The Stare Down, The Stone Cold Stuff
~ Emily Palermo

sometimes, i still feel the heat
of every hand that’s wandered

across my body. shaking always
shaking, earthquake veins, an

uncertainty in the world,
stepping on the ledge and

looking straight down,
neck tingling at a ninety degree

angle. angels sometimes stare
at me with empty eyes.

i can match them.
i don’t have to blink.

somewhere, some time ago,
my mother is holding my face

between her hands and
crying for a response,

and i still don’t give in.
in the game of girl and god

only one can win.

The Peace of Wild Things
~ Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief.  I come into the
presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light.
For a time
I rest in the grace of
the world,
and am free.

Milky Way: Incredible Night Landscape Photography by Andre Brandt

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. Remember that working with bindrunes, as with working with any kind of magic, does not carry guaranteed results, and may produce results quite different from what you expect.

When we are young, we are shaped by our family and culture. As we move into adulthood, we develop our own ideas and ways of living, which may be very different from what we were taught as children. As adults, we grow into our authentic selves, and we develop a desire to create a legacy in some way, and to leave the world a better place than we found it.

This bindrune is designed to help you draw on your family and cultural inheritance, and add to it and improve it, to create a better inheritance for those who follow. Even if you do not have children of your own, your actions shape the world that others’ children grow up in, and will be responsible for when they are grown. Although you may not be a parent, you make just as much difference in the lives of the generational descendants as people who raise children. This rune can help you bear that responsibility in a way that is meaningful for you and has positive outcomes for everyone.

Generational Inheritance: Othala, Mannaz, Wendhorn

Othala (left tile, brown in bindrune): This is what we have inherited from our ancestors of all kinds—ideas, experiences, passions, obsessions, successes, and failures. Whether ancestors of blood or ancestors of affiliation, these are the people who have influenced us in countless ways, and caused us to become who we are today.

Mannaz (center tile, blue in bindrune): This is you! This is you as your best self, which filters the inheritance you received, removing what is hurtful, unhealthy, or just plain not good to pass along. As you live your own life and process what was passed down to you, you can make wise and soulful choices about what to pass along to the next generation.

Wendhorn (right tile, gold in bindrune): Wendhorn represents the cycles of time, and the countless souls who follow in your footsteps. Drawn in gold, it represents the brightest possibilities for the future. Think of yourself as refining the ore of your inheritance to produce gold to pass down to those who come next; by removing the imperfections, you have created something beautiful, useful, and strong for them to carry forward in their own lives.

The bindrune on the left was done in colored pencil. The one on the right was done with fine point calligraphy markers. They are shown in two different media to give an idea of how the same bindrune looks different depending on how it is created.

You could put a drop of a mint oil for inspiration and/or a drop of rose oil for love of your ancestors, yourself, and your descendants. You could also use your favorite oil on it to reinforce the energy with your personal scent. You can also use a magical oil, such as a hoodoo oil or other type of specially prepared oil.

Use this bindrune—and all bindrunes—entirely at your own risk.

Beechnut
~ Arisa White

A Charlie horse passes through the wound
set years ago. Winter in the mountains, the beech
twisted and it was paper we could use. In that
classic way, seen on TV, wanting one day to be
that girl, you revealed your Swiss army knife
and the bark knew we would. Maybe we scared
away the owls who may have nested there
and everything was the perfect we loved. Our
initials traveled to heart, aged our presence
to diaphanous, to shirr between thought and
sometimes we move on. What is planted is
resilient; its shell grows spines, the nut a sweet
portion, hints close to satisfaction and its how I
come to understand our touch. Woodwinds have
memory; I haven’t advanced beyond Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star, and the tapping on the streetlamp was often
opposite notes we shared. We engineered shepherds
to herd our swords, Oakland felt similar disharmony
and built a lake to meet the need for breath and matter.
Water finds scent and apology and people to beach
on its cusp. Reminds the heart there are summer
dresses to be worn, and twirling that happens in them.

Beechnut Tree

When you are feeling anxious about something, try this spread to sort out your thoughts and feelings. By identifying the genuine worry at the root of the anxiety, and resolving the misperceptions which feed the anxiety, you will find a way to redirect the anxious energy into positive action. You can use this spread with runes, Tarot cards, or any other oracle you prefer to work with.

Spread for Anxiety

1. Where you really are. This is the reality of your situation.

2. Your (mis)perception. The distortion of your perception, which contributes to the anxiety.

3. The root of the anxiety. While you may be reacting to incorrect information or off-kilter perceptions, something is bothering you. This position identifies that cause.

4. How to address the misperception to return clarity to your perspective.

5. How to address the root cause.

6. How to strengthen your current position to meet the situation with calm and confidence.

7. Encouragement for moving forward; something to look forward to as you work through this process.

Example reading: The client is preparing to leave a long-established career for a job that pays much less, but is closer to his heart. He is feeling anxious about the effects on his financial situation, and is wondering if he’s made a bad decision.

Anxiety Reading Example

1.  Perthro/Chance (reversed). The reality is that people navigate this kind of transition every day with success. For many of us, though, it’s easier to imagine failure than success. Success is just as likely, and I suggested he examine his expectations honestly. It has been years since he’s been new at his job, his company, or anything else, and that fear of failure at being able to do the job is amplifying his anxiety.

2. Yr/Focus. The distortion is thinking only of the possibilities for failure, and not allowing himself to consider that he will be alright financially instead of struggling, and that, in addition, the quality-of-life changes provided by the new job will provide the emotional satisfaction he is currently missing and makes up for with spending.

3. Wendhorn/Cycles. The root of the anxiety is the timing of the change. He wonders if he should have stayed at his current job longer, in order to save more money. While he could choose to do so, he would miss this opportunity that fits quite well with his interests and values. In this particular situation, the time is now; he could opt for later, but the second opportunity may not be as good or as suitable.

4. Kenaz/Torch. He can address the misperception by shining light on his assumptions and seeing things as they really are. (Sometimes the Runes just hand it to you on a silver platter.)

5. Berkana/Rebirth (reversed). He can address the root cause by paying attention to the cycles of the change. Trees don’t grow during their winter dormancy; bears don’t hibernate in the summer. He needs to be aware of his own energies and process, and trust himself to take the right action at the right time.

6. Ear/Grave (reversed). Ear is another rune connected with time, representing the slow, organic process of change. Reversed, it signals either the completion of the process, or an acceleration if it’s not yet complete. Given that the root cause of his anxiety is a concern about timing, Ear is encouragement to relax on that point. It indicates that he’s begun the process, so he can relax into it and trust himself to navigate it well. Ear further advises him to be prepared for unexpected opportunities which may bring in the timeline; he may find his financial worries dissipate more quickly than anticipated, whether through an early raise in salary, or some other kind of bonus.

7. Ac/Oak Tree. The encouragement is the strength and flexibility of the oak. Grounded in a a genuine desire to make this change, he can allow himself to be flexible as the situation unfolds. Angrboda is associated with this rune, suggesting that he has the wisdom and internal resources to succeed, and he can proceed confidently. Through the oak, Thor is also associated with this rune, so strength (again) and confidence (again) and hard work will get him where he needs to go.