Life in Runes - November 2013

written for the Spirit Wise newsletter

The rune for November is OthiloR.

Othilo is the rune of the ancestors; and since it is November, you’re probably thinking “well, it doesn't take a psychic to tell me that!”

But this Othilo is reversed, much as we might wish otherwise.

As we pass through the dark time, it would be easy to turn our attention to the past and to our loved ones who have died.  It would be easy to lose ourselves in the worlds of “used to be”.  It would also be easy to lose ourselves in the “might have beens", for November can be a time to relive our unmanifested fears.

So let us keep our thoughts and our focus on the here and now.  Let us be the light for each other and ourselves.  Let us see the "Yay! You are here and I am here!"  Let us move confidently toward the sun's birth.  Let the past, as it happened and as it didn’t, remain at rest.

OthiloR.    We can stay right here, in this time and this place, and concentrate on now.  Our beloved dead are at hand if needed, cheering us forward.

I hope you have a great month!

-Lila

Othilo is also seen as: Othila, ethel, Othala, Odal, and Othalo

103013 - Wunjo

A day to remember the family of your heart, those you have had, and those you hope to have.

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And oh, what a day of family.  I connected with various forms of family in all ways: text, talk, email, social media, and, of course, memory.

It seems that for many, the over all theme of this time of change is finding one's... tribe, clan, support group, band, pack, herd, church, community... whatever name you use for those with whom you share a vibration, a language.

I have tribe members in the corporate world, in the art world, in retail and in entertainment.  Front room and back of house, penthouse floozy *G* and basement gnome.  We all have different jobs, different life pursuits, different jargon and even different views about the way the world should operate.  But, we speak the same language.  There is a universal translator working between us.

It is true, not all of the members' of my hearts' family are members of my tribe.  We don't always communicate well.  It is also true there are many who have come and gone from my family; and many who have stayed while I came and went from their lives.  Family is not constant because we change and grow, and our vibrations change with us. 

So, let us take a moment here, on the night before All Hallow's, and think about all those families, all those tribes we've been a part of.  Schools and classrooms and clicks.  Best friends and sort of friends and worst enemies.  boyfriends and girlfriends, choir and theater and band, clubs and teams.  Through jobs and meetings and family events; store sales and adult groups and dance clubs.  To all those connections, we give a moment's thought.

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And I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

Tomorrow being Samhain, I am taking the day off.  But I will be scheduling my rune reading for November to post tomorrow, so here's hoping it works!  (something new.  Yay!)

And Friday I may or may not be able to sit and post...  So, if not sooner, gentle beings, I expect to type at you on Saturday.  So I hope you have a great Holiday, also!  L

102913 - Uraz

Today is a day for showing support: the nod; the smile; the hug, handshake, clasp on the shoulder.  We are all on this earth and in this life together.

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If I had remembered today's rune, I might have been more patient, listened a little longer.  But I didn't (remember the rune.)   So I was only my normal supportive, which is less than it used to be.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

102813 - Ehwaz, Gebo

First, the herd seems to be in accord today, flowing together with the ease of long history.  Later, an opportunity for a conscious, balanced energy exchange.  As always, you choose when to participate.

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Hi.  Technically the day isn't over yet, but I took a sinus pill an hour or so ago, and my head is draining of all tension.  Tension free is nice, and I have absolutely no desire to analyze today.  Is draining considered an exchange or going with the flow?

So, I post this now and expect to see you tomorrow.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

102713 - ThurisazR

Aggression, resistance, protection.  These can be lower than expected today, in you or in another.  Is this good?  Is more shielding required?  Or perhaps less?

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It's difficult to express this one easily.  I have doing a lot of practicing with believing in myself, being true to myself.  A lot of this practice requires positive thinking, or, at the least, a release of negative thinking.  Which means I am working on NOT anticipating any outcome or reaction from others, only focusing on my goals and being open to the possibilities that feed everyones' truths, instead of projecting reactions.  So, in that sense, there was no expectation of resistance in the parts of today which were ...

Today I asked for help.  This is something I have been practicing, and I am still practicing.  In the past, I would have projected various actions, reactions and scenarios; and when it came time to ask, my behavior would have been... I think passive aggressive is the right description.  As in:  Help me, but only if you want to and I really don't need what I really need, and your happiness is more important than my happiness but you really want to make me happy, don't you?

However, I have also been practicing being true to myself, and accepting that I do need what I need.  I have been practicing believing my happiness is as important as anyone else's.  I have been practicing standing up for my choices.  I have practiced doing.  I have, in short, been practicing being a responsible, honorable adult.

This requires more than a release of negative thinking -- it is a release of anticipation, of expectation for ANY outcome.  Which takes practice.

In addition, I believe I can be happy at the same time someone else is happy.  It need not be one or the other.  So, I practice being open to the possibilities that feed everyones' truths.

Yup, it is a lot of work.  But everything becomes easier with practice.  And because of this practice, I had no expectations when I asked for help.  Therefore, I was open to the response I received, and was able to engage in honorable, adult conversation to create possibilities.  And therefore this event really didn't apply to the reading at all.

However.

Riding on the success of putting my practice into, well, practice, I found myself blithely heading into a maelstrom of old habits and confusions.  I lost track of time and date, and tried to cram a lot of events (dinner, laundry, packing, prep for tomorrow) into about two hours.  Since these events involved other people, they did not flow as smoothly as I wanted them to and I became frustrated.

I did handle the frustration better than I would have 3 months ago, (thanks to my practice of breathing and stepping out of the energetic whirlwind); but that is the moment a bit more shielding (or a bit less aggression from self) would have been nice to have.

 I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

102513 - EhwazR (Yes, again!)

Another day of differing opinions, diverging wavelengths.  This is good for conversation & idea generation; frustrating if you'd like a consensus.

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Right.  I have tried and tried, but today feels like such a long day, I can't tell you how the flow was out of sync.  Mostly, the timing of things and the decisions I made would indicate I was plugged in, at least to the universal wave length.  

There was conversation which has sparked some contemplation... but it wasn't really the give and take of ideas, more a counseling session.

I had to unpack and repack a box multiple times because the shipping forms kept wanting more information about something IN the box (but to start the packing form, you need to know how much the whole thing weighs!)  Glad I didn't tape said box when I first packed it - which means I WAS in the flow.

I was going to say I was angry a lot today, but I wasn't really.  Not all day.  Not even most of it.  Nor was I happy or passionate or frustrated most of the day.  Maybe that was the flow that was divergent - it was a day of fluctuating emotions for me.  If so, it seems to have ended better than I would have expected.  So, yay!

What I come away with tonite (besides some time to work on my book, if I finish editing this post) is hope.
 And pride that the package is still intact (though not yet sealed.)

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

102413 - MannazR

Today, the balance between physical & spiritual energies may feel off kilter.  Is this good?  Or is it time to redress the balance?

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All I can tell you is my physical balance was so off kilter, I sat on the couch, watched a movie, then went to bed and read.  (I did not post this on it's day.)  Was it good?  Not so much.  

I hope you had a great day.
-Lila

102313 - Othilo

Oh!  Um.  Hmm.  It looks like I didn't actually get the reading posted today on Twitter/ Tumblr/ Facebook.  The You Tube video went up.  Hmm.

And that would be why!  Just watched video.  Not my best work, and not very conclusive at the end.  I shall recap with a little more coherence.

Othilo is the rune of gifts;  it definitely has a spiritual quality to it, whether  of Spirit (a gift to balm the soul), or from the spirits (ancestors - like DNA, inheritance, talents.)

the way the rune was laying (lying?), sideways, lent the thought that the past (or possibly future) has some influence on today's gift.

The conclusion was: today is about gifts, possibly gifts received in the past that will be of importance today.  It will be interesting to see who manifests what.

***************
Tempted as I am to delete the video from You Tube, I will not.  It may serve as a teaching tool.  (How not to read the runes publically.  Even awesome people have uninspired performances.  Think before You Tube.)

What i find interesting about the whole thing is, I felt today that I was following (or benefitting from?) yesterday's reading.  (Uraz in spirit.)  I received much needed support.  I gave support naturally, easily, without all the second guessing.

So maybe my gift today... 
    ...well,  one gift of today was definitely the support I received this morning.  (Thanks, Warrior!)
  But perhaps the other gift was the opportunity to improve on yesterday's performance.



You may have noticed there's no elemental aspect to today's reading.  Yesterday was the third day in a row I had difficulty, not only with mixing the runes themselves, but with seeing the symbols.  The paint is already coming off, and it's very difficult to distinguish between the colors to get the elemental influence.  So, I decided it was time to break out the polymer and get started making my own runes from clay, as I've been planning to do for at least two years.  Naturally, I am only halfway through the first set.  But.  I am inspired  (by the mess on my table, if by nothing else).

Okay.  You may have also noticed new pages available to peruse... since the blogs are where I am giving the most energy, I am making it/them the center.  I am slowly but surely "growing" my dream.  Thank you for being a part of it.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

102213 - Uraz in Spirit

Today we have the opportunity to support others, to encourage someone in finding her/his truth.  Let's show 'em how it's done!

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Blech.  I sort of hope no one was watching!

Sometimes I get wrapped up in being supportive, and end up smothering people with "availability" and advice.  Other times, I hold so hard to NOT smothering, to waiting to be asked for help, I don't actually see the request.  And of course there's the times I am frantically trying not to be smothered by requests, real or imagined.

And then there are the times I second guess every thing I've done for the day because I'm not sure I did what I needed to do, so replaying it lends, I don't know, backward energy?  Not as productive as one could hope.

So, here is me, showing me how it's done.

If I were talking to anyone else, I would ask, "Did your actions cause harm?  Were your intentions less than honorable (by your standards?)  If yes, do what you need to do to fix it.  If no, then okay.
Now step back and breath.  It's over.  It's done.  You did better this time than last, correct?  And you'll do better next time.  It's all a learning process.  When you get this part right, you'll find something new to fret about.  So stop!"

"Better" means actions I am less likely to judge myself for.  Against?  Next time, I'll feel better about my actions.  I will second guess myself less because I'll be more certain they are the actions I can support.  I will act more from my truth, my foundation.  Each time, I do get better.

So I am stepping back.  And breathing.  And further more, I am going to do something (work on a story) that makes me feel positive and productive.

I may find something new to fret about.  Something new with which to test my worthiness.  I'm a human.  But I'll also handle it better, because of everything I did today.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

102113 - BerkanoR in water, IngwazR in Earth

Today looks to be a good day to step back emotionally.  Feed the work in progress & release expectations.  It will bloom.

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Mostly I interpreted this, for me, as another "one step at a time" reading.  Focus on the work, not on the future gains from the work.

The emotional distance advice did apply today.  I did a house cleansing, and finished it with a song.  I feel buildings hold emotional vibrations, and the energies linger because they get stuck in grooves, like water creating the Grand Canyon.  I also anthropomorphize everything -- though houses are harder for me to get a sense of.  Perhaps because of who serves whom.  But that's a meander for another day.

So, though the cleansing was for the comfort of those living within the house, it was also for the house itself.  The intent of the song was to give the house a space of time to remember, a tool to help it retain that "shower fresh" feeling.  The song I chose was "The Song Remembers When" by Trisha Yearwood.  I think it's an excellent song, if you listen just right, for fond recollection, and for taking a moment.

However, it is a favorite of mine for recollection, and it can be a very emotional song.  So today I got to practice keeping my personal connection out of the work - a first for me & singing.  Usually, the aim in singing is to convey the emotion (the level of conveyance being dependant upon the karaoke crowd.)  I did actually visualize myself stepping back, when the tears started to well up, and am satisfied with the result.  It probably helped that I was at the end of the cleansing, instead of the beginning.

Even rune readings, now I think about it, require a bit of emotional distance, especially if one is reading for someone one knows.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

102013 - Ehwaz in water

Today, the herd is all flowing together regarding an emotional (or watery) issue.  Again, you decide.  Do you wish to stay with the group, or do your own thing?  What make you happy?

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Yes, I did laugh when this rune came up today, considering yesterday was reversed in air.  If I pull Ehwaz tomorrow, I may suspect myself of rigging the whole thing. *G*.

As for my experience with watery Ehwaz, the only thing I can relate it to is this:  A member of my herd spoke of retiring today, and his plans to do a lot of diving.  We all agreed that would be fun and a good idea for him.

And that would be all I would have for you today, except I was given permission to share this:

In a personal reading for a warrior of my community, the rune Algiz appeared.
Algiz is the Spiritual Warrior.  It generally represents a silent partner, a benefactor, or a guardian spirit.
In this reading, the rune was on the outside, and pointing back toward the client.  Which, roughly, could be translated as "Oh, by the way, you're going to be someone's spiritual warrior today."

It turns out, she was.  The warrior purchased a gift for a friend, something the friend probably wouldn't have purchased for herself because, while she like the item, she doubted if it was really her style.  However, when adorned, the friend received favorable feedback.  So, you might say the warrior was a benefactor, in that she made a purchase.

But it goes beyond that.  The purchase and the resultant feedback has a chance to change how the friend views her style, and thus herself.  This one act opened the door to a whole new world, for when our perception of one thing changes, we start wondering what else is really true.  So, the warrior was a "spiritual" warrior, making a move that could lend the friend a boost toward a more happy spirit.  The warrior opened the door with her gift.  The friend still and always chooses what to do with the gift - whether to walk through the door and down the path, or just enjoy the view, or take a few steps and go no further.

The runes, and any form of divination, can be considered spiritual, even mystical tools.  And i'll be the first to admit a belief in beings we cannot see in our reality.  But, we are mundane creatures.  The universe works through and for us in a mundane fashion.  More lives have been changed by stalled cars, forgetting a purse, turning left instead of right, stopping to watch a bird, a simple gift... mundane, every day things used to work our will, answer our prayers, taking us down the path we desire for our greatest and highest good.

The genie grants the wish of riches through lottery winnings.  The cat rescued by adoption may not visibly wear boots, but he can still wake up his "master" before the house catches on fire.  Moldy bread in the right hands saves millions of lives.  And the gift from a friend sparks a thought that begins the change in perception of self.  Yes, says the godmother, you shall feel good enough about yourself to enjoy going to the ball.

The only really mysterious thing about the universe is why it takes us each so long to allow it to work for our happiness.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

101913 - EhwazR in Earth

Not all wavelengths are the same today when it comes to material choices.
Do you choose to run with the pack?  Be yourself?  Put off the decision until tomorrow?
What makes you happy?

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I did find myself wondering, as events happened, okay, is this the wavelength difference?  Is this where it's going to crop up?  As if I was expecting it to be a bad thing.

Which is frustrating, because that would not be how I bill myself.  I'm the sunshine person... bringing the bright side of the runes to everyone.  Yay!  (the crowd goes wild.).
And a difference in opinion, or even desires, isn't a bad thing.  Even in a pack, every member is different.  It just makes it difficult to communicate sometimes, when one's values are different than the other's.

It's like trying to define a word.  (I was thinking about climbing onto my pet peeve soapbox which includes words like literally and legitimately  but I'll choose something else.)  Oh, okay.  Let's look at value.  Some would define value as the price of something.  Other might read it as the preciousness.  Something of value could be cherished, or insured; it could be material or it could be emotional.  Value is almost literally (ha!) in the eye of the beholder.  What is of value to one person, like diamonds, means nothing to another (who would pay a month's salary for a signed first edition copy of Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett - course, that's last month's salary, not the soon to be salary *G*.)
Or, to look at another set of words, some people use faith, spirituality, and religion to all mean the same thing.  Others see them as separate topics.

So, it can be difficult to speak, to get on the same wavelength, when each person is speaking from a extremely different perspectives of material value.

Happily, because I was expecting it, even looking for it, what could have been a frustrating situation became a moment of learning.  I was willing to, hmm, not lower expectations, but perhaps change my approach.  Change my wavelength.  well, willing to try.  It turns out, I couldn't.  I've done a lot of work to get myself on this wavelength.
But I was able, willing, to try the discussion again, to approach the subject from a different angle.  Still different wavelengths, different values, perhaps even different realities on some subjects.  But, I think, as long as we keep talking, it won't matter if we don't always understand.

So, what makes me happy?  Well, it makes me happy to know where my wavelength is.  And it makes me happy to know I'm able to try and expand my world to at least hear other wavelengths.  It does make an interesting harmony.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

101713 - Naihwaz in water; Uraz in Spirit

Ride out the emotional storm holding firmly to your ideals.  Others may be looking to you for guidance.  Truth to self is the only tool you need.

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Hello to you!

Yes.  Today was a storm of emotions.  As I went through the day, I wondered how many of you were going through the same "make it stop!" roller coaster.  Even the movie we watched, "The Croods", took me through an emotional roller coaster.  May it be blessed.

I forgot the part of being true to self.

I did remember the part about others looking to "you" (and thus me) for guidance.  It didn't exactly help, for when I become this emotionally mazed, I'd rather be locked away where I can't hurt anyone.  And where anyone else cannot add to the turmoil.  But, Uraz is foundation.  Uraz is strength.  So, I let myself be, I kept moving forward, and I even tried sharing some of my tools.

My current favorite, when I feel the want to hit someone, is to actually hit something.  I beat the couch with a thick swimming noodle.  The first time I did it, I was shocked by the physical & auditory outpouring.  (I may have written about it in here already.)  These days, I use the couch technique to help pull out the emotion,  so it doesn't sit in my shoulders and stomach and neck.  I usually scream when beating the couch, also.  Like the word expelled with moves in martial arts, only much less focused and more Banshee.

It is also satisfying to dismantle a box of glass with a mace, but that is not a technique I would share with young persons, nor, since one should do it outside, is it as conducive to screams of rage.

I planned to have "anger management" time today, and share this technique.  And when the time came, all I wanted to do was pretend I hadn't talked about it.  I was sure they would prefer I forgot also.  But, because of the Uraz rune (bless you very much also) I did it.  I told them about it, offered each one a noodle, and then I yelled and beat the couch.  And yes, that was very hard for me, to do it in front of others.

That seemed to be the theme for the day.  To experience the feelings, to allow others to see what was experiencing, so they could see me work through it.  "Be an example," was my mantra for the day.  

I am grateful to know this emotional trip is almost over.  While I believe in myself, one of my truths has to do with enjoying the moments.  And the moments today were all necessary, all small steps to fulfilling goals, but, perspectively, I'm not sure I would have chosen to put them all in one day!  Ah well.  Learning learning learning.  And finding out more about what I want to do and what I really don't want to do.

So, that was my day, in a cryptic nutshell.  The runes were spot on, and provided guidance, though I can't say much for the support.  Knowing tomorrow is better just means I learned from today.  It doesn't mean the roller coaster stops.

And, being true to myself, I need to negate that sentence with this one.  The roller coaste may not stop.  Life is life after all.  But the truth of ourselves IS all the tool we need.  Because that is how we look back on the day, pat ourselves on the back, and are satisfied that we did our very best.  Tomorrow is better because of all the work we did today.

So.  I hope you had a great day.  And I hope tomorrow is even better!

-Lila

PS - there will be no posted rune reading for the 18th, as it is the full moon.  *G*

101613 - Hagalaz in Spirit (on the edge.)

Take a moment to notice all the little things going on around you.  The feasting animals, the falling leaves, the relationships ebbing & flowing.  This is life.  Every breath is a moment of change.

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Hi Honey, sorry I'm late.  I've been very caught up in redoing my character database for my fantasy (alternate history) world.  Trying to simplify was too much work.  Starting over isn't as frustrating, for I have learned a few new things. 

Anyhoo...  Today's reading.  Giggle, shrug, well...

Humorously enough, during the meditation before the rune cast, I was looking outside the windows and revelling in the variety of nature... the squirrels and birds eating and thriving, while the leaves colored and drifted.  (leaves don't fall.  They drift, la, la, la.  Sometimes they are blown.  But I don't recall seeing a leaf fall.  Branches fall, oh my aching foot, yes.  Leaves, no.)

So whenever I had a few minutes today, I tried to remember to contemplate the outside.   But as I was thinking about what to write, I came up with this...

The importance of those little changes is that they affect us, whether or not we manage to notice them.  All the bits and pieces of change and drama and celebration going on out there, they cause that ripple effect that leaves us sitting in our kitchen wondering what the heck happened to our cheerful mood.  We can't blame us or them or anyone else.  We can just be aware.

Of course the reverse is true also.  Everything we do ripples out to complete strangers in alternate universes.  Should this paralyze us?  Should we change what we're doing?  

Not unless we want to.  Happy or sad, good or bad, everything affects everything else.  The necessary tool is simply to be aware of the fact.  What can you take responsibility for?  And what not?  And, again and always, what makes you happy?  For that is all (in my opinion) a person can take charge of.

I hope you had a great day!  Except for one moment of "What the???!!!!"  I did.

-Lila

101513 - HagalazR in water

Another calm day, especially in the emotional arena. 
More practically, it could mean the quiet stormy weather is most likely going to stay quiet.
______________________________

And it did.  There was a light snow this morning, when I did this reading.  A nice light snow, drifting poetically, the sun not really shining, just warming the background. It stayed cold, but there was never a real STORM! here.

And, yes.  No major emotional storms today either.  Really, thinking on it, nothing emotional.

There may have been one or two incidents I might usually have reacted emotionally too, but I was too busy being involved in other quandaries to even give much thought to them.  Nice!  and Yay!  A month ago, I might have been very offended by the questions which, today, I simply answered and moved on.  Let's hear it for the calming of the storms!  I can't tell you if it's a perception shift...  Well, actually I'm sure it's a perception shift, but whether my perception of myself, or my perception of others' perceptions of myself *G*, or the perception of what is needed to define boundary lines...

  ............  yeah, that was a long convoluted sentence..................

...I don't know.  Simply grateful there was a shift and I didn't need to feel enraged or offended, and cry and throw things before realizing the irrelevance of it all.

So.  No wet storms.  Physically or emotionally.  I am happy with that.  Back to work.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

101313 - HagalazR in earth

Looks like the change in financial/ housing or other earthy states will not be manifesting today.  Breathe deep and keep focusing on the goal.

______________________________________________

As I was dressing for the day's adventures, I wondered if I should have read it as "don't spend the money!"  Cuz what is more earthy than grubby finances, eh?  But, I took heart that I hadn't interpreted it that way when I read it, so getting just one more bottle of nail polish was okay.  And hey, maybe it meant whatever shopping I decided to indulge in wouldn't break the bank...  whether I did or didn't spend the money would have little impact on tomorrow's big picture.

Looking at it another way...  I shopped for my business today.
  Yes, I put down nail polish as a business expense.  If you watch the videos on YouTube, or even get the pictures on Tumblr/Twitter/Facebook, you'll notice my hands are in there a lot.  Not only do I like to have them look nice, I like to make a change (even if miniscule) when I do many daily video readings in a row, so there is a way to help confirm it's a different reading.
Anyway, made purchases for the business today.  One could say the reading meant: today's material gains aren't going to make a big difference in your business, one way or the other. 

And really, change, or the lack thereof, is not inherently good or bad, happy or sad, inspiring or devastating.  That is all perspective.  While I am waiting for the waiting period to be over, for the changes we've worked for to take effect,  it is nice to able to walk through a day and not create a lot of big ripples, in self or in those outside.

And the rest of the day was similarly restful.  (though I can see a nurturing thing or two that may take hold, not of today's events shattered the calm.)

I hope you  had a great day!

-Lila

101213 - Othilo & Eihwaz in Spirit

Today let's discuss the spiritual choices of the clan.  Othilo is about the gifts we will leave; Eihwaz about balancing paths. 
"What actions/ words will express my truth while allowing others to express theirs?"

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Gentle Beings:

(long long long pause)

I don't know.  I think today was a day where I'll be able to judge the impact of the reading on some future day.  

Perhaps it was about the children today.  There were only a few, but even influencing one can/ will make a difference.  So.

I would have to say that today I was very occupied with doing my best to be true to my truths; and trying to balance between what I wanted, and fulfilling my responsibilities.  Hopefully, I was an example of which I will be proud later.

I hope you had a great day.

-Lila

101113 - Algiz

Algiz in spirit:  Whatever your path, a moment of connection & belief is good today.  If you need advice, take a breath, a moment of calm, & listen for your guides/ guardians.  Arms wide open.

_______________________

Lol - the two times I thought of this rune reading today were as follows:

     1) when I was listening to music (or possibly doing my DDR) a song came on titled something like "The Spirit of You".  Made me laugh.

     2) More interesting.  On my rearview mirror, I have a bracelet -- cord braided around a piece of jade.  I put it on the mirror for protection.  I also have a plastic batman ring hooked through the bracelet, to remind me that some people create their own super powers.
Driving home from somewhere, 4 ish, traffic wasn't HORRIBLE.  Chatting with passengers.  The bracelet and the ring fell off the rearview mirror.  Whoosh.
Okay.  Yes, the roads were bumpy, but I don't recall the bracelet ever falling off before in the two years it's been there.  And yes, the ring was a recent addition so it could have worked the bracelet loose.
On the other hand, maybe my guardians were paying attention and the bracelet/ ring falling was from the shockwave of harm meeting shielding and breaking into harmfree atoms.  Again, I laugh with joy, because that means my guardians ROCK!

Either way, I know my spiritual peeps were with me today, even if it was for a quick hug. 

I hope you had a great day.

-Lila

101013 - Kunos in fire

Looks like today we'll benefit from past choices, or we'll be making final decisions on where we really want to put our energy!  We're aiming for what makes us happy!

___________________________________

Hmm.  Okay.  Benefit from past choices.  

Weeellll... I've been craving butterscotch cookies for about a month and haven't found any in the grocery store.  Tried to substitute straight butterscotch chips - but only found them once.  And, as I had no desire to actually try and make cookies, they were too sweet by themselves.  Tried butterscotch pudding - it didn't set up well, and again was too sweet.  And yes, I love the salted caramel cocoas, but... 'tsnot a cookie.  (ME WANT COOKIE!) 
Today I went to the grocery store for dinner ingredients and I was complaining to my shopping companion about the dearth of butterscotch cookies.  As we walked through the dairy, I glanced at the very full clearance section and LA! there was a stack of oatmeal scotchies cookie dough - just break apart and cook.  I laughed and laughed.  (and people looked at me, and I didn't care.)
  My shopping companion grabbed me 3 packs.  She has, by the way also taught me a most excellent and quick form of cookie cooking.  Put the dough on the plate, put the plate in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds.  I like 30 seconds, because it gets a gentle crust.  Warm.  Melty.  Soft.  The problem with baking cookies, I've always thought, is when they're a day old, the steam of flavor is missing.  Microwaving cookie dough is much better.  In my opinion.

So, that's a benefit, for my taste buds at least.  And I was happy.  But I don't know if it really applies to the "fire" portion -- unless you consider butterscotch chips are orange.

In other news, in my personal reading (which involved communication) I was so concerned about all the things it might have been, I actually missed it when it happened.  Ah well.  Next time I'll try harder.

But back to this reading, beginning and ending of the day, I did put my energy into the things I enjoy.  And actually, oh yeah!  
I am a bit of a planner, and I know if I try to concentrate on too many things at once, I just get (well, the word is pissy) cranky.  I had set this evening aside as family time.  But... the family was off each doing his/her own thing.  So, instead of sitting around feeling useless and put upon (and instead of playing video games), I went back to my office and was productive.  I felt much better after that.  I'll admit, I did not have this rune reading in mind when I did it (I was still festering over the missed opportunity).  But past practices of learning how to set aside the expectations, of seeing the situation for what it is, allowed me to do for me today.

And that spurred me to do more writing, which made me so happy, I actually had to force myself to stop so I COULD fulfill my family time duties.  

Goodness.  I am a babbling.  And I do want to play SOME video game today.  So.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

10913 - FehuR

FehuR in Air:  Today is a good day to focus on the practical, to bring our attention to the actual work, as opposed to how wonderful the payoff will be.

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There are two ways I could have gone with this.  The "actual work" for me could constitute my business: getting the personal rune readings reading for launching (which means figuring out how to set up an order system and do a trail run); working on the bookkeeping for clients; and marketing for my e-book versions of Not Really a Murder Mystery.  (notice how I did some subliminal advertising there?  Oh, the things we learn.)

But, my other list of things to do were related to the provisions and the chores of the household itself.  Grocery shopping; sort bills; laundry; dinner; schedules; even communication.  These are the things I decided to focus on today  1) because they are what I consider actual work  (My "job" is great fun.  Household stuff, not so much.  For me.);  and 2) because that is what I currently contribute to the household/ provision area.  While I do believe all of my working and stubborn holding fast will pay off in the end, today's practicalities mean I am the grocery shopper and the dish washer.'

They were chores I needed to do anyway today; chores I had plans to do today.  But because of the rune reading, it was easier to gently nudge myself to do them, to do a little more work before taking a break.

I know that I try to ride the currents -- what feels right to do, what should I really be striving to accomplish today -- so my end goals will become a reality.  So it's nice, for me, to have a rune to help nudge me onto the productive course.  Cuz I sure do use them as a good reason to do what I want when they fall my way! *G*.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

10813 - Ansaz

Ansaz in Earth: Positive talk can create positive things.  "Talk hard!" (from Pump up the Volume)

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Hmm.  I can't say if this had any effect today.  Looking back on my communications... I did communicate with people today.  But...  if there was influence on my activities today, it was not conscious (or recognizable by me).  

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

10613 - Teiwaz, Eihwaz

Part 1: Teiwaz - sacrifices you might be making today will have positive returns in the future.

Part 2: Eihwaz in water - Emotional impact from past can affect future; you choose how to balance what was with what can be.

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Well, obviously, whatever yesterday was about, one thing it did was (hmm) remove me from the universe for a solar rotation.  Let's start from the beginning.

Teiwaz was in air, which did not come up in the reading, but I did remember it throughout my morning.  Air is communication and inspiration.  One of the most difficult types of communication for me is talking on the telephone.  So, the indication of sacrifices pushed me to make phone calls when i would be more inclined to send text messages, yesterday.  I did feel mightily pleased with myself.

One of those calls reminded me of a task I'd agreed to do, so I virtuously began it.  As this task involved heavy lifting, carrying, and playing with a database, I was again mightily pleased (cuz I was exercising as well as helping.  And I learned I can sing and do easy data entry at the same time.  Multitasking!)

But, then, the task led to introspection and emotional delving.  I am a crier, and I am learning to be proud of it.  It helps get the emotions OUT.  And I've learned to revel in the emotions; it feels like a celebration of life.
  So, I finished the task and the emotional journey, again feeling good and productive and nostalgic.  I decided to take a break and have lunch and finish reading a book.

And that became, somehow, a feast of gorging myself, on food and on words.  (There are perhaps many psychological implications in this.)  It is something I used to do regularly.  Of course, if I could, I would read while doing everything!  And I love food.  And I used to smoke regularly.  So reading did become associated with putting things in my mouth.  We could say I regressed yesterday.  I don't think I stopped eating until I finally became too tired to read.  This morning I took up right where I'd left off, though, happily, there wasn't much left in the house to mindlessly munch on.  (there is a reason I don't buy snack foods!)

I can't say it was exactly 24 hours later when the compulsion eased up; but by lunch time, while I was still reading, I wasn't eating for the sake of eating.  And by now, I have managed to get a few chores done, and I've even been outside once or twice.

So, if this gorging was related to the "emotional impact of the past" (highly possible), then I can't say I handled it well.  Well, let's change that wording.  I really dislike how I handled it.  It didn't make me happy!  Even the reading.  I love reading, but...  I probably would be happier about it if I'd at least gotten some writing done to balance it.
  But the food thing.  Blech.
  So hopefully that is the impact on the future.  That next time I'm swept into an emotional regression, I'll do a better job of balancing the "comfort process" with my work, so when I arrive on the other side of the maelstrom, I'm happy.

Yup.  That's about it.  Tomorrow will be a better day.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila  

10513 - PS

My personal reading for today talked about outside influences...  And I see by the stats that the daily view of the Life in Runes blog has increased.  A lot.  I don't know how it all works, but it gives me a happy glow inside.

Thank you.

-Lila

10513 - Ehwaz

When the group moves forward together, it is beautiful.

__________________

When I posted this this morning, I didn't want to use the word herd, or pack.  Not everyone thinks of themselves as part of a pack.  And group can be anything from the group of people planning  something to a group of football players running onto the field.  (Today was homecoming for some.)  And there is such beauty when the group moves together.

In my case, my herd (or pack) is a small one (unless you count all my mechanical assistants, like my laptop and my phone and my shredder and...).  I barely communicated with the outside, today, so this must apply to us.  Our movements, seen from above, might have been like two rivers flowing together then flowing apart.  He had a day off, I worked for most of the day.  But working at home allows for flexibility.  So we flowed.

Interestingly enough, in the bigger picture of the pattern of our lives, if looked at on a graph, today would still show a flowing together.  Through conversation and a willingness, on both our parts, to be true to ourselves.

So, big and small, today's general reading was beautiful for me.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

10313 Perthro, HagalazR

It looks like today shall be calm, if a little full of outside voices.  Listen carefully, but, as always, make your own choices!

_____________________________

I often take a picture of the runes, for the Tumblr/ Twitter/ Facebook post of Life in Runes.  (I may eventually remember to upload them to this blog, but I write this on a different device... shrug... technology is fun!)

Anyway... I did not post a picture for today and I rather wish I had.  Because I seem to have been the outside voice for others, and this might have been indicated by the direction in which the Perthro rune faced.  That we would influence others, as opposed to being influenced by them.  (It would be interesting to know if you, dear reader, had the same experience.)

Given how busy today was, with outside activities (oh.  Hmm.) I was focusing more on the calm aspect of the reading, as in maintaining mine.  Breathing deeply.  It was a beautiful day, and I found myself very happy, brimming with it, in fact.  My book (Not Really a Murder Mystery) finally made it through the - upload, format, tear hair out, try again - process and is officially a Nook book.  (yay me!)  I downloaded the sample, and I read it and I liked it! (something a little new for me, accepting and enjoying my books after they are officially finished.)  So I was breathing deeply and trying to pay attention and not roll over people in my exuberance.

Now, I have to remember, this was a general, universal community reading and... it (the outside voices/influence) may not have applied much to me.  Or it might have applied to something so small I missed it, while it applied to huge events for others.  And it might in fact have meant (for me) that I was the voice, the influence.  Perhaps my suppressed but leaking exuberance made someone think about dancing on the rooftop, even if they chose not to. 

And here's an interesting thought.  What with the publication in a new format (BN.com -- hint hint, wink wink), I am being subtly influenced by the whole wide world.  And in turn, I am influencing them.  You.  Us?  

So maybe it doesn't matter which way Perthro was turned.  Even speaking creates as much of an influence on the speaker as it does on the listener.

Yup.  It's time to rest my brain.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila

10213 - KunosR (and Othilo)

Communication choices may be limited today.  And the ancestors say hi.

____________________________

While there was some difficulty with communication, it was mostly about others in my life who had the limits.

As for the ancestors, hi back!

(yes, short and sweet.  I need to sleep!)

I hope you had a great day.

-Lila

10113 Laguz

All right, people.  It's time for take off.  Remember to breathe.  And trust.

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Yes, well, what I forgot to mention, in my 100 characters or less tumbler/tweet, is that the birthing rush starts with contractions.  And labor can take forever.

But the important words are "Remember to breathe.  And trust."  I have done some breathing.  I've forgotten to trust.

I do believe.  I do believe.  I do believe.  I do believe.  I do believe.  I do believe.

I hope you had a great day!

-Lila