When all twenty four staves have been visualised in this manner, go back to fehu and start over again. Keep this practice up until your visualisations are perfect.
The Initiate may then extend his practice to include the act of forcefully drawing the shapes of the runes in the air with his extended forefinger, feeling the rune stream flow through his body, along his arm and out into the world. The visualised rune should be clearly visible to the inner eye, traced upon the fabric of reality.
The Initiate should keep up this practice until his visualisations superimpose themselves upon ordinary vision and are self-sustaining (i.e. once he has traced a shape in the air, his subconscious has become accustomed to maintaining the visualisation whilst his conscious mind busies itself with other things).
Runic Meditation
The basic meanings of the runes in terms of Draconian Magic were introduced in chapter three, but the Initiate should supplement this knowledge by reading as much on the runes and their meanings from reputable sources as he can, both academic and magical. The runic trilogy of Edred Thorsson (Futhark, Runelore and At the Well of Wyrd) should be studied at the very least.
Armed with this knowledge, the Initiate needs to set aside some time each day meditating upon the runes. Start out with about ten minutes per day, building up to twenty. As with the visualisation exercises, take each rune per day in turn, in their proper sequence, then return to the beginning and start again when you have worked through the full twenty four.
You should begin these meditation sessions by sitting comfortably and bringing the rune's shape and sound to mind (you may wish to have a drawing or other representation of the rune before you to focus upon). Remind yourself of the things you know about the rune, its meanings and symbolism. Then let your thoughts circle around the concept of the rune, seeing where it may lead you, what connections it may make, what new realisations it may awaken. How does the rune speak to your own mind? By following these steps, you will discover the rune streams that run within your own being and you will bring the rune to life within you.
You should be aware that you will need to complete many cycles through the runes, revisiting each one in meditation many times, before you will begin to fully reap the rewards of this practice. Also, be sure to write down all of your thoughts and insights after each meditation session, because if you do not, you will forget them and lose what you have gained. Your diary will become increasingly important to you the more you use it, the best book of magic you will ever own.
Rune Singing
Once you have established a couple of cycles of runic meditation, you can expand your daily exercises by adding the practice of rune singing, learning the sonic secrets of the runes and the techniques of invocation by sound and breath.
As in the previous exercises, you should concentrate upon one rune per day, working through all twenty four in sequence, then returning to the beginning for a fresh cycle of practice. During each practice session you should sing the rune song for as long as you feel comfortable, but for a minimum of nine repetitions for the initial two or three cycles of practice.
How you choose to sing each rune is to some extent flexible according to your preference, although you must make sure in all cases that it is enunciated clearly. You may whisper; you may chant; you may 'vibrate' the sounds as taught by such Orders as the Golden Dawn; you may shout it to the hills. You may choose different sonic keys for different runes. My personal preference is to project the song literally as if singing. But you should always mentally project the sound, as if flowing from you and echoing out to the far reaches of the Universe. You should also focus upon the key meanings of the rune at the time of projection.
The breath control techniques learned in the previous chapter are of vital importance in rune singing. You should draw the breath deeply in for a comfortable count (say 6, for example), feeling it entering your body and sinking deep down into you. Then pause and hold for just a second or two and exhale strongly to a double count, singing one line of the rune song as you do so (each line being a separate breath cycle). Hold again for just a couple of seconds, then proceed to the next line.
Your core practice should involve you focusing completely upon the sound of the rune, but occasionally set aside an additional practice period and combine the rune song exercise with the appropriate posture or with a strong visualisation of the rune. In this way, the several parts of galdor will begin to draw together into a powerful unit.
The songs for each rune are as follows. Note that 'g' is always pronounced hard, as in 'good', not as in 'general'; 'j' is pronounced as 'y' in 'you'; 'a' is pronounced as in 'park'; 'u' is pronounced as in 'peruse'; 'e' is pronounced as in 'whey'; 'i' as the double 'e' sound in 'street'; 'o' as in 'whole'.
fehu fehu fehu fehu
f f f f f f f f
fu fa fi fe fo
of ef if af uf
f f f f f f f f
uruz uruz uruz uruz
u u u u u u u u
u u u u r r r r
u u u u u u u u
thurisaz thurisaz thurisaz thurisaz
th th th th th th th th
thu tha thi the tho
oth eth ith ath uth
th th th th th th th th
ansuz ansuz ansuz ansuz
a a a a a a a a
aaannssuuuzz
a a a a a a a a
raidho raidho raidho raidho
r r r r r r r r
ru ra ri re ro
or er ir ar ur
r r r r r r r r
kenaz kenaz kenaz kenaz
keeeeennaaazzz
ku ka ki ke ko
ok ek ik ak uk
keeeeennaaazzz
gebo gebo gebo gebo
geeeeboooo
gu ga gi ge go
og eg ig ag ug
geeeeboooo
wunjo wunjo wunjo wunjo
w w w w w w w w
wu wa wi we wo
ow ew iw aw uw
w w w w w w w w
hagalaz hagalaz hagalaz hagalaz
haaagaaall
hu ha hi he ho
oh eh ih ah uh
haagaalaazz
naudhiz naudhiz naudhiz naudhiz
n n n n n n n n
nu na ni ne no
on en in an un
n n n n n n n n
isa isa isa isa
i i i i i i i i
iiiiiiiissssssss
i i i i i i i I
jera jera jera jera
jeeeerrraaaa
ju ja ji je jo
oj ej ij aj uj
jeeeerrraaaa
eihwaz eihwaz eihwaz eihwaz
e e e e i i i i
eeeiiihhwaaazz
e e e e i i i i
perthro perthro perthro perthro
peeerrthrrooo
pu pa pi pe po
op ep ip ap up
peeerrthrrooo
elhaz elhaz elhaz elhaz
z z z z z z z z
uz az iz ez oz
oz ez iz az uz
z z z z z z z z
sowilo sowilo sowilo sowilo
s s s s s s s s
su sa si se so
os es is as us
s s s s s s s s
tiwaz tiwaz tiwaz tiwaz
tiiiiwwaaazz
tu ta ti te to
ot et it at ut
tiiiiwwaaazz
berkano berkano berkano berkano
beeerrkaaannooo
bu ba bi be bo
ob eb ib ab ub
beeerrkaaannooo
ehwaz ehwaz ehwaz ehwaz
e e e e e e e e
eeeehhwaaazz
e e e e e e e e
mannaz mannaz mannaz mannaz
m m m m m m m m
mu ma mi me mo
om em im am um
m m m m m m m m
laguz laguz laguz laguz
l l l l l l l l
lu la li le lo
ol el il al ul
l l l l l
l l l
ingwaz ingwaz ingwaz ingwaz
iiiiinnnngggg
ung ang ing eng ong
ong eng ing ang ung
iiiiinnnngggg
dagaz dagaz dagaz dagaz
daaaagaaaazz
du da di de do
od ed id ad ud
daaaagaaaazz
othila othila othila othila
o o o o o o o o
ooooothiiilaaaa
o o o o o o o o
If you are uncertain about the pronunciations, Runa-Raven Press supply an excellent CD as an accompaniment to Edred Thorsson's Rune Song book. The book / CD combination is worth its weight in gold to Initiates at this stage of the curriculum.
Charging Your Rune Set
It is now time to complete the charging and consecration of the set of runes you carved and coloured during the Work of chapter three. This process is accomplished through the combined use of all the skills you have developed in this current chapter so far.
Each rune should be charged individually, in correct sequence. To begin with, rub your hands vigorously together, then pick up the runestave and hold it in your cupped hands. This will allow your body heat to flow into it, vitalising it. Then raise it until it is just a short distance in front of and slightly below your face, so that your breath is full upon it, breathing life into it. You should then use your visualisation skills to project a fiery mental image of the rune upon the carved representation, strongly willing the projection to bond into the wood. Take a deep breath and literally sing the song of the rune into the stave. Repeat the rune song several times, ideally nine times.
The rune is then charged and ready for use, bound to your own consciousness by the measures you have employed to enliven it. Place it safely away and move on to the next stave until all have been done.
This is the rune set which you will use for divinatory purposes, which we will be looking at in the next chapter. They can also be used for meditation, or manipulated upon your altar to produce magical effects.
Magical Uses of Runestaves
There are three specific ways in which you may use the skills you have learned so far in order to practice magic for objective results. Indeed, at this stage in the curriculum it is imperative that you should do so and should not be satisfied until you can be confident in your abilities to produce some actual, observable change in the world due to your magic.
The first stage in all three cases is to select which runes to employ in your spell. This should not be difficult since you have spent a good period meditating upon the runes and their meanings by this point in time. So, for example, if you were to cast a spell for money, fehu would certainly be one of the runes to be employed. For friendship, you would want to use wunjo and ehwaz at the very least. To strike at an enemy, thurisaz would be essential.
Having chosen your runes, they would then be charged and sent by one of the following three methods or a combination thereof:
You could adopt the stadhagaldr postures of each rune in turn, feeling the rune streams being reshaped by your Will and the shape of your body, flowing through you and out into the world.
You could sing the rune songs whilst tracing the rune shapes in the air, strongly visualising them before you, the song of change vibrating out to the far reaches of the Universe.
You could carve and colour the runes on a sliver of wood or a strip of leather, singing them into the carved substance. This powerfully charged talisman would then continue to radiate your Will over the long term.
A sample runic ritual follows in order to illustrate these basic principles.
As a final footnote when considering the use of runes for an operative Working of sorcery, take time to specify what you really want. For example, simple money spells are rarely worth doing. It's not that they don't work, they certainly do, but money isn't what you actually want, is it? If you can't afford to put food on the table, you actually want the power and opportunity to provide for your family and their comfort. Money is certainly a step toward that, but it isn't your actual goal. Ensorcel for what you truly Desire, not the stepping stones toward it. This allows greater freedom of manifestation to the spell and enriches your soul by taking heed of what you truly want. The practical result may ultimately be the same, but the difference in intent is highly important.
A Simple Runic Ritual
This sample ritual will illustrate the basic steps involved in any act of runic sorcery. It should be noted that this simple skeleton can and should be expanded upon as the Initiate gains greater familiarity with the mechanisms of magical practice in general from the titles in the Reading List.
Let's assume a magician is due to give a speech at some important function: a wedding or formal dinner. He is unaccustomed to public speaking and is understandably nervous about the prospect. So he decides to use his runecraft to bring his nerves under control and ensure that he doesn't become tongue-tied, but delivers an eloquent and well-received speech.
He first selects his runes. Ansuz is a must, since it governs speech and poetic utterance, but also produces inspiration, so that his words will not dry up. He selects wunjo to establish a cameraderie with his audience, hoping to keep them entertained. Isa will keep him focused and to the point. Elhaz assists ansuz in establishing an inspirational link, but also defends against manifestations of his nervousness. Finally, sowilo ensures the success of his speech, which will illuminate and energise the listeners.
He next devises a brief statement to be made when he invokes each rune, steering them in the direction of his Will:
“Ansuz, I invoke the speechcraft of the Old One, that my mouth may be filled and overflowing with His wisdom.
“Wunjo, be a source of mirth and good fellowship.
“Isa, my words are uttered with precision and focus, clear and true.
“Elhaz, my purpose is strong, no weakness or nervousness assails me.
“Sowilo, clear understanding and a bright response shall be my reward from my peers.”
If he chooses to employ stadhagaldr, our Initiate will now take time to still his mind and body and will then adopt each runic posture in turn, singing its rune song and reciting the statement he has composed for it. He may alternatively trace the runestaves in the air whilst singing and reciting, or he may chant his runes whilst carving them upon a sliver of wood or leather, colouring them with his blood.
Bind Runes
Whilst the ritual given above is perfectly adequate (especially when fleshed out with a full ritualistic structure as, for example, described in Edred Thorsson's Futhark or Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible), the Initiate may enhance it by developing bind runes instead of simply visualising or cutting each runestave separately.
A bind rune is a symbol which combines the shapes of all of the individual staves into a single figure, which can be adjusted until it pleases the Initiate's aesthetic sense. This has the double advantage of: (1) producing a unique figure which will be used solely for the present Working; (2) providing a single, composite figure for the eye to rest upon when concentrating and sending forth the rune streams. It is so named because the force of the runes employed is bound together in a common shape and purpose by the Will of the runer.
As an example, the following figure might be derived from the situation offered above, utilising the five runes ansuz, wunjo, isa, elhaz and sowilo. It will be noticed that the shape of every stave can be traced within the finished figure. When singing the runes to charge the bind rune, each must still be sung separately. Also, the lines of each must be traced in its turn when carved, ensuring that each element of the whole is properly bound in its place.
The Helm of Awe
The Helm of Awe – the Ægishjálmur after which this book is named – is the name given to the mesmerising power of the serpent. The Helm was possessed by the Dragon Fafnir and by it he could immobilise his foes, paralysing them with his gaze, freezing their hearts with terror. This power of hypnotic dread passed to Sigurd when he defeated Fafnir a
nd obtained the wealth and power of the Dragon. It is sometimes referred to as if it was an actual helm, but is most often figured as a bind rune of a specific sort. The helm has four or eight branches radiating equidistantly from a common centre, each branch terminating in a rune. In its simplest form, as an expression of aggressive defence, a protective talisman, it is formed of four elhaz runes, as follows:
From this simple beginning, the Helm can be elaborated in many different ways. Markings are occasionally placed at the midpoint of the branches and sometimes when eight arms are used, one set of four will be shorter than the others. The rules concerning this are not briefly explained, but the markings and terminations at the midway point are generally presumed to have their effect primarily upon the subjective universe of the Initiate, whereas those that terminate at the outermost points are intended for objective effects. Far more extensive guidelines for the construction of Helms can be found in Edred Thorsson's book Northern Magic. Many examples also follow in the next section of this present chapter.
The version of the Helm of Awe which adorns the cover and title page of this book (and is reproduced overleaf) was designed by me at the commencement of my Fafnir's Galdrabók Working. This particular Helm is intended to be charged and then placed before the Initiate when he carries out further magical Workings. Its function is to catalyse and enhance the operative sorcerous skills of the runer, boosting the results of his enterprises.
A Helm for Operative Sorcery
The Ægishjálmur is of particular interest to Draconian runers, since it is the chief expression of the power of the Dragon Fafnir. As Sigurd slays Fafnir, he becomes something more than human, his consciousness awakens the Beast within himself, the coiling Serpent in his own Self, and releases its potent wisdom and power within him. By utilising the structure of the Helm as a basis for his bind runes, the Draconian Initiate taps into this mythic resonance and claims the Dragon's essence as his own, intensifying his magic immeasurably.
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