Norse Rune Meanings

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The First Phase of Creation

Although the Runes as a whole are an organic proccess, each has individual qualities and characteristics which we need to understand in order to work with them effectively. We shall examine each Rune in accordance with its place in the Uthark sequence, its Nordic name and phonetic sound, the nature of its potency and principal qualities, and how the Rune might help us in practical ways. How each individual Rune might 'challenge' us is also given as a further opportunity for personal growth. My commentary on each Rune is in accordance with the understanding of Runic shamans and teachings I have obtained shamanically on inner planes. A shamanic perception of the Runes is one of Direct personal experience.

The sequence of the Runes in their natural order differs from the so-called 'traditional' arrangement not only by the movement of FEH to the culmination, but also that of some other Runes. PERTRA and EOH change places. So do ODAL and DAGAZ. The reasons are explained in the process of their unfoldment.

The first four RUnes - UR, THURS, AS, and KEN - are the potencies which are activated in the first phase of the creative process and work at the deepest levels of the Unconscious to generate the creative forces which bring things into manifestation in our lives

from Rune Power by Kenneth Meadows

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Rune 1 UR, the U-Runes - The Beginning of Everything

Here is a pic of UR = www.tattoosymbol.com/runes/uruz.jpg

UR, the U - Rune ('er') is the potency that exists within the Void or Abyss - the 'Space' between two polarities. In Nordic mythology it is the space between Cosmic Ice and Cosmic Fire. This 'space' is not 'nothing' as we might assume it to be. It is filled with numinous power, called in Old Norse ginnung. The ginn part of the word is similar to 'be' in becoming - meaning that which is in being before formation and manifestation take place. So the Nordic word Ginnungagap means 'a vital unordered essence waiting to come into being as either force or form'. The UR is the power of that essence. It is in the 'space'. UR is the 'space' between two opposites in which a magnetic power of attraction arises as the two polarities are attracted to one another and a great force is released as they come together and merge 'in the middle'.

Before anything can come into being it has to be charged with the power to be. It needs to be energized. UR is both the space - the Unmanifest - in which to forge or fashion something out of 'nothing' and the initiating power that makes visibility or manifestation possible. It might be likened to a charge of electrical energy that 'jumps' between the filaments of an electric light bulb when it is switched on. The electrical charge moves rapidly to and fro to provide new light and to keep it in being.

The Light that came out of the darkness of the Unmanifest 'in the Beginning' was not bright like light from the Sun to sharply define what could be observed. It was more like the silvery softness of moonlight, which has a gentleness that hides it tremendous power. Behind the pale light of the Moon, for instance, lies a power so tremendous that it moves mighty oceans - great masses and weights of water - and is so transforming that it regulates the cyclic flow of life within all Earth forms.

Many writers on the Runes have suggested that UR is a symbol of a ferocious but now extinct bison-like ox called an Auroch, which stood over 7 feet high to the shoulder - a north European equivalent of the buffalo - and was prevalent until around the 17th century. This idea is a misunderstanding of oral tradition. The Runic character is shaped like the horns of an animal with its head to the ground, but it is not symbolic of a bull but a cow - Audhumbla, the holy cow of Northern mythology who was the Cosmic Mother of Manifestation. Indeed, the name Audhumbla means 'nourisher' or 'source of sustenance'. The quality behind the Runic power is not the potential power of a charging bull but that of a feeding cow! Its power is like the action of a pump drawing up water from deep subterranean wells.

The comparison with the Auroch gave another meaning. To the Native American the buffalo was a totem of the Great Provider - 'That Out of Which Everything Comes'. The buffalo provided meat for food, sinews for thread, bones for implements, and skin for clothing and shelter. A buffalo skull in the centre of a Native American Medicine Wheel was a reminder of the Great Spirit in manifestation. The Auroch had a similar meaning to the ancient Northern peoples.

UR, then, is a potency which is at the beginning of everything. It contains within it the potential of anything that can become manifest. An artist begins with a virgin canvas or a clean sheet of paper. It has nothing on it or in it. It is simply 'space'. Yet it is from this 'emptiness' of 'space' that the artist will bring forth ideas into manifestation where they can be seen. From 'nothing' is thus created a work of art.

It lateral thinking, 'space' might be defined as 'the distance between two points' or 'the distance between two polarities'. But the 'space' was already there before the two polarities provided the means for the space to be comprehended. UR, then is the potency that enables something to come seemingly our of 'nothing' once it is released by movement.

Although UR is often associated with strength and endurance, it is not the force of might. It is the gentle but powerful power that causes rain to fall or draws up moisture from the ground so that it can descend again to nourish the Earth and allow new forms to appear. UR is what enables form to appear, but is not a form itself. It is the vital virility evident in the Community of Life (Web of Life) just before new growth appears in bud and foliage.

The diagonal strok of the UR stave might be likened to the Hidden Self - the silent, subconscious intelligence within a human being which links the conscious Ego-Self (represented by the vertical line) with the Higher Self of the Soul, which is 'the Watcher Within' (represented by the descending line). A fourth 'spirit' - what I have called the Body Self- is the intelligence of the physical body, which serves as a vehicle or 'temple' of the other three 'selves' and is rooted in the shallow soil of mortality. This can be represented by a stemline on which the Rune-stave rests. UR thus indicates by its stave shape that everything experienced can be perceived in three ways - physically, mentally, and spiritually - through the vehicle of the physical body, an only then can it be comprehended in its totality.

Potency : The 'space' out of which everything comes into being
Key Qualities : Limitless potential, infinite possibilities, sustained strength, renewal, release of energy, untamed power, sudden change.
Practical uses : UR is the release of creative power that brings about sudden change. It is the power that precedes a new cycle of activity. It is helpful, therefore, where there is scope for new ideas, a fresh start, a change of circumstances, or an immediate boost in morale.
Challenge : Have the courage to let go of things you no longer need. Then you will allow new possibilities to arise.

The U-Rune can help you to :
*ground your ideas so they may become practical realities
*revitalize yourself and find the determination to start new projects
* find the inner strength to put the past behind you and start afresh
*increase your resolve and have the courage to assert yourself.