The Self
Mannaz
The starting point is the self.Its essence is water.Only clarity, a willingness to change,is effective now.For, from the correct relationship with yourself comes a right relationship to all others and to the Divine.
Remain modest - that is the Oracle's counsel.Regardless of how great may be your merit, be yeilding, devoted and moderate, for then you have a true direction.
Be in the world, but not of it, that is implicet here. And yet do not be closed, narrow, or filled with judgement; rather be receptive to impulses flowing from the Divine within and without.
Strive to live the ordinary life in a non-ordinary way.Remember at all times what is coming to be and what is passing away, and focus on that which abides.Nothing less is called for from you now.
This is a time of major growth and rectification and, as a rule, rectification must come before progress. The field is tilled before the seed is planted, the garden is weeded before the flower blooms, and the self must know stillness before it can discover its true song. This is not a time to seek credit for accomplishments or to focus on results. Rather, be content to do your task for the tasks' sake. This is more a problem for those whose eyes are always on the goal than for those who have not forgotten how to play and can more easily find themselves in their work. Herein lies the secret of experiencing the true present.
If you take the rune of the Self and cut it down the middle, you will see the rune for Joy with its mirror image. There is a subtle caution here against carelessness, The dancing acrobatic energy of the balancing is called for now - the Self is required to balance the self. Nothing in Excess was the second phrase written over the gateway to the temple at Delphi. The first counsel is to "Know Thyself".
Reversed
If you feel blocked, do not turn to others, but look inside, in silence, for the enemy of your progress. No matter what area of your life seems to be blocked, stop and consider: you will recognise the outer "enemy" as but a reflection of what you have not, until now, been able or willing to recognise as coming from within.
Above all be humble. Breaking the momentum of past habits is the challenge here: in the life of the Spirit you are always at the beginning.
From 'The New Book of Runes' by Ralph Blum
