The Community Altar for January 2017 has been posted on my Patreon wall! I apologize for the delay in actually posting it. I’ve been trying to get all of the technology to cooperate, in order to post a photo of the altar with all of the candles lit that isn’t either a) too dark to see anything or b) totally washed out by the camera flash. I finally found a way to light the photo so that it can be see, without overlighting it and losing the magical effects of the candles.

Check it out!

The Death of Myth-Making
~ Sylvia Plath

Two virtues ride, by stallion, by nag,
To grind our knives and scissors:
Lantern-jawed Reason, squat Common Sense,
One courting doctors of all sorts,
One, housewives and shopkeepers.

The trees are lopped, the poodles trim,
The laborer’s nails pared level
Since those two civil servants set
Their whetstone to the blunted edge
And minced the muddling devil

Whose owl-eyes in the scraggly wood
Scared mothers to miscarry,
Drove the dogs to cringe and whine
And turned the farmboy’s temper wolfish,
The housewife’s, desultory.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Draw for January 12, 2017
Active Influence: Fenris/The Devil
Rune: Ior/Jormundgand, Boundaries
Hidden Influence: Gunnlod/Two of Cups

Ior returns from yesterday’s reading, emphasizing the continued need for strong and well-defined boundaries. Keep out what is not yours to deal with, and do not inflict on others what is properly yours to manage.

Odin returns as well, and in chronological order pf the story of His theft of the Mead of Poetry. Yesterday, we saw him as the serpent in the Hidden Influence; today, again in the Hidden Influence card, He has invaded Suttung’s secret treasure vault. Having resumed an Aesir form, he woos Gunnlod in order to steal the Mead of Poetry. She’s been locked away in this vault by herself for years, so she is more susceptible to the charms of this random visitor than she might otherwise be. Likewise, you may have a vulnerability you’re not aware of that makes others think they can take advantage of you. If someone is making wild promises, keep your emotions in check and bide your time.

Fenris (Jormundgand’s sibling, just to add another layer of connection) is the Active Influence. Today, think carefully before taking action. Be honest with yourself about your motives, and what is actually driving your behaviors. We all have the monster within who threatens to break free and wreak havoc, and we all have to learn to deal with that monster in a way that relieves the pressure without destroying the world. If someone is directing their Fenris energy at you, call upon Jormundgand to reflect it back to them.

Running Water
~ Alfonsina Storni

Yes, I move, I live, I wander astray—
Water running, intermingling, over the sands.
I know the passionate pleasure of motion;
I taste the forests; I touch strange lands.

Yes, I move—perhaps I am seeking
Storms, suns, dawns, a place to hide.
What are you doing here, pale and polished—
You, the stone in the path of the tide?

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.

New year, new you! Or so goes the story all the media want us to buy into. Do what’s right for you, when it’s right for you. This bindrune will conjure strength and focus to help you achieve a goal, any time of year.

Bindrune of Ac, Yr, Stan

Ac (left tile, purple in bindrune): Ac is the rune of the oak, rooted deeply in the earth. Winds may shake the oak, but cannot topple it. Ac is associated with Angrboda, Chief of Chiefs of the Nine Clans of the Iron Wood, and Chief of the Wolf Clan. Angrboda is a fierce warrior, and a fierce shamaness. Her spiritual and physical strength inspire the same qualities in you.

Yr (center tile, brown in bindrune): Yr is all about focus. Whether it’s an artist focusing on creating something new, or an archer focusing their arrow to strike true, the intensity of concentration helps you focus on what is truly important and not be distracted by trivial matters.

Stan (right tile, blue in bindrune): Stan is the keystone, the last stone placed to complete an arch. This is your goal, your desire, your dream. Keep in mind what you’re working for while you are doing the work, and the work is easier.

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 rosemary oil to help focus your mental energies, or a drop of 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.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t change yourself—or your entire life—overnight. Making a plan and breaking your goal down into manageable steps will help reduce the feeling of overwhelm of “oh my god I have to do everything right now”. You only have to do one thing at a time, and take one day at a time.

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