self-knowledge
The Spiritual Practice Of Rune Reading
I have recently reintroduced rune reading into my daily spiritual routine. I had briefly dabbled in it a few years ago when I was exploring various methods of divination.
But this time, as my quest has become more personal due to recent events in my life, and I found myself remembering much of what I had learned years ago, the decision to use the runes again has proven to be a deeply enriching experience.
I have since discovered that the runes are a fantastic spiritual tool for deeper introspection, inner guidance, and connection to the universal spiritual principles that underlie these small tablets of ancient wisdom.
The term “rune” itself means “secret” or “mystery” in Old Germanic languages, reflecting their traditional use for various purposes, including writing, divination, and magical practices. Each runic tablet or stone contains a character from the ancient alphabets of early Germanic and Scandinavian cultures, including the Elder Futhark, which is the oldest form of the runic alphabet.
The Elder Futhark dates from the 2nd to 8th centuries and consists of 24 runes, each with its own unique meaning and symbolism. I use the Elder Futhark, which is the most commonly used rune set in divination practices, just as the Rider-Waite Tarot deck is the most commonly used in cartomancy.
Reclaim Your Personal Power With ‘Sat Nam’
As a Kundalini Yoga teacher, I had the unique privilege of studying with Yogi Bhajan, the yoga master who introduced Kundalini Yoga to the Western world. Before he passed away in 2004, Yogi Bhajan gave me my spiritual name, Satya Kaur, which essentially means “princess” or “lioness” who embodies or strives to live by the principle of truth. It symbolizes a spiritual identity or path that focuses on integrity, authenticity, and the pursuit of spiritual truth.
Our soul identity is the key to our life journey and spiritual growth. For this reason, at the end of each Kundalini Yoga class, the teacher says “Sat Nam” to the students. The class then repeats these words back to the teacher. Because of the name Yogi Bhajan gave me, this mantra will always have a special place in my heart.
The phrase is a Gurmukhi term that translates to “Truth is my name” or “True identity.” It is used as a yoga mantra to center the mind, connect with one’s true self, and remind us of our true essence and reality beyond the physical and mental constructs of the external world.
Saying “Sat Nam” to others is similar to the greeting “Namaste,” which means “The divine in me bows to the divine in you,” or “The spirit in me salutes the spirit in you.” For me, sacred affirmations like “Sat Nam” and “Namaste” have even more power and meaning now in the dawning Age of Aquarius.
Dagaz Promises Enlightening Energy This Year
When I recently did a rune cast for the coming year, Dagaz came up as the central energy for 2024.
The energy of Dagaz within the context of the surrounding runes in my annual forecasting permeates the fabric of 2024, and its transformative qualities promise both personal and collective enlightenment.
Dagaz, known as the “rune of enlightenment,” represents a powerful force of transformation and enlightenment. Dagaz, pronounced “dah-gahz,” translates to “day” or “dawn.”
Dagaz is the rune of brave, bold change. Its energy encapsulates the moment of sunrise, signifying the transition from darkness to light. It represents the burst of light that breaks through at the moment of illumination.
It is a symbol of hope, clarity, and the promise of a new day and a metaphor for gaining insight, clarity and understanding.
In divination, Dagaz is a positive and auspicious sign, suggesting that a period of darkness or confusion is coming to an end, and a new phase of understanding, growth, and enlightenment is beginning.
This rune embodies awakening, transformation, rebirth, hope, enlightenment, and the continuous evolution of existence. As the focus of this year’s casting, this rune predicts profound changes in both personal and global energies.
How To Start Your Journaling Practice
Journaling is a powerful tool for personal and spiritual growth. As a spiritual practice, it can help bring to light insights that we might otherwise overlook.
However, many people never pursue it because it can seem too difficult and time-consuming to incorporate into their lifestyle, but this is not true. Getting started with journaling is much simpler and easier than people think.
First, remember that you don’t have to write entire essays in your journal. You may want to write a few pages one day, but then just a sentence or two for the next few days.
There’s really no right or wrong way to journal, so don’t create rules or expectations about how much you should write or even what you should write about. At first, you may feel like you don’t really know what you want to write about. That is okay. Don’t judge what you write and don’t pressure or censor yourself in any way. Allow yourself to write whatever you feel moved to write.
You may just want to reflect on some mundane events that happened on an ordinary day, while another day may bring up some strong emotions that you want to write about. Journaling is a great way to vent, and there is something healing about putting your thoughts and feelings on paper.
Embrace Your Personal Power In Relationships
Our relationships have great power and influence in our lives. In particular, many of us spend countless hours pursuing love and romance. Then, once we are in a relationship, we spend even more time and energy thinking about it, confiding in friends about it…often trying to make the relationship different or better.
I deal with this almost daily as I have counseled hundreds of lovesick, frustrated, and heartbroken clients over the years.
“If only he would do what I want, things would be different,” some of my clients might say. “If only he would be more open and honest, maybe I could trust him more.” Truth be told, I have heard similar words come out of my own mouth about my own relationships more times than I care to admit!
Unfortunately, instead of successfully influencing our partner’s words or behavior, we are often left feeling disappointed, betrayed, frustrated, powerless, or out of control. It is draining, pointless, and definitely not the best use of one’s time and energy.
So how do we change it? How do we take emotional control of our life and our relationships? The answer is shockingly simple.
It is all about taking a different, broader perspective on relationships and what they are here to teach us. A quote from Unity Church’s Daily Word magazine perfectly captures this shift in perspective: “Through our relationships with one another, we express the power, presence and love of God.”
The Misguided Fear Of ‘Missing Out’
FOMO. The “fear of missing out.” The term is typically used when young people feel envious or sad because they haven’t been invited or can’t go to an event or outing that their friends are attending. For others it is a matter of feeling driven to attend absolutely everything, including the opening of an envelope.
This mindset is spiritually misguided. Firstly, if you think carefully about what you are worried about missing out on, you usually find that you are not missing out on that much after all.
Secondly, there are much more valuable things to invest your time and energy in, especially for a young person. For example, if we don’t invest in improving our well-being in body, mind and spirit early in life, we will miss out on many blessings of joy, fulfilment and abundance later in life.
Instead of trying to attend every event or doing everything and the kitchen sink to keep up with the Joneses, it makes much more sense to create a foundation of joy, inner peace and abundance for ourselves. It is a wellspring that will never run dry. This is what one should really be ‘afraid’ of missing out on.
The Spiritual Virtue Of Patience
Patience is considered an essential virtue in most spiritual and religious traditions for several reasons. It is consistent with the core values and teachings of various spiritual paths and belief systems.
Many spiritual practices emphasize the importance of maintaining a state of inner calm in the midst of life’s challenges. Patience is fundamental to achieving inner peace and serenity. Patience helps us maintain a sense of serenity even in the face of extreme adversity.
Patience also enables us to surrender to the universal flow and accept the divine timing of outcomes for our highest good. We are better equipped to accept the divine plan and trust in the unfolding of events and circumstances as they are meant to be. Patience signifies our belief in a higher power and the universal order of all things.
Through patient introspection and self-reflection, we learn to understand our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which leads to spiritual growth and self-improvement.
Impatience leads to negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and resentment. By practicing patience, we can better control and manage these emotions, which promotes emotional well-being and spiritual harmony.
Without patience, it is also difficult to develop understanding and empathy for others. Being patient with our own flaws and imperfections, as well as those of others, promotes the spiritual qualities of empathy and kindness.