Tales from the Ironwood

Joseph Campbell succinctly explained,“Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words." Written from 26 May through 29 June 2025.  ********* While most modern readers of the Eddas view the tales as mythology or even fantasy, many adherents of present-day Heathenry adopt a literal interpretation of the events and characters. In both cases, the esoteric value of the stories are often lost with little more than an exoteric understanding gained. From the latter perspective, the stories make little sense and their application to one’s life is quite limited. For those who read the stories as pure fantasy, the tales excite the senses, but not in a more significant way than other heroic fiction might. For the literalists, and especially those who cling to some type of Heathen orthodoxy, the gods and giants are awesome figures to be feared or worship...

Written on eve of the anniversary of Grandmaster List's passing away to his new arising-- 16/17 May 2025.  Conceived for many days, weeks, months, and years. List wrote of the rune MAN --"Be a Man!" We must ultimately reveal true self. Be true to thine self. If not now, then when? ********* To the vast majority, the terms “Armanism” and “Wuotanism” are unknown and obscure— words hardly a part of the popular vocabulary. For those familiar with contemporary Heathenism or occultism the terms may conjure up imprecise and inaccurate ideas supercharged with polemics and politics. While some might, and have, argued that these terms reach back into antiquity, their popularization and perhaps even origin date to the early 20th century and the ideas and works of the Austrian mystic, Guido von List (1848-1919).  Today, List is identified by his supporters and detractors alike as an early proponent of Heathenry or Odinism and the creator of an odd, if not discredited, rune-row or Fut...

Fresh perspectives are a necessary ingredient for the healing of old hurts and wounds. Written on 1/11/2025.  ********* Last night, while reading the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), the influential Indian philosopher, a new perspective on the Rune UR and its meaning emerged for me. While Krishnamurti did not comment on the Runes in his extensive writings and talks, he did frequently consider the topics of memory and truth. In his essay, “On Immediate Realization,”[1] he discusses the challenge of responding to an issue without the baggage of memory. He argues that residual memories result in a type of self-conditioning which limits our ability to tackle new challenges in a fresh way. He also emphasizes that, as he puts it, "[each] challenge is always new, is it not?” Therefore, we face new challenges through old methods filled with old baggage and scars. He explains his idea this way: “Let me put it in a different way. I met you yesterday. In the meantime you have chan...

This portrait of Friedrich Marby was begun on 28 December 2024. Marby is one of those figures that is filled with contradictions. His work, as perhaps the first modern Rune Magician, however is highly influential on most who practice Rune Magick today. Some simply avoid mentioning him while others distort his life based on their own political and social outlooks. ********* Friedrich Bernhard Marby was born on 10 May 1882 in Aurich, Ostfriesland, a historic region in what is now Lower Saxony, Germany. A pivotal figure in esoteric and magickal Rune practice, Marby was the first to develop the concept of forming Rune postures with the body—a practice he called Runengymnastik (Rune Gymnastics), which is now more commonly known as Rune Yoga. Marby provided detailed occult explanations for the energies and benefits associated with his practice. However, like many early 20th-century Rune Magicians, much of what is said about Marby consists of half-truths and distortions—shaped by both his fie...

Over the past several weeks, I have further explored the ideas of Guido von List. My initial draft is completed on this, the 17th day of November 2024.  ********* An important, but often overlooked, concept in Guido von List’s Das Geheimnis der Runen ( The Secret of the Runes )[1] is that the ancient Armanen (the societal class comprised of priests, skalds, magicians, and kings) concealed key philosophical principles within the mysterious symbols known as Runes and the Eddic passages they wrote to describe them. List reveals several layers of secrets of the Runes in his most famous volume. First, he recognizes the 18 verses of the Hávamál referred to as the Rúnatal or Odin’s Rune Song corresponded to an 18 Rune Futhorkh. The next secret has to do with the interpretation of the meaning of these ancient symbols. To provide that, List takes the approach of interpreting the known Rune Poems,[2] the relevant Hávamál verses, and the etymological roots of words extending their German ...

Then Ganglieri asked: "Where is this god, what power has he, and what great works has he performed? High said, "He lives throughout all ages and rules all his kingdom and governs all things great and small." Then spoke Just-as-High: "He made heaven and earth and the skies and everything in them." Snorri Sturluson, Edda. [1] ********* Cosmogony is the study of the origin of the universe. Each culture and religion has an origin story that forms the basic tenets of their mythos. While the exoteric tales may stir the imagination or be cast off, even by adherents of the faith, for failing the tests of rationality or scientific understanding, the esoteric meanings of such stories convey deep messages for those who embrace the faith or who are raised in that particular culture. In bygone eras, children raised in families that practiced Ásatrú, the worship of the old gods of the North, were bound to understand the esoteric principles of the religion without having to b...