You will need your knife and twenty four slivers of wood. You may wish to really go to town and cut or gather the wood to be used yourself, cutting it down to size and sanding until each piece is the same shape and size. There would be definite benefits in doing this, but I won't hold anyone to this procedure as it requires a lot of time and patience and a very skilled touch. It is perhaps something to aspire to in the long term rather than when making your first set. I have found craft sticks to be admirably suited for the purpose.
You may prefer to carve a few runes at a time, perhaps in three groups of eight, or you might wish to carve them all at once. In either case, they should be carved in the correct order, as given in the 'Dragon Runes' chapter.
Take your time and hold the stave firmly down with your left hand (assuming you are right-handed; reverse if you are left-handed) and hold the knife steadily in your right hand. Use it as if it was a pen, firmly and cleanly scoring the lines of the rune. Angle the knife slightly differently on successive cuts and you will make a groove, twisting out the excess wood. With a little patience – and practice if necessary – you will soon have cut nice, deep runes into your staves. As you cut each rune, whisper its name repeatedly under your breath, or chant one of the traditional rune poems relating to it (these can be found in Stephen Flowers' The Rune Poems, Vol. 1 and other sources in the Reading List). Concentrate on the rune's meaning.
The next stage is to colour your runes. Traditionally, the runes are coloured red, with the runer's own blood, but in practice a reddish pigment was often used as a substitute. The use of blood is very important, as your own vital fluid creates a tangible and very powerful link between you and your runes. But you don't need much. Buy a tub of bright red poster paint and mix just a few drops of your blood into it. This will be a perfectly sufficient quantity to establish the magical link. Then take a very fine paintbrush and fill the lines of the runes you have carved with the magically charged vital fluid. You should focus upon the fact that you are filling the runes with your own blood, giving them life and vitality.
There is no need to cut yourself specifically for the purpose; it is never a pleasant thing to do and everyone suffers an accidental cut on occasion. Carry the pot of paint with you, and the next time you bleed due to a small accidental injury, add a couple of drops to it then. Some people would argue that the pain is a part of the magic and this is certainly a defensible position, but I personally hold that your blood is link enough in its own right, no matter how acquired.
Ladies, of course, will find that menstrual blood does the job very nicely indeed. Indeed, most sex magical traditions would say that menstrual blood is superior in many ways to ordinary blood.
Once your runes have been carved and coloured, put them in a box or a bag with a drawstring for safe keeping. They are already powerful talismans as a consequence of the work you have put into them. Their charging will be completed during the Work of the next chapter.
A Vigil
We are going to close the Work of this chapter with another ritual Working.
The actual mechanics of this one are simple in the extreme. One evening, at the close of this chapter's Work, when all has been accomplished to your satisfaction, take yourself off to an outdoors place in natural surroundings that means something to you, that 'speaks' to you in some way. If you live in a city, you may have to make advance plans and scout a suitable area in advance. Bring warm clothing, a flask and a snack if you feel you may need it.
Find a place to sit and relax. Here, in this special place, feel anew your connection to the place which is Midgard. Spend time reflecting upon all that you have done during the course of this first chapter's Work. Refresh your memory of the rune meanings, holding and studying each of your own hand-carved runes as you do so. Practice your stadhagaldr postures, feeling again the flow of the rune streams through your own body. Try to sense those same streams flowing through the landscape around you, radiating through both the inner and outer worlds.
Remain in this place throughout the night, sensing the changes in the land and the atmosphere – and yourself – as dusk turns to dark and ultimately approaches dawn. Renew your reflections and introspections on the runes each hour; refresh yourself as needed; walk about if you get cold or cramped.
As the sun rises over the horizon, become aware that the sun of ancestral lore is rising in your own soul. Promise yourself that you will apply your mind to this awakening and be illuminated by it. Swear that you will take the steps necessary to develop and enhance your mind's abilities to this end.
Finally, go home and catch up on your sleep, knowing that you are now ready to commence the Work of the fourth chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR
MASTERY OF THE MIND
Huginn and Muninn
The Work of this fourth chapter will focus upon the development of the Initiate's mental faculties. We will be striving to create a harmonious synthesis of the various aspects that make up the mind-soul complex, enabling consciousness to operate at maximum efficiency and wakefulness. We will be sharpening both perception and Will, so that the magician can sense and direct the runic streams with skill and precision. This mental training should mesh perfectly with the physical facility gained through the previous chapter. For those readers who are already familiar with the Draconian curriculum of Apophis, this present chapter is cognate with the Work of the second head of the Dragon: the Thunderbolt.
In Norse mythology, Odin had two ravens, named Huginn and Muninn, who flew out over the worlds each day and then returned to Him, bringing word of all that they had seen. The names of these ravens are derived from parts of the Norse model of the soul, which we will be examining more fully in the next section of this chapter. Huginn is related to the hugh and Muninn to the myne.
The hugh is the intellect, the reasoning faculty within the soul, and myne is the memory and the pattern-making, imaginative part of the mind. They basically represent left-brain and right-brain consciousness respectively. So in effect, Odin sends forth His own consciousness in the form of ravens, to gather news and insights and report back to Him.
The intention of this chapter is to train our own two ravens (hemispheres of the brain) to be equally useful and to work equally well together. This phase of the Work is all about the balancing and focusing of consciousness, so that it can be used as a ladder to higher states later on.
The Structure of the Soul
In Apophis, the Celtic model of the soul was discussed as an example of the sophisticated way in which our forebears understood the composition of their own beings. In this present volume, we will naturally be examining the Germanic model of the soul. This is actually very similar to the Celtic model in many respects, which is unsurprising given the similarities and occasional cross-pollination between the two cultures.
The parts of the Germanic soul model are as follows:
Lyke: (Old Norse lík)
The lyke is the physical body itself. This may seem a strange place to start when considering the soul, but the philosophy of our Northern ancestors quite sensibly postulates that mankind is meant to be a complete being, with physical, mental and spiritual faculties all interdependent and equally important. The body is as much a part of the initiatory experience as the most exalted state of Divine inspiration. The Work of the previous chapter should have taught you that.
Hyde: (Old Norse hamr)
The lyke is permeated by the hyde, which is the medium which gives shape and form to the person. It governs not only how we look, but our mannerisms and the way in which we present ourselves. A good actor will use his hyde to transform himself completely, seemingly becoming a new person in his role. Is it a coincidence that Robert Louis Stevenson named Dr Jekyll's alter-ego Mr Hyde in his classic tale? Perhaps he knew the term, perhaps not, but this account of transformation is certainly a good indicator of the shaping power of the hyde upon the appearance and aspect.
Athem: (Old Norse önd)
The athem is literally the
breath of life, the animating principle that courses through the lyke and hyde, keeping the organism living and breathing. It is not simply the automated systems that govern the vital processes, it is also something beyond the purely physical, a kind of life force which vibrates within the individual. But it also extends beyond the individual, resonating with the life principle on a macrocosmic level. As such, it is one of the avenues whereby psychic impulses may be transmitted or received. Anyone who has been present when someone has died will know by personal experience that there is a world of difference between a live body and a dead one and this difference is noticeable immediately. This difference is the athem.
Hugh: (Old Norse hugr)
This is the part of the soul symbolised by one of Odin's ravens, Huginn. The hugh is the analytical, computational part of the mind, skilled at linguistics and mathematics. It basically comprises the left-brain functions of mental activity.
Myne: (Old Norse minni)
The myne is the reflective, imaginative part of consciousness, that part which communicates through images and intuitions rather than words. As such, it governs dreams and memories (including the archetypal memories that reside within the collective unconscious). It corresponds with Odin's other raven, Muninn.
Wode: (Old Norse ódhr)
Huginn and Muninn report to Odin and the hugh and myne report to that part of consciousness which is akin to Odin: the wode. Wode is a condition of accelerated, intensified consciousness, a Divine inspiration, a kind of ecstasy or even rage in which the contents of the mind are illuminated by magical perception and insight. This is the state of mind which is necessary for the effective working of magic or the interpretation of divinations. It will be evident that the wode-state of consciousness is most easily and effectively accessed when the hugh and myne are working in harmony, the two ravens advising the inspired self in a balanced fashion.
Fetch: (Old Norse fylgja)
The fetch surrounds and touches the other parts of the soul, but is not itself a part or a possession of the individual. It is an essence which is transpersonal, spanning generations. The fetch may appear to a person in three forms: (a) as an animal; (b) as an entity of the opposite sex; (c) as a geometric shape. Some people have very little awareness of their fetch at all. It is possible that some people simply do not have a fetch, or else a very undeveloped one. The fetch is a tutelary entity, linked to an individual for that lifetime, which responds to and reflects his actions and the destiny which he shapes for himself, offering guidance as appropriate. It is similar to – though not identical with – the Holy Guardian Angel of some occult traditions. It can bestow both gifts and obligations along with its guidance.
Luck: (Old Norse hamingja)
To our ancestors, luck was not a random thing, it was a positive and active virtue within the soul. This is the recognition that when an individual acts with Will, Passion and Vision, his luck will effect an influence upon the world around him, bending it to tend towards the fulfilment of his goals. Events will seem to simply fall into place when this faculty is exercised and that which was previously difficult may be achieved through determination. Heroes would often deliberately test their luck through the casting of lots and gambling.
Soul: (Old Norse sál)
The soul itself is the name given to the shade of the deceased, which departs to one of the worlds of the dead, there to await rebirth in Midgard in due course.
The Wode-Self:
The Wode-Self is a state of consciousness aspired to by the Initiate of the Northern Mysteries. It occurs when the wode, hugh and myne are aligned in perfect balance within an individual and the entire intelligence is illuminated by the influx of Divine consciousness. This state of being will be discussed in some detail in a later chapter. The ability of the Initiate to attain and maintain this state of consciousness is essential to the process of opening the Eye in the Void and reaching the pinnacle of Draconian Initiation.
Thought Control
Before progressing with the more specialised Work of this chapter, it is essential to first gain some facility with basic techniques of thought control.
Full exercises toward achieving this goal are presented in Apophis under the Work of the second head. The Initiate should basically take some time practising the following before progressing further:
Sit in a comfortable posture and monitor all of your thoughts as they arise. Do not try to analyse or shape them, simply observe and follow them. Take note of how thoughts react when subjected to conscious observation in this manner.
Choose one particular thought and follow it to the exclusion of all others, till it finally comes to its conclusion.
Observe your mind and stamp out each and every thought as it arises, crushing them and allowing them to progress no further. The object is to empty the mind of thought, yet remain expectant and watchful.
Concentration Exercises
Having established a degree of control over the basic thought processes, the Initiate should spend some time practising the following exercise in order to sharpen his powers of concentration before proceeding further with the Work of this chapter.
First, select an item upon which to concentrate. It shouldn't be anything too complicated, but may be a mark on a wall, a shape drawn on a piece of paper, or a small object such as a nail or a spoon. It should not be something which possesses any particular symbolic significance.
The purpose of the exercise is simply to focus your attention rigidly upon the object you have selected and concentrate upon it. Every time your mind wanders or your thoughts waver, bring them back to the task in hand by an act of Will. Your experience of monitoring and controlling your thoughts in the previous exercise should prove of great value to you here.
Be aware that the object of this training is to improve your concentration through practice. You have not 'failed' if your mind continually wanders. Instead, you succeed every time you notice that it is wandering and call it back to heel. This will, over time, establish a mental habit of improved concentration which will pay enormous dividends in your galdor Work.
Basic Principles of Rune Galdor
The techniques learned in this chapter will enable the Initiate to begin the practice of operative Draconian Magic using the techniques of galdor. The precise ways of getting the most out of your runic sorcery will be explained step by step in the sections that follow, but first it is advisable to gain a basic understanding of what galdor entails and how the runer employs it.
Through long practice (which began with the stadhagaldr exercises in the previous chapter), the Initiate establishes a familiarity with the runes and learns to recognise and direct their influence. This process of invoking and 'steering' the runes toward a Willed end involves the combination of four qualities. Galdor is a technical skill, which relies for efficacy upon the correct combination of these factors by the operator:
Shape:
The Initiate must carefully formulate and focus upon the shape of every rune used in his casting. This may be done by assuming the runic posture given in the last chapter; by drawing the rune boldly on paper; by carving the rune on wood in the form of a taufr (a talisman); by strongly visualising the rune; or by any combination of these.
Sound:
The word 'galdor' means something akin to 'whispering' or 'croaking' and sound is key to the runic Mysteries. Every rune used must be clearly uttered, its key sound seemingly rolling from the Initiate's vocal chords out to the far corners of the cosmos. The rune songs discussed shortly provide the fullest method of summoning the runic stream through incantation.
Number:
Each rune has its number, from 1 (fehu) to 24 (othila). When runes are used in combination, their numbers are added together to give an overall number for the formula of the spell. The number of actual runestaves employed in a given formula is also significant. Runic number lore is too huge and complex a field to be adequately explained in this present volume, but the Initiate should at least be aware that numb
ers are significant and should take the time to research the subject in the books suggested in the Reading List.
Will:
The final element in the practice of galdor is the Will of the magician, which binds these factors together, energising them and sending them on their way. What is Will? I am not talking about simply thinking hard about your goal in the vague hope that it will happen. Will is a combination of three elements: Vision (seeing the need and the opportunity for change); Passion (having a genuine Desire for the stated result that is ardent enough to fuel the magic); Precision (possessing the lore and knowledge of the runes necessary to communicate that Desire to the magical realms).
Bearing these factors in mind will assist the Initiate to place the remaining exercises of this chapter in perspective and understand how the various practices fit together to form a single magical key.
Runic Visualisation
The first exercise is related to the shape of the runestaves. Taking one rune each day, in proper sequence, the Initiate should spend several minutes visualising the form of the rune in fiery red lines within his imagination. The image should be held steady and strong for as long as possible, without wavering or altering its shape or proportions. The imagined rune should ultimately be vivid enough that the Initiate sees it clearly superimposed over his ordinary vision of the real world should his eyes be open.
Aegishjalmur Page 7
