The first rune we will be dealing with is Fehu. It represents wealth, but moreover, Moveable wealth. Cattle used to be seen as a symbol of wealth and if you look at the rune you can see the image of a cow's horns. This rune is essentially feminine, being connected with Freya , goddess of fertility, who also had a nickname 'syr' which means sow. Pigs were seen as sacred, being connected to fertility.
There is also a negative side to this rune, as with all of them. Wealth can create greed if not used wisely. The old Norwegian rune poem reminds us of this "wealth causes strife among kinsmen, the wolf lurks in the forest". This is pretty self explanatory.
The element this rune is connected with is fire, being the primeval fire from which met with ice to create Audhumla, the sacred cow from which all things derived.
The second rune is Uruz. It represents strength and resilience. The shape of this rune looks like a bull, or more accurately an aurochs, about to charge. In olden times a coming of age ritual would be that a young man would have to go and kill an aurochs, without any weapons in order to prove himself. This more or less sums up the meaning of this rune. It represents the power to overcome obstacles. I have found a good way to use this rune is to trace it over a glass of water before drinking it to gain internal strength. The element of this rune is ice.
Thurisaz basically means chaos. The giants of chaos rule this rune. On a magical level this rune can be used to access the unconscious, but beware, many things dwell in this realm and this is why this rune can be a dangerous one. It is also a fertility symbol with it's obvious phallic shape so therefore can be used in workings of seidr. The shape is one of a hammer and so corresponds to Thor who made a habit of bashing the giants. He often went on journeys to the eastern world of Jotunheim, the home of the giants, with Odin and Loki to do this. Freya Aswynn, in her book Leaves of Yggdrasill, says that this rune could be described as a nuclear explosion which sums up the deep and true meaning of this glyph.
The next rune is Ansuz. This rune corresponds with order. It balances out the previous rune. It is also the rune of Odin and if we look at its shape we can see his cloak blowing in the wind. As Odin is a god of communication we can see the correlation with wind. The wind carries pollen to fertilise plants so this rune also corresponds with fertility. This rune can be used to communicate with your higher or inner self and can be used for inner landscape journeys. Knowing Odin's shamanic connections, when he hung on the World tree Yggdrasill this can also be used shamanically to traverse the nine worlds ,with the next rune Raido. It represents the individual's quest for wisdom.
A better burden
may no man bear
for wanderings wide than wisdom;
It is better than wealth
on unknown ways
and in grief a refuge it gives
(Havamal)
Raido is the rune of right movement or true will. In divination if this rune turns up in answer to a question such as - Am I doing the right thing? - and it is upright then the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Be careful to note the runes surrounding though. If the rune is upside down the you can rest assured that you are not doing the right thing. This rune can also be used with the next rune 'Kenaz' for shamanic journeying.
Kenaz provides the divine light to help you on your way and Raido is the route of travel. Raido is also the rune of ritual and repetition and it can also be used during ritual to carry a spell through (being representative of will). In qabbalistic terms, although this is open to interpretation, this rune corresponds to Tipareth. Aleister Crowley said Every man and woman is a star - this also corresponds to Raido. This is also a rune of 'order', not so much law and order, but natural order. On a practical level, before you go on any journey in a car, trace this rune on to the car wheels and on the bonnet for a good journey.
In my own personal experience Kenaz represents the part of the divine within ourself which guides us, if listened to, in times of darkness. It can also be used, as stated earlier, in rituals in which shamanic travelling is being used (inner landscape workings). The god to contact for workings using this rune is Heimdall, watcher of the rainbow bridge Bifrost. Heimdall is the god of knowledge who taught the runes to mankind. Although Odin acquired the runes by his sacrifice to himself on Yggdrasil, this was a selfish act as he wanted the knowledge for himself. It was Heimdall, after creating the three classes of -man who taught the runes to us. Therefore Kenaz is also a rune of knowledge. As Kenaz is a guide in darkness it could be equated with a torch of fire. At Ragnarok, Loki duels with Heimdall. As Loki represents fire in an uncontrolled manner, Heimdall's rune is controlled fire. I have found that this rune, as stated earlier, works well with Raido. Practically, this rune can be used as a learning or knowledge tool.
Gebo symbolises balance and also sacrifice. In the Norse myths the King Geirrod is warned by the gods of a powerful magician who is coming to him to put a spell on him. It is Odin in the guise of Grimnir. When the magician refuses to speak and state his purpose and his name the king hangs Grimnir over a fire spreadeagled for 8 nights. We can see the shape of this rune in this story. Another story of sacrifice in the myths is when Odin hung upside down on Yggdrasil for nine days and nine nights to gain the runes. Odin sacrificed his physical body for the higher spiritual good.
A magical use of this rune is when it is paired with Wunjo to make a sigil meaning 'gift of joy'. This Is the chi-rho symbol. This rune's element is air. The tree connected with this rune is ash.
The next rune is Wunjo. This is the last rune of this aett. Its shape represents a metal wind-vane or a tribal banner. It symbolically means joy. Joy is obtained by being In balance with things, like the windvane, which moves in harmony with the wind. When used as a meditation aid in conjunction with Raido, it can help us find our true will. The Wunjo rune is sacred to Odin and Frigg, the wife of Odin and the Mother Goddess. In his book 'Helrunar', Jan Fries equates this rune with two people making love. One partner representing earth - and the other representing heaven This would make sense bearing in mind the meaning of this rune. The significance of the tribal banner is the feeling you get when you are surrounded by people of the same ilk or mindset. The energy you feel is Wunjo. The tree connected with this rune is also ash and its corresponding herb is flax which in mythology is the gift Frigg gave to humans when she started civilization.
Hagalaz means hail. If you think of a farmers land, if a hailstorm occurs, all the crops fail and the harvest is ruined. This symbolises one of the meanings of this rune. Ice can be a destructive force which can ruin things. The three Norns of wisdom who control past, present and future, or more accurately in the Teutonic mind that-which-is, (including all that has happened until now), and that which is becoming , are called Urd, Verdandi and Skuld. Hagalaz is linked to that-which-is. In way of explanation, things from the past which make up the person that you are now, have a nasty way of rearing their ugly heads. Hail can be seen as a metaphor for this, destroying all the hard work put in, in sowing the crop. The goddess Holda also presides over this rune, being the goddess of the Underworld.
Another more beneficial aspect of this rune can be seen in the Younger Futhark, which is represented as a snowflake. This rune contains all the other runes, so representing Yggdrassil, the totality of everything. This rune can be used as a protection symbol and also as talisman to help you see a project through. As the number nine is one of the most potent in the Teutonic mind and this is the ninth rune, it truly is potent! It has the power to bring things into being, both on a magical and material level. It can assist in bringing a magical working into reality.
The next rune in Nauthiz. This rune represents the need-fire. To me it represents the human need for survival against the odds or when your back is pushed against the wall. It is no co-incidence that you cross your fingers for luck, making the shape of this rune as you do so. This rune corresponds to Skuld, that-which-is becoming. Skuld is seen as wearing a veil as we cannot see truly events laid out before us. She also holds the power to cut the cords which bind us to this mortal coil. A fearsome norn! If used correctly this rune can help us move through obstacles through self-sacrifice but not in the same way as Gebo. It is not a two way thing. You do not give to receive, but give in order to survive - a rune of imbalance. It can help us move on in life. In Elder times people would light fires on top of hills in spring to ensure the rebirth of the sun. This can be seen as an example of the need-fire, the need for life. In rituals Nauthiz can be seen as a symbol of banishing by fire. It can strengthen the will by presenting obstacles to you which can only be overcome by your own personal need-fire.