The Hagal Rune – Hagalaz
Now comes the storm, now hail thunders across the landscape.
We have reached the ninth rune, but Hagal is the first rune in the lineage of Hagal.
When I first began to study the rune Hagal I was not sure whether I liked it. I thought it was scary and was a little uncertain how to relate to it. It was lovely to look at. It resembled a gate, and a gate means a barrier, or else it can open and give us access to something new. The more I studied it, the more I came around – and I actually began to look at Hagal with a less skeptical eye.
In Denmark I took part in an herb course and came into contact with a woman from the Faroe Islands who informed me that Hagal was regarded as the representative of the norn Urd, and Urd represents the past. The same day I learned of the connection between Urd and Hagal there actually came a powerful hailstorm. Good heavens, how it hailed. The storm did not last long, but it was violent while it lasted. The rain that followed was mild, and suddenly the sun came out. I took a walk in the "lovely Danish woods" and brought Hagal along in my thoughts. The hailstorm had come suddenly and it had not lasted long … And when I thought about it, the "fury of the wild" never lasts long. But, the past?
Well, we make choices that lead to foolish or not-so-foolish reckonings. We can choose wrongly, we are – after all – only human, we can attach ourselves to the wrong people, or we can form an opinion about something that turns out to be wrong. I began to see more of Hagal's personality.
The next day I walked around the course site's garden and saw how the hailstorm had smashed a number of plants, and I sighed. The Faroese woman said that this did no harm at all, for the hailstorm had only tidied up a little. Out with the weak, in with the viable. I had to smile, she was right. Nature has its own, often brutal, way of clearing up. I only need look at the baby birds' struggle to survive. One day comes: "fly or die," and there is no mollycoddling, out of the nest the little ones must go. Then the wings must carry and the food sense must be in place. That is the birds' Hagal experience.
Hagal often says: "What did you learn from the past?" Then Hagal sends a bill … and sometimes Hagal sends a brutal debt collector. So, what did we learn from the past?
I had a friend who kept ending up with brutal men, with all the misery that brings with it. The men beat her, she screamed. But if we hinted that she ought to go her own way … "But I love him so much." Then the men beat her more and she screamed more. Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!
One day she sat in a borrowed basement apartment, with a million in debt and unable to cope with life. "What have I done to deserve this?" she whined. I could not bear to explain. Then she found herself a new type, who was just as brutal as the previous ones. She was not ready to take hold of her life, I went my own way and broke off all contact. She would not learn from the past, no matter how many times she encountered "Hagal." The gate to the future was closed, and it was she herself who had closed and locked it.
A neighbor had been an alcoholic for fifteen years. She met Hagal in the form of a broken marriage, getting fired from her job and a wretched economy. She chose a stay at a clinic, became sober and took hold of her life. She met Hagal with despair and fear, but she made the right choice and got a much better life out of this. If we learn something in the encounter with Hagal, then we always learn something valuable.
It is also said that Hagal is Hel's rune. Hel is the goddess of death in Norse mythology who takes the souls that do not die in battle. That is most of us, I should hope. I at least have no wish to come to Valhalla … no, I want to be fetched by Hel, "hell-ishly" old … and enjoy peaceful days in Hel's realm. Then the young can rage and wage war and rampage in Valhalla.
Well, well, well, Hagal reminds you that at some point you meet your past, and it is up to you whether that encounter becomes a sour bill or a sweet reward. Others can also impose bills on you, but there is little one can do about these. If a person sets out to do harm to you without you being directly or indirectly "co-guilty," then this is a "human natural disaster," and we cannot help this, just as little as we can help tidal waves, earthquakes and thunderstorms. But, by and large, our fingerprints are on most of what happens, remember that.
Often a Hagal event precedes a spiritual flowering. Many have found the spiritual path after meeting a Hagal crisis. I read the book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and it was like reading about "Hagal and the spirit."
I see Hagal as a Scorpio rune. The rune Hagal and the zodiac sign Scorpio have much in common. Scorpio learns through experiences, and Hagal is on this same street.
Saturn is the planet that lies closest to Hagal. Saturn is a strict teacher, and it is not easy to meet Saturn in a learning situation, but all the better is the reward when the prized diploma from the Saturn school hangs on the wall :-)
Among Tarot cards I choose both The Tower and The Devil. The Tower because Hagal also comes swiftly. The Devil because it feels as though the devil is the architect behind the Hagal event.
Stones
Irene Resaland chose Hematite for Hagal. This is a stone valued for its grounding properties. Many claim that hematite can help strengthen self-esteem and give balance in everyday life. It can also help against stress and unrest. With Hematite you meet Hagal with greater strength.
On my own account I put forward the Labradorite, because it is good at making us trust that we are being looked after, we are loved, we will get through the storm and this will pass.
Plants
The first plant I want to focus on is Asafoetida. The Germans call this plant Stink-Asant, and it is easy to understand why. The scent is powerful and not the most pleasant, but once you have gotten used to the scent it is actually not so bad. Resin is extracted from this plant and used as incense. Among those who practice voodoo and among Santeria followers, Asafoetida is very popular. It is said to do away with evil spirits, and it is said to be able to shake evil people quite powerfully. I have an acquaintance from Haiti and he always uses Asafoetida incense when he is going to speak with the dead.
Asafoetida has a long history within folk medicine. The plant has been used against digestive complaints, respiratory problems and as a remedy to ease coughs. The resin from Asafoetida contains substances that can act as an expectorant and soothe the stomach. Nevertheless one must be careful, as the plant is very powerful and can cause side effects if used wrongly or in too large amounts.
Today Asafoetida is rarely used in modern medicine, but it still has a place in natural medicine, especially as incense or in herbal blends.
Blackthorn is a shrub often associated with boundaries – both physically in the landscape and symbolically in human life. Blackthorn is used for protection against evil forces, and so branches were hung over the door to keep bad energies out. The berries, which ripen after the first frost, have also been used in magical rituals to strengthen resilience and endurance. The wood of the blackthorn is good for making runes from, many say. The berries are often crushed and used in blends for learning healthy boundary-setting. Within natural medicine, blackthorn has traditionally been used against digestive complaints and as a mild tonic when one has been troubled by a cold. Tea made from flowers or berries is said to act cleansingly and strengtheningly, while a decoction of the bark was formerly used against mild inflammations. Blackthorn is a good example of how old traditions and nature's gifts can still have a place in everyday life for those who seek both magic and healing.
The Christmas rose, or Helleborus, carries with it a mysterious aura that has fascinated people for generations. It is planted near the entrance to protect the house against evil spirits and unwanted guests, especially in the dark winter months. Its blooming in the middle of winter is seen as a reminder that now hope and renewal are on the way, and it was said that the Christmas rose could bring calm and strength to those who needed it most.
In magical rituals the Christmas rose symbolizes endurance and the ability to find light even when cold and darkness prevail, and it is not without reason that it is often brought forth when one seeks protection and balance in life's transitional phases.
Wormwood, or Artemisia absinthium, is one of the oldest and most legendary among our herbs. It is known for its bitter taste and strong, penetrating scent, and was used both as protection against evil powers and as an ingredient in cleansing herbal medicines.
In folk medicine, wormwood has been used against digestive complaints, as a remedy against intestinal worms and to strengthen the appetite. Many have hung sprigs of wormwood over the door or placed them under the pillow to drive away bad dreams and negative energy.
Wormwood was often burned as incense during ceremonies to open the mind to insight and protect against the unseen, and the plant is therefore associated with both cleansing and clairvoyance.
And this is precisely in Hagal's spirit – to learn, to raise, to see clearly, to be realistic and to learn from the storm.
It is rather amusing that Hagal is rune number 9. The number nine always concludes a cycle in order to then begin a new one. Hagal has much of the same energy. Event – learning – a blank slate.
Now I conclude Hagal and move on to the Isa rune.
