Runic Wednesdays: Aett One - Sacrifice

(Thurisaz)

I am the blood that wells to the righteous wound
I am the scar that remains
I will make the cut at your word:
Draw me not without discernment,
Nor lower me without honor.

Letter/Sound: Th

Translation: Thorn, Giant

In Norse myth, the Frost Giants were considered the adversaries of the Asgard, but their role was more vital than simply a foil; they were prime motivators in most of the myths, and kept the Asgard from falling into complacency (from regressing back to the Fehu stage of the journey).

The Thorn, Thurisaz, is the Rune of Sacrifice. It is in its way the opposite of the energies of Uruz, which is wild and untamed power; the Thorn demands that we learn discipline, and learn the often painful lesson that nothing comes without a cost. The Thorn cleaves away what is not serving us in our evolution. It helps clear a space for the Divine to enter, but often that space is full of our own issues and baggage, and these are what we must sacrifice in order to learn.

When I think of Thurisaz, rather than a thorn, I think of a tattoo gun. When you get a tattoo or body piercing, you willingly give yourself over to a rite of initiation by pain—even if you don't view it as such, you are paying someone to permanently change the only body you get for this Earthwalk. The Thorn is the needle, and it cuts through the skin to leave behind beauty, meaning, strength, and symbol. The cost is your blood, and your pain.

The Rune of Sacrifice's first counsel is always this: choose the pain that will count instead of letting pain choose you. Take the riskier road, rip the bandage off and sing. Make the choice to take on the responsibility of your own life instead of having it forced on you by circumstance. Offer up your demons before they must be stripped from you by later Runes like Hagalaz. Here, at this point in the Aett, there is still an element of choice in what is to come—you are choosing later consequences with your actions now.

Leaving the safe road almost always means peril and pain. But almost all the great literature of our time would agree that leaving home is the only way to fulfill your potential as heroine of your own story.

The Rune of Sacrifice in Divination

When the Thorn appears in your readings, look around at your life and see what the gods might be asking you to sacrifice in order to receive what it is that you want out of life. What is standing between you and your goal? What are you willing to give up for it?

That sacrifice might be time—the time to commit to a spiritual practice or a health regime, the time to read, the time to meditate, the time to spend with family. Whatever the Thorn is asking, it will not be easy to cast aside; if people had cheerfully jumped onto the altar to have their hearts cut out by ancient priests, they wouldn't have been sacrifices, they'd have been volunteers. Right now the universe is giving you the chance to cut away the parts of your life that are holding you back; you have until the end of this Aett to do so, before the next set of Runes does it for you in a much more painful way.

The lesson of Thurisaz, then, is: Make the pain count. Think of yourself as an artist confronted with a new block of stone: chisel away everything that isn't you. Make a space inside you for wonder to flow in—take up your sickle and clear the land, cut down the weeds and brambles, and open up your life to the change that's coming instead of fighting it. Make a space before the wildfire comes.

What To Think About when Sacrifice Appears in a Reading

1. What am I resisting? What stands in my way?

2. What am I willing to give up in order to get what I want?

3. Are there relationships or people in my life that are toxic and need to be excised?

4. Am I willing to commit to a practice or routine that will, through my self-discipline, yield the results I desire?

Comments

[Maeve]

That was exactly what I needed. Thank you.

[Renee]

this was perfect for right now. thank you.

[Michelle Wade]

I agree... that is frickin spooky timing. Thanks !

[Danmara]

I know I needed to read this right now, but it will take a fair bit of pondering to figure out the meaning.

I am facing a pretty big decision right now and I'm not sure how much risk I should take...or what, exactly, is the CORRECT painful road (as both choices are painful in a way).

Thank you.

I'm sending a link to a friend of mine, too. Thurisaz keeps coming up in her readings. She needs this, too.

[Mel]

Thank you for writing this series of posts. The idea of setting a divination set to story has left me cold in the past- I've never gotten a good grasp on the fool's journey, but I've really understood and been able to follow the journey through the futhark so far in this story.