Today's Runes for James Joyce

The Cross spread is used to plot the arc of your life and the forces acting on it. It is the most popular spread, giving a very complete view of the situation. Spirit Runes are most commonly used for questions about mysticism, spirituality, and religion.

The left rune represents an important element of the past. Thurisaz represents a thorn, the most basic of barriers to our boon or our bane. In the case of hedges, thorns protect our encampments from that which skulks towards us from the outlands. In the case of rosebushes, thorns keep us from beauty. Though thorns are passive and have no thoughts, they puncture, tear, and may even be poisonous. Hence, this rune may also represent irrational violence and anger.

The middle rune represents a deciding element of the present. Algiz plainly shows the antlers of the elk that it represents. The elk is the object of the hunt, and hence Algiz speaks to the pursuit of goals and the thrill of that pursuit. The rune is currently shown reversed, so this could suggest a failed endeavor or a lack of effort. Algiz is also representative of a protective hand (fingers open wide), so the reversed form may indicate a failed defense.

The top rune represents a force that works for you. Wunjo is the rune of joy. The reversal of this rune suggests that joy is withheld. Since joy is frequently communal, this rune often suggests loneliness. Alternatively, some have seen Wunjo as the rune of perfection and the rune of the gods. Therefore this rune reversed could signal a feeling of separation from one's deity, or as imperfection in an important work.

The bottom Rune represents a force that works against you. Ehwaz is the rune of the eight-legged horse that the god Odin rode into battle. Horses are symbolic of a number of things. Firstly, horses may symbolize vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, planes, or boats. Secondly, horses may symbolize not wealth, but status. Thirdly, horses may symbolize motion towards an objective. As such, this rune suggests a journey or a quest to achieve a goal or improve one's station in life. On a deeper level, the rune Ehwaz evokes the unique relationship of horse and rider as an inseparable team. To the modern eye this may be the relationship of master and underling, but to the Norse it was a total union. In fact, early representations of Odin are not of a man and a horse, but, of a centaur-like creature - the ultimate symbiosis of Man and Nature.

The right rune represents the critical element of the future, at the core of the final outcome. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma - that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.