to you who would soak us
in our own blood:
your swagger sickens me
i reject your new amerika,
you piggies at the trough
with your shit-filled lies.
when your butcher's bill comes
i pray to all the gods that
it is you who pays the price
hex
Photo by Nastia Petruk on Unsplash 7 comments on hexcasting runes — 07jan26
fehu daggers gnaw the wolf's belly
as he surveys snowy plains for
young reindeer to offer "protection"A poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is fehu, which has a core meaning of “cattle” or a more generalized “livestock”, which was a representation of personal wealth or earned prosperity. Sometimes luck played a role. Wealth and prosperity was valued, but was looked down upon when material accumulation appeared to be excessive, greedy, miserly or turned to hoarding, especially when those around you were lacking.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
Half-penny thoughts — 07jan26
Sometimes, when I look in the mirror or in the work chat camera, I’m a little surprised by who I see there. The person looking back at me appears to be a reflection of myself, except that all that grey and all that beard (not to mention the bushier eyebrows) seems much more gnome that it ought to be for the person I recall being.
If I’m being generous, I replace the “gnome” with “druid”. However, self-generosity doesn’t come easy, so gnome is of more frequent use. Perhaps there is a better description? I’ll have to think about it (I’ve not quite evolved into a “troll”, but I suspect it will come sooner than later).
Are you ever surprised by who you see in pictures of yourself? If so, do you think it is generally for the better or for the worse? If you were to use a common word or phrase of less than five words, what do you think best describes your general appearance or that someone might mistake you for being?
of the vale
Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash chestnut flicked in amber
to tease and taunt of eye
stonewater crest elder oak
shadow slip past of my
dream her wrapped arms
on arms in arms against
the coming gale
hollow you, broken child
stolen child, darkling
of the valelean in, ask
none of this exists until
you lean in and ask
given to fever in drift
flowing over in waves
my jaw aches for silence
wired shut
you dream in a
wordspun heaven only
a breath away
lean in, askrose of sanctuary
sell me rose of sanctuary
in rainsoaked night
help me forget in rhythm
as you pull me in under
the afterglow neon lights
and grant me sweet releasecasting runes — 06jan26
thurisaz pinprick crimson welling
nearly night for richness red
leaving behind chants & cantrips
trailing bright against snow
dragging, we cut tether with
leather-strapped bone
weary, we rest
drawing warmth from mother sunA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is thurisaz, which has several core translations: “thorn” or “giant”. The rune is often associated with pain or discomfort (often for an important transitional or transformative reason) or raw power that may be destructive. It is also considered protective, regenerative, and is frequently associated with women’s menstrual health.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
casting runes — 05jan25
mannaz scrimblindeyes & staggerfall
mask up, mask up
she crowcalls & so
allfacesup & whiteblank
everyone undances
that skeletonwaltzA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is mannaz, a rune that translates to “man” in the sense of “humankind”. The rune is associated with family and the social order, and in trusting the intuitive process or seeing clearly — both from within and from without. Mannaz influences relationships of all kinds, including those of a romantic nature, and encourages compassion, for oneself as well as for others.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
half-penny thoughts — 05jan26
I’m probably overlooking quite a few artists, but it sure seems like the vast majority of them these days are very serious about their music.
That’s not to say that I didn’t listen to and work with musicians in the past who were very serious about their music, but it seemed there were more folks in earlier eras who were a lot less serious about it. Or, they were serious musician who leaned into satire instead of saying things like, “We are artistes, not baboons. Go away and baboon elsewhere.”
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