Tales from the Ironwood

This essay was written between 6 and 25 July 2021. It is a record of my current thoughts and practice related to Armanen Rune Ritual. Besides documenting this theory, it is offered especially for the student beginning on the path of rune mastery. As I note in the body of the essay, this is but "a theory," and does not suggest to be "the theory" on how such ritual may or should be performed. ********* In this essay, I set out to establish both a theory and a practice of ritual and ceremony that may be applied when performing magical work with the 18 Sacred Futhorkh Runes, better known as the Armanen Runes. Here I will largely use the term “ritual” but the theory that follows applies as well to Armanen ceremonies. Generally ritual refers to a set of fixed actions and words that are performed regularly or as part of some tradition. The ritual may be part of a ceremony. A ceremony is a set of formal acts also repeated according to a particular tradition or religion – a...

With this meditation, I find myself returning to the beginning of the Futhorkh. No longer are these meditations required coursework, but rather the insights of an initiated Rune Master. Along the way, I found many of the runes difficult to understand. They were made so both by what I knew and by what I had yet to learn. Perhaps the greatest challenge was to unlearn what was incorrect and to let go of cherished illusions. Lao Tzu wrote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What better words to launch our journey of FA. Written on 11 July 2021. ********* To understand the meanings of the various runes is more challenging than most readers would think or most authors of rune books would have us believe. Those on the Armanen path recognize that simple stand-alone words are insufficient in providing the true meaning of the mysteries that are runes. I have embraced a method that includes study and meditation as well as actual work with the rune in question to arriv...