The Rad Rune has very complex meanings at various different levels; it is a rune which I shall consider here. Firstly the shape is that of an upright stave which represents the World Pillar and a reverse Sieg-Rune which represents the blood of the sacrificial animal which runs down the pillar.
'For me a shrine of stones he made,
And now to glass the rock has grown,
Oft with the blood of the beasts was it red,
In the goddesses ever did Otter trust.'
This text comes from the Eddas and refers to what is known as the 'Reddening of the Post'. The blood of the Sacrificial Ox reddened the World Pillar, anointing the pillar in order to restore world order. This, of course, would apply to an era in which everything dissolved back into the Primal Chaos. The Primal Root *rud would thus mean 'to redden', or 'to blood' (in this specific sense). In the above text it is to the goddesses that this sacrifice is made, this seems explicit from the wording. What is meant by 'now to glass the rock has grown' I am not sure as yet but it must have some importance; it seems that this change in the rock was due to the regular blood sacrifice. It does not say that a bull was used, the wording being 'beast'; there is a phrase about a 'Sacrificial Lamb' but this hardly fits the term 'beast'.
(Looking back at this part I had the thought that the idea of the rock changing to glass (if this is the real translation of the Old Norse) would be symbolic of a transformation. Not only a transformation but one in which a dense material (rock) is changed into a transparent material (glass). This suggests a change in the state of things.)
In the Old English Dream of the Rood we find a somewhat similar theme but this time in the form of what at first glance seems to refer to 'Jesus' but which appears in a totally different form than that of the 'Jesus Christ' of the bible. The first link with this is the term 'Rood' which is important in that this is a unit of measurement - square measurement. However, this is just part of the meaning associated with this rune since the Rod is also a unit of measurement, but in this case linear measurement. We should here ponder the connection between the rod as symbolic of 'to measure' and the rod (the sceptre) as symbolic of authority, especially in view of the various meanings from the IE Root *reg- which refer to one who rules and means 'to move in a straight line'. The Rad Rune embodies this idea of ruling in both the sense of linear time and of ruling over an area of land measured by the rood. The link between Blood and Soil is quite obvious here.
The 'Measuring Rod' was symbolic of the power to rule because it represented a 'ruler'; in one legend Robin Hood carried a 'Mete Yard' which is a 'measuring rod' symbolising his right to bring justice, law and right order. Interestingly, the word rid means 'to free' so here we have a direct link between freedom and the Warrior-Hero who fights for the freedom of his Folk. Robin Hood, of course, is an Archetypal Folk-Hero.
The figure here is that of a 'hero' who hangs upon a living tree, and it is made clear that no only does the Divine Hero suffer and bleed, but also the Divine Tree suffers and bleeds. The inference here is that the Divine Hero-God suffers as the Cosmos suffers - the Divine Tree obviously being Iggdrasil. The image of the Divine Hero on the Tree can be found on the symbol of the rune-stave, an upright pillar and the figure hanging upon it. Looked at as being from the side-angle this is very much like any 'crucifix' symbol.
The rune is also the Rit Rune which represents the Rita or 'Cosmic Order'; this is clear when we consider the above rune-meanings which show the means needed to restore world order or cosmic order. It must be remembered that the Rood is also the 'Gallows Tree' - the Tree of Woden. The Rita is far more complex than this simple meaning - 'Cosmic Order' - implies, for it has various levels of meaning which must be tackled on its own right.
The Rad Rune also refers to a 'journey' of some sort, implied within certain words that stem from this rune-root -
rad (OE) - street, path, road.
ridan (OE) - to ride.
rado (OHG) - swift.
girado (OHG) - suddenly.
reid (O.Ice.) - wagon.
reida (O.Ice.) - equipment, motion.
All of these stem from the IE Root *ret(h) which means 'to roll' or 'to run'. We can see in this a link to the idea of the 'straight road' that I have touched on before. This suggests that this rune concerns the 'quest' or 'journey' undertaken by the Hero-Knight ('ritter' or 'ridder') - the Knight Errant. This is not merely a physical journey but a journey taken between two worlds or realms, from one dimension into another dimension. The word 'knight' stems from Old English and means 'youth' so this perhaps hints at the Cultic Initiation done through the Mannerbund. The 'wagon' refers not only to the Sun-Wagon but also to Thor's Wagon, the Chariot of Thunor. This perhaps refers also to Thunor's travel between the worlds. The rune refers also to the journey of life and of becoming.
Turned sideways the rune-stave hints at the sexual act between man and woman. This is also hinted at through the 'slang' term 'to ride' which we find in the Old English ridan meaning 'to ride'.
Another meaning refers to right counsel or right advice, inherent in the following -
rad (O.Ice) - counsel, plan, advice.
rada (O.Ice) - to give advice.
rat/raht (OHG) - counsel, decision.
raedan (O.E.) - to govern, rule.
raed (O.E) - help advice.
We can see in the Old English raedan how being a ruler was specifically linked to being able to give good counsel, and thus being a knowledgeable and wise man or woman. This is inherent in the root-words given here, all of which stem from the Rune-Root RAD. The root *rod also refers to justice and to punishment for wrong-doing. In this we specifically refer to Aryan Justice which is when the crime must be atoned for by making it right with the person to whom the crime was committed, and not to raise 'funds' for the State through a 'fine' imposed for the crime. In Aryan Law the one committing the offence has to make it right with the person it is committed upon; this is done not only for the purpose of making it right with the victim but also to help the offender to become a better part of the tribal group. In our corrupt and rotten society the victim is rarely compensated for a crime since the state takes the 'fine' which is thus nothing more than another form of taxation. This is why there are so many rules and 'offences' today, which aid in funding this rotten state.
There is another meaning to this rune, that of the 'wheel' referring to the 'Wheel of the Year'. This is in fact the path of the Sun through the Solar Year, this being found in the rune-stave using the Sieg-Rune along a straight line (when the rune is turned sideways). The Sun's path is clockwise through the signs of the zodiac - Aquarius-Pisces-Aries etc. This concept is also linked to ritual which creates right order and upholds the Rita. There is no coincidence in the word RIT being a reflection of TIR since Tiw is the God of Justice and Right Order. This is also the role of Thunor in a sense, and we find the very same thing using his name THOR and its reflection ROTH, the latter meaning 'red'. Thor is indeed sometimes spelt TOR which is very much like TIR.
The rune has, like all runes, a negative side and this is found in the Root *rot and *rat which both have very negative meanings -
Rot - this, of course, refers to decay and disintegration; it refers to a state that leads to destruction and to death. It also refers to anything that is disintegrating, such as our rotten society and the people becoming rotten. There is also another important side to this which can be found in the old idea that a rotten apple will very soon cause more apples to become rotten when they are left together. Indeed, this is a very important idea since it tells us that within our rotten society today, all will eventually become rotten and die if they do not isolate themselves from the 'rotten apples'. This was the profound wisdom put forth by Friedrich Nietzsche when he taught of the 'hermit' and how the aspiring 'Superman' must break free of the masses and become the 'Lone Wolf' (my phrase but it describes his ideas).
Rat - This is the parasitical animal that lives off human waste today and which lives around human beings as a parasite. It is also the animal that brings plague and disease through its living conditions in the sewers and waste outlets. But the true meaning of its name tells us more than this, far more in fact. The word 'rat' stems from a root meaning - 'to leave the falling house'. Here we have the very essence of the 'beast' in that in our society it feeds off the healthy nation and causes it to 'rot' and to decay, eventually causing the total destruction of a nation. Once it has achieved this aim it them leaves its 'host' and moves on to another 'host' where the process starts all over again. The term 'rat' has been used to refer to secret mischief and to the working of secret destruction - it is an underground animal and thus works in the filth and darkness to achieve its aims. Some years ago I read a small children's book which put forth the idea that the 'rat' should not be treated as an 'outsider' but should be brought into the community and integrated - this is the blatant propaganda thrust upon our children, not unlike the mischief propagated by J.K Rowland in 'Harry Potter', and many other works of propaganda aimed at distorting the minds of our young.
In regard to the ideas I have just gone into we see clearly how works that are right and just, noble and uplifting, works like J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings take off by themselves naturally without the need to force people into seeing them. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter was given a helping hand through promoting the attacks upon it by the Christian Church. This is a very old trick used to promote films - you create a situation where the film is heavily criticised and the masses rush to look at it to see what all the fuss is about. This was done in the case of Harry Potter but Lord of the Rings took off due to its own appeal and also the appeal to the unconscious of our people. As with all things in life, what is right and natural does not need enforcing upon people; our 'multi-cultural society' has been forced upon us solely because it is unnatural! The likes of the work Harry Potter are just a part of the propaganda used for this purpose.
There is yet another meaning to this rune and this concerns the idea of race and roots. The OHG reiza means 'race' through its meanings of 'a line, stroke, mark' and 'lineage' (using the word 'line' here). We get the link to roots through the Latin radix and, as Hamasson pointed out in one of his works, this leads to the term 'radical' used of so-called 'extremists'. Here we see a very clever trick used to make 'radicals' - people who stick to their 'roots' - into 'extremists' or in some cases 'terrorists' (which is their recent trick). This hides the real 'terrorists' who are those in control of our nations and who create terror, mayhem and wars continually in order to control the masses. These people are the 'extremists' since they use extreme measures in order to frighten and thus make people easily controllable. The Rad Rune is highly important here since it concerns our struggle for our own roots and race.
There is also a link to the squirrel Ratatosk which is, of course, a symbol of the animal the runs up and down the trunks of trees, in this particular case he runs up and down the World Tree Iggdrasil. This symbol is very clever since it shows an upwards and downwards movement of energy along the 'spine' of the tree, linked to the Kundalini-Energy along the spine of man. The word should be broken into Rata- and -Tosk the latter meaning 'tusk'. We must now look at the Root *rata which is also connected to the Root *rati which is the name of the auger used by Woden when he enters Knit Mountain -
Rati - 'the beginning of the rasa', 'divine intoxication'.
Rasa - 'rapture', 'intense emotions', 'intoxication', 'orgasm'.
Here we can see clearly the underlying meanings behind these words, for they refer to the 'intense emotions' caused by the movement of the Fire-Serpent which causes the spine to heat up through certain forms of meditation and spiritual exercise. The symbolism of Woden (The Serpent - Male) penetrating into a hole in the Mountain (Female) refers to a Tantric Sex-Rite used to (re-)gain the Mead of Inspiration. Obviously the symbolism includes the awakening of the Three Cauldrons (Energy Centres) placed alongside the human spinal column in a parallel form. Although the gods acquire the knowledge of these energy-forces, some of the Divine Mead falls to Earth for the use of Man. The process of the upward-downward movement shows in the figure of Rata-tosk and in the ALU-ULA Formula. We should consider here why this heat is generated, and what this heat really is. This is the Inner Fire or Inga-Fire produced by meditation or spiritual exercise - it is the Spiritual Fire.
One further point here is the obvious use of the word 'tusk' for an animal that has no such thing. This hints at a hidden meaning for this term, and the animal associated with the 'tusk' in Northern Lore is the Boar. This is a most ferocious animal whose weapon is the 'tusk' which is another symbol of being able to 'break through' or 'to penetrate'. The Golden Boar is the symbol of both Ingwe and of Freya, and was a protective symbol used on the helmets of some Germanic Tribes, including the Saxons. Placed upon the head-gear, which obviously protected the head, but esoterically protected the soul, this must have been a deliberate use and one well known to the Germanic Folk. In a sense we find that the meaning of 'Ratatosk' has been altered deliberately since the squirrel is not a predator (hunter) but is the prey (hunted) of stronger animals. By using the term 'tusk' the symbolism has been made stronger and altered to suit another aim. The links to Ingwe and Freya cannot be a coincidence, since in the rising of the Fire-Serpent we see the image of the goddess-force (Freya) arising along the spinal column to reach the god-force (Ingwe) in the area of the crown-chakra. Thus, the boar-symbol can be seen at the base and also at the crown. (We need to recall here how the Sutton Hoo Mask uses the symbol of the Irminsul as the nose and eyebrows (ond-way) which is a dragon/swan/eagle, and the ends of the wings have the boar of Ingwe-Freya.)
The connection between this rune and with knowledge and wisdom (right counsel) is underlined by the English word 'riddle'. A 'riddle' is used to tease the mind and to make someone think about the meaning hidden within something that uses metaphor and symbolism - the 'riddle' thus works upon the right-brain rather than the left-brain. This is why riddles are not in widespread use today, because the powers-that-be do not wish that we use the right-brain thinking, rather we use the wholly logical left-brain.
One last point, and this concerns the link between this rune and the idea of waves or vibrations. We have the words 'radiate', 'radiation', 'radio', all of which suggest the movement of energy measured through vibration or 'wavelength'. The sounding of this rune would need to be like the sounding of the 'r' in Old English and in other Germanic Tongues - a 'rolled' form of 'r'. In some cases this seems to be related to the way that words such as 'Hrothgar' or 'Hrolf' are sounded, the 'h' emphasising the real way to pronounce the words. This is a clue to the sound of the rune.
The movement of energy or 'vibration' through the Earth-Currents is thus a part of the meaning of the rune; these are the 'Straight Tracks' or 'Holy Lines' or 'Ley-Lines' which move in a straight line.
''The mysterious earth currents which thrill the clay of our bodies'.
Rudyard Kipling.
Despite the use of the biblical idea 'clay' Kipling knew well of the Earth Currents or Earth Energy which seems to have been related to the figure Elan (Helen) known in these islands in ancient times. According to certain dowsers the 'water-lines' and 'aquastats' are related to the Number 7 or a multiple of 7, whilst the 'track-lines' are related to the number 3 1/2 or a multiple of 3 1/2. The 'blind spring' is a centre on which primary lines meet, and from which the emerge. These lines appear to take the same form as shown upon the White Stone of Ing which suggest that they are connected to the 'Gift of Ing'. The 'X' thus marks the spot where the energies converge and meet, such as in the 'crossroads' which was always held as a sacred spot, usually dedicated to Woden. This criss-crossing of energy-lines can also be found in the usual form of the rising of Kundalini through the twin-channels around the column.
The difference between the flow of the 'track', the 'water-line' and the 'aquastat' seems to be in the length of the lines between each cross-over point but the image for each is just the same. The 'blind spring' appears to be like the 'energy-centres' of the body, but which are the 'energy-centres' of the Earth as a Living Being. Wells are usually sunk upon blind springs which suggests that these serve as sources of energy.
The Rad Rune represents the road of transformation, evolution, and the movement of energy that is needed to evolve. That energy must be used to move from the darkness into the light, to increase the vibrations from the dark centres upwards to the light centres - from the base upwards towards the crown - and beyond. The 'rod' is the 'Rod of Brahma' which is the spiritual counterpart to the human spinal column, the spiritual trunk of the tree along which moves the energy -currents (Ratatosk).
The link between this rune and the World Tree, Iggdrasil, is obvious from what has been said. Using our runic knowledge we find this in the symbolism of the World Tree found in the Hagal-Rune. Here we have the branches (Eolhs-Rune/Man-Rune) and the roots (Calc-Rune/Yr-Rune) which together form the whole/heil (Hagal-Rune). The symbolism of the Ash-Tree for man - the Noble Man - is very clever since we need to expand upwards (Life-Rune) whilst also looking towards our roots (Death-Rune) and our past in order to do so. This image cannot be found in a lump of clay which is entirely earthbound (no doubt an obvious image to use to hold mankind in thraldom to matter).
The straight road can be seen in the upright stave (Is), whilst the achievement gained from taking this road can be seen in the final victory (Sieg). It can be no coincidence that this image also contains the movement of the Serpent (Sieg-Rune) along the column which is the movement of the Fire-Serpent along Mount (Su-) Me-Ru. In this World Mountain we find the idea once more of measurement and of the 'Straight Track'. The Rad Rune is thus used as a means of taking this spiritual path, and of achieving the end-result of the 'quest'. It contains also the meaning of the forces that seek to halt this spiritual evolutionary drive. We have to understand both the drive towards higher evolution, and thus higher consciousness and that which seeks to halt this drive through locking mankind into the material world; the means to achieve this drive is to achieve a higher rate of vibration moving upwards to the Realms of Light.
