Tales from the Ironwood

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...

What follows is an observation. It is not political in nature, but rather esoteric and philosophical. It is my consideration of one of several reasons that understanding is lacking between those who cling to one or another political ideology. Time is a foundational principle--but our view of it develops from our cultural, religious, and political biases not unlike many other cherished beliefs. Years ago, Sting, lead-singer of the band, the Police sang, "There is no political solution," the opening line of their song, "Spirits in a Material World." Surely, before we seek solutions, we must determine what problem we would like to solve. ********* As I watch another US Presidential cycle unfold, I can’t help but observe a keen esoteric philosophical difference between the parties that largely goes unspoken. Beyond the subjects that comprise the party platforms and rhetoric of each side, the two primary political ideologies have an entirely different perspective on ...

Rudolf John Gorsleben commented,"The Runes are symbols of the pulsating life, they are life itself, reduced to a mathematical formula. They are in some mystical relation to the law of the numbers as the basis of all cosmic and philosophical thinking." There is undoubtedly more to be said of this topic. Revised 19-10-24. ********* Gematria is the magickal practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, phrase, or letter and associating it with a number. While the word “Gematria” has Greek etymological origins, it was a practice often associated with Jewish texts and most often those associated with the Kabbalah. Such a process reveals otherwise unknown associations between words and their meanings. The numbers that are derived are then often reduced to a single digit by cross-addition. Therefore the number 10 (1+0) has the same reduced value as the number 1. Guido von List’s final work, the capstone to his metaphysical writings was to be Armanism and Kabbalah (Armani...

  This article has been writing itself in my head for the past couple of months. Its form continued to evolve until it fully formed during my sleep of 8 March. "These songs will be, to you, Loddfafnir, for a long time well-nigh unlearnable." Composed on 9 and 10 March 2024. ********* There is much misunderstanding and controversy over the 18 runes that Guido von List associated with the 18 Rúnatal verses of the Hávamál (verses 146-164). An internet search discovers the accusation that these runes, oftentimes, but inaccurately called “Armanen” runes are “pseudo-runes” or not runes at all. Some critics suggest that List simply “made them up.” While many are quick to condemn the authenticity of List’s entire Futhorkh, such complaints fail to comprehend the historicity and importance of List’s work. In fact, the first 16 runes of List’s system are what is today known as the Younger Futhork (which was in use throughout the Viking period from approximately the 8th through 12th c...