gullindagan

In this essay I will describe how I have laid out the 33 Northumbrian Runes onto the 32 +1 paths on the Tree of Life. Using runes as symbols for the paths allows a Heathen Initiate access to some of the deeper levels of the Tree of Life, as well as illuminating the runes themselves in a new light. There are many ways this could be done, but this layout seems solid to me after many reworkings. That being said, this is still open, so if commenters have opinions, let them opine.

There are 32 paths on the Cabalistic Tree of Life, plus an invisible sphere, called "Da'ath", or "knowledge." The first 10 are the spheres themselves, the other paths link the spheres together. Firstly, I wanted this layout to work with the Heathen Golden Dawn system already in process, and specifically the main track (there are 3 tracks, Modern, Saxon and Norse, using the Elder Futharc, the OE Futhorc, and the Younger Futhark.) By the time the practitioner is ready to work with these paths, they will have already internalized one set of runes, probably the Elder. Now they will start working with the Old English runes with the Northumbrian expansion. This is very helpful for anybody who speaks English, as you can use these runes for any Rune working in modern English. It's best to use the Elder to write out Proto-Germanic, and the Younger to write out Old Norse, or one of the offspring of Old Norse. The Northumbrian Futhorc also fits the 32 + 1 paths perfectly. The other Rune sets fit other symbolic systems very well too, which we'll get into later. I have used the world associations laid out by Thomas Karlsson in his book Nightside of the Runes which he lays out on pages 116-119. Though I find his association elegant, I have not used his runic associations, and don't agree with him on everything. I have used translations of the Old English Rune Poems from https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rune_poems

The 1st Path is the 1st Sphere, called "Kether" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "crown." This is the sphere of unity. The World name in our system is 'Ginnungagap', the primal void. The divine name is ODIN, the one-eyed All Father. The rune placed here is Aesc, the Ash tree. The rune poem goes "The ash is exceedingly high and precious to men. / With its sturdy trunk it offers a stubborn resistance,/ though attacked by many a man." Here we have the high tree on which Odin hung himself. Ash wood is also mainly used to make spears, which is why it offers "stubborn resistance though attacked by many a man." The spear is Odin's instrument of war, with which he also sacrificed himself to himself. The Ash rune is the same form as the Elder Ansus, the rune of Odin, though in the OE Futhorc, Odin's rune is 'Os', 'God' or 'Mouth', which I have used for the 8th Sphere. But Aesc is also Odin's rune, and it's high and lofty nature fit it well to the first Sphere. The places associated with this sphere are Hlidskjalf and Gimle, the first being the high seat of Odin where he can see into all worlds, and the second being the highest heaven, untouched by the fires of Ragnarok.

The 2d Sphere is called "Chockmah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Wisdom." This is the first stirrings, the movement that happens in the void, and is symbolized by the phallus. For us, this is the sphere of Muspelheim, primal fire, and of the god Ingui-Frea/Yngvi-Freyr, the divine name of FREYR or ING. The rune for this is naturally 'Ing', his rune. He is the god of fertility, is symbolized with a large, erect phallus, and connected with the reign of the mythical king Frodi, whose name means "Wise."

The 3rd Sphere is called "Binah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Understanding." This is the first limits that the movement in the void runs into. If the first stirrings start moving, as Dion Fortune says in The Cosmic Doctrine, they eventually find themselves in a circle. This circle is the 3rd Sphere, the hard limits. For us, this world is Nifleheim, the world of ice and mist. The divine name associated with this Sphere is Freyr's sister, FREYA. Fortune says that this Sphere is associated with "Ama, the dark sterile Mother" and "Aima, the bright fertile Mother." There is an interesting connection here if one is to read the Lay of Hyndla where Freya and Hyndla, who Freya calls her "sister" vie over the fate of a devotee of Freya. In this poems, Freya is bright and shining, where Hyndla is dark and mean. They represent both sides of the 2d Sphere. The rune for this sphere is "Peorth" which has a rather misty meaning, but has associations with games of chance, and thus fate, as well as drinking, and thus can represent the primal Cup. Ann Sheffield, in Long Branches says that "the vessel represents the Well itself, the drink is its holy water, the words of the vow lay down the pattern that must be completed, and the act of drinking binds the speaker to realize the pattern in the physical world." (pg 212)

The 4th Sphere is called "Chesed" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Mercy." This sphere is all about expansion and love. The planet associated with it is Jupiter, and while Thor is associated with Jupiter, the divine name of this sphere in the Heathen GD system is "NJORD" who represents the qualities of the 2d Sphere much better. The world associated with this sphere is Vanaheim. The rune associated with this sphere is Ac, the Oak. The Rune Poem says: "The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men." Acorns, the corns (grain) of the ac/oak, are generously dropped by the oak for our food to feed on. In these days where many folks are disconnected from their food, many might not understand the importance of this, but old timers used to let their pigs out into the oak forests to fatten up in the fall. Many cultures have also used acorns as a staple crop after leeching them of tannin. This generosity ties this rune in with the underlying pattern of the 2d sphere, as well as with the Vanir, the gods of Nature and Fertility, and, indeed, with Thor, as the Oak is Thor's tree, and Jupiter's tree!

The 5th Sphere is called "Geburah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Severity." This is the sphere of the planet Mars, which is linked with the god Tyr/Tiw. On page 173 of The Mystical Cabala, Fortune links this sphere with "Justice", "Fear", "Courage", and "the right arm." As Tyr is the god who lost his right hand in the jaws of Fenrir, the divine name of TYR or TIW for this sphere is apt. The rune, however, is not "Tiw" but "Nied." Nied is Necessity, and fits the underlying pattern of this sphere very well. Violence sometimes is necessary, and when it's necessary, it's honorable, but when it's not necessary, it's terrible and cruel. But sometimes we have to be severe. As the rune poem states: "Trouble is oppressive to the heart; / yet often it proves a source of help and salvation / to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it". The world associated with this sphere is Jotunheim. The place associated with this sphere is Vigrithr, where the battle between the Aesir and Surtr happens.

The 6th Sphere is called "Tiphareth" in the Hebrew Cabal, which means "Beauty." This sphere is associated with the Sun and with "a sacrificed god" (The Mystical Cabala, pg 188) Naturally, the divine name for us is BALDR, the beautiful god who was killed by his brother (and Loki)... the world associated with this sphere is Asgard, the realm of the Aesir. The rune associated with this sphere is Sigel, the rune of the Sun. The place associated with this sphere is Ithavoll, the field where the gods play in the sun, before and after Ragnarok.

The 7th Sphere is called "Netzach" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Victory." This is the sphere of the planet Venus, of love and emotions, what motivates all beings from a deep feeling level. The divine name associated with this sphere for us is FRIGGA, Odin's wife. Simek in Dictionary of Northern Mythology states that "Frigg may be understood to have been originally the goddess of women, of relationships and possibly of love." and that "Venus was so obviously identified as the Latin equivalent to Frigg that dies Veneris became... Friday". (pg 94) The rune for this sphere is Calc, the Northumbrian rune for "Chalice." This connects the 3rd Sphere and the 7th Sphere, both relating to cups. Cups often have a vaginal association, as well as an association with feelings and emotions. The world for this sphere is Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves. The hall is Fensalir, Frigga's moist hall.

The 8th Sphere is called "Hod" in the Hebrew Cabala, and has connotations of intellectual activity, language, poetry, ritual magic, and associations with the planet Mercury. The divine name associated with this sphere for us is BRAGI, the god of poetry and eloquence, considered by some to be a hypostasis of Odin. The rune for this sphere is Os, which is Odin's rune, and Odin is associated with the planet Mercury. "Os" means both "mouth" and "god", and the OE Rune Poem puns on this by stating: "Os is the source of all language, / a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men, / a blessing and a joy to every knight." Quite fitting! The world associated with this sphere is Ljusalfheim, the realm of the Light Elves, and the hall is Hnitborg, where Odin stole the Mead of Poetry from Suttung.

The 9th Sphere is called "Yesod" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Foundation." This sphere is associated with the Moon, with rainbows, etheric energy/the vital force, and reproduction. HEIMDALL is the obvious divine name, the god who guards the rainbow bridge and who fathered all human lines, as told in the Rigsthula. The rune associated with this sphere is Man, the rune of Humans, the children of Heimdall. The world associated with this rune is Helheim, the realm of the dead. This is the underworld as well as the heavens.

The 10th Sphere is "Malkuth", "the Kingdom" in the Hebrew Cabala, and to us it is Midgard. This is the physical world, and the middle world. It is at the bottom of the tree from one perspective, but from the bottom you go back up, so it is actually in the middle. The divine name of this sphere is IDUN, the goddess who keeps the golden apples of eternal youth. The rune associated with this sphere is Beorc, the birch or poplar tree which " bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, / for it is generated from its leaves. / Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned" - green green growth, but somehow sterile. Both poplars and birches actually do produce fruit, though poplars do have quite a suckering habit... maybe there is a hidden meaning here. As Fortune says, "Binah has its culmination in Malkuth." (The Mystical Qabalah, pg 285) Earth is the realm of life, but also of death.

Now we get to the paths. I'll start from the bottom and go up, as JMG does in his book Paths of Wisdom.

The 32d path is associated by JMG with "Saturn", the "Descent into the Underworld" and "Travel underground, descent, burial" (Paths of Wisdom pg 91) This path links the 10th and 9th spheres and the natural rune to associate with this path is Ear, the rune of the earth/dirt, and the grave. The rune poem states: The grave is horrible to every knight, / when the corpse quickly begins to cool / and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth. / Prosperity declines, happiness passes away
and covenants are broken" This is what happens to every being that is incarnated in Middlegard, they die. Everything that is born dies, and follows the grave up/down to the astral realms, whether to Hel, Valhalla, or somewhere else.

The 31st path links the 10th and 8th spheres, and is associated with "Rebirth through Fire", "Sensations of heat... burning away of the physical body; images of other incarnations." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 102) The rune we have for this path is Ken, the rune of fire. The poem is usually translated something like "The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within" but Ann Sheffield also links it to "the unearthly "howe-fire" that burns over burial mounds at night" (Long Branches, pg 89) which links it again to death as well as fire.

The 30th path links the 8th and 9th spheres, and is associated with "the Sun" and "Awakening of the Mind" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 107) which makes Dag, or "Day", an apt rune for this path. Day has solar connotations as well as signifying awakening and illumination.

The 29th path links the 10th and 7th spheres, and has associations of "Emergence from Water" and "Sea and water creatures" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 121) and makes Lagu, or "Water", a good rune for this path.

The 28th path links the 7th and 9th spheres, and has to do with "the complex web of relationships which link together all living things" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 126) and "is involved with evolution and the slow transformations of living things through time." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 126 - 127) The rune for this path is Gear, or "Year" which is all about the seasonal cycles and the harvest. It's a longer measure of time then a day, and balances the "Day" rune opposite it on the tree.

The 27th path links the 7th and 8th spheres, and is related to "images of struggle and combat; scenes of mass destruction" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 131) The rune that makes the best sense here is Thorn, which is "exceedingly sharp, / an evil thing for any knight to touch" in the OE rune poem, and connected to the evil Thurs' in the other rune poems. This is a rune of pain, conflict, and wildness that is very appropriate for this path.

The 26th path links the 8th and 6th spheres, and is linked to "Wild and desolate landscapes; storms and other expressions of the forces of nature; submergence of human consciousness in the animal self." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 150) The obvious rune for this is Ur, the mighty Aurocks. As the OE rune poems says "The aurochs is proud and has great horns; / it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns; / a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle." This is a powerful, wild animal and symbolizes the raw, wild, fierce animal self quite well.

The 25th path links the 6th and 9th spheres, and is connected to "Saggitarius, the Archer", "Ascent to heaven", and "Upward flight" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 144). The rune for this is Yr, the Yew Bow. The bow has connections to "The Archer", and the swift flight of the arrow shows the quick ascent of this path. This rune is also connected to the path on the other side of the 6th Sphere, the 13th sphere, which goes directly from the 6th to the 1st. The 13th path I have as Eoh, which is Yew, so we have a deep connection between these two paths up the Middle Pillar.

The 24th path links the 6th and 7th spheres, and it's esoteric title is: "Child of the Great Transformers, Lord of the Gates of Death", the "Mythological Principle" is "Images of death, burial and decay; travel through deep water" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 154) and for this path I have Hagal, the rune of hail. Hail can be incredibly destructive, ruining crops, but also "turns to water" as the OE rune poem says. This rune has also in modern times been associate with Hel, the goddess of death. So this rune has connotations of destruction, transformation and death, as well as water, and thus fits this path well.

The 23d path links the 8th and 5th spheres, and is associated with "self-sacrifice"(Paths of Wisdom, pg 171). The rune Gar, or "Spear", is an appropriate rune for this path, being the instrument of self-sacrifice that Odin uses in his ordeal.

The 22d path links the 5th and 6th spheres, and is associated with "the Justice of Heaven" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 175) and this is where the rune Tiw goes. Tiw is the rune of the god Tiw/Tyr, the god who sacrifices his hand for the sake of the realms. He is associated with justice, and with keeping troth, as the OE rune poem states: "Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; / it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails."

The 21st path links the 7th and 4th spheres, and has associations of "journeys among or up mountains" and "Pilgrims journeying" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 187) so Rad, or "Riding" is a natural fit for this path.

The 20th path links the 6th and 4th spheres, and is connected to "the Hermit", "solitude: journeying through deserts and wild places" and " Yod (which) means "closed hand" or "fist" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 191-2) The rune I chose for this path is Is, or "Ice", and to me this rune has connotations of solitude, will, dangerous passage, restriction, and looks actually similar to the Hebrew 'Yod'.

The 19th path links the 4th and 5th spheres, and has associations of "Meeting with the Other Self", "solar symbols; rituals of initiation and purification" "the animal twin or wild self." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 196) For this path, I have the run Elk-sedge, which in the Elder is called Algiz and is connected to "protection" and "elk" or "deer". As Thorsson says in ALU: An Advanced Guide to Operative Runology, that the "elk's sedge -- a water plant with sharp leaves which may cut anyone who tries to grasp them.. alludes to its protective function." ( ALU, pg 88) and also connects it to deer and "higher pursuits or the divine realm" (ALU, pg 89) It also has the connotation of initiation and purification.

The 18th path links the 5th and 3rd spheres, and has associations of "Boundaries, borders... images of containment or enclosure; relics of the distant past" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 224)and thus I have attached the rune Stan to this path. Stan is "stone" and stones are used everywhere as boundary markers, to make walls, and often relics of the past, such as runic inscriptions, are written upon them.

The 17th path links the 3rd and 6th spheres, and has associations with "the Lovers" "Gemini, the Twins", "Love between Divine and Human" and "symbols of duality and unity" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 220) and thus links very well with the rune Eh, or "Horse." The horse and rider are a potent symbol of duality and unity, and in some traditional religions, divine powers "ride" humans like a horse. This rune also has connotations of love, and symbolizes partners in rune readings.

The 16th path links the 2d and 4th and as JMG says "the factors of primacy and balance shape much of the symbolism of the Path of Vau" and to the science of alchemy, where the alchemist "brings down power", and where "everything in the macrocosm is alive with power, and may be shaped and guided to a fuller expression of its innate energies through alchemical processes." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 240) The rune I chose for this is Ior. The OE rune poem states that: "Iar is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land; it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness." Some folks have translated this rune as "beaver" and some as "serpent." A "fish" is a generic name for any animal that lives in water, and I find the translation of "beaver" to be more compelling. The beaver is a very powerful symbol of "primacy and balance" being that it has mastery of both the land and the water, it a keystone species that shapes and guides its world in much the way that an alchemist or magician does.

The 15th path links the 6th and 2d spheres, and is connected to "imagery of springtime and new life" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 234) and "a time in the past when peace and plenty on a grand scale were brought into being by the rule of a legendary monarch." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 237) The rune for this path is Wynne, or "Joy", for as the rune poem says: "Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety, and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house."

The 14th path links the 2d and 3rd spheres, and is spoken of as "The Marriage of Heaven and Earth", "images of polarity and sexuality" and that it "resolves that polarity in the act of creation." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 244) The rune for this path is Gyfu or "Gift" and this rune has meanings connected to giving, exchange, marriage and sexuality. The shape of the rune also literally shows the resolution of polarity.

The 13th path links the 6th and 1st spheres, and has corresponds to "Descent of the Divine", "Uniting Intelligence", "Silence, empty space" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 208) and is represented by the rune Eoh. This is the Yew rune, which in the shape resolved the higher and lower. It is a mysterious rune, and Thorrson says that this rune "connects and synthesizes vertical polarities... The yew is the central axis of the older runic systems" (ALU, pg 79) This works well as the higher, more mysterious part of the Middle Pillar.

The 12th path links the 3rd and 1st spheres, and has associations of "The Creation of the World" "the emergence of form from formlessness" (Paths of Wisdom, pg 255) and the Hebrew letter associated with this path is Beth which means "house." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 256) and so for this path I placed Ethel, or "estate" The rune poems states: "An estate is very dear to every man,/ if he can enjoy there in his house /whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity." The form of the rune depicts the boundaries of an estate, or yard, and thus reenact the "emergence of form from formlessness". In the Elder Futharc, the older form of this rune occupies the spot at the end, and this balances well with the rune of the 11th path, Feoh which is the first.

The 11th path links the 2d and 1st spheres, and the Hebrew letter associated with this path is Aleph or "Ox" - this is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and corresponds to Feoh, the F-rune and first character of all of the various rune systems. The meaning of this rune is "Cattle" too, but also means "Wealth" and in readings often means fiery, initiating energy, the same kind of energy that you would expect between the Eternal Unity and the First Stirrings, the "Child of the Primal Void." (Paths of Wisdom, pg 258)

This only leaves the sphere that is not a sphere, which is called "Da'ath", or "Knowledge" and is symbolized by "the empty room; the abscense of all symbolism." So we will symbolize it with the Cweorth rune, which is highly controversial. Thorsson says that "Of all the rune-names, this one is the most difficult to understand logically because we have no poetic stanza to explain it and the word itself is otherwise unknown" but that the name is connected to the words for "fire bore" and "mill-stone" (ALU, pg 137) To me this represents the great world mill, "Hamlet's Mill" which is the empty space in the North that the world spins around, as described in the book of the same name. This is the whirlpool, the fire bore, the spinning of the hurricane around the empty center.