Rune Meditation - Othala
For a moment I couldn't tell if Othala (their guide persona) was actually Odin, but he was a distinctly different and grumpy old man (who also happened to be wearing the stereotypical grey wizards outfit I frequently see Odin wear). He was sitting, slouched at a desk in a classroom, where he was looking at Nazi symbols laid over a world map. Like they were places where their ideology had taken hold. He was angry with how he's been treated and misused and how that's affected the rest of the runes as well.*
I asked him what he's really all about. He stood up from his seat and showed me a family tree that morphed into a person. He said he (othala) is a reminder of the ancestors, of all who live within me (us/humanity), and the ørlög they collected and passed down to me. It is my decision to pick up my family's mantle and continue it or take it in a completely different direction. He said all lineages pass down great love and some great messes that must be dealt with. But it is not about manifest destiny or anyone being greater than anyone else. Claiming one's birthright is about accepting the line that cultivated the ørlög you possess and making it your own. And remembering that you are an ancestor of those yet to be (even if you're not a biological ancestor to them).
It was a truly deep, meaningful energy and message, and there is extremely good reason to be upset about how this meaning has been corrupted by white supremacists. There's something so beautiful and important about remembering our connection to what was, is, and will be. It's so unlike any sort of supremacy culture that intentionally severs connections and seeks to eliminate so many lives that we are/can be connected with.
As I was writing this in my journal, I got the sense that Odin sees the runes themselves as a birthright.** Something to be passed down. Something that he sacrificed himself for that they might be passed down to others (like ørlög for humanity) so their power and magic can be claimed. Not just the Elder Futhark alphabet, but all language - written, spoken, or signed. It is our birthright to use words and communicate, to express ourselves and affect change. It feels quite fitting to end these meditations with this message from Othala and Odin - a reminder of this birth right of expression and connection, and to appreciate the runes (and all languages) that came before us.
*He was referring to multiple runes, not just othala, being seen as hate symbols. Also worth noting that if you see othala with little "feet" on it like this in relation to any person or group, you are absolutely dealing with Nazis and should run the other way.
**I followed this meditation up by talking with Odin, and he very much confirmed this. He reminded me that the tools of all languages are always here for us to utilize.
