[Vilturj] 18 - Ehwaz

[moonvoice]

Ehwaz (Ay-waaz) - (also, Aiwaz, aihwas, EH, ior, eor, yor)

Value - E ('eh')

Numeric Order - 18

Traditionally Represents - Horse. Twins. Holding Hands. Two Horses Facing Each Other. Ecstasy. Ivy.

Represents - Communion. Ecstasy. Trance. Shamanic Energies. Enlightenment. Sleipnir. Cohesion. Integration. Soul-Searching. Duality.

The horse is the joy of princes
Joy in the presence of warriors
A steed in the pride of its hooves
As merchants on horseback
Share the pride in their relationship with other merchants
And in this proud action, comfort the restless.

- Vilturj Rune Poem

Odin's steed, Sleipnir, willingly carried Odin between the worlds and negotiated new or dangerous worlds and energy transitions with ease. When guided by his stern by caring master, Sleipnir and Odin both experienced an ecstatic state of trance and communion as their energies became cohesive. This communion was attained through cooperation and loyalty. Ehwaz is a rune that represents partnership, but not the type of partnership that Geafu can represent, rather it is the loyal partnership between man and horse, man and dog, ant and aphid. We see productive movement and interaction, and we see both benefiting, even though they are two entirely different species.

In this sense, Ehwaz is very much the representation of duality. It is the two horses side by side, possibly indicating the eight legged horse/s Odin rode. It is two twins holding hands, different entities that share a connection that cannot be broken, and can be improved. Ehwaz is also the concept of duality itself. The idea that light can balance dark, or that the sun and the moon are two polars. In Vilturj itself, dualities were not celebrated as often as trialities, or other combinations. Ehwaz came to represent the nature of the duality.

Ehwaz can be seen as two Laguz joined (one mirrored to meet the other), many tend to interpret this as the union of male and female, and this is indeed one of its interpretations, however I tend to interpret it as the union of two different traits of water. The destructiveness, and the creative powers within the lake quality of Laguz. Again this echoes the inherent quality of duality that Ehwaz possesses. This is a rune of understanding, understanding how something can appear cruel and kind, be different and yet the same. It is the rune of understanding how one creature can be a dog, the other a man, be different…and yet ultimately be the same.

If Raedjaz is a life journey, then Ehwaz is the little everyday journeys that we make that we usually make with the help of others whether we realise it or not. When we put petrol in our car we forget that others have mined and refined the petrol, that people oversee us as we place it into our car. As we make ourselves breakfast in the morning, someone has overseen the packaging of the product, there has been quality control, and ultimately the spoon and the plates we eat off have been made by somebody else who may or may not have taken pride in their craft. Nothing we do, we do alone. We use items everyday that have been crafted by the energies of others, from the keyboard we type on, to the chair we sit on. Ehwaz honours this connection, and reminds us that we are never alone, and that we have much to be thankful for.

This rune is the equality between the deities between Freajr and Freaje. It is not the celebration of a higher mother goddess, or of a higher patriarchal father, but a truly equal relationship between two twin deities who loved each other and their domains with equal fervour.

Ehwaz, as mentioned earlier, is the rune of the shaman's trance.

Ehwaz challenges us to remain balanced, to strive for the next quality, that of Mannaz and inner harmony. It says that knowing that there is the potential for understanding isn't enough, we must ride the everyday journeys to realise that there is something much deeper for us to learn and integrate.

In a reading, Ehwaz can portend a changing of residence, and the reasons for this will largely depend on the other runes around this one. It also tends to portend an increased focus on partnerships, relationships and the concept of cooperation. The stress is less on the relationship between lovers, but between family, work colleagues and other animals or even objects. Two heads are always better than one, but Ehwaz stresses the necessity for such cooperation. If you are by nature quite happy being alone, Ehwaz will shake this up. Also keep an eye out for general everyday travel issues, a new car perhaps, or a better way of journeying from place to place.

The querent can also expect a general improvement in the quality of life in their day to day actions. Again it is best to interpret this in terms of the other runes around it. Combined with Kenaz is can suggest the end of an illness, combined with Fehu it can suggest an increase in monies.

If the querent is asking about a particular relationship, Ehwaz upright suggests that the partnership will be an excellent one, and can even portend marriage. Finally Ehwaz tends to strengthen all the other runes around it and 'confirm' any meanings. It is the extra boost of shamanic energy, crystallising the meanings within the other runes.

Merk - Watch for cruelty to animals around you at this time. There may be a dissolving of the work relationships or family relationships that you hold dear. It may be a time of changing residence due to natural disaster. Merked this rune can also represent an unbalanced ecosystem, general natural disaster, the extinction or elimination of species and the continued destruction of natural habitat.

If the querent has any particular relationships in mind they should beware, as Ehwaz reversed can indicate quite a negative relationship, or an explosion between two parties. Almost like if a horse in harness kicks at another horse, and the other horse cannot escape, because it is also harnessed. Working together at this point will NOT be beneficial to any partnership, and stay away from the persons in question. Ehwaz merked can also indicate co-dependency, mistrust and disloyalty or a feeling of restlessness within a partnership. Watch out for divorce, separation, and the ending of once-positive work relationships.

In Ritual - Ehwaz, like Algiz, is an excellent rune in Vilturj as it aids the communication process between two different species, so that one may learn from another, aid them, and be aided in the same respects. Ehwaz is an excellent talisman for vets, horse-riders, animal trainers, farmers of stock, breeders etc. It is also a good talisman for those that study animals scientifically.

In meditation it can be used for many different purposes. It can be used to help one locate their spirit guide, or discover why their spirit guide is being reticent in appearing. It can also aid inter-guide relationships, and help you to see how your guides interact with each other. It can be used to aid attainment of the trance state, and to drum or sing a good journey. Finally on vision quests it is a good rune to help you understand the ecology of nature, why it can sometimes appear cruel to us and at other times generous and bountiful, and why energies propel the spiral ecosystems that surround us.

In spells Ehwaz can be used as the final cut between relationships to sever them. It can also strengthen relationships.