A Journey Into Fellowship
by C J Sharp
A wise Rune Master, Ian Read, once said to me that the key to progress in the Work is to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other. This advice is deceptively straightforward: when we are motivated and developments seem encouraging it is easy to move from one word to the next; from one work to the next. However, success in the Work is not based in the times of ease, but in our response to times of struggle. Our ability to leap beyond the world of the herd is only tested when we face a hurdle that needs to be cleared. In Odin’s Rune Tally we receive the very same advice as that given by the Rune Master. The author describes how Odin wins the runes, but crucially this is not the end of the Ur-Rune Master’s journey, it is really the beginning. We are told:
Þá nam ek frævask Then I began to quicken
ok fróðr vera and grow wise
ok vaxa ok vel hafask and to grow and prosper
orð mér af orði orðs leitaði a word led me to other words
verk mér af verki verks leitaði a deed led me to other deeds
Perhaps even more than the process of the initial sacrifice of self to Self, it is this passage from the Poetic Edda that needs to be etched into our consciousness as we attempt to emulate the example of the High One. In fact we can see that the process of putting one foot in front of another, following each word to another word, each deed to another deed, no matter what the struggle; is a continuation of the very same act of sacrifice.
My own journey along this most demanding and rewarding of paths began in earnest in October 2006, when I enrolled on one of Ian Read’s courses in the Germanic Tradition at Arcanorium College. The gulf between the work required for this beginners’ course and my previous experiences of magical work was huge. The distinction was not only one of required effort, but lay also in the fundamentally practical approach offered by this Tradition. This should not be misunderstood: as anyone working within this Tradition will know, there is plenty of room for philosophical musing and analysis, but there is no room for the mutual re-enforcement of indulgent fantasy. Nor is there any tolerance for the sort of sloppy thinking or circular self-referential justification that mars so many contemporary ‘occult’ systems.
In another sense, my journey began over thirty years ago, with a profound experience in my early childhood. The details of this experience do not matter for the purposes of this article. In fact I am convinced that such events are only useful in terms of substantive content for the person to whom they occur. However, it meant that I was lucky enough to know from a very early age that, “there are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” From that point on I was filled with three things: an absolute yearning for Truth, a deep distaste for the false claims of moral monotheism, and a willingness to take any steps necessary to further my understanding. Of course, as a young child this was understood only as a rabid curiosity, a precocious love of philosophy and a great glee in challenging adults — I was not a pleasant child!
Unfortunately, I had not yet read the Hávamál or heard the advice that above all, we need to keep putting one foot in front of another. For many years I followed the path of the squirrel, nibbling a few choice ritual titbits here, burying some nuggets of hermetic philosophy there. The net result of this directionless wandering was that my circle of knowledge became increasingly large, while the depth of my understanding remained puddle like. Despite my involvement with various ritual systems, esoteric approaches to philosophy and membership of different magical groups I remained stuck in terms of the Work. This is not to say that only the Odian approach has any value. There are many valid Traditions out there and only the Self knows which system is going to work for each individual. However, for me, while I enjoyed the intellectual stimulation and had intermittent results in terms of practical working, there remained a lack of any deep sense of Self-becoming.
All this changed when I joined the course at Arcanorium College. When you finally ‘come home’ to the Tradition that has always lurked within, albeit hidden in the shadows, your whole self-complex recognises that this is it. It cannot be fully articulated because the realisation occurs at a level of the Self, which at least partly precedes the aspect of the self that constructs itself and understands itself through the medium of language. I have a number of competing theories in my mind as to why the Germanic Tradition is the Gard within which I can become what I already am, moving from word to word, work to work. However, when you know something in your Self, theories are useful means to increase analytical understanding, but are not the final arbiter of your commitment to the Work.
Once I had made this commitment, everything seemed to move more quickly on every level. By the Autumn of 2007 I had been accepted as a Learner within the Rune-Gild. On the 23rd of December, 2007 I performed the Lone Rite of Entry and after over twenty years or regularly engaging in ritual I can honestly say that this was a singularly profound and moving experience, my appreciation of the Dagazian paradox that lies at the heart of much of our Work was assisted by the fact this date both fell in the darkest period of the year and on a Full Moon. Pseudo-occultists are always keen to point to synchronicities and self regarding symbolic signals so I am wary of seeming to be taking that route. However, when you are working with a Tradition that has been waiting for you to return, such nods and winks do come thick and fast. The key, I think, is to remember is that they relate to your Work only and are a spur to further efforts, not an excuse to assume achievement. The tools and conceptual framework underpinning the Work of seeking Rûna seemed to sink in at a speed I had never experienced when working with hermetic and neo-kabbalistic systems. I am fond of saying that I spent over twenty years trying to climb the wrong tree before stumbling over the roots of Yggdrasil and the ease with which ideas and approaches could be absorbed emphasised to me the feeling of having arrived home again. In many ways working with the Germanic Tradition feels almost like a process of remembering rather than learning for the first time. Muninn may fly away, but with the help of Huginn he returns to us and we can see once again with the eyes of the Raven.
By August 2008 I was ready to submit my Fellowship Paper and was recognised as a Fellow in the Gild by Master Faustus in September of that year. Mytho-mathematics (™ Master Waldo) or numerology as I used to term it has always been one of my great loves, second only to applied philosophy and so I was especially pleased that the precise date was 27/09/08. It’s important to remember that the Rune-Gild represents a very particular element of the Germanic Tradition, its members are seeking to emulate the example of Odin and as such must be willing to become leaders and teachers as well as workers of Galdor. Unlike many organisations the Gild expects its members to live up to their aspirations; I was recognised as a Fellow after presenting my paper on the Gothic Gematria at a public meeting in London.
How did I know for myself that I was ready to become a Fellow in the Gild? Completing a rigorous piece of scholarship wasn’t the reason, nor was it the developing understanding of our lore or the working of practical Galdor. What really indicated that I was ready was the face that my first inclination on being recognised was to carry on the search for Runa. To progress in the Gild the injunction Reyn til Runa must be a constant fire burning within you and driving you forward. To misquote Kennedy, the core of our Work lies in asking not what your Self can do for your self, but to ask what your self can do for your Self!
