[Main Blog Post] Seeking Stillness

[jprussell]

A shorter post this week, I talk a bit about what I miss about mindfulness meditation and the two techniques I turn to these days to get the kind of break from stress and anxiety I used to look for from mindfulness meditation. If you have any ways that you look for stillness amidst the chaos of life, I more than welcome hearing about it!

Comments

MM Blogs and other musings

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning ( here in Cali),
I read JMG's blogs and from that, have gotten to read your work as well. You have an amazing breath of knowledge and thank you fo r the thoughtful ways you share your knowledge. You did a Rune reading for me a while back, and the results allowed me to rethink and recalibrate my original plan of action.

I just wanted to let you know that I too have added prayer along with meditations, charity and music to the various deities of the week. I find prayer to be incredibly helpful in allowing me to achieve a certain grace of neutrality that is helpful in allowing me to examine my initial, often times petty first reaction. And being in nature makes everything so much more pleasant and quiet.

If you don't mind a question: Can you recommend any good reference material on the Elder Futhark Rune interpretations from the older Vanir pantheon, and also, do you think it's possible to cultivate a relationship to the Norns, or are they beyond any interest in humans? I have been picking out a Rune a day, to contemplate my the meanings. I am almost through my second pass. After this I may talk to them and ask if it's OK to do simple divination with them. I really like them a lot!! Thanks so much for your contributions to my magical education and all blessings to you, if you'll have them.


Regards,
Mary

Re: MM Blogs and other musings

[jprussell]

Hi Mary,

First off, thanks so much for your kind words! It's nice to know that what I'm putting out is helping some folks.

I'm also glad to hear that daily prayer is helping you out. I've had some trouble keeping the habit as consistent as my magical practice, but I definitely notice when I start to slip.

As for your questions:

1) Elder Futhark Interpretation: Okay, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "rune interpretation from the older Vanir pantheon," but I'll share a few thoughts that answer what I think you might mean - if I don't end up answering your question, please let me know and we can clarify things. In my approach, I tend to think of the Runes as somewhat separate from the Gods and Goddesses - they are more like universal forces, some of which certain Gods and Goddesses especially embody, and with which some of the Gods and Goddesses are especially adept at working. For the latter, the two Gods that I call upon for help with the Runes (and all my magical work) are Woden and Frige, and Frige is, of course, the "Goddess of the Vanir" (or "Wen" as I Old-Anglicize it), so I do call upon a Vaniric influence to do my interpretation. On the former, some of these are obvious (like the Rune "Tiwaz" with Tiw/Tyr), and some less so. Off the top of my head, of the Elder Futhark, I'd say that Fehu, Uruz, Gebo, Wunjo, Jera, Berkano, and Inguz all strike me as especially "Vaniric" in feel.

As for sources on interpretation that my or may not have the Vaniric emphasis you're looking for: Edred Thorsson's works have formed the basis of my own understanding, though he might come at things very differently - he is very focused on Odhinn, and the Runes as a primarily Odinic (and thus Aesiric) discipline. That said, his Runecaster's Handbook is my personal go-to equivalent of the "little white book" of Tarot - my baseline interpretation to refer to when something more intuitive doesn't come to me. Kveldulf Gundarsson's Teutonic Magic might have a little more emphasis on the Vaniric side of things, and it includes some "pathworkings" (different from what JMG uses the term to mean, essentially they are guided visualization meditations) that I found rather helpful in my early forays into meditation and scrying, as well as deepening and making more intuitive my sense of the Runes. Helrunar by Jan Fries offers a lot more "loose" and "associational" interpretation than the more scholarly approach of Thorsson, which might be in keeping with a more Vaniric vibe. Lastly, I have only skimmed this a bit, but Galina Krasskova's Living Runes treats the Runes as spirits with personalities that can be interacted with, and discusses which Gods and Goddesses she most associates with each Rune, which might give some insight on how the Vanir interact with the Runes, but I can't say for sure, since I haven't read it thoroughly yet.

Does any of that get close to what you were looking for?

2) Cultivating a Relationship with the Norns: I've read some differing accounts here, with some folks praying directly to the big three Norns, others viewing Them as indifferent cosmic forces, and so on. Besides "the" Norns, though, there are multiple references in the lore to more numerous Norns, and maybe a personal Norn for each person. Maria Kvilhaug thinks that many of the different female spiritual beings named in the lore are just different "flavors" of personal Norn (for example, a Valkyrie is a personal Norn for someone on a warrior's initiatory path). All that being said, here's what I do: I open my daily divination with a prayer calling upon the Wyrds (Old English name for the Norns) to be present, but I also pray to Woden (Odhinn) and Frige (Freyja) to more directly help me make sense of things. Outside of that, I occasionally pray to one or more of the Wyrds, but I haven't developed much of a relationship beyond showing respect and sensing something of a presence. I also haven't yet built a relationship with "my" Norn, though I think she might have showed up in a scrying session not too long ago, so I may be working on that!

Thanks for your blessings, and mine to you as well,
Jeff

Re: MM Blogs and other musings

[(Anonymous)]

This has been incredibly helpful. Thank you for sorting out the clarity of what I was trying to ask you-LOL! Yes, yes, yes, I definitely get that sense as well, regarding some runes seem more obviously aligned with god, Tyr being one example. Ok, I feel more confident in terms of what is coming up for me. Sometimes, it's helpful to me to get some external validation to make sure I'm not completely off down a rabbit hole.

Thank you for your book suggestions as well. I have a book by Nigel Pennick titled Runes and Astrology, which is interesting and I'm playing with it, but astrology is an entire realm of which I barely scratch the surface.

To me the Norns are huge, like the Three Graces, the Maid, Mother, and Crone concept, etc. For me, many Goddesses bear similar aspects of the Norns, of that makes sense. Again, thank you for your clarity and your patience.

I appreciate it, and you!

Warm Regards,
Mary