The Ship Of Safe Passage

Ki Tetzi

כִּי תִקְצֹר קְצִירְךָ בְשָׂדֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה
when the reaper reaps in the field ... Devarim 24:19

Last night before bed I drew the sixth rune, the first rune of the second row in my developing set of personal runerows. It was the 'm' rune mannaz (pronounced mawn-nawz), the rune of Divine consciousness made manifest in the individual and within the race of humanity. Mannaz is also known as the adornment of ships, the androgyne and the guardian of the institution of blood sisterhood.

I dreamt.

Political structures and of the wealthy filled the atmosphere. I was neither a political figure nor wealthy in the material sense, but for some reason I was among these kinds of people and in the politically charged situations. I wasn't a central figure, but my presence had been deemed needed. I was just there - just in case I had been chosen as some believed I was. Some weren't sure if I had been chosen, so I was given no real role in the proceedings - I was only there because some believed I had been chosen. So, I was just there, one among this group of people.

Then, news was delivered to the gathering. There had been a horrific massacre of a group of people. I was chosen by the President to go with the team to investigate the crime scene. We went to investigate.

There was blood all over the place. The people in the place had been brutally butchered, literally. The people had been killed on account of one particular woman's presence, they were her supporters and her group. She had also been killed. Looking around the place, I 'saw' back in time the manner in which the woman had been particularly gruesomely butchered and cut up - her head had first been methodically cut in half from the crown of her head down to her neck. Then, both her breasts had been chopped into large chunks and then rechopped into smaller chunks. The vision was awful, but in it was also a message.

That this gruesome fate had been called up and sealed for either this woman or myself was the message. We could not both occupy the office for which I had been chosen. The actuality of the fate had been called up to discern between us. Watching the woman's dissection at the hand of the Reaper, I did not feel she had been a woman obviously deserving of such a horrible fate. Nevertheless, having been summoned (by whom I don't know), the Reaper reaped.

I woke up.

With it's association as the adornment of ships, mannaz follows perfectly from Thursday night's dream, Mysteries of the Staircase.



Related entries:

Runes 1-3: Transmission of a Sacred Secret
Rune 4: The Wholiness Code
Rune 5: Mysteries of the Staircase
More ... runework

The Conditional Commandment

Shoftim

כִּי יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ דָבָר לַמִּשְׁפָּט, בֵּין-דָּם לְדָם
If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood ... Devarim 17:8

This is a conditional statement - if the judgment is too hard, then do (and don't do) ... all as it is written and be relieved of the hard judgment. Given this conditionality, in the absence of the condition, one should do something different.

In the Hebrew phrase, the word translated as 'too hard for you' is ממך. This Hebrew word can also be translated as 'to become impoverished.'

In the Hebrew phrase, the word translated as 'a matter' is דבר. This Hebrew word can also be translated as 'commandment', 'event', 'happening', 'anything', and 'to come to a conclusion.'

Importantly, the central idea of the phrase concerns 'between blood and blood", בין-דם לדם. The Hebrew word translated as 'between', namely בין can also be translated as 'inter-'. Thus, the idea here concerns inter-blood ties and suggests that the phrase pertains to ancestral connections and tribal 'bloods.'

Taking all this together, it is clear to me that Torah is telling us that there is an active commandment to bring together one's bloods - 'blood and blood' - and that only way to do that is by accepting and following through to its conclusion - to endure to the end of it - the hard judgment naturally associated with doing so. In other words, as taught in Celtic Faery Witchcraft, redemption of the bloodline comes through accepting the work to make corrections (called tikkunim in Jewish tradition) for one's ancestors. Here, the Torah is telling us that tikkunim are effected and brought to a conclusion through an 'event of impoverishment' in some form. If the judgment of some form of impoverishment is not too hard to endure - if one can accept it and perservere through to its natural conclusion - then the work to redeem the blood of one's ancestors is completed with the conclusion of the event of impoverishment, leading to the bloods being peacefully and wholy united into wholeheartedness.

Blessed be all my ancestors through whom I am blessed and all my ways have been made wholehearted! There is no disunity among them. I am a wholy witch indeed! Neither tumah (ritual impurity) nor taharah (ritual purity) exist in me as independent mutually-exclusive qualities. It is all whole, כל קדוש.

Related entries:

Pay Raise!
The Rate And A Masterpiece New Job #2
Well Prepared With Proof
What An Incredible Day!
New Job! #1
Unemployment Descrimination
Truth & Consequences
The Job Of Survival

Warding With Reverse Vision

Re'eh

וְהֵסִיר יְהוָה מִמְּךָ, כָּל-חֹלִי
and the Divine wards me from impoverished weekdays ... Devarim 7:15

Last week, a reader emailed and inquired as to my recommendations for warding a journey. Pay attention and see. hamayvin yavin

In my own experience, my circle of protection travels with me wherever I go or frequent - the circle of protection 'just is' and I take it for granted. It's like 'my mark' guards my spaces.

To both protect and bring wholeness into one's space every day in the physical world - a letter, a sigil or symbol, a sacred object, or a prayer that is meaningful and naturally connects one with one's Divine Spark without needing to think about it can be a useful way to physically mark and ward one's space. For example, in my office at work, not only does my routine Presence there 'mark the space' in my office, but I have consciously marked it as well with items which bring up from me the Divine Feminine - a crystal ball, a small spiral Goddess figure, a black cat Bastet statue, an elegant crystal point hanging window prism, a protection mini spell bottle, a small red mojo bag, a tiny hanging besom, and the soft tinkling music of electronic windchimes grace and ward my office space. These items, like segulot and charms, consciously plug me into the circuit of power of my own Divine Awareness. Thus, beyond and within Awareness, supra-temporally and temporally, the space I inhabit is warded, protected and enriched.

Related entry - Eikev

Claiming The Blessing Of Less

Eikev

רְאֵה, אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם--הַיּוֹם: בְּרָכָה, וּקְלָלָה.
Behold, I set before you this day the blessing (בְּרָכָה) 'with a bit of weight loss too' (וּקְלָלָה) ... Devarim 11:26

The root for the Hebrew word (וּקְלָלָה) normally translated as 'and a curse' in this sentence is קלל which can also mean 'light in weight' and 'less material substance'.

Halleluyah! I've dropped a blessed dress size and anticipate more pounds are on the cursed road to oblivion! Thank Goddess!

I'm not weighing myself or counting calories. I'm just eating sensibly now, avoiding comfort foods and drinking more water. At 48, I still have clear toned skin and a pretty face. Now I'm going to take back my healthy body as a witch too, Goddess help me do this for me. I have so much more energy already, with just these few unknown pounds banished into nothingness.

Dittany of Crete is a magic herb I've acquired to walk with me down the blessed road to less weight. Drink the herbal tea plain or add lemon, cinnamon or honey to taste.

Witches can even turn 'less material substance' into a blessing. Abracadabra, so mote it be, אמן.

Related entry - Re'eh