Ar-Kan Runes

In Esoteric Wodenism I use the 33 Anglo-Frisian Runes but not strictly as they appear in historical documents. This is why I chose to call these the Ar-Kan Runes, since some of the runes will have more than one rune-symbol, and also more than one rune-sound. They will be neither 'historical' nor 'traditional' so it makes sense to use another name for a 'new' system, and thus stave off the inevitable accusation of not being 'authentic'. Were we to take the 33 Runes of the Anglo-Frisian rune-row and use their rune-meanings alone we would get no further than a set of mundane meanings, some of which have a Christian tinge, and the system would be unworkable. 

Guido von List used an 18-rune Armanen System, but as Aelfric Avery shows in 'Armanen Runes and the BlackSun Volume 1' he did not invent the rune-symbols nor the rune-names. What he did do is to match the rune-staves with the Ljodatal in the Havamal, and in doing so he produced a set of Magical Symbols that could be used for this purpose. The rune meanings of the Havamal cannot be easily matched to either a 24-rune system, nor a 33-rune system, which is why very little weight is given to this by modern Heathens. But they do match with the 18-rune Armanen System. Since these 'spells' come after Woden's initiation on the World Tree, and his recovery of the Ancient Runes, it is assumed these are Runic Spells. The genius of List (under the 'possession' of the Spirit of Woden) was that he matched the 18 runes with the 18 spells, thus making a working system, something not done elsewhere. (*) 

(*) If I remember rightly Freya Aswynn tried to match the 24 runes with the 18 Rune Spells, but this involves using two runes for one, and does not fit as well as the 18 Runes. But there is no reason why List's 18 Rune-meanings cannot be matched with the same runes in the Ar-Kan System, which I am working on now. 

In doing so there are some spells which seem better fitted to other runes, and I see no problem in adapting this. I'll give a few examples here -

OS-RUNE - breaking fetters. A dream I had years ago connected the Perth-Rune with the breaking of fetters, and the rune-shape itself suggests this, since it is an 'opened up' Beorc-Rune. 

RAD-RUNE - Stopping an arrow in flight. In cases of trying to stop something directly the Root-Sound 'ST' has been used, and thus the STAN-RUNE seems to be appropriate to this. 

BEORC-RUNE - Protection in battle. Since this involves blessing with water, the LAGU-RUNE seems more appropriate, especially one a Leek is given to the warrior.

These are just things I thought up now, and much more work is needed on them. But this could serve as a basis for more 'rune-spells' that could be made to match each of the 33 Runes. Of course, this is going to be neither 'traditional' nor 'historical', but the runes do not stay static and change and adapt - indeed, the runes are maybe not bounded by Time and Space, they are timeless! In fact, there is perhaps a need for a new set of Rune-Poems for the Ar-Kan Runes, one that will ensure they can be used in a magical way, being easily remembered through verse. The last three rune-spells contain remarks upon women, and how to get and keep a woman, something that would seem far more at home in the modern mundane use of runes. However, just a quick look will show how these might have hidden meanings relating to the Female Mysteries.

The Armanen Rune Adepts and Masters adapted the meanings of the runes to the 'Spirit of the Age', and this has come in for some criticism. I have done just the same here, since whatever criticism is made their work has proof of success in that this led to the German Awakening and the Incarnation of Wotan in the German Folk. The aim of Esoteric Folkish Wodenism is to continue this work but in a form suited to the English Folk, and to prepare the 'vessel' for the next Incarnation of Woden on Earth. We follow Miguel Serrano in this, though his work did not revolve around the English Folk. Miguel Serrano was aware of the work of Woden's Folk.

Woden's Folk was the first real attempt at reviving Folkish Wodenism here in England through its own English Heathen Movement. Small groups had dedicated themselves to Woden, but for all intents and purposes Odinism was the main base for Northern Heathendom. Today more and more Wodenist groups are springing up, some of whom are Folkish in nature, many are not. What they have in common is that an English Religion is being promoted more widely here in England, and the scene is being set for a future Folkish Movement. Our work on an esoteric level differs -

1. Woden's Folk was founded in order to prepare a 'vessel' that will be able to take the Incarnation of Woden as Wid-Ar the Avenger - here in England. This is unique and is not widely accepted, except for a good number of individuals who follow this work, some of whom are in the USA. 

2. Woden's Folk recognises the Incarnation of Wotan in Germany before World War II, this again is not widely accepted, and in the main most are scared stiff of even studying the subject. However, there are more and more people beginning to awake to this through Carl Jung's 'Wotan' essay. It will take much time to get people to overcome this fear, indoctrinated on them for decades. 

3. Woden's Folk set out to create a new Folk-Religion for the English, a religion suited to these aims, and one suited to the 'Spirit of the Age' - Zeitgeist. A new runic system has been created and is still being created, one suited to our era, and to the struggle we face today. 

On the wider level Folkish Wodenism will expand through all of the groups and individuals who are growing in numbers, and this will help to preserve some of our Culture & Tradition (much will be lost in this Dark Era). An English Symbol has arisen - the White Dragon - which will act as a unifying symbol for the English Folk. Years of research and use show that this is a powerful symbol and the one that we should use, one that arose in the 1980s at exactly the right time. This Sacred Symbol draws power from not only our realm but also from other worlds of being. It forms the basis of the Eternal Struggle between the Red Dragon and the White Dragon for supremacy over these islands. (This has nothing to do with the Welsh and English.) 

The WF-C is now really a 'non-organisation' working like the Wotan Network and it will grow organically from this. Woden's Folk is no longer an 'active group' and remains as the 'Telegram' channel called 'Woden's Folk', promoting Esoteric Folkish Wodenism. My main work now is done with emphasis on the esoteric side, (**) because this is how it must be; many of the groups arising now shun esotericism, a vital part of any Spiritual Revolution. The last few years have shown us how powerless we are whilst working at the material level, and how powerful the Global Powers really are - and that is because they use Occult Knowledge and Occult Power in their aims and agenda. 

(**) I still stick to a healthy balance here but with emphasis on the Esoteric Arts, since this is a side that needs to be developed within Folkish Wodenism.

The Ancient Runes can be a means to counter the mind-control used by the Occult Powers, so this work is growing more and more important as the noose tightens. Mind-Control is the main power over our people, feeding false propaganda and scare-mongering in order to increase stress, tension and fear, which aid the work of control. We don't have to think deeply on the means by which the people are controlled, since they are under a form of spell or curse that binds them, not allowing them to break free as free-thinkers. Most people are not strong-minded or strong-willed enough to break the spell! Working on the Group-Mind and the Group-Soul is the only means to break these fetters, and that means using the Magical Runes to do so. 

The Runes as Key to a Spiritual Awakening - Part Two

 The Runes as Key to a Spiritual Awakening

In 'The Path of Wotan' Jost Turner sees the World Tree - Yggdrasil - as being an upside-down tree, whose roots are at the top, representing the human brain. He is not the only one to do this, and it is a feature of some representations of a Sacred Tree in other Aryan Traditions. This, of course, would not seem to fit with the ideas I have suggested in Part One of this article. However, since we are dealing with consciousness, and specifically shifts in consciousness then maybe this does not make a difference. It is certainly not logical but we are dealing both with the logical side and the intuitive side of the brain. 

From what I can gather the Sacrum and Coccyx are fused vertebrae, but were once separate vertebrae, as are the top 24. But these do link to the last 9 runes, broken into Ac - Aesc - Yr - Ior - Ear, the first three being Sacred Trees, Ior being the World Serpent (and also Kundalini), and Ear being the 'Earth' or the 'Waters'. Cweorth - Calc - Stan - Gar are the Four Hallows - Sword, Chalice, Stone & Spear - which include the Gral-Runes - Calc (Chalice), Stan (Stone) & Gar (Spear). Going from the top (Feoh) and through to the base (Gar) we can use a meditation-visualisation through each of the 33 Runes, using the rune-names given here. I emphasise this because in using the same runes in shape and in sound the results would be similar for anyone taking part in this Spiritual Exercise - and such results could be shared in order to verify the work. 

The Feoh-Rune is at the top of the spinal column, and from here we work downwards from Spirit into Matter (Base Centre - Boden - Earth). I use these 33 Steps in a downwards direction to move down to the 'Cavern' in the Cavern Meditation I do personally. This is in line with the role of Woden who hangs upon the World Tree since Woden (Spirit) is bound to the Tree (Matter), thus bringing Spirit into Matter. This is the first stage - A-L-U. From this we move to Stage 2 where we work upwards from the base up to the top, going backwards through each rune. Again, we work from the base of the coccyx area and go through all 33 Runes, reaching Feoh at the top of the spine. Remember, we work on the Astral Body which we are seeking to 'resurrect' within ourselves. The 'Three Cauldrons' exercise does much the same thing, but best done separately in order to awaken and strengthen the Three Energy Centres - the Centres of Vril. 

The whole aim of this type of exercise is to awaken dormant powers within ourselves, and run doing so co-operate with our own evolution, indeed to shortcut  the evolutionary process. However, it is quite widespread to see this as an individual process, which it is to some extent, disregarding that we are part of a Folk. Woden's role as the 'High God' was to show the way for Man to overcome his human limitations and become 'as gods' - to evolve into the God-Man. This demanded a huge amount of self-sacrifice on his part, suffering, endurance and a strong Will being needed for this. He dedicated himself to the study of the Occult Mysteries, to the Hidden Knowledge, and sometimes what is known as the 'Forbidden Knowledge". Freya too is the 'Mistress of Magic' and she is said to have taught Seidr Witchcraft to Woden. Woden and Freya are the twin God-Goddess of Magic and Mysticism, and thus the two who can most aid those who look towards this aspect of Aryan Lore. 

Using this method whereby the 33 Runes are visualised moving downwards along the spinal column, and upwards along the spinal column, and adding to this the regular exercise of the Three Cauldrons, this is a powerful means of awakening the Vril-Energy. This is not something 'supernatural', it is a quite natural force that lies within, but one which can be recognised and directed through the Will. 

The Runes as Key to a Spiritual Awakening - Part One

 The Runes as Key to a Spiritual Awakening

The Old English Runes are a unique key that can be used as a means to a Spiritual Awakening, since they link directly to the 33 vertebrae of the Spinal Column. The human Spinal Column creates a link between the Earth and the Divine, and the 33 runes can be placed along this column, starting with Feoh at the top of the column. This has to be this way since it starts with the 24 Runes of the Elder Futhark, adding the 5 Runes of the Sacrum, and the 4 Runes of the Coccyx, these latter vertebrae being fused together. 

The Spinal Column, which in this Spiritual Discipline we call 'Mount Me-Ru', linked to the idea of the 'Measure of the Runes', is the Irminsul or Yggdrasil at a microcosmic level. It is also the 'Shaman's Ladder' by which he climbs the 'column' between Earth and Heaven, a Stairway to the Divine. As we find in the image of Ratatosk running up and down the World Tree, there is a two-way movement either from top to bottom, or bottom to top, and this is a vital part of this process of Awakening. 

The important symbolism is the World Pillar or World Tree, with the Serpent at the base, the Eagle at the top, and the Hawk between the eyebrows of the Eagle. The wings of the Eagle, or the wings of the Swan on the Irminsul, are symbolic of the Right-Brain and Left-Brain. The wings can also symbolise the lungs, the means by which air (and Life-Force) is drawn into the body. The Serpent, at one level, is thus the Kundalini Force or 'Fire-Serpent' that lies dormant at the base of the spine, and which can be awakened in the Initiate-Hero and which rises upwards along the Spinal Column and opens the Mind's Eye (in theory, of course). The key to this is the use of the 33 Ar-Kan Runes and the use of the Vital Breath - controlled breathing techniques. 

The runes, running from top to bottom, are -

Feoh - Ur - Thorn - Rad - Ken - Gyfu - Wyn : Haegl - Nyd - Is - Ger - Eoh - Perth - Eohls - Sig-el : Tir - Beorc - E(o)h - Man - Lagu - Ing - Daeg - Edel : Ac - Aesc - Yr - Ior - Ear - Cweorth - Calc - Stan : Gar. 

In the Ar-Kan Runes there will be variants of some runes used, to suit different purposes in their use. 

"I am the Beginning and the End - the First and the Last" - in this respect the Gar-Rune could be used as the first rune or it could be used as the last rune. This is one experiment that we shall be trying out in our work on the Ar-Kan Runes. (This is why we need not use the term 'Old English Runes' or 'Anglo-Saxon Runes', since the Ar-Kan Runes will be based upon these, but will be subject to experiment and change where necessary. Plus the fact we shall use variants in the glyphs of some runes.) In regard to the same theme, we may even start to study the Runic UTHARK system, where the F-Rune is moved to the end, leaving the U-Rune at the beginning. This was devised in the 1930s by a philologist named Sigurd Agrell, a professor at the Lund University in Sweden. This is not well-know and is widely rejected because it has no 'historical' basis - as if we always need 'historical proof' for something that could (like other things) spring from the 'Well of Memory'. I have not idea if this is valid as yet, but to be honest, anything is worth looking into, and nothing can be lost through doing so. 

When we speak of 'Awakening the Fire-Serpent' this is directly linked to Ingwe whose name suggests the 'Fiery-Serpent'. In a sense this is linked to the 'Resurrection of Ingwe', but in the sense of his being a Solar-God of Fire and Light. Just as important is the Goddess Freya, who's is a Solar-Goddess of Fire and Light, hence her symbol being that of the 'Fire-Necklace'. (The 'necklace' can also be symbolic of the female sexual organs, or more precisely this area of the body. The two versions of the Ing-Rune (Germanic-Diamond-Ing & English Ing) show the female and male - the former as the Female, the latter as the DNA which is passed through the Male-Line (it also contains the Female Ing-Rune too). In fact, there is another variant on the Diamond-Ing Rune, but with a line passing through and down, symbolic of the male sexual organ. We should think as much in terms of a Female Creative Force and a Male Creative Force, both of which have to be joined in a 'Sacred Marriage' in order for any kind of Creative Act to take place. 

The two-way movement of the Vril-Energy is important in that it gives equal importance to Matter and Spirit. Many eastern traditions place Spirit above Matter, and such views as some of the Gnostic and early heretical Christian sects dismiss Matter altogether. Germanic Lore recognises the body (matter) as being the 'temple' for the soul (spirit). Thus, importance is given to Body, Soul and Spirit. And the 'soul' is a multi-faceted form in man and is present in everything - in all life-forms, even rocks and stones. 

In Norse Mythology the link between Midgard and Asgard is the Bifrost (or Bilrost) Bridge - the 'Rainbow-Bridge'. This has been linked to the Milky Way, but also the Northern Lights, but what we can say it links to the Mystical North and the Home of the Gods. The Bifrost Bridge can also be linked to the Spinal Column, since this is the case with the Milky Way, but using the rainbow colours for the Seven Chakras must be seen in the light of its use by the 'New-Agers' rather than some archaic Hindu idea. The name 'Bilrost' appears to relate to a female figure named 'Bil', and Viktor Rydberg sees here as being the same as Idunn. Idunn is certainly related to 'regeneration' and to 'immortality' since she guards the 'Golden Apples of Immortality'. Another divine figure linked to Bifrost is Hama (Heimdall) who we know as a 'God of Fire' linked to the Vedic Agni; this link also relates to Ingwe, so for this we shall see them as both Archetypal Gods of Fire and Light. 

The transformation of The Serpent to the Winged Serpent (or The Serpent to the Eagle) is related to the Myth of Knit Mountain, where Woden achieves this whilst gaining the Sacred Mead of Inspiration. Woden, of course, is the God of the Vital Breath - Ond or Anda - needed to 'fan the embers' as the Fiery-Essence awakens in the Initiate. As for the Three Energy-Centres (ALU-ULA) we can see these as being placed along the spinal column, most likely (and this is open to experiment too) using the 24 Runes of the 24 vertebrae. Of course, to do this means that the A - L - U runes would be the 'Primal Runes' for the Three Energy Centres, which would also have other runes at the three points of the 24 Runes. What about the extra 9 Runes? Since the runes of the Coccyx relate to the Four Hallows - Gral Runes then these would relate to being 'beyond' this part of the spinal column. 

There may be a hint in the Edel and Daeg Runes being interchangeable, since if the Edel-Rune were place after the Daeg-Rune, thus coming at the end of this sequence, its meaning contains that of 'beyond'. The Sang-Real or 'Holy Blood' is the basis for the Gral-Mythos, and thus the Quest for Immortality. These runes would be linked to this, as may the Sacrum Runes - Ac - Aesc - Yr - Ior - Ear. 

The Gar-Rune - the Spear of Woden - represents the Spinal Column in itself, hence why it does not actually form part of the 4 Aettir. It is the 'Gift of Ing' and thus clearly related to Ingwe as well as Woden. To keep things simple for now Woden, Freya and Ingwe will be the main Gods/Goddesses concerned with this Spiritual Awakening. The Male Initiate would no doubt put more emphasis upon the Male, whilst the Female Initiate would put more emphasis upon the Female. A balance must be kept though but this is not unbalanced using these three, since Woden-Freya and Ingwe-Freya can be paired together.