I am reading Runes, a Deeper Journey by Kari Tauring (the book is also an app). I came across Tauring’s work through the Swedish American Institute and picked up a copy of her book. While honestly I don’t understand many of the Rune references and the teachings behind it I have been very enriched through her unique way of looking at an ancient languange and divination system and relating it not only to her northern European heritage but our world today.
Under the Rune Naudiz–the need fire, Tauring writes–
“Our culture has made our basic survival needs so cheap and easy to obtain that we have grown dependent on the grocery store and upon oil and gas to heat our homes. Children grow up not even knowing where their food originates–the cow gives milk, not the grocery store. This dependency exists so that we can be marketed to and told what our needs are. We are encouraged to live so far from the true need fire that we no longer know how to take care of ourselves, our children or the elderly that we are obligated to protect. We are fed soda pop, fast food, and things that cause disease. Then we are sold remedies for these diseases. Television isolates us from one another and the community. The real need fire makes us feel secure by our efforts, but also feeds our desire to strive, know, question, and invent.”
In an unrelated incident I was out doing chores with my daughters. Around our farm we do alot of dirty work feedings animals, doctoring animals and cleaning up after them. We have special clothes we wear for these jobs–clothes we can get dirty in. But while in these clothes I feel immensely powerful, like I have what it takes to handle whatever life and the farm throw at me. And I can walk through alot of really deep mud to get where I want to go. I mentioned to Avril my feelings about chore clothes, my preferred “Power Suit” and she concurred that she felt the same way.
There is something about the way we live that is making me feel more capable and fully human then ever before. I see alot of people working towards connecting their efforts directly to meeting their needs. All over Facebook people are talking about how difficult it is to buy canning supplies this year and if you plan to garden next year I suggest you start now ordering seeds. There is a shift happening and I believe it is not only in my life. We want connection. We want to meet our needs. In what ways are you working to meet yours?
