Ingwaz (or Inguz) – People of Ing – How often do we hear, “Forget the journey, focus on the destination?” Pretty much never? Well, Ingwaz merkstave is screaming it, now.
This stave calls to mind the adage, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” While it portends the end of a cycle, it also brings a sense of survival and sacrifice to get there.
Connected to Tyr/Tuisto (Tiwaz), this Rune reminds us of Plan Bs and last-ditch efforts, both of which can only occur when initial plans have failed. By ‘initial plans’ I mean our heart’s dream, our deepest desire, perhaps even life purpose, has been given the quietus.
Most familiar to us is the story of Tyr (Old Norse god), who when none other of the Æsir would rise to the occasion of saving humanity, sacrificed his hand to the wolf Fenrir, who foretells the death of Odin at Ragnarök–an end of days. Also considered Tuisto by some interpretations of Tacitus’ Germania (making Tuisto a Germanic ancestor of Mannus), through his sacrifice when the human race was on the brink of extinction, Tuisto created the Ingaevones people (also the Herminones–for you Harry Potter fans–and the Istaevones). When push came to shove and humanity was dying, he grieved his losses and made a new race.
The underlying message here is that from dire straits amazing outcomes are born. In this case, there is no thinking out-of-the-box. There is no box. Believing that there is one is the sacrifice. The rote path will not lead us to our contentment.
There will be grief. There has to be. This is down-and-dirty, thinking-on-our-feet motivation. The catch is, actions can’t be rash. Realize that while Plan A is dying at our feet, there is another way, and the one your gut says to go with will be the right way. This ridiculously visceral affirmation is the message from Ingwaz this week.
If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no.
