Good Mannis day all u Heathens, Sheathens, and Theythens! (Thanks Godi for that wonderful phrase 😉 ) Today’s Rune is Eihwaz!
Pronunciation- eeh-wahz
Literal Translation- yew
Eihwaz is often compared to the death card in the tarot, although the runes as we know them to precede the Tarot by at least a thousand years. Interestingly they both carry the number 133. Both represent regeneration and new beginnings as much as they do endings.
The symbolic meaning of the Eihwaz is directly related to the World Tree Yggdrasil, which personifies unity of the entire Universe. The roots of the World Yew go to the farthest depths of Helheim (the Kingdom of the Dead), and the branches rise to Asgard (the Land of the Gods). Likewise, in the energy component of the Eihwaz, the energies of Life and Death can be distinguished, which are in constant interaction with each other.It is the rune of initiation into the Shamanic Journey and entry into the Mystery of Life. The experience of life, positive or negative, forges the character and makes it unique, authentic, and capable of loving.
But not everything is rational and understandable; some things must be accepted for what they can be when they go beyond appearances.With Eihwaz, we are called to heal the wounds of our soul through a journey between the worlds, through the various layers of consciousness that make up individual and collective reality.
Eihwaz is associated with the yew tree, which is similar to cypress, tall and straight, long-lived and resistant; it has also been renamed as one of the trees of Death as it is often used in cemeteries and, among other things, was used to create arrows. It is poisonous, the poison taken from toxic fruits. Also, for this reason, the rune is connected to the skier god Ullr, an important and often underestimated divinity.
As a symbol of the yew and of regeneration it is also associated with magical work and that of a protective nature and/or dealing with transformation. Yew trees can protect a property from fire. Yew bows were the weapon protecting the English soldiers in battle. This rune can be useful when there is a need to stand one’s ground.
Eihwaz also represents the ability to transform adversity into something positive, the ability to always find new solutions to problems. As the hardness of wood becomes a property once the appropriate use is understood, so the difficulty becomes a tool, an opportunity to grow and achieve one’s goals; by overcoming the fear of annihilation and death, one can come into contact with their own inner strength.
There is a lesson to be learned, a sacrifice to be made; it is necessary to die in order to be reborn, to abandon the old patterns to create new ones.
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