The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s draw: Gjalp & Greip/Five of Wands; Chalc reversed; Ganglati/Four of Wands.

You are running on empty, which is not the ideal way to start the week. People are cranky and cantankerous, and spoiling for a fight–and you just happen to be there.

Withdraw if you can. If you must engage, let the other person say their piece, and let them know you are going to take time to consider–then withdraw. If withdrawal isn’t possible, do your best to remain neutral and unmoved by the excess energy.

Treat everyone with as much respect and kindness as you can muster. Rest assured, if someone feels badly treated, they will make sure everyone knows. Save yourself the aggravation of dealing with the additional mess, and do your best to be calm and focus on the problem, not the drama. Just because others are having a bad hair day doesn’t mean you have to respond at their pitch.

That respect and kindness includes yourself. We can’t treat others well if we don’t treat ourselves well. Do only those things which must be done today, and give yourself permission to punt everything else until tomorrow.

Have a good supper, relax after the day’s exertions, treat yourself by going to bed early. Turn off the computer, turn off the television, unplug the phone, and sleep. Waking rested and refreshed in the morning will make tomorrow easier to deal with, whatever it may bring.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Hyndla, Wise Woman of the Mountains/The Hermit; Ear; Skadi/Justice.

Well, well. Two Major Arcana and the Rune of Death. Change is happening, in case you hadn’t noticed. It doesn’t require your permission; forces beyond your control are at work here.

What you can control is how you navigate these changes. As with all change, you don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it; fighting it won’t prevent it, and will only make things more difficult. Accept it, move with it, see how you can work with it to land on your feet–or at least not land too hard on your backside. You may be lucky and have a soft landing, but don’t count on it if  you don’t bring your own pillow.

Hyndla is telling you in no uncertain terms that you need to stop, right now, and spend real time with your real self. No denial, no delusion. You must be completely honest with yourself about who you are, where you are, and what you want. Skadi will cut right through any facades or attempts to appear as other than your true self. Don’t bother trying to fool either of these Goddesses—they see right through you.

Withdraw from non-essential activities, people, and demands on your time and energy today. Using today to go deep and find clarity for yourself will stand you in good stead as the week progresses and change unfolds. Having your priorities sorted before being confronted with choices allows you to make better choices under pressure.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Nidhogg/Strength; Kenaz reversed; Thjassi/Three of Swords.

Whatever is going on today, you have the strength to deal with, even if you don’t have all the information you would like to have. You appear strong to others, even if you don’t feel strong. Keep the glamour in place to carry you through the day. Act as if, and act consistently–you may even convince yourself.

Kenaz inverted says you’re operating in the dark. Don’t overdrive your headlights–proceed at a prudent speed. It is possible to be confident and prudent–give it a try. Learn from Thjassi–he was confident, but not prudent. Thjassi says “fly”; Kenaz reversed says “slow down”.

Draw from your roots. Trust yourself, act from strength, not pain or rage.

You have a lot of clean up to do from the current situation, or the most recent mess. Focus on your work to help channel the energy to clean up and to make things better. Like Skadi, we can turn loss into an opportunity to increase our personal strength and our power. Living well is the best revenge.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s draw: Fenja & Menja/Two of Coins; Sowelu; Blodughadda/Ace of Cups.

Today is filled with intense energy–especially emotional intensity–which can be managed by focusing on work. Whether work is typing documents, making half-caf skinny lattes, teaching children, tending the sick, or simply making it through the day in one piece–that is the focus for your energy, and the means by which you will be able to navigate the changes resulting from all of this energy flow.

Blodughadda will not let you off the emotional hook. Whatever you are feeling, it’s been building for a while, and you need to release it. Fenja & Menja aren’t taking any nonsense, though–no temper tantrums, no acting out, no game playing–just deal with what is happening inside of you in a constructive manner. (Note: slashing your ex’s tires is not constructive.)

The energy of Sowelu is releasing everything that you’ve been repressing, denying, or ignoring, and Blodughadda is cheering you along that path. Sowelu, like the Tower card in the Tarot, contains a lot of energy that can be used to move forward–and it often arrives when you least expect it.

So, say it with me one more time: you need to channel this energy productively. Acting out and causing scenes isn’t going to solve any problems, and it will likely create more problems.

Work it out–whether that’s a long-overdue difficult conversation with a friend or loved one, or rearranging your budget so you can take that class which will make a difference to your career, or literally putting your house in order by decluttering and organizing–today requires that you take action, real action, to clear away the emotional clutter and get back on your path.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s draw: Surt/King of Wands; Ac, the rune of Angbroda; Kari/Ace of Swords.

Fire and ice. Female energy and male energy. Action and thought. Today requires a careful balance in all you do. Surt encourages us to take action; Kari reminds us to think before we act. Use the sword to cut away what is harmful–delusion, illusion, old ways of thinking that are no longer relevant to the situation. Surt’s fire melts the ice of inactivity. Naglfari in the background is a stark reminder that all projects take time; nothing is completed overnight.

Angrboda is present in Ac, providing feminine energy to balance all of the masculine energy in the cards. The Chief of Chiefs is every bit as strong and fierce as any man, make no mistake there. Whereas the men convey the idea of strength in movement, Angrboda embodies the strength of endurance, the quality of flexible–but unyielding–persistence.

You need both types of strength today. Be flexible so you do not break, but do not move from your position if you know are you in a place of authenticity and truth. Defend yourself fully, attack only if necessary, and *think* before you act. Rashness will not serve you today; you must keep in mind your long-term goals, and avoid lashing out for a short-term gain that will prove a disadvantage in the long run.

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.

Our first bindrune will be one to attract prosperity. Even though some industries are running hot and the companies in those fields are doing well, the rising tide has not raised all boats. This bindrune can help focus your energies to attract and maintain financial security.

The runes in this bindrune are:

Fehu (blue): A sign of wealth, possessions, tangible property. Whatever you have at present–even if it’s just one dollar–is a start. What you have will attract more of the same.

Othala (brown): This is seen as inherited wealth, that which we receive from our forebears. Even if you aren’t heir to a monetary fortune, you have inherited much from  your ancestors–your body, your world view, your very being and core self, from which you draw to create your life. Your hamingja, all that is truly yours by way of inheritance.

Berkana (green): The rune of the birch tree brings growth to what you already have. Berkana can also represent new opportunities for creating wealth, and new possibilities for improvement of a situation that feels stuck or hopeless.

You can add a drop of essential oil to strengthen the magic–cinnamon is good for prosperity work. You could also use a hoodoo oil, such as Money Drawing, if you work with those oils.

A Bindrune is a combination of runes drawn to create a symbol of increased power for a particular purpose–to attract money, love, luck, and other objects (obscure and otherwise) of desire, or to banish negative energies, avoid misfortune, and avert generally unpleasant things.

Wikipedia has a brief and useful article on the history of bindrunes for those interested. Authors with interesting ideas on working with bindrunes include Raven Kaldera, Galina Krasskova, and Nigel Pennick.

Bindrunes can be used for magical purposes–to attract something desired, to inspire qualities such as courage or creativity, or to overcome an obstacle or solve a problem. As with any magic, you must still do the necessary work on the material plane to accomplish your goal. Creating a bindrune helps to focus your energy so you can do the work–creating a bind rune does not replace actually doing the work. You must still study for the test, apply for the job, speak to the person who can make the right connection, or whatever action is needed. The bindrune is a tool to help with the work, not a substitute for the work.

Each week, I will post a bindrune for a specific purpose, as I explore working with them in my own magic. You can, of course, alter the bindrune to include or remove runes as they fit your situation. Once you have read a post, I suggest you draw the rune for yourself. You can make it fancy by using special inks and paper if you wish; a simple pen or colored pencil on plain paper works just as well. You don’t have to be an artist or calligrapher to charge the bindrune; your focused intention is the key.

You can also charge the bindrune with scent, either an essential oil, or a magical oil prepared for a specific purpose. Scent reaches parts of our brains on a physical level that no amount of focused thinking can reach, and can be a powerful way to boost the energies of the bindrune with your personal energy.

You can set aside quiet time and ritual space to create your bindrune in a magic circle or other protected space to more deeply imbue it with energy. Even if you are not able to do a full ritual to create your bindrune, do make it with thought and care. Light a candle, focus on what you want the bindrune to help you with, and draw it with attention. The ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate; ten minutes of good focus on your energies and intent is workable. The more time and energy you put into creating the bindrune, the more effective it can be–just as with any form of magic.

If you find a particular bindrune resonates for you, you can paint it onto fabric, carve it into leather or wood, or cast it in metal. Make it out of Sculpey or Das clay, or make your own clay. Decorate cookies or some other food, or twist bread dough into a bind rune, and make an edible charm. This can be a powerful way to quite literally take in the energy of the bindrune and let it feed your body as well as your spirit.

There are countless ways to work with bindrunes. Try different methods and materials, and means of setting the space for creation. The important thing is to find what what works for you with each bindrune you create.

Try one, and see how it works for you. All the posts will be in the “Bindrune” category and also carry the “Bindrune” tag, so they will be easy to find.

Do let me know what happens!

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Tuesday carries some of Monday with it: Thjassi/Three of Swords; Isa; Fenris/The Devil.

Today will have challenges. Unexpected ones. Okay, let’s be honest–today is going to present you with some difficult situations, ones in which you may have little or no control to affect the outcome. You may be caught in a situation not directly of your own making, but which is the result of trusting the wrong person, or your own impulsive actions. Or both. Both happens.

You may be burned (Thjassi), frozen in ice (Isa), or trapped by chains (Fenris). The only thing you may be able to do is wait. Wait for the Wheel to turn, wait for the ice to thaw, wait for the burns to heal. Use this time to honestly assess yourself and your situation, and consider what your ideal way forward would be.

Things are certainly not ideal now, but if you can remain calm in the chaos and figure out how you want things to be (hint: they will not go back to the way they were, so don’t bother investing any energy in that notion), that can give you some focus to help you move forward once the ashes have settled and the ice has thawed.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Welcome to Monday: Hrungnir/Seven of Swords; Nauthiz; Utgard-Loki/The Emperor.

Even if you feel like Hrungnir–unable to think clearly, engaging in games with those more powerful than you, and in need of better tools than you have–you must act like Utgard-Loki, cool, calm, and in command of a well-ordered support structure.

What do you truly need to make it through the day? the week? the rest of your life? You may not feel like you have the skills, tools, or support, but look again–Hrungnir’s friends came to his aid and built a giant puppet to distract Thor, and Utgard-Loki has an entire army at his back to help him reach his goals. Who do you have in your life that can help you see what is working, and how to capitalize on that? You are not alone.

Even if you think you don’t have any advantages or any assets, think again. All Sigyn had was a wooden bowl, and it had to suffice. You have more than a wooden bowl. See your life with open eyes–you have support and resources, and today’s draw says it’s time to get to work to do what needs to be done.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Hela/Death; Cweorth, the Rune of the Funeral Pyre: Groa/Nine of Wands.

As autumn settles upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, today’s draw is all about endings. Not polite transitions, but real and final endings.

Death is implacable and inevitable. Hela isn’t telling you to think about what things might need to go on the funeral pyre; She is telling you that they are already on the pyre, and it is lit. Whatever it is you need to let go of–the compulsive behavior, the self-limiting/self-destructive patterns, the self-deception–whatever it is has reached its end. Watch it burn, watch the ashes float away on the wind.  Nothing remains, nothing to hold you, nothing to cling to.

Turn and walk your new path. Groa walks with you, reminding you that you have the skills and knowledge to start what is next, and guiding you to learn the knowledge you need to move forward. Self-doubt is our biggest reason for failure. Groa tells us that we are equal to the road ahead, and inspires us to move forward with our hard-won wisdom.