Runic Wednesdays - Aett One - The Journey

(Raidho)

I am the long and winding road ahead
the great wheel of stars in the turning sky
I return and return,
but I always return changed;
You may not pass by the same star twice.

Sound:  R

Translation:  Wheel

The previous Rune, the Voice, called us out of our old lives once and for all; Raidho, the Journey, is where that Voice leads us, from where we began to what we will become.

The literal translation of Raidho is "wheel," and it could easily be viewed as the Wheel of the Year--four seasons, eight Sabbats, twelve months, or however you mark time.  My experience with this Rune however is that it speaks of something larger than a year.  It speaks of your entire unfolding life path, and as such it is less of a wheel and more of a spiral, as you travel past the same places over and over, but each time as a slightly different person. 

If you went to your tenth high school reunion you know the truth of this.  It's the same place, the same people, but you (hopefully) have changed. 

The Journey is a Rune of becoming.  One could expand its definition even further to encompass multiple incarnations and karma, but I find it most useful to stick with a single lifetime's worth of travel.  I've never found past life recall all that interesting, myself, but your mileage may vary.

At this point in the Aett, we've already made the decision to undergo the initiatory quest--once the Voice is heeded, there's no going back, at least not until the entire cycle pivots on itself and returns to the beginning.  By the time that happens, though, you will have shed your old skin and learned to see the world with eyes that are both younger and much, much wiser. 

The Journey in Divination

Your readings with Raidho may simply place the symbol in the context of one year, but keep in mind that it can also indicate larger forces at work.  I think of the Journey as a Big Rune, speaking of Big Damn Things Afoot.  Whatever other Runes land with it, they are directly involved with the unfolding of your life as a whole, and should be considered accordingly. 

As I mentioned in the previous post, drawing Raidho with Ansuz often speaks of a vocation; anything you draw it with, however, automatically assumes much greater weight in a reading.  Any time you see the Journey, whatever question you asked opens up to include far more than a few months and a couple of issues. 

Another thing to consider when the Journey appears is whether or not your past is influencing the present (of course it is, it can't help but do so, but I mean in a way that is within your power to change).  Are you clinging to the Wheel, to your history, looking backward instead of forward?  Are you simply refusing to move at all?  I'd recommend against that--there are Runes ahead that will work you over hard if you try to entrench yourself in one place. 

As life coaches like to say, "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."  (Attributed variously to Mark Twain, Yogi Berra, and Anthony Robbins, et al.)  The Journey could also be saying that you're letting your past dictate your responses to current situations, and that in order to get back on your path, you need to change how you walk or at least get some new hiking boots.

The main thing to remember is that whatever a reading is describing, the presence of Raidho means that the choices you make in the near future will affect you on a grand scale.  You aren't just walking along the threads of the web, you are weaving it strand by strand.

If you can think of any more metaphors to add to the above section please feel free to do so.

What to Think About when the Journey Appears in a Reading

1.  Where am I going?  If nothing changes, where will I probably end up?

2.  Where do I want to go?  What small step can I take to help me head in that direction?

3.  What are the larger consequences of the choice I am currently faced with?

4.  Am I trying to do things the way I have always done them, just because I always have?

Comments

[Jenett]

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