The Rune Series: FEHU (Wealth)
The beginning of the sacred Cycle
The Runes of this series belong to the Elder Futhark, one of the oldest alphabets in recorded history. Each Rune has endless interpretations and deep meanings; while their origin and/or intent is lost to history, most interpretations come from the ‘Rune Poems’, possibly written around the 8th century. This series will explore the Runes through a personal journey and interpretation of them, alongside knowledge collected from written works, such as ‘The Book of Runes’ (R.Blum, 1982), and the intricately crafted website ‘Runesecrets.com’ by Tyrael, to whom I give thanks. Another useful source is ‘RuneLore’ (Edred Thorsson, 1988)
Greetings Dear Reader,
Welcome back to the Rune Series where we explore the ancient Runes through a psychological, practical, spiritual and philosophical lens.
You can check out the rest of this series below:
Runes and Symbols
Runes are powerful. At least I, and many others, believe they are - and so they are given power. Whether they do have power independently of us or our existence, is a completely irrelevant question.
Symbols fascinate me. A curious thing happens to your mind right at this very moment. You see, what you call ‘reading’ is merely a magical, invisible transmutation of some black shapes into a narrative created by your mind. Letters are symbols that your mind has learned to interpret/decode in one way or another and so, behold, meaning has been created out of shapes. Isn’t that curious?
Runes are shapes, much like our Greek alphabet. Runes are, in fact, an older version of the alphabet. Their origin is a relative mystery and their original meanings are completely lost to history, or so they say. This gives the Runes the freedom to be whatever we need them to be, which is in itself a fascinating characteristic for a set of seemingly random lines. Scholars may focus on their historical aspects, but we’re not here for that. We’re going to engage with them in a mystical, magickal, psychological and practical way. Now, I am by no means an expert — if you start looking for Rune Readers and Rune Experts on the web, you’ll surely find some. What I am is an artist with a vested interest in exploring the realms of the Unconscious, and I believe that the Runes are excellent gateways to those realms.
If the Reader wishes to find out more about Runes as a divination tool or a more detailed guide to their application, I refer to the book cited above: ‘The Book of Runes’ by R.Blum, from 1982.
I wanted to create a digital re-imagining of the twenty-four original Runes, belonging to the Elder Futhark. Each and every artwork has been realised through a process of connecting with the meaning of the Rune and exploring its significance. During this process, I had purposefully taken time off between artworks and only crafted each and every one of them when I had, at a minimum, a basic understanding of it. To me they are not some simple shapes, they are tools and gateways. Methods, keys and bridges between our world and the world of the Gods (or, in more scientific terms, between the conscious mind and the unconscious).
FEHU
1/24
First Row (Aett): Fehu
Meaning: ‘Cattle’, ‘Wealth’
Associated English letter: F
Fehu begins the cycle. Its meaning points to cattle, as well as ‘wealth’. In the times of the people who carved out these Runes, owning cattle likely made one wealthy. However, it may also point to the mystical being known as Auðumbla, the first primeval cow. According to the Prose Edda, this cow licked into existence the ancestor of the Gods (Aesir) themselves: Búri. So, in a way, this mythical creature is the origin of all creation and is thus fittingly associated with the first Rune.
Auðumbla seems to share quite a few things in common with Amalthea, the primordial goat in Greek myth, who nourished an infant Zeus. The Gods often come from chaos or something that is inherently more primal, bestial and chaotic than the often anthropomorphic Gods who, despite possessing various powers, usually still maintain a human appearance.
Fehu promises nourishment, from the most wordly to the sacred and the Divine. For if the ancient principle ‘As above so below’ holds true, then we are also here to nourish God. (from the Book of Runes)
Fehu points to material wealth, symbolised by cattle. Farm animals provided people with both a source of money and of food. Unlike gold coins, which you’d have some trouble digesting, cattle can help a family survive a harsh winter. One must learn to be grateful for such an abundance and good fortune, in the same way that one must learn to be grateful for their own beginning - their own birth. And sometimes, in the midst of life, that simple gratitude can be difficult to find.
Every beginning already contains the seeds of its own end. It could be said that for Fehu to begin the Rune Cycle, it must also know of its conclusion. This, of course, echoes the foundation of all Norse myth and its cyclical universe, eternally created and destroyed. There is great power in beginnings. At the start of a new venture, perhaps a change in life, a relationship, a childbirth or newfound success, there is often a surge of energy to accompany the forward motion. To obtain humility and balance, Fehu reminds us that this exciting new path will also have to end eventually.
All people die, all things crumble into dust, and all accomplishments will be forgotten. But despite the death of a flower, we celebrate its blooming. This is an important lesson, I believe, especially in a current climate filled with a disease of meaninglessness and apathy.
Remember and value the things you already have, the great wealth of your body and the magical, crazy show that are your senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell. Be in your body and honour its power and existence.
How to use FEHU
Some practical advice on how to use Runes involves the idea of holding a visual image of the Rune shape in your mind’s eye during meditation. I’m not here to confirm whether that works or not, but I am here to discuss something a little more important. And that’s the reason why.
So, do you want more money? Do you want to use the famous ‘Law of Attraction’ to manifest great, financial wealth? Maybe Rune magick is the way to do it, or maybe not. Either way, I think it’s important to really reflect on the nature of your desires. Let’s take money for example, one of the most universally common desires from anyone that approaches the idea of manifestation. I know because I’m one of them. But recently I began to really think about the motivations behind this desire. What is it that powers it?
Essentially, why do you want money? Observe how the mind will promptly start a long list of needs and wants, including bills, rent, good food, travel, freedom, etc. What would happen to you if all these things were to remain forever out of reach? And what would happen to you if you were to obtain all of them? These are important questions to consider.
In my personal experience, I have noticed that a mind that lives in a constant state of lack will never be satisfied, no matter how big the next paycheck is. Pay attention to your reaction next time you find a little coin on the street — do you jump around with joy at what is, technically, more money? You’ll likely say that it’s not enough. If you observe this across an extended period of time, you will notice that whichever monetary value comes your way, it will never be considered enough. And, if Gods will it, it somehow is, it will only remain so for a short time.
Why is this?
The mind feels unsafe. The world appears large, frightening, unpredictable and, often, hostile. The reasons for this are many, some subjective to you personally, and some objective in the nature of the ego structure itself. I won’t go into too much detail on that here, but I’ll explore briefly the idea of ‘safety’. To a mind living in the current world, money = safety. Financial abundance means less worry and more predictable outcomes (at least, that’s what it believes). The problem with this is that it’s a completely abstract concept. The mind lives in a perpetual state of ‘trying to get more/trying to feel safer’, but there’s no real goal to achieve. There will never come a day when the mind will just sit down and breathe a sigh of relief. Ask any entrepreneur at any stage in their career and they’ll likely tell you that there’s more to get.
I invite you to reflect on this.
Conclusion
To conclude, I wanted to offer you one of the most powerful quotes I have ever read, and which comes, unsurprisingly, from the Tao Te Ching:
“Wealth is knowing what is enough.” (Tao Te Ching)
Meditate on these words. What is enough? When is enough? Who decides that? And what price are we you (and us) paying for the absence of an answer to that question, which results in greed, frustration and suffering.
Perhaps true wealth is knowing that a few cattle are more valuable than a sack of gold and that the very simple fact that you exist is more valuable than you could ever possibly understand.
Blessings.
