Mannaz Integration Exercises (PDF)

Awakening to the Runes

m Awakening to Mannaz integration exercises Work with Mannaz

 Chant the rune name mahn-arz and ‘mmmmmmm ’ or ’marh marh marh’ sounds (in the shower is fine if you want a little privacy). Try allowing your lips to soften and the sound to come very gently, almost as a whisper.  Spend time exploring the shape of the rune. What does it remind you of? How does it feel to make the shape with your body?  The modern English ‘m’ is the direct descendent of Mannaz. Look for words in Eng- lish as well as the other Germanic languages using the letter ’e’. Examples tracing back to Old English include: man, make, might (strength), mind, may (’to be allowed to/ could’), magistrate, master, maiden, mother, murder, mouth, many, meadow, martyr, meal, mast, mark, mead, moon, month, milk, much, middle  Draw Mannaz on your diary/ bullet journal/ doodles/ shopping lists  Wear a Mannaz pendant, draw it on you body, put a picture by your bed and/or on your home altar  Look for Mannaz in the shapes around you. The branches of trees, man made structures and patterns are good places to find runes.

 Meditate or write about how Mannaz is turning up in your life

The Rune Poems

The rune poems are the oldest source of our knowledge about each rune. Some runes have three poems, some one. Let them sit lightly with you. Enjoy them. The point of po- etry is to stir imagining; and our ancestors were particularly fond of riddles. The Old Ice- landic Rune poem, in particular, used a lot of kennings (i.e. poetic descriptions of the rune rather than what is meant literally); this can be frustrating but is also rich food for your im- agination. Try reading the originals out loud: no one can hear you and you will often find the sound of your rune repeated over and over in the poem. They remind us runes were spoken more than written.

These correspondences have been developed by practitioners working with the rune poems and the energy of the runes. Research and experimentation are the best ways to ascertain what works for you.  Wear colours associated with Mannaz  Garnet is an energizing stone which regenerates the body and assists the self in times of crisis. It is known for bringing success in business matters, sharpening perceptions of yourself and others, bestowing self confi- dence, and aiding the evolution of the soul. Gundarsson links amethyst to Mannaz as it protects memory, intuition and rationality, promoting clarity of mind and true judgement (2007).  Fly agaric may be associated with Mannaz because of the toadstool’s nickname of ‘Raven’s Bread’’ perhaps alluding to Huggin and Munnin, the ravens of thought and memory. The use of Fly Agaric can allay fear, bring on hallucinations, enable journeying into the Otherworld and the assumption of ‘super human’ qualities; su- pernatural feats of strength and bravery are reported following the ingestion of Fly Agaric. Please note that, while this toadstool may not be as fatal as commonly believed, it is still toxic. Madder produces a red dye thought to have been used to colour the runes. Self-sown holly found near to the house is said to protect against witchcraft, lightning and fire. Holly is also known as one of the trees that could be split and a sick child passed through the split to bring healing; this tradition is considered a symbolic re-birth (Pollington, 2000), perhaps making the tree a surrogate parent and thus part of the ‘human’ family. I associate Mannaz with ash and elm because these are the woods from which the first man and first woman were created; in this sense trees and men can be seen as being part of a wider ‘soul clan’. Foxglove is thought to be a corruption of ‘folk’s glove’ (i.e. the faery folk). Although foxglove is now known for producing the heart medicine digitalis, it was previously considered to be an unlucky flower, warning of the presence of the faery folk. The leaves of the foxglove used to be applied to the breasts of a nursing mother who had finished weaning, the plant being believed to dry up her milk (Pollington, 2000); this might relate to the separation of baby and mother when the child starts to engage more with other people.  Meditate on the way in which sovereignty, maturity of thought, personal power and self-knowledge have manifested in your life. How have they influenced your beliefs and attitudes towards leadership, politics and the rules governing human society?  If you know how to channel energy bring to mind a cause or purpose that feels particularly important to you. Imagine yourself seated upon a throne and call on earth and sky to send you the power you need to be of service to your cause. Feel the power coming up through your feet from the earth and channelling down through your head and shoulders. Feel it strengthening the resolve held in your head, heart and pel- vis, bringing power to your hands and strength to your feet, legs, spine and skull.  Honouring and working with the rune through its half month (14th - 29th April) and runic hour (07:30- 08:30) can be particularly effective.  Do your own research using other sources. Remember that the correspondences have been developed over time: you’ve got the resources now to take a judgement for yourself on what feels right and what doesn’t.

 Odin is the primary deity associated with Mannaz. He, along with his two brothers, breathed life into the first man the the first women (Ask and Embla). He is the All Fa- ther, seen seated upon his throne or ’high seat’ Hliðskjálf. From this place he can see into all the worlds. His ravens, Huggin (thought) and Munnin (memory) bring him knowledge from across the worlds. He represents knowledge, wisdom and power.  Frigg, the Queen of Heaven, is the only other deity who sits upon Hliðskjálf. Like Odin she has access to great wisdom. She exemplifies the sovereign able to collaborate effectively and weave the peace. Together she and Odin represent the and protect social order.  Rigsthula in The Poetic Edda tells of Heimdall’s adventures in Midgard (Middle Earth, the realm of man) disguised as the man Rig (meaning ‘king’). He stays with three cou- ples, each representative of a particular type of life: labourer, farmer and lord. He sty- as with each couple in turn, sleeping between the partners through the night. Each couple later bears a son who goes on to be the found their particular social ‘class’. In this sense Heimdall is the founder of the social order of mankind and Mannaz is taken as representing the descent of man from divine ancestry (Thorsson, 1987. Gundarsson indicates that, as father of humanity and keeper of the rainbow bridge leading to Asgard, Heimdall embodies and guards the link between humanity and the gods; he also notes that the legend of Rig is sometimes ascribed to Mannus who was said to be the son of the God Twisto (2007).  As the rune of consciousness, Gundarsson also relates Mannaz to the ancient being Mimir who held boundless intuition and wisdom (2007). Like Hliðskjálf Mimir pro- vides Odin with access to extended sight; in this case a form of second sight requiring Odin to leave his eye within Mimir’s Well. To my mind this link reminds us that, in Mannaz, Odin integrates both his wild, wandering self and his ordering, enthroned self. A thriving society is continually evolving as order and chaos interweave and old makes way for new. When we are embodied in our sovereign power we are able to discern the social structures that human beings need to order their reality—but we are not controlled or constrained by them. Odin himself is the produce of evolution, Twisto, was said to have been the sky-god before Odin and, as is commonly told, Odin is well aware that he will not survive Ragnarök (although his sons will).

Awakening to the Runes

m Integration exercises for Mannaz

Meditative states and journeying

 You can use the Mannaz power song to accompany any meditations or journeys you want to do with the rune. If you haven’t already you can also try the Mannaz rune journey on www.maginrose.com

 Chant Mannaz and its sounds. Experiment with projecting the sound out- wards, imagining your voice travelling out to all the worlds, and projecting it inwards as if drawing the power you need in from the worlds.

 Spend time meditating on the role of sovereignty and the way in which it requires a synthesis of autonomy and service, experience and intuition, order and innovation. How comfortable are you leading yourself? How comfortable are you leading others?

 Meditate on the role that the force of Mannaz has taken in your life? How has the power of societal structures impacted on you? When have the supported you? When have the constrained you? How confident are you in honouring, bending and breaking rules? What principles guide you in making those decisions?

 Reflect on the nature of one who is assured and comfortable in their own sovereignty. What beliefs do they hold that make them so?

Working with the shape, sounds, meanings and correspondences of each rune will deepen your connection to their magics and your own physical, emotional, mental and spiritual strength.