri and Freki, whose names translate to “ravenous”, were said to be well-fed, while Wotan himself drank only wine. Thus, his carnal, desirous aspects were satiated, but ultimately they were beneath him and apart, regarded as a separate entity and not Wotan himself.

It is my opinion that, given his deathly, occult associations, Wotan represents the archetypal sort who will get the most mileage out of esoteric practices – those who the astrologer will call “Plutonian”. Wotan represents the kind of individual who wanders into dark places and brings back the light of wisdom cultivated by experience. He is no stranger to his own flesh, nor to his own mind, and yet, he considers himself to be independent of these. That the god who preceded Wotan was a mythic chieftain, Tiw, was considered analogous to Mars/Aries, means that when taken into account with Wotan’s decidedly morbid, cerebral nature, Wotan finds himself in the domain of Pluto/Scorpio, which has to do with obsession, the taboo, death/rebirth, sex, and the occult. Those who aren’t afraid to explore uncomfortable subjects in pursuit of insight are as Wotan, and thus will be able to utilise esoteric practices to their fullest extent and yield the greatest returns in the form of practical results.

artwork - 1881 Sir Edward Cooley Burne-Jones

My practice is centered around the use of the Runes of the Elder Futhark. The Runes are a set of symbols from about two-thousand years ago in the Germanic regions of Europe, with the oldest known inscriptions dating to about 150 AD – obviously the one who inscribed them had to know them, so there is reason to believe they are far older still. It is believed that they were greatly influenced by the Latin alphabet, and this is substantiated by the fact that the Romans had been the undisputed ruling power of Europe in that time. However, unlike their Latin counterparts, the Runes served another purpose in addition to their use in mundane context, in that they were believed to possess magickal power, power which was expressed in various ways, from divining the future to imbuing certain traits. To the tribes of pre-Christian Europe, the Runes were sacred in their own right.

There are two main “Futhark” (a word derived from the first six Runes): the Younger and the Elder. The Younger has only 16 Runes and dates to the Viking age, whereas the Elder is older, as the name implies, and has 24 Runes. I use the Elder Futhark exclusively, due to the fact that they belong to a rich esoteric tradition and have the most “depth”. While there is a clear historical point of origin for the Runes as referenced above, there is also a mythological one, and despite obvious “factual” inaccuracy, there is a great deal of “truth” present – the ability to understand the difference between these is vital in order to fully appreciate any mythology.

According to myth, the Germanic patriarch Wotan (who will be described in greater detail in another piece, but just imagine a very morbid Gandalf and you’ll get the idea) hung from the world tree, a great yew called Yggdrasil, for nine days and nine nights with a spear in his side. He hung in a death trance, without food or water, and staring down into the roots of Yggdrasil until the glowing forms of the Runes appeared to him. This nine day ordeal is described as sacrificing himself to himself “Wotan to Wotan”, the act of killing the old self in order to make the new – the fact that Yggdrasil itself is a yew tree supports this notion.

There is another element to the Elder Futhark which reinforces my assertion to use it instead of the Younger, and that it the relationship of each Rune of the Elder Futhark with Skuld’s Net, also known as the “Web of Wyrd”. Skuld’s Net is a series of nine lines, three vertical, three slanting left, and three slanting right. The interpretations of this symbol vary, but ultimately it depicts the Norns (those who weave  “Wyrd” or “fate”) and that which they weave. The interpretation I use is that the three vertical lines are the Norns – Urd, Verdandi, Skuld – and the diagonal lines are the threads which bind them together.

Urd is the past, “That Which Has Come into Being”, and can be thought of as solid, rigid, earthy – the soil in which Yggdrasil is rooted.

Verdandi is the present, “That Which is Coming into Being”, and unlike many contemporary philosophies which assert that there is only “now”, Verdandi implies that “now” is an illusory point between past and future, one which becomes past as soon as it is observed – the point of weaving.

Last is Skuld, “That Which Should Come into Being” the fluid, watery counterpart to hard Urd, which is yet to be woven and solidified via Verdandi – many potential futures to be woven.

It is from these nine lines that the Runes of the Elder Futhark come, and each of the 24 Runes can be found within. Thus, even the act of communication via writing was somewhat mystical, and if one thinks about it, isn’t writing a fairly esoteric act? A series of abstract lines arranged in order to contain and transmit complex information? “Spelling” indeed!