Engaging Inner Wisdom Using Runes

Welcome to April!  Over the next few months, Chantel and I are going to share with you many of the ways that we engage our inner wisdom.  We know that everyone engages their inner wisdom in different ways, so we hope that you will share your experiences and methods for engaging inner wisdom with us.  I am going to get the ball rolling with Runes.

Nearly two years ago, I launched my first blog, The Wonder of Runes, with not much more than a burning curiosity about these intriguing angular letters, each with their own meaning, and a basic understanding of those meanings.  I spent a few years getting to know them from an academic, historical, and mythological perspective, along with beginning to understand them as an oracle offering guidance to manage my life.

The Runes were immediately intuitive to me in a way that things like tarot cards never were.  I began by drawing a single Rune and trying to interpret its meaning.  That led to asking simple questions and now, not only do I do rituals with them, but I have made bind Runes and I am making my own set of Runes.  They have enriched and empowered me beyond words.

Today, I introduce them to you by asking them a simple question: How do I use the Runes to engage my inner wisdom?  Before I explain each of the three Runes that I drew and how they link to my question, I should explain that much of my inner wisdom revolves around my writing, both in the professional writing, editing, and communication services I offer and my own writing.  In addition, I use my writing in many of the workshops and retreats I lead.

With that in mind, here is what the Runes tell me about engaging my inner wisdom.

Fehu was the first Rune I drew to address this question.  It is the Rune of cattle.  In ancient times, cattle equaled wealth, making this not simply the money Rune, but a Rune of wealth in many forms.  The act of writing is wealth to me.  It fills me with a sense of completeness.  When I don't write, it's like a light in my life has been turned off.  Writing is not only my career, but my passion.  I've always wanted to be a writer.  Although I have used my writing professionally for decades, it wasn't until I published my novel last year that I felt like an authentic writer... an author, making money (another form of wealth) doing what I enjoy most.

Next, I drew Laguz, the water Rune.  Many people use the term "go with the flow" when they see this Rune.  In this situation, I see Laguz in a similar fashion.  Because my professional writing career is still in its fledgling stage, I don't get to do as much writing as I would like.  There are a lot of other aspects to this career path - marketing, advertising, networking, and, what I like to call administrivia - the tedious aspects of running your own company.  To address these aspects of my work I have to go with the flow, because they have to be done.  However, Laguz is far more than going with the flow for at least two reasons.  First, of the four primary elements (earth, water, air, fire) I am drawn to water, so this Rune resonates with me on a very visceral level.  Water is empowering and calming to me at the same time.  Second, this Rune also represents the mysteries associated with water, the secrets held in the depth of the ocean, the magic in the way water moves around and through things, the requirement of water for life.  These are ways I feel attached not only to my love of writing, but to Earth itself and the magic and mysteries it holds.

This brings us to Ansuz, the Rune of communication, the third and final Rune to answer this question.  While writing has been a part of my life for nearly all of it, communication in general has grown in prominence over the last decade.  Everything we do communicates something, whether it's through body language, verbal or written messages, art work or our career choice.  It's all a form of communication and I specialize as a communication coach, because, as a writer, I recognize the importance of clear communication in multiple forms.  This also happens to be a way that I help communication flow better (Laguz) and that I earn a living (Fehu).

These Runes represent the ways that I engage my inner wisdom to follow my passion and inner truth in my profession.  They also link to and compliment each other, while offering me guidance as I move forward in my second career.  What do you think the Runes would have to say about the way you engage your inner wisdom?

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom
If you are interested in learning more about the Runes or having a reading of your own, please contact me.  For those of you who decide to follow our blog, I will give you a complimentary reading, if you sign up by April 17th, which is when our next post goes up.

Here are a few more ways to learn about the Runes:
- Join my Runes and the Futhark community on google+
- Like my Runes and the Futhark page on facebook
- Follow my blog - The Wonder of Runes
- Follow me on Twitter - @KarenPaquin

If Runes aren't your thing, please leave a comment to share with us a method you use for engaging you inner wisdom.