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.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Draw for January 11, 2017:
Active Influence: The Volva/Four of Swords
Rune: Ior/Jormundgand, Boundaries
Hidden Influence: Suttung/Six of Coins

Odin appears twice (He is the Seeker figure in The Volva card and the small snake in the lower right corner of Suttung’s card). We have two serpents—Jormundgand, The World Serpent, in the Ior rune, and Odin’s disguise in the Six of Cups. The cards are four and six, so lots of even-numbered energies today—less chaotic than the last few days, which I, for one, appreciate.

Less chaotic doesn’t necessarily mean easy, however. Jormundgand urges you to set and keep strong boundaries around everything. Suttung is a reminder that, no matter how secure we think we have made something, a truly determined thief will continue to make effort to find a way in. The Volva tells us to let things which are past remain in the past—no good will come of stirring up those issues or reliving those events.

Focus on doing your best today so that tomorrow will be less complicated.

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Draw for January 10, 2017:
Active Influence: Gjalp & Greip/Five of Wands
Rune: Isa/Ice
Hidden Influence: Hrimthurs/Three of Coins

Yes, the Sisters of Disruption have returned for the day. I’m thrilled, and doubtless you are as well. Then there’s Loki disguising Himself as a mare to distract Hrimthurs’ horse, Svadilfari, without whom Hrimthurs cannot complete his work. Isa can dazzle and distract us with the light reflecting from the ice, so we don’t realize how thin the ice really is until we drop through and find ourselves in the fast-flowing, freezing water.

Beware of those who do not have your best interests at heart, and, if you are plotting to pull one over on someone, it’s more than likely that you will be the one who falls through the ice. Just play nicely with others today.

Do your best to focus on your work, and not get pulled into others’ dramas and distractions. And don’t be the person causing the dramas and distractions, either.

Subtitled: A Little More Verdandi, a Lot Less Penelope.

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day, perfect for sitting by the fire and weaving—so that’s what I did!

I was having trouble with this part, because the technique I used to interlock the black and red in the bottom section wouldn’t work for this section, as this set of colors varies in thickness. A quick lesson with the ever-patient Lou at San Francisco Fibre over the holidays, and a lot of trial-and-error and a bit of unweaving yesterday, I finally figured it out!

Weaving, Part 3

The trick is to do the center piece (the cream color) for several rows, then fill in the outer edges. The meetings aren’t perfect—a few places, one color goes a little too wide, or a little too narrow—but that can be fixed when I’ve finished weaving and run the hand stitches up the back of the piece.

I didn’t rush myself yesterday, and took plenty of breaks. Overall, I spent about five hours on this section, and, after the first unweaving, I didn’t have to do a Penelope again all evening. While I have a ways to go before I consider myself a skilled weaver, it’s going much faster now that my hands have learned the motions, so I expect the next section will go more quickly!

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Draw for January 9, 2017:
Active Influence: Sinmora/Queen of Wands
Rune: Uruz/Strength (reversed)
Hidden Influence: The Volva/Four of Swords

The spirit is willing, but the flesh may still be feeling wrung out, and the mind may be feeling overwhelmed. Acknowledge the creative energies and channel them in a way that is manageable for you today. Filter the information you have, and carefully consider the source before accepting its accuracy. Just as a good person can deliver bad news in a positive way, a spiteful person can present good news in a negative way. Weigh the words carefully—what is the meaning behind them?

Rather than action, today may be a good day for sorting through information and considering options in the light of the creative energies Sinmora brings. Take a dance with Her, but don’t push yourself beyond where you are ready to go. If you’re exhausted. the last thing you want to do is wear yourself down further.