The Rune Series: WUNJO (Joy)
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:
My song recommendation for this one has to be Wunjo, by Wardruna (Wardruna, Runaljod, 2016). It was an obvious choice, since their entire album is dedicated to the Runes. What I like about this song in particular, is the beautiful beginning:
“No hev oska lagt seg
Verda er grå og grødelaus
Spring spirar upp frå si grav”Translation: “The ashes have fallen
The earth grey and barren
Sprouts spring from their grave
Victorious they spring
To their first day.”
The image that springs, indeed, to mind is that of a rebirth. ‘Sprouts spring from their grave victorious to their first day’ — yet the presence of a grave indicates that something had to be there before its death. Rebirth brings about a new ‘first’ day.
Beautiful.
The Rune of Joy
Rune Series 8/24
First Row (Aett): Wunjo
Meaning: ‘Joy’
Associated English letter: V
What a great way to end the first Row. As we will see as our journey continues, all Runes that complete a Row not only end on a positive note, but they represent cosmic forces of immense power. In this case, we have Joy.
What is joy?
Before we answer this question, let’s go over the entire first part of the journey that brought us here. By analysing all the Runes from the beginning and up to this point, a narrative emerges:
In the beginning, primal forces of chaos emerge out of the void. This is not the realm of human thought or existence, but of raw, untamed cosmic and unconscious powers. Then, as the cycle develops, the Gods emerge, again, with the help of these primal, chaotic forces. The Gods, representing the power of reason, control, order and linearity, fight back against the forces of chaos (represented by the Giants) and assert their dominance, creating a new world in the process. A journey then begins, outwardly and inwardly, to explore this new world and specifically discover what is it all about (because seriously, what is it all about?). During this journey, concepts such as knowledge, exchange, trust, friendship emerge as powerful motivators of a good life, culminating in the discovery of Joy itself.
A Joyful Mind
It is said that Wunjo represents an inner urge for self-realisation or a perfect state of consciousness, carrying the fundamental element of love between human beings.
While this sounds very nice, it’s also a little abstract. We don’t need to hear again that love is the ultimate truth and that the whole point of life is to love and be loved. This is, I believe, inherent in the human experience as a truth. Everyone can relate to this. And yet… what’s going on? If everything is so simple, then why is there so much conflict, pain and suffering also present in this human experience? And why does it seem like there is so much more pain and fear, instead of joyful moments, which seem fleeting and evanescent?
The answer I give is in reference to the nature of the Mind/Ego. Eckhart Tolle describes it also as the ‘pain-body’, an invisible stratum of energy that carries wounds of the past and fears of the future, and that the mind identifies with by supplanting its flag named ‘I’ on top of it. Upon closer inspection, it’s revealed that all of this is a thick, heavy collection of thoughts. The past is a memory and the future is an illusion. Think about both right now and you’ll realise that neither exist, except in the Now, which contains both. By containing both, it contains neither.
Yes, that’s all well and good. Quite a nice philosophical/spiritual thought going on there. But I still feel no Joy, you say — I still am in pain and fear of tomorrow. It feels, indeed, almost inescapable. To contemplate the thought that it is an illusion feels nice for about 2 minutes, until it’s replaced by the usual anxieties of the day. The same ones that have followed you yesterday and that will still be around tomorrow.
So what’s this Joy, then? How do you get it?
Knowing (is) the Trap
You don’t get it.
Or rather, the small Ego-you will not get it. Not because it’s evil and needs to be enlightened/transcended or defeated somehow; but because it’s not meant to get it. The purpose of the Ego-Mind is to solve problems, to engage with the world, create linear time and to ensure survival. There is nothing in its structure that allows it to sit down and rest, because that would imply death.
In the absence of ‘problems’, they are created. In the absence of conflict, more is added. This isn’t a conscious choice, but a consequence of the Ego’s delusions of grandeur, accentuated by this persistent, stubborn idea that says ‘I KNOW’.
Think about all the things that you think you know. All the stories you tell yourself about the world and about who you are within it. If someone came to tell you that none of it is real, your likely first response is to deny this ridiculous claim. And that’s fine, you’re allowed to do that. What I’m inviting you to do is to observe that denial and notice the force behind it. Notice that deep, inner conviction in the reality of whatever suffering/problems you’re experiencing in your current life. Don’t try to change it or condemn it — but do take note of it.
Is that really you?
An Experience of Blissful Safety
The best I can describe the meaning of Joy is with a personal story. This happened to me a while ago: one day I simply went for my usual walk to the store. On my way back, as I was walking down a road I had walked many times before, a powerful feeling of knowingness washed over me. It wasn’t triggered or caused by anything outside of me — it simply appeared and lasted for a few seconds. Those seconds were powerful enough for me to remember them, however.
Physically, I can describe that feeling as appearing somewhere below the chest, in the gut area, where usually most feeling arise from. The nature of the feeling is quite indescribable, but the closest thing to call it is ‘Joy’.
The closest metaphor I can use to better communicate this feeling to you is this: imagine living in the perfect moment of Now, while also knowing that tomorrow will be the best day of your life. It’s like the day before your holidays, the day before a really good party or event that you’ve been looking forward to, for a long time. The day before knowing you’ll see your lover again, after a long period of separation. It’s not the actual day of the event, but the day before. That linear time stretch that separates the actual joyful event from the Now is a time of sublime beauty and excitement, because the mind knows that it is safe. That feeling of safety and certainty in a blissful tomorrow is the best way I can describe Joy.
“Joy, beautiful spark of divinity,
Daughter from Elysium,
We enter, burning with fervour,
heavenly being, your sanctuary!
Your magic brings together
what custom has sternly divided.
All men shall become brothers,
wherever your gentle wings hover.” (Symphony №9, Beethoven, 1822)
Isn’t it wonderful that one of the greatest musical creations of mankind across all time is known as the ‘Hymn to Joy’?
How to use WUNJO
Examining what we’ve been going through so far, the secret to Joy seems to rely in faith.
It is impossible to know that tomorrow will be a blissful day. But then again, please remember that it’s also impossible to know that it won’t be. The mind has a tendency to stick to familiar patterns, even if they don’t bring happiness or progress.
The greatest miracles happen in a state of complete surrender. Surrender can only happen when the Ego-Mind realises that it has absolutely no clue in what way the next moment will change, shift and transform. While it automatically perceives that as being dangerous, a conscious effort can be used to question that conviction and establish, slowly, a new order. A new paradigm.
A new world.
And with this, the first Aett is concluded. Amen.
Blessings,
