The Viking's Journey: A Spiritual Path Inspired by the Runes

Awhile back while meditating on the runes, I realized that the Elder Futhark could be read as a personal development path, much like the Fool’s Journey in the Tarot. I call it The Viking's Journey because it models the path of someone who is ruthless in the pursuit of getting their life in order and individuating. Like the Fool’s Journey (or the Hero’s Journey or the Girls Underground Journey), events in this sequence don’t necessarily happen in order. They loop back and around and sometimes—especially Hagalaz—they jump out and snag you unawares.

Fehu: The journey begins with abundance. You have enough wealth and good fortune to be able to think about who you are and who you could be. You know that you are worth investing in, and you intend to do it.

Uruz: You develop knowledge of yourself at the animal level. You know where you end and where others begin, and you do what’s necessary to protect your boundaries. You trust your gut. You assert your right to your own space. The will to be pumps through your veins like fire.

Thurisaz: You don’t have the time or energy for bullshit. You are ruthless about dealing with unresolved conflicts. The conflict can either be resolved, or the people involved can go. You are pruning your life of people and things that aren’t good for you, even if it hurts.

Ansuz: When the things that have held you down in the outer world are dealt with, you discover that the worst bonds are still undealt with. They are the bonds in your mind. As you deal with mental patterns that have you stuck dealing with the same old shit, you find your voice.

Raidho: Nothing is holding you down anymore, so you just go. You’re done with your hometown. It’s time to see the world.

Kenaz: You have plunged into the unknown and find yourself in darkness, but you have a torch that lights your way. As you explore, you gain knowledge of the world around you, but also, most importantly, of yourself.

Gebo: You make a wish, and it is granted. You receive a gift. In gratitude, when you’re done with what you’ve received, you give it away. In doing this, you learn that nothing really belongs to you. You just carry it around for awhile. In learning to share what you have, you discover the power of community.

Wunjo: No longer defining yourself by your possessions, you begin to see yourself more clearly. You are beautiful and worthy of joy.

Hagalaz: Loss comes suddenly like hail from the sky. As you survey the devastation and try to salvage what you can, you realize that not every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes the sky is a solid mass of gray that broods. Want your life back? You’ll need to descend to the underworld and ask it from Hel herself.

Naudhiz: You are nothing but need. There is no room for anything optional. There is only the next thing you have to do. Now. As you work, you slowly begin to notice that you’re not alone. You are surrounded by people who have suffered the same losses as you. You are stronger together.

Isa: You get things together enough to breathe, and then you freeze. It’s like you’re back at the beginning, caught in bondage and bullshit. The allies who helped you while you were in trouble are satisfied enough with just getting by. You know that you can do better than that, but you can’t force anyone to change. You need to shut everyone out in order to strategize an escape.

Jera: The wheel turns, and you’re ready to move on. You’re binding up your wounds, reevaluating the mistakes you’ve made in the past. How did you get here? Why do you keep getting tied down? How do you make sure you never get here again?

Eihwaz: You begin to realize it’s not just about you. The world itself is bound by illusions. Everyone around you is following scripts handed out to them by society. Seeing the strings gives you power. To find out who you really are, you have to journey within.

Perthro: When you were a child, you knew who you were. In connecting to memories, bringing this old knowledge of yourself forward into adulthood, you are reborn. Your luck returns.

Elhaz: You are new and fragile. You can feel in your bones that your old ways of protecting yourself are inadequate. New, more sophisticated boundaries are needed—less like armor, more like skin that grows with you.

Sowilo: The sun comes out and melts away your icy shield, but that’s okay. You don’t need artificial barriers keeping you from others anymore. You are enough to keep yourself safe.

Tiwaz: You are tested, and there is only one right way to go. You have been in this seemingly choiceless place before, but this time it’s different. This time it is not the outerworld that is forcing your hand. It is your inner code of ethics. There is only one way to go and remain yourself. You weigh the cost and accept it. Nothing is worth betraying your integrity.

Berkano: You have been wounded while doing your duty. It was your choice, and you take responsibility, and that means owning your healing, too. You retreat for a while to lick your wounds.

Ehwaz: When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you. (Yeah, Firefly!)

Mannaz: You are ready to start pulling your own weight, and you begin to form a partnership with the person who carried you. Balance is hard, but you soon develop a relationship of equals.

Laguz: In cooperation, you learn that gaining more power and forcing your will on the world isn’t the only way to manifest your desire. One can be strong. Many flowing together are stronger. You learn to lead.

Ingwaz: Night falls, and you begin to long for home. You look back at how far you’ve come, and the thought of having to walk back all that way fills you with dread, so you find a way to make a door and just…step through.

Othala: You have returned home. You realize that home is not just a place to hang your hat. It’s part of you, and now you can give your home the same care you give yourself.

Dagaz: The end credits roll, and the lights come on, and you realize that even this journey is an illusion, a metaphor to help you find your way, a metaphor you no longer need. You rise and leave the theater.

This post as originally published on Aquarius Moon Journal on 21 December 2019.