Author: michael raven

  • casting runes — 01jan26

    raido
    this stony road rambles
    back to the beginning
    a beggar's blind
    under low riding clouds
    rain pelts grey to black again

    A poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.

    Today’s rune is raido, which has been translated as “ride” and the implied “journey”. This may be spatial and literal in practice (a physical journey), or it may be more figurative (an inner/shamanic journey, i.e., útiseta). The rune is associated with cyclic motion and the movement of the sun. Some consider the journey represented by raido to be that of returning.

    Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.

  • Genealogy update — 01jan26

    Photo by Warren Umoh on Unsplash

    Those who have been around here know that my mother was born out of wedlock and fathered by a man whom I only have the barest of information about. While it might have been nice to know more about him over the years, the only real incentive to fining out more about him was the surprise DNA results my mother got back, putting her at 33% Finn, something none of us suspected.

    Running her DNA through an algorithm, there was an additional surprise: That some of that Finnish background may actually be Sámi, the reindeer herders of the area. So I set out to see if I could find out more about my grandfather, who’s ghost seemed to be hellbent on avoiding discovery. I eventually gave up the hunt as a lost cause when all roads ended up in dead ends about the man.

    Until Andrea showed up in one of my DNA services.

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  • reads — The Gift of Not Belonging, Rami Kaminski

    When I saw mention of the book on Lodestarwytch’s site a while back, I’ll have to admit that the title/subtitle combination caught my attention right off the bat.

    I, myself, have realized for quite some time now (maybe since forever) that I don’t really fit in and that I am a bit of an outsider for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been a bit baffled by how people “fit in” to a group and I have often wondered if there was something a little wrong with my wiring because of the fact.

    (more…)

  • mystery home

    a smaller world i found today--
    catseye azure in my palm
    stained in beartooth red,
    trimmed in carbon and coal 
    painting what i sought 
    to know

    river washes over ford
    time washes granite
    carrying the mystery home

    Be careful for what you seek, lest you find it.

  • casting runes — 31dec25

    algiz
    we walk without even whisper
    under a vast tree
    some to sacrifice an eye
    some to learn to see

    growing laughter above —
    knowledge that all choice is moot
    for the gathered conspiracy

    A rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.

    Today’s rune is algiz, which may mean either “elk” (there is some uncertainty if this is the case) or yew (Old Norse). It is associated with the Otherworld, protection/sanctuary, and with guardian spirits/fylgja. The unconscious mind is also sometimes associated with algiz.

    Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.