Tales from the Ironwood

My thoughts on GIBOR have been formulating for quite some time. I've understood that GIBOR involved a secret or a mystery. I hadn't realized however that the mystery was the Runes themselves. And that the secret was in fact the answer as well as the question. Written from 25-30 May 2021. ********* I begin my meditations on the last of the Eighteen Sacred Futhorkh runes by thinking of Karl Hans Welz’s translation of the relevant strophe from Hávamál 164. An eighteenth I learned, but I would not Let this know just anyone else, for everyone knows The best for oneself: That which leads to the end of the songs. Only One is to know, who is in my arms as my lover. [1] The eighteenth rune contains a secret or a mystery. As Odin reaches the final rune of the Rúnatáls-þáttr-Óðins (“Odins Rune Song”) its meaning is obscured, even more so than usual. The mystery however is not to be solved, but rather is the answer as well as the question. While, many may think of discs or sto...

"Meditations on EH" was completed on 16 May 2021. My primary discovery is the inward spiritual meaning of the Armanen Futhorkh. I don't through this essay declare that I'm right in my interpretation. I only offer it as a means of sharing of information gathered along the way on my journey of self-discovery. ********* I begin my meditations on the seventeenth rune, EH, by considering the first part of Hávamál strophe 162.[1] Karl Hans Welz translates the beginning of the strophe as follows: A seventeenth I know: It is to Join two lives together in love With wise law, so that both are In tune forever. [2] A somewhat more literal translation is: A seventeenth I know: so that seldom shall go A maiden young from me. [3] In the balance of the strophe, Odin indicates the complexity and challenges of the Rune Songs themselves, by revealing to Loddfafnir, a character of which little is known, but who may represent the various seekers who intend to cull wisdom from...

This article was my first on the subject of Ásatrú. It was written back in February of 2016. Since that time it has had a few edits and minor changes. I thank my friends who deemed it worthy of posting to their blog or in their newsletter. It represents my thinking while taking my initial steps along the path of Ásatrú. The article highlights how I considered my journey as critical for a return to spiritual health after years of eating unhealthy "foods." Today I am reminded that Jesus is quoted as having said, "I am the bread of life." That quote takes on an entirely new meaning in the context of this essay. ********* While fad diets come and go one recent one that seems to have some real staying power is the Paleo Diet. The basic idea of the diet is that you can lose weight and become healthier by eating the foods that our bodies were “designed to eat.”[1]  Essentially the diet is based on what we know of the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors who lived some...

Completed on 2 May 2021, this essay exemplifies a key concept: one should avoid dogma and, even when following in the footsteps of the masters who have gone before, seek a personal life-affirming relationship with, and understanding of, the runes. Failing to grasp this fine point certainly could jeopardize progress and block the path for the aspiring rune master. ********* I begin my meditations on the sixteenth rune, YR, by considering Hávamál strophe 161. Karl Hans Welz translates the strophe as follows: A sixteenth I know, To experience the pulse of love with you; I sing this, I am aware of the Goddess, And her feelings engulf me. [1] Here Welz’s translation varies significantly from the original Old Norse (ON). An alternative literal translation is more useful for my analysis: Þat kann ek it sextánda: ef ek vil ins svinna mans hafa geð allt ok gaman, hugi ek hverfi hvítarmri konu, ok sný ek hennar öllum sefa. A sixteenth I know, | if I seek delight To win from a m...