Half-month of Hagalaz and nine rune spreads

Valkyrie knot

As the cold deepens and Samhain beckons we move into the half month of Hagalaz.  This is the ninth rune of the Elder Futhark, the first of the second Aett (set of eight runes), sometimes known as Hel’s Aett.  Hel is the goddess of the Northern underworld, her face beatiful and alive on one half and deathly and corpse-like on the other.  If we see the Elder Futhark as a continuum of being, the joy and strength of Wunjo represents the culmination of the energies of the first Aett – the individual who has passed through this Aett knows balance in mind, body and spirit and is now ready to face the testing of the second Aett and so grow and develop.  The rune Hagalaz represents hardship, the hailstorm which will come and strip away the old, worn, and outmoded, so that life may develop stronger, more resilient and more powerful.  We can see the work of Hagalaz all around as winter sets in and the trees are stripped of this year’s growth, when Hagalaz turns up in a reading you can expect the cold weather to come – but you will be stronger for it once spring returns.

Hagalaz isn’t really a ‘bookish’ rune and, to explore its energies I would recommend getting outside as much as possible, enjoying the beautiful colours of Autumn and watching the slow surrender to Winter.  Look for Hagalaz in the bitter cold and storm weather, but also in the clarity and sharpness of clear skies and frost on the dying leaves.  An exercise that I will be doing from now until the leaves return is to look for the runes in the branches of trees – if you are learning your Elder Futhark, finding the shape of each of the runes in turn is a really useful habit to get in to. 

I am sure it hasn’t escaped your attention how appropriate the beginning of Hel’s Aett is to the season of Samhain.  Samhain is an excellent time to seek guidance through the runes: the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and, if we ask nicely, our ancestors, guides and gods will help us to interpret the patterns of Wyrd.  In honour of Hagalaz, a nine rune spread would be appropriate:

Nine Worlds reading

 You can try a nine worlds reading by adding the following runes to the top and bottom of the seven realms spread:

• Muspelheim to represent dymanic energies available to you (an ill aspected rune would signify forces that may be out of control)
• Nifelheim to represent sources of strengh (ill aspected this would represent static energies and obstructions)

Valkyrie knot

Thorsson’s Valkyrie knot (The Runecaster’s Handbook)  uses three downward pointing triangles representing the realms of Urd (past), Verdhandi (present) and Skuld (that which should be).  You read it in a very similar way to the three rune spread except that the first rune in each triangle is rooted in the past, the second in the present and the last in the future (so the first rune in the spread is past of past and the last is future of future).  The example spread was done for a client who was asking about business matters.  At the top we have Kenaz and Nauthiz reversed, suggesting a time of difficulty, worry and contraction where problems had to be faced and burnt away, but in the immediate past we have a partnership being formed (with the Ehwaz rune).  The middle triangle is very interesting, there is a lovely balance between Ingwaz (potential, storing up energy) and Berkano (with that energy then being released and new growth forming) – but perhaps an imbalance as Berkano is on its side, suggesting that attention needs to be paid to how the energy that is being amassed is released.  The Mannaz rune suggests that the important thing is for the energy represented by Ingwaz and Berkano to be channeled towards the person’s public persona, building a strong identity for the business.  The bottom triangle emphasises transformation and opportunity (Dagaz) but counsels that there may be difficulties translating these ideas into actuality (as the Isa rune of ice is on its side) –  there may be obstacles presented (perhaps stubourness or situations that challenge the patience of the client who will want to move forward with new ideas).  The last rune is also a warning, the Othala rune reversed suggests some difficulties with the premises of the business (perhaps it will demand more energy than anticipated as, for me, the Othala rune looked a lot like a bag emptying out onto the earth in this reading).  The good news is that, as the last triangle tells of what should come to pass (i.e. given the present situation), there are opportunities to re-shape Wyrd.  For me the Berkano rune is the key here, if the client is able to focus on how she shapes the very beginnings of the business and translates potential into reality, the difficulties forseen may be averted.