The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Glut, Einmyria & Eisa/Three of Wands; Wendhorn; Ran/Queen of Cups.

Today is all about the emotions and passions. Glut and her daughters dance with joy and abandon. Ran takes us to the depths of emotional experience–perhaps deep love, deep pain, or both.

Wendhorn is the balance between the two cards, reminding us that life is a mix of experiences and emotions. One day we’re happy, one day we’re sad, one day we’re both of these things in 15 minute cycles.

The key here is to experience the emotions, rather than deny them. Repressed emotions become demons which come back to bite us later. Find a healthy way to express your emotions and channel that energy into your passion for life, for your loved ones, for your art, for your work, for whatever it is that you get out of bed in the morning to do.

Dance, laugh, cry, mourn, celebrate, sing. Use your emotional energy to make your life your art.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Bolthorn/Two of Wands; Mannaz, reversed; The Nornir/Wheel of Fortune.

Things happen for a reason. Sometimes that reason is Things Happen. There is no sense, there is no explanation. Things happen, and we have to deal with them.

Things happen, and knock us off our feet, disconnect us from ourselves. Mannaz reversed makes it clear that we are not in touch or in tune today, and we are not acting from a place of calm focus. But, that place is where we are, so we have to deal with that reality.

Bolthorn pricks and pokes us, reminding us of things we have let go too long, things which we should have dealt with long before today. We do need to address these things, but from a place of thought and consideration—response, not reaction. Do not let yourself be goaded into inappropriate action from frustration, fear, anger, or exasperation. Think first, then speak.

The Nornir are the Hidden Influence today. Things Will Happen. You do not have to like what happens, but you do have to accept it so you can deal with it.

How do you do that? With Grace. Not with Will, not with Intelligence, not with Strength. With Grace. Grace is what will carry you through this. Give yourself time to go quiet, to go within, and find that Grace.

Then, with Grace, you will be able to handle whatever Bolthorn and The Nornir send your way.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Bergelmir/Six of Swords; Chalc, reversed; Narvi & Vali/Ten of Swords.

Bergelmir returns from Tuesday’s draw. Our work is not complete; we are still solving problems and cleaning up situations not entirely of our own creation, although we may have unknowingly contributed to them. Do what you can with what you have–you have more than you realize, and you are capable of more than you realize. Get out of your own way and let yourself rise to the occasion, however grim and difficult.

As if the Chalc rune in reverse position isn’t a clear enough indicator that there is nothing left, the Hidden Influence card emphasizes this point. There is nothing you can do to change or mitigate what has occurred. All you can do is deal with the consequences. In the companion book to the deck, Kaledera writes, “It indicates treachery, betrayal, and great sorrow that has come inevitably from a long series of bad choices that looked necessary at the time.” What’s done is done. Mourn the loss, knowing that you must move on.

Get in the boat and go; there is nothing more to be done here.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Duva/Seven of Cups; Ac; Suttung/Six of Coins.

Choices, choices, choices! At the back of your mind are all the practical considerations, but the conscious part of your brain is distracted by all the shiny objects. So many possibilities! So much potential! Why choose? DO ALL THE THINGS!

Whoa, there, Nelly. Yes, you can do ALL THE THINGS, but not all at once. There is only one of you, and you can do only one thing at a time, and there are only 24 hours in a day.

Before jumping in from a sense of excitement, take some time to sort through the options. Excitement is good, inspiration is good, but you do need to acknowledge practical considerations. Do not create unnecessary obstacles, but do be honest with yourself about limitations. If you don’t acknowledge them, you can’t address them.

Duva’s card shows seven cups and a treasure chest floating in the water with Her. What is in the chest? What is She offering? Do you have the courage to look inside? Duva’s message is to look around with fresh eyes–what we need may be right in front of us, but we have to look for it.

Angrboda reminds us that we already know the answers, we know what our best choices are. Enjoy the sparkly lights, but when it comes time to actually choose, look past the appearance to see things as they really are–including yourself. Be honest with yourself about your motives, and examine others’ motives closely. If something doesn’t feel right, pay attention to that feeling. Guard what is valuable; share what you can.

You have a lot of options, and more resources than you realize. Choose wisely to live well.

You can read the exciting lead-up to this post in:
Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 1

Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 2

Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 3

Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 4

Here are the finished Runes in daylight:

Finished Runes in Daylight

And in candle light:

Finished Runes in Candle Light

The glaze dries to a soft shine, not particularly glossy, but reflective enough to dance slightly in the candle light. The Runes are light in the hand, yet solid. They mix easily in their basket, and the time spent in patient smoothing of the edges makes them a joy to handle.

The First Three Draws

In the first three draws, Gebo came up twice, as did Erda. The Runes feel as though they sing in my hand, and reading them required no effort. I saw them, and simply knew what they had to say.

I am beyond excited about reading with these Runes, and would encourage anyone who reads to consider making their own set. I feel attuned to these in a way that I have not felt with any other set (and believe me, some of my Oracles have very strong personalities), and I am madly in love with these Runes!

Total materials costs: Just under $20.

Work time: Six hours.

Having my own set of extended Runes: Magical!

If you are new to working with bindrunes, I suggest you read the introductory bindrune post here, then return to this post to read about this specific bindrune.

Healthy boundaries can be challenging to maintain when we are in a difficult situation, especially if we are dealing with a direct conflict with another person, or multiple persons. This bindrune will help you establish and maintain strong boundaries to keep you intact as you move through the stressful circumstances.

Bind Rune for Boundaries – Ior and Mannaz

Mannaz: The rune of the self represents your authentic self, your core being, that place of centeredness that allows you to make the right choices for yourself and take action in your own best interests, resisting the pressure to make unhealthy and unhelpful choices to please others. This rune removes energy from any codependent patterns of behavior, so you are able to stand strong in your own self.

Ior: The rune of Jormundgand, the Midgard Serpent, Ior brings intense boundary energy into the bindrune. As Jormundgand forms a strong barrier to protect Midgard from outside magical influences, so Ior creates a strong barrier to protect you from the influences and manipulations of others.

The bindrune on the left was done in colored pencil. The one on the right was done with calligraphic marker. They are the same bind rune, shown in two different media to give an idea of how the same bindrune looks different depending on how it is created.

You could also put a drop of your favorite oil on the bindrune to reinforce the energy boundary with your personal scent.

Wishing you strength this week!

The Giant’s Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Bergelmir/Six of Swords; Isa; Angrboda/The High Priestess.

Fire meets ice. Ice melts, the land floods. You must get into the boat and go. Remaining is not an option, unless, of course, your desire is to drown in the flood. But that’s not what you’re here to do, so get into the boat.

It’s a small boat, and others need to fit into it, too. You can bring just yourself, and a few small things. Time to make some serious choices about what is important to carry with you. Hint: less than you think. Yes, the rest will be swallowed by the flood waters, and you will have to re-create and rebuild once you reach land. That’s how floods work, and you can’t argue with a flood.

You may have to take responsibilities that you don’t think are yours, as Bergelmir rescued Ask and Embla, who the Aesir had created, and then left to the their own devices when the waters began to rise. Do your best, do what you can, but keep your focus on your responsibilities to your own life. Bergelmir did what He could to help the humans, without compromising what He needed to do for His own people.

Angrboda as the Hidden Influence gives you the strength and wisdom to make good decisions and take appropriate action. She is all about practical application of wisdom and magic, putting them to use in the material world to make things happen. No nonsense, no fluffy-bunny-rainbow-woo energy here. This is deep wisdom, body and soul, and you must heed it and take action.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Loki/The Magician; Gar; Hreidmar and Ottar/Five of Coins.

The Gods have a sense of humor, even if we humans don’t always share Their ideas of what is humorous.

Loki as the Magician is today’s Active Influence card.

And here comes Gar, the rune of the Unknowable, attributed to Odin.

I can hear Their laughter.

However, the Hidden Influence is Hreidmar & Ottar/Five of Coins, which is anything but humorous. Unexpected loss brings grief and pain. Mourn the loss fully; do not try to cut the mourning short, or to just get on with things because you are too busy to mourn. Feel the loss deeply and completely, or that which is unmourned will haunt you and hold you back. Accept the weregild, accept the apology, and remove yourself from the presence of the wrongdoers to begin your healing.

Odin in Gar tells us that we are not in a position to predict, or even guess, where all of this is leading. We are here in the moment, we know what has happened, and we have to move forward on faith. Have faith that you can deal with the loss, that you will recover, that things will change for the better–even if you have no idea what “better” actually entails.

Loki as the Magician reminds us that we have the tools and skills to do what is necessary, Even while mourning our loss, we are in the right place with the right resources to do what needs to be done. Loki also invites us to laugh with Him, reminding us that even if we do not understand what is going on, once we accept it, we will be able to deal with it with grace, and yes, perhaps even humor.

You can read the exciting lead-up to this post in:
Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 1

Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 2

Oracular Arts and Crafts: Making Clay Runes, Part 3

The runes have cured, and been painted:

Runes – Wet Paint

The unfinished clay is smooth enough to handle. However, since these are going to be handled a lot, I’ve chosen to seal them to protect the paint and help keep them from accumulating dirt, finger smudges, etc.

I used Sculpey Satin Glaze as the sealant. The jar promises that it needs only 30 minutes between coats, which was true. Doing the first round took just about a half hour, and by the time I finished the last rune, the first one was ready for another coat of sealant.

I did the four edges and the top of each tile. Edges first, and then the top, so the extra bits from the sides could blend into the top finish. I used a regular medium width artist’s brush to apply the glaze. A light touch is necessary, and even then, the glaze will try to pool in the cut designs, especially where lines cross. I used a smaller, stiff brush to go over the painted design to pick up the excess glaze. The glaze is clear, so it did not dramatically change the colors of the paint.

Glazed Runes – Still Wet

The finish is satin, in that it’s a bit shiny, but not particularly glossy. The glaze is still wet in the above photo, but the shine is less noticeable once the glaze dries.

The tile with Freuydal has two fully dry coats of glaze. The blank tile next to it is the unglazed back of the Wan tile.

Glazed vs Unglazed Clay

The glaze does give a noticeable sheen to the clay, but it’s not a high gloss. You can, of course, use a semi-gloss or high-gloss glaze, if that is your desired effect.  I am going to try a high-gloss glaze on one of the future sets.

Total time to apply two coats of glaze, front and sides: 1 hour. Total working time to date: 5.5 hours.

These are going to sit for 24 hours to fully dry, then the only thing left to do before they can be used is to glaze the backs and let those dry.

If all goes as planned, I can start reading with these on Tuesday night!

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Hronn/Five of Cups, reversed; Ansuz, reversed; Sunna/The Sun.

Happy new year! The Wheel has turned, and you have finished a lot of old business and released many things which no longer serve you (if they ever did).

Hronn is the Undine of Fear. Reversed, She tells us that fear is not helping us, and if we feel any residual fear, to let it dissipate in the light of the Sun.

Ansuz also is reversed, so we need to stop and think before jumping into our chariot and racing off. Double-check facts, verify figures, and confirm appointments. Act thoughtfully, not rashly, and from a place of authenticity in your higher self.

Sunna gives us the energy, optimism, and confidence to put our plans into action, if we are acting responsibly. “For the highest good of all, or not at all” is a useful invocation at the start of any proceeding, and helps keep us honest about our choices.