154 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
154 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
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Runes: A magical language from Pre-Christian Europe.
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The issue of a magical language for the Neo/Pagan community has
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been debated for some time by the memebers of the Wiccoid Pan Paganites.
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Some feel quite comfortable using the Quaballistic system of the Judaic
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peoples. While others feel that this system is infused with thousands of
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years of patriarchy which taints it in the minds of those who do not
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desire to use it.
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There have been a number of languages that have been uncovered in
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the past century. Ogham, the Celtic written language is one choice, but
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using this system is problematic because the tradition it came from (as
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with many of that time) was oral and the Druids (teachers of the Ogham
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alphabet) were destroyed along with the Library at Tara by the
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overzelous St. Patrick. The information surviving to this day on the
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Ogham alphabet is mostly recreated by people who do the most with what
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they have...but the inner knowledge of the Ogham system has been lost.
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The runic language, however, was created by the Teutonic peoples of
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the Continent and Scandinavia was able to last as a magical system alive
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and intact because the Christian influence came at a later time and
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those people were not destroyed but rather were converted.
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The Teutonic Runic system was used by the Goths, the Visigoths, the
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Vandals and many other Teutonic Tribes of the era of the fall of the
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Roman Empire, the Norse/Vikings of the 10th through the 12th century,
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the Saxons who invaded the isle of Great Brittan, and many tribes of
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Teutons not known to history for their military expeditions. By this we
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see that the runic system was in use from approximately 500 c.e. until
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at least 1,200 c.e. and there are many examples of runic talismans from
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which to investigate.
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Other examples which aid in a good understanding of what the rune
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system was and how the magical archetypes were fused both in the minds
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of the Vitki (the name of a runic magician {Thorrson1}) and in the
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shapes of the runic staves are a wealth of writings from those who used
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the system (the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda) and from some of the
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Roman historians Tacitus, Virgil and others. These two main sources give
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an perspective to the study of the runic system. That of the participant
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and that of the observer. One who is interested in working with the any
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magical system is both of these a participant and an observer.
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There have been a number of revivals of the runic system in modern
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times. Both occured in Germany, the center of the Teutonic tribes. The
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first was an intellectual/magical revival in which a number of
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occultists worked with the system and added to the available knowledge
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though innovation and study of folklore and history. The second was a
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manipulation of the archetypes of the runes to control a population,
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popularly known as Nazi Germany. The Nazis used ideas, archetypes, and
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the pride of the Teutonic peoples to control them magically. This is not
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to say that the German people are no responsible for their actions is
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not the point I offer. Rather that some of the runes that were used by
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the Nazis will be seen in the runic system and that one should attempt
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to disinherit the short and horrid imposition from the beauty and power
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of Nature that is inherant in the symbols and has been for hundreds of
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years.
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The last of the runic revivals is the current one. The interest in
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the runes has increased vastly in the last ten years. One of the reasons
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is the writings of Edred Thorrson, and the institution by him of the
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Rune Guild. The books written by this man are heavily researched and
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relatively easy to read and follow. There are other writers on the runic
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system, but they are all different, using different runic alphabets, and
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seem to be a mish-mosh of the four different runic alphabets. The amount
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of work to be done on the runic system is great, but the rewards of
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working with the system are as great, enlivening, and exciting.
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There are four basic runic alphabets. The Elder Futhark, Younger
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Futhark, Anglo-Saxon Fothark, and the Frisian Futhark. The most complete
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of the forms is the Elder Futhark, of twenty-four staves. The other
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forms either are missing staves or have staves that are mixtures of two
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staves. Think of the scientific Table of the Elements. The form that has
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the greatest number of the most basic forms is the best place to start
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because you can make as many combination from these with great
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understaning of what forces are at work in the compilation.
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The Elder Futhark also is the oldest form known as being a complete
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alphabet. There are some earlier examples of the use of the runic
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symbols, but 500 c.e. is the earliest compiled,complete futhark.
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The studying this author has done on the runic system has been with
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the Elder Futhark, using Edred Thorrsons's books. They are a great
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beginning although being a bit on the patriarchal side for my taste. He
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offers a wealth of information which any user of magical formuli can
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combine and find further understanding of the runes. I recommend his
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books highly as a resource from which to do one's own research. I also
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recommend reading the Edda's and writings by Virgil, Tacitus and other
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Roman historian on the subject of German/Teuton society.
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The amount of information available about the runes for the pagan
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who is seeking a magical alphabet with which to scribe, cypher, or to
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expand consciousness is exceptional for an ancient lettering. Unlike the
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Quaballah it is not connected with the Judeo/Christian reality, but
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unfortunately is connected with patriarchy.
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The breakdown of the dieties in the Teutonic/Norse tradition is
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reflective of the history that is shared by almost all of the religions
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in Europe. The earliest god/desses of the region were originally thought
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to be from the Lake Van in Anatolia (where modern day Turkey is). The
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pantheon of dieties was known as the Vanic dieties. This was basically a
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Nature based religion common in Europe before the patriarchal era began.
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Many of the goddess and god names are recognizible as being a part of
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the Aesir. Goddesses like Freya, Iduna, Sif, Hella; and the god Frey are
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all names I had heard before I read my first book on runes.
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The group of dieties usually attributed to the Norse/Teutonic
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people are the Aesir. The well known pantheon of Odhinn, Thor, Tyr,
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Loki, The Fenris Wolf, the Giants (thurs'), and many more. The accepted
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historical explination of the change is the invasion of the Scandinavian
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areas by the Teutonic Tribes of the Continent. Many of the god/desses
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were eliminated from popular practice and relegated to less visible and
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less important realms of influence. The most powerfull god/desses were
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married into the pahtheon of the Aesir, Freya (meaning "Lady"), Hella,
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Iduna, Frigga (an alternate personality of Freya), Frey (meaning
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"Lord"), and others.
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The historical change from a Goddess based nature religion to a
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martial God based religion had very a very strong impact on the region.
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The change in concepts aided in the justification of the raiding and
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invading of various Teutonic tribes throughout the first and second
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centuries of the Common Era (C.E.). It also spread the runic system
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throughout Northern Europe and England.
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The negative side of this warlike attitude is the desire of many
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Pagans to use a system for the spreading of peace and of the healing of
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the Earth Mother. Much of the information in the texts available deal
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with the battles and conquests of the Teutons and their God/desses, not
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quite the place for a peace- loving pagan to find power and solace.
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However the main battle in the runic sagas (Eddas) is the battle between
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conscious action and non-conscious action. The Aesir and Vanir in
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alliance against the Thurses or forces of chaos. The law and chaos dealt
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with are not the social "law" and anarchy that most of the status-quo
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fear, but rather the law of the natural order and the chaos of
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non-natural or artificial destruction of the natural law for reasons
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with no wisdom.
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It seems to this author that the "battle" engaged in the mystical
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realm of the Norse/Teutonic multiverse is closely alligned with the
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battle that we face today against the wholesale corporate destruction of
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the ecology of the planet which I think we can all agree is a plan
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without wisdom.
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With a good deal of hard work and perseverence with the runic
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system, it seems that the Vanic God/desses can be reintegrated into the
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system. A rebalancing of the pantheon to allow for the modern view that
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the god and the goddess influence should be in perspective...even.
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Reprinted From the Winter Solstace Will and Word 1990 EV
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SEX IS PEACE
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TRUE WILL NOT SLAVERY
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CONSCIOUSNESS IS STRENGTH
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