The yew outside is a rough-barked tree,
But strong and firm, guard of fires,
By deep roots upheld, joy to the home.
Anglo Saxon rune poem
With the harvest now passed, with the primal preparations of the spirit completed, the more deep natured work can begin. In order to do this, we must establish an understanding of what we have become up to this point. Jera (ᛃ) bade us to collect the fruits of what we had planted thus far.
Eihwaz (ᛇ), the yew tree, implores us to stand firm in that knowledge, that awareness. All that we have become leading up to this moment is established, its roots are already in the earth, and it’s bark has already grown around the trunk. Ahead of us lies the remainder of the
journey and all its challenges and trials.
A bit of important historical knowledge about the yew is helpful here in determining the focus of this phase of the runic cycle. Yew wood in the Germanic cultures was a prized material in the construction of bows. The wood is perfect for this application because of its ability to flex… to bend without breaking.
So it must be in our own journey of becoming.
Life for contemporary human beings, however “convenient” it appears, is not always “easy”; it comes with its own stresses, it’s own degree of tension. Such is becoming. The tension present in the process of our own Becoming is meant to strengthen the efficacy of our actions, our willful participation in the development of our own Wyrð. As it says in the Icelandic rune poem:
Yew is bent bow
and brittle iron
and Farbauti of the arrow.
The “Faurbauti” of the arrow is the giant, the strength of the bow that speeds the arrow on its course. In short, the amplified strength of the human arm. The tension of the bow multiplies a person’s strength, allowing for a stronger impact. It’s strength comes from its natural ability…
…to bend without breaking.
During this phase of the cycle, be mindful of tension, and of the necessity of tension to amplify the flight of the arrow.
The bark is strong and will protect the tree
from fire; the roots are deep and will not let the wind uproot the tree. The Yew is flexible and resilient.
It will bend… but will not break.
Be as the Yew, and your arrow will fly true.
May the Gods see you.
-Wolf
