A Rune Journey With Frigga: Third Aett
by Mist
Although many people don’t associate Frigga with any of the rune aetts, she is (to me) very involved in the third aett. It deals with things that are feminine, things that are womanly, and she as a fate-weaver seems to get left out of the association in these runes, Most of the birth staves are contained within this particular aett. So to me it made sense to bring Frigga into this meditation, as I truly see her in this aett more than any other gods.
Let’s begin by getting into a comfortable position,
Take a deep breath,
Slowly exhale it out,
Feel your body relaxing,
All your cares wash away like warm water,
Pouring out of our body,
Inhale clean light air,
Feel your body fill with energy,
Your body becoming more and more relaxed,
Clear your mind,
See all our thoughts wash away, like scribbles from a chalk board,
Until you feel at rest and comfortable.
Continue to breathe, in and out, completely relaxed.
You see before you a mighty tree,
You are at the roots of the world tree,
You see a hole in the tree,
As you walk towards it, the hole seems to open, larger and larger,
Becoming a large archway, you walk cautiously but unafraid into the centre of the tree,
You are in the centre of the tree,
The archway closes and a large winding staircase appears before you,
You start ascending the stairs.
As you reach the top, the tree opens, revealing a large open field,
The grass is green and lush; the wind is soft and warm,
As you look around, the only thing that appears before you is a small hut.
You walk towards the hut, the door opens and you step inside unafraid,
The door then closes very quietly behind you.
Before you is a long table,
There are two chairs placed across from each other.
You pick a chair and sit there, waiting expectantly for someone to arrive.
The same door that you enter opens again. In walks a woman, she
seems much older but still young. She is a definite matron type, looking
somewhat worn from the daily chores of the house, the marks of motherhood
streaked across her face, ageless and timeless; she walks gracefully towards
the other chair
You notice that she is wearing an older style gown, full length that hangs ever so softly off her shoulders, of blue and white.
On one hip, you hear a clanging sound of jingling keys. You sense that she is a Viking woman, battle-worn and strong.
She reaches under the table to pull out a large bowl, the bowl is somewhat imperfect, it definitely seems to be handmade, you can see the slight indentations from the forge, the slight bends in the metal, and the bowl seems very heavy.
She then reaches for a jug, and pours out some water into the bowl, the water shimmers slightly as it picks up the reflective nature of the metal, she looks at you and says:
For this part of your journey, it is time for you to see.
I ask you to look unafraid into the bowl.
You peer into the centre of the bowl; she takes one finger and stirs the bowl lightly,
When the water stops spinning, you see a field of corn appear, the stalks all growing so beautifully,
The field is calm, but there seems to be a dark shadow slowly creeping across the field,
Suddenly without warning, a hail storm descends on the field, breaking down the stocks, crushing them without mercy, unrelenting it completely decimates the field,
The storm passes, as quickly as it came, and beneath the wreckage of the field, you see one tiny little seedling shooting up through the ground,
She whirls her finger in the bowl, and says to you, even though things can be destroyed sometimes destruction brings new growth, this is the mystery of Hagalaz
She reaches in again, and stirs the water with her finger,
When the water stops spinning you see an impoverished child, torn clothes, disheveled shoes, everything taken from them,
The wind picks up, and the child is left alone and cold seeking shelter and warmth, a warm place to sleep a new pair of shoes, anything to feel safe and warm,
Suddenly, a stranger walks by the child, an offers them a place by their fire if they share the small piece of bread they have, the child hesitates…this meal may be the last one that they find on this day, and that is a lot to ask, but as they approach the fire near by, the fire warms them, and the feel safe and finally warm.
She whirls her finger in the bowl and says to you, the need fire burns for those who are in need, may you never forget to give the basic need of love, compassion and safety, this is the mystery of Naudhiz, sometimes we have to separate what we want for what we need.
She reaches into the bowl again, and stirs,
When the water settles, you see an ocean covered in ice,
There is no way across it, no way through it; it seems to be a definite obstacle,
You can see in the distance, many ships that are stuck in the ice, unmovable and silent they sit, suddenly without warning the ice begins to crack, freeing the stuck ships,
She stirs the water again, and says…sometimes ice can provide a solid surface, sometimes it holds us back from our goal, but ultimately it must give way and once again become free moving water, that is the mystery of Isa
She reaches into the bowl again and stirs,
When the water settles, you see a big table, filled with food,
There are so many different dishes; you can smell the freshness of the food,
And almost taste the different things that are on it, you see that it is all laid out on silver platters, proudly presented, decorated and beautiful on clean white linens,
Just before the hunger gets to you, she stirs the bowl once more, and says to you: when you have a good year, the bounty is great, the wheel turns, and the feast is always there, it represents the work we have done, the harvest completed and the time for things to change, this is the mystery of Jera
She reaches into the bowl again and stirs,
When the water settles, you see the inside of a small room,
There is snow in all the windows, ice covering the panes; a cold draft seems to be blowing into the room,
In this cold, frosted room, you walk over to the fire place, and a bright flame lights, the fire warms the house, and in the darkness and cold, you see a sense of irony, in the cold there is warmth, in the darkness, light,
She stirs the water again, and says to you, all things are connected, all opposites are balanced, this is the mystery of the Eihwaz rune, and all opposites are balanced in the great expanse of the world.
She reaches into the bowl again and stirs,
When the water settles, you see again the inside of a small room,
Women seem to be frantically running everywhere,
There is water being boiled and sheets being ripped, there seems to be something important going on, all of them busily anticipating a new arrival,
Strangely there is one woman, sitting calmly in the corner, and it appears that she is casting lots, with each cast; she ponders the meaning of the stones that fall out,
You walk over, curious about what she is doing, but before you can ask, the woman sitting with you stirs the water again and says: a life is not cemented without fate, fate is entwined at birth, and this is the mystery found in Perthro
She reaches into the bowl again and stirs,
You see before you, a brilliant rainbow, but the rainbow is not in the sky, it seems that it is connected from the earth to the sky, and you sense that you could use this is a road, the road seems to wind beyond vision, but it is sturdy and strong, before you even get one foot on the road, she stirs the water again and says, all roads lead to the great world of the gods, but this is not a place for mortals, this is the road that connects us to you, and you to us, it is the great bridge that was built by us for us to travel from our place to your place, and back again, this symbol of this bridge is the symbol of Algiz, the mighty road that connects us all
She reaches into the bowl again and stirs,
You see before you a rising sun; the sun is brilliant and gleaming in the distance,
Warm and embracing, bright and burning, it is the light of a million lights, the warmth is comfortable and makes you feel a sense of completion, that all you have been through, this light shines the brightest,
She stirs the water again and says; at the end of your journey is the brightest light, the rune of Sowilio lights the way for true seekers of the runes
She, removes the bowl and looks at you,
Bravely, you ask her...Who are you that knows so many things? ,
Without hesitation, she looks right into your eyes and says my name is Frigga, the high wife of Odin, she who holds secrets, and never reveals anything...What I have shown you today is but a glimpse of the true secret that is contained within these symbols.
She stands, strong and ready, and leaves quietly, through the door,
You follow after to see, if she is still there, but find yourself back in the field that you first encountered,
You walk back toward the tree,
As you wander into the arch of the tree, and down the stairs, out into the place where you came,
You feel yourself now, drifting back,
Your body feels that it now growing more and more awake,
As you breathe in, feel yourself returning,
Your limbs more and more awake,
You feel yourself back in the here and now,
Back in this place,
You breathe in and out,
And slowly open your eyes.
Artwork at top by Lamorien.
Lower artwork by Cramoisie-Fleur.