Initiation
Perth
A hieratic or mystery Rune, Perth points to that which is beyond our frail manipulative powers. This Rue is on the side of Heaven, the Unknowable, and has associations with the phoenix, that mystical bird which consumes itself in the fire and then rises from it’s own ashes. It’s ways are secret and hidden.
Powerful forces of change are at work here. Yet what is learned us not easily or readily shared. After all, becoming whole, the means of it, is a profound secret.
On the side of the earthly or mundane, there may well be surprises; unexpected gains are not unlikely. On the side of human nature, this rune is symbolised by the flight of the eagle. Soaring flight , free from entanglement, lifting yourself above the endless ebb and flow of ordinary life to acquire broader vision – all this is indicated here. This is the rune of questing.
Another of the Cycle Runes, Perth is concerned with the deepest stratum of being, with the bedrock on which your destiny is founded. Nothing external matters here, except as it shows you it’s inner reflection. For some, drawing Perth means experiencing a psychic death. If need be, let go of everything, no exceptions, no exclusions. Nothing less than renewal of the spirit is at stake.
Reversed
A counsel against expecting too much, or expecting in the ordinary way, for the old way has come to an end: you simply cannot repeat the old and not suffer. Call in your scattered energies, concentrate on your own life at this moment, your own requirements for growth. More important, Perth counsels you neither to focus on outcomes, nor to bind yourself with the memory of past achievements. In doing so, you rob yourself of a true present, which is the only time in which self-change can be realised.
You may feel overwhelmed with exhaustion from meeting obstruction upon obstruction in your passage. Yet you always have a choice: you can see all the apparent negativity as bad luck, or you can recognise it as an obstacle course, a challenge specific to the initiation you are presently undergoing. Then each setback, each humiliation, becomes a test of character. When your inner being is shifting and reforming on a deep level, patience, constancy and perseverance are called for. So stay centred, see the humour, and keep on keeping on.
From 'The New Book of Runes' by Ralph Blum
