Happiness Lies In The Joy Of Achievement!… Good Times Are The Vision Of All But Also The Temptation Of Stagnation!… Wunjo Is The Essence Of Vision And Motivation!!!
There is an old quote that comes to my head every time I think of Wunjō. “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times, easy times create weak men, weak men create hard times”. Joy and bliss for the most part are seen only in their positive connotation and few ever really consider any negative side. This I believe is one of our natural human tendencies, to crave peace, joy and comfort while resisting anything that might threaten that. It is for this very reason many of us resist change so much. In that resistance we often miss out on great new opportunities for growth and evolution. We forget and in today’s society we have forgotten the value that hardship brings.
Wunjo in many respects is similar to Uruz and Thurisaz in their relativity to growth, only Wunjo represents the joy rather than the chaos, conflict and hardship. In my first glance at Wunjo given its relation to these other runes I have considered its surface meaning to be that fleeting moment of peace we have at the end of our journey. We reach our goal, our target, a milestone or even just the end of a chaotic journey, and we embrace the peace, comfort and joy that it brings. However, this Joy, this Bliss is a fleeting character in our life… at least for those dedicated to constant progression. Those who are dedicated to constant progression will say hello and goodbye to Wunjo several times in their path. The reason being simply that change brings conflict, hardship, struggle and chaos. Change is always belligerent. Comfort and change rarely stand together in harmony. Wunjo in this sense is a passing moment of appreciation… but let’s go deeper.
The first real lesson I found in my work with Wunjo is relative to that quote. Joy, Bliss, Comfort and Peace, while great to experience can lead to stagnation if one isn’t careful. Comfort can be addicting and when the need for peace and comfort overpowers all else and makes one resistant to change or progression, this becomes a huge problem. This is not to say that comfort is a bad thing, but like any substance to much of it can have negative effects, the need for comfort and peace is no exception to this.
The magician is always looking at the horizon. Further progression, Evolution and Ascent. Yet, none of these things can be achieved without change; and with change comes chaos and discomfort. Wunjo in this sense is gratitude, appreciation and in my interpretation defined as the moment we take to catch our breath, before moving further up the mountain.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:
Who uses it knows no pain,
sorrow nor anxiety, and he himself has
prosperity and bliss, and also enough shelter.
Aside from Wunjō’s relation to comfort and peace I have also found it to be closely relative to achievement and perhaps even order. In many ways Wunjo is one degree of the pole. Chaos and Order follow each other. Hardship and Peace follow each other. Wunjo is a half of another cycle. Organization, Fulfillment, Prosperity and Achievement. Chaos is the beginning of change and Peace is the end of it. Thus, Wunjo marks the end of goals, the grasping of our visions.
Without Vision There Is No Ambition!… And Without Ambition We Remain Complacent!!!
This rune is the very essence of ambition. The literal drive of creation. All creation is a matter of ambition and all success is first conceived through vision. Wunjo is our ambition and our vision and these are qualities that any successful person will have, regardless of how big or small that success is. Fehu is creation, but nothing is created without a vision. Take my own books for an example, none of the text would have been written if I did not have an ambition for the end.
It is for this reason it is important to have goals, have targets. To look at life and ask what we want out of it. To see what we want to create but also why we want to create it. Wunjo is the very core of what it means to see beauty and value. The very essence of what makes us want to live. Creation without any mind for enjoying that creation is pointless. Even the universe needs to remain non-complacent in order for any forward motion.
But how is this rune applied? Typically speaking most of what I have outlined here is theory? Wunjo is the horizon you are trying to get to. Mark your goals with the Wunjō rune. Invoke Wunjo for inspiration. Meditate and see your visions. Remember the lesson that lie within the core of this rune… only those bold enough to chase dreams are able to catch them.
If you would like to read more of my work on the runes you can pre-order my upcoming book “Beyond Prophecy: A Practical Guide To Rune Magick” at this link: https://www.asbjorntorvol.com/product-page/beyond-prophecy-a-practical-guide-to-rune-magick-paperback-edition-pre-order
Stay True & Stay Awesome
A.Torvol