Runic Wednesdays: Aett One: The Voice

(Ansuz)

I am the holy Tree bridging heaven and earth

The call of the deepest dark and highest light

Hear me, hear me, even in the stillness

I will lead you by word and thought

If only you will follow.

Sound: Aa

Translation: Mouth, God

Ansuz, the Voice of God, is the divine breath, the song that existed before matter, before time.  It is usually connected to Odin, the All-Father of the Norse pantheon, God of wisdom who first brought the Runes forth from the World Tree. 

The Voice represents words, yes, but also the sacred essence that lies within, beyond words.  After you have made the necessary sacrifice of Thurisaz, you are left with an empty place in your life, and to progress along your path you must reach the silence, the stillpoint in which the Divine can be heard.  The gods are always speaking, always singing; are you listening?

The Rune of Sacrifice demanded that you give something up, probably painfully.  You may be wallowing in that pain, or have reached what you think is rock bottom, when you find ourself empty and echoing--and in that echo, if you are willing to listen, comes the Voice.

The Voice in Divination

Ansuz often turns up when there's something the universe is trying to tell you but for whatever reason you're not listening.  It's basically God saying "Shut up, I'm talking!"

More than that, however, the Voice can be an indicator that you have a calling that you may be ignoring, or may simply not have found yet, especially in conjunction with the next Rune of the Aett, Raidho, the Journey.  These two together often speak of a vocation of some kind. 

The Voice can also represent a more mundane kind of communication--speaking, writing, reading, study, anything involving words and wisdom.  As it is connected to Odin, it carries the mantle of leadership and authority, particularly over spiritual groups like covens, churches, and prayer meetings. 

Additionally, Ansuz can be an indicator that an important question in your life is about to be answered...or has already been answered, if you can quiet your mind enough to find that answer.  If it turns up in a reading, pay special attention to portents and signs in nature--Odin employed two wolves and two ravens to gather information for him, and indeed the gods speak to us through the natural world every moment of every day.  Ansuz bears messages relating to the other Runes in your reading, and often it's up to you to figure out who's talking.

Combined with the Flame (Kenaz), the Voice can speak of spiritual ecstasy and inspiration.

What to Think About when the Voice Appears in a Reading

1.  Have I been meditating and keeping to my spiritual practices, allowing the Voice of the Divine to be heard?

2.  Do I need to devote more time to reading and study of my path or field?

3.  How can I improve my communication skills?

4.  What am I ignoring?  What am I denying?

Comments

[Lynn Winders]

Dianne, I love the Runic Wednesdays posts. I have"played around" with runes for years, but not until reading your weekly posts, have they made as much sense. I have enjoyed the rest of the the posts, too, but the runes are just wonderful!! Don't stop posting them. I look forward to every Wednesday morning to see what you have said about the next one and am really learning a lot. Keep up the good work.. Lynn Winders
chalicewitch@hotmail.com

[adam]

I love the poetry at the start of each rune..please don't give up.Your writing is SO beautiful!!!