Bending Wyrd

For magicians there can be little doubt that the quip from legendary Clash frontman Joe Strummer, "The future is unwritten" is a fundamental truth. Magick suggests that while events may typically occur in some divined fashion, that the Magician has the ability to alter such outcomes. While there undoubtedly are methods other than magick that may shift the events that are to come, the techniques offered by Magick are a sure fire path to  make otherwise unexpected change in the universe.

Written from 5 December 2025 through 26 January 2026.

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Among Heathens and Ásatrúars a popular concept that is frequently referred to and, at times, hotly debated is that of “wyrd.” Wyrd is an Old English concept that is often defined as fate or destiny. The concept of wyrd is related to the German verb werden—to become. Wyrd is the process by which past actions shape our present and present actions may shape our future. Therefore each of our actions have consequences. Wyrd is unfolding consequences of actions, both personal and collective. Many also refer to the idea of the “Web of Wyrd” in which wyrd is represented as a complex, web-like structure where every action, thought, and connection is woven together to create a person's destiny. The “weaving” is done by the Norns—the goddesses who weave the tapestry of fate for all beings (gods included). They are identified as three sisters Urd (that which was), Verdandi (that which is becoming), and Skuld (that which shall be). Guido von List importantly noted that Skuld is related to the German word schuld meaning “debt.” Skuld, the Norn associated with the future, represents the “debt” or consequences of one’s prior actions.

While undoubtedly the various methodologies of magick are intended to cause change in the universe, that most commonly associated with Heathenry is Rune Magick. Not only is Rune Magick the most popular magickal method of contemporary Heathens, it has a history dating back to antiquity. We read for example, in “Egil’s Saga,” of Egil Skallagrímsson foiling a poisoning attempt at a feast by using rune magick. After suspecting his drink is poisoned, he carves protective Runes on his drinking horn, smears them with his blood, and recites a poem, causing the horn to shatter and the poison to become harmless.[1] Had Egil consumed the contents of the poisoned horn he would surely have paid the debt for his actions. Through Rune Magick, Egil altered the future in a act which may be described as “bending wyrd.” The magician generally, and the Rune Magician specifically may be said to be able to bend wyrd, but not create wyrd or manifest an impossible outcome. That is to say, that there are a finite number of possibilities based on the actions that have occurred. The most likely outcome is that destiny associated with the three Norns—based on the weaving that has already transpired. It is not however, the only possible outcome. The magician may bend wyrd to another, perhaps unlikely outcome, through the use of magick, but not to change the web in its entirety.

One may consider the passing of time, and the weaving of the Norns like a game of chess. As the game or one’s life proceeds, various moves are made. Pieces are removed from the board as one maneuvers the moves made by the other player. As the game proceeds, one’s earlier moves limit the number of possible moves that a player may take. Each of our choices as well as that of the other player, change the positions of our pieces and our options. While we still have freedom of choice, our choices are fewer than they once were. As we age we find that choices that may have once been options are no longer available to us. While this metaphor helps us to understand the concept of wyrd, the magician may be able to alter the future event by reshaping or revising the present or even past event(s). Einstein’s theory of relativity demonstrated that time does not exist independently of observers. In special and general relativity, time depends on motion and gravity. Different observers measure different time intervals, and there is no single universal “now.” In Quantum mechanics the theory of Retrocausality is the idea that causal influence can run backward in time—that future events can help determine earlier ones. This doesn’t mean rewriting history or sending messages to the past. Instead, it challenges the assumption that time has a built-in direction at the fundamental level.[2] As we consider the Eddic texts, we appreciate that the Norns are always weaving. It is not only Skuld who weaves (in the future), but her sisters Urd and Verdandi (in the past and present) as well. Snorri writes, “These maidens shape mens’s lives.”[3] Hence, all three Norns are at all times shaping and weaving—and the magician may even bend wyrd to effect change in the past through the workings of the present.

One of the most effective methods of magick is the use of Sigils. A sigil is a symbol intentionally created or adopted to represent a specific idea, desire, force, or state of being—compressed into a visual form so it can operate below ordinary, discursive thought. Sigil Magick if often attributed to the work of Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956). Spare described the power of Sigils in The Book of Pleasure (Self Love): The Psychology of Ecstasy:

“Sigils are the means of guiding and uniting the partially free belief with an organic desire, its carriage and retention till its purpose served in the subconscious self, and its means of reincarnation in the Ego. All thought can be expressed by form in true relation. Sigils are monograms of thought, for the government of energy.”[4]

Spare’s technique was made popular through the development of Chaos Magick beginning in the 1980s. Phil Hine writes in his classic, Condensed Chaos, “Once you have decided upon your intent, it can then be turned into a symbolic code—a signal on which you can focus varying degrees of attention on, without recalling your initial desire.”[5] He continues by describing a common approach, “write out your intent, knock out all repeating letters, and from the rest, design a glyph.”[6] The scope of this article does not include in depth explanation of the methods of Sigil Magick. Rather, I emphasize the subject for its relationship to Rune Magick and specifically the concept of Bind Runes. Bind Runes are designs or symbols made up of more than one Rune. They may have the same Rune repeated multiple times or they may result from combining two or more different Runes. Designed specifically for magickal purposes, Bind Runes may be one, if not the earliest, forms of Sigil Magick.

To the accomplished Rune Magician, I would argue that Bind Runes make a particularly powerful Sigil. Such an association is not a new idea and in fact discussed as early as 1932 by Siegfried Kummer in his Heilige Runenmacht (Holy Rune Might). He dedicates a chapter to “The experience of Bind-Runes and Sigils.”[7] While in Sigil Magick, the resulting symbol is derived typically from the letters comprising a statement of intent, that symbol is generally new and oftentimes complex. Spare emphasized that the intent of the Sigil resides in and is served through the subconscious. English letters don’t have intrinsic meanings as do Runic or Hebrew symbols. It becomes necessary for the magician to embed their intent or desire into the resulting Sigil. With Runes, that task is considerably easier and can be more powerful and effective. That is because each Rune is already embedded with meaning. Rather than writing the sentence, “I am healthy,” the Rune Magician may convey the idea simply with the Rune UR which has long been associated with health. “It is useful for people who practice the healing hand. It chases disease and all pain. It cures hurts and all wounds.”[8] The design and creation of Bind Runes is essentially a method of combining Rune Magick with the techniques of Sigil Magick. Through the creation of a Bind Rune, one may, as Spare writes, “send your desire into the subconsciousness (which contains all strength); that having happened, it is the desire’s realization by the manifestation of the knowledge or power necessary.”[9]

While Bind Runes, or Runes themselves may be designed with pen and paper, as most Sigils are, they may also be carved into wood or stone or other materials. The act of physically carving the Rune infuses the resulting symbol with the deep intent of the magician. Runes may also be carved into candles as part of an overall Rune working. Karl Hans Welz described the concepts behind and the techniques involved in Candle Magick as part of his Basic Rune Course. He explained that a candle may help to internalize the focus —or intent. He described various correspondences between number and color of candles to the intent of the magician along with the power of engraving the Rune on the candle itself.[10]

Other particularly powerful methods of manifesting one’s intent or bending wyrd are that of Rune Yoga and Rune Mudras. In each case, the Rune Magician becomes a sort of human Sigil. With Rune Yoga, the Rune Magician forms the runic symbol with their body. With Rune Mudras, they use their fingers and hands to form the runic shape. Having internalized the meanings of the Runes, the Rune Magician can effect change by forming the relevant runes identified to carry out the intent. This is commonly accomplished with a single Rune or a sequence of Runes. Siegfried Kummer suggests various sequences of Runes for healing purposes in his Heilige Runenmacht.[11] Rune Yoga may also be used with Bind Runes. One common combination is that of SIG-TYR which is described by Karl Spiesberger in his Runenexerzitien.[12] Spiesberger describes Rune Yoga positions using the Sanskrit term asanas. Asana is traditionally understood as a purposeful posture that uses the body to shape the mind. Here again the intent, while understood consciously, is transferred to the subconscious mind where the idea becomes energized for manifestation.

Aleister Crowley famously defined Magick as “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.”[13] One particularly popular method of causing such change to occur is through the use of Sigils. While Austin Osman Spare is often credited with originating this concept, we find that it dates much further back to the use of Runes in antiquity. The modern Rune Magician may take advantage of these ancient techniques along with the more modern practices of Rune Yoga and Rune Mudras to form particularly powerful Bind-Runes. Through these one may effect change in both the subjective and objective universes based on one’s will and technique. Such acts of Magick may be said to bend wyrd—and thereby shape the weaving of each of the Norns, not only emphasizing that the future is not pre-destined but also that calamities may be avoided and intent may be realized—albeit of course, with a word of caution. It has been said that one should be careful what one prays for. Similarly, one should also be careful of the change they intend to effect in the universe, for with the right techniques, one may undoubtedly bend wyrd—and thereby alter the weave of their lives.

Notes

1. See “Egil’s Saga,” trans. Bernard Scudder in The Sagas of Icelanders (New York: Penguin Books, 2000).

2. For an excellent explanation of Retrocauality, see Ch. 10 “Backwards Causation” in Mitch Horowitz’s Practical Magick: Ancient Tradition and Modern Practice, (G&D Media, 2025).

3. Snorri Sturluson, Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes (Vermont: Everyman, 1995), 18.

4. Austin Osman Spare, The Pocket Austin Osman Spare (Boulder: Trident Press, 2020), 90-91.

5. Phil Hine, Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic (Tempe, AZ: Original Falcon Press,1995), 86.

6. Ibid.

7. Siegfried Adolf Kummer, Holy Rune Might: Rebirth of the Armanendom through Rune Exercises and Dance, trans. Alfric Avery (Vavenby, Canada: Woodharrow Bund Press, 2019), 109-113.

8. Hávamál, 147.

9. Spare, 93.

10. See Welz, RIT: KOR Letter of Instructions # 5. https://knightsofrunes.godaddysites.com/lesson-5:-rit

11. See especially Kummer, “Treatment with Heilrunen,” 165-170.

12. Karl Spiesberger, Runenexerzitien: Runenpraxis der Eingeweihten (Berlin: Verlag Richard Schikowski, 1982).

13. Aleister Crowley, Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4 (San Francisco: Weiser Books, 2008), 144.