Nov
Feeling the Gyfu Rune
The Gyfu Rune is one of giving. It is also an exchange. These exercises will help you appreciate some of the subtleties of Gyfu. The thing here is that you act in the place of the Rune. Do not let their simplicity fool you. These can have profound results if you get into the exercises. :
Exercise 1: Think of someone to whom you would like to give a spontaneous gift. This is not an extravagant gift. It should be simple and appropriate. Think of the type of small gift you would give him or her. Next, ask yourself why you think of this person as the receiver of your gift. Is it something about them? Is it something they may have done? Go ahead and give the gift. Pay attention to the process, for that is what it is. Note how you feel just before he or she responds to receiving the gift. You give, and then you wait for the response. The gift itself is only half of the process. Therein is the secret of this exercise. Many see Gyfu as a thing without appreciating that it is also a process.
Exercise 2: This is a very cunning exercise that can get you into the essence of the Gyfu rune. First you need a deserving person, especially a good friend, relative or someone else who has done you good. Your goal is to give that person a gift or do them some good thing without him or her ever knowing about it. It must be a secret. Your only satisfaction is in knowing that you have benefitted that person. In this particular exercise you are both the Gift and the Giver. The full impact of this exercise may take a day or so for you to feel. Suffice to say it can be profound.
Substitute Exercises: Gyfu is a Rune of bridges. It is the Exchange from one side to the other. This is one of the deeper meanings of the Rune. Bridges have a magic of their own. If possible, walk across a bridge that traverses an obstacle: ravine, river, railroad cut, etc. As you cross from one side to the other, consider that you are in the place of Gyfu. You pass from one side to the other. Just as a Gift goes from one person to another, so crossing a bridge takes you from one place to another. There is a reason that in ancient times, a man who built a bridge was given a lot of respect. Bridge-building was one of the greatest of the “good deeds” of ancient Scandinavia and Germany. It was the gift that kept on giving. Part of this exercise is receiving that gift.
Visit a crossroads. This is a place of exchange. Just as the bridge crosses a river, so does one route cross another at the crossroads. In fact, a bridge over the river is a crossroads where in a land route crosses a water route. If over the railroad, it is a place where one mode of transportation crosses paths with another. Any crossroads will do. There is a reason why a crossroad figures greatly in myth, legend and folklore.
Sex is an exchange between two people. It is a gift they give each other. You can work out your own exercise with your “significant other” for this aspect of Gyfu.
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The second exercise has an interesting history. Along with being a powerful tool for experiencing Gyfu, it is also a great technique for righting a wrong. In cases where a person ought not reveal his misdeed to the victim, he can still take direct action to compensate for his mischief. It is like a “secret wergild.” I have taught this for 25 years because it works both for understanding Gyfu and for assuaging guilt through direct action.
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Scroll down to find exercises for the previous Runes. Lessons have been on a weekly basis. We are following the Elder Futhark order.
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If you would like to learn more of the Runes, try my Rune books and monographs. Click the link below:
