Meet the Collectives- The Berkanai

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To me, this collective has warm brown energy. The rune-drakes are scaled in warm light brown.

Our resident berkanai is Mama Mawu. Her appearance changes with her moods, but she often appears with cocoa colored skin, a color reminiscent (to me) of her collective. Mama Mawu, as her  name suggests, exudes a very motherly air. She represents the aspect of her collective that deals with nurturance, be it of seeds, fragile health, budding self-worth or self-esteem or any other thing one might wish to nurture. Mawu uses the initials Mw.

Mw- Our collective has a distinctly 'feminine' feel to it, though the qualities of Berkana are to be found in all things. We represent the energy of nurturance, of caretaking and of the female aspects of creativity and fertility, the womb that incubates new 'life' in whatever form it may come, from an actual newborn baby to a completed book to a well established business. We share a duality with the inguzi, for neither energy can exist without the other. For there to be nurturing, there must be something to be nurtured.

Berkana energy can be found in manifestations of abundance, of fecundity and fertility. Fields full to bursting with produce, orchard trees heavy with fruit, an overflowing tip jar- these, like the examples listed above are tangible evidence of fertility. Berkana is manifest in these things, as well as in the capability of manifesting these things.

Questions to consider when working with Berkana energy- Where does your fertility lie? Where is your creativity to be found? How do you nurture yourself? How do you nurture others? What makes you feel cared for, makes you feel nurtured?

Meet the Collectives- The Mannazi

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To me, this collective has an energy comprised of yellows and browns. The rune-drakes are scaled in patchwork yellows and browns akin to the kennazis' grey and the dagazis' green.

Eliza and Krya are our resident mannazi. Both of them choose to present themselves in their rune-drake form. Eliza represents the identity aspect of Mannaz and uses the initials Ez. Krya represents the aspect that ties directly to humanity itself and uses the initials Kr.

Ez- Mannaz, first and foremost, lies in identity. This is the 'name' something is given, be it a common name, such as rune or runic, or something more particular, such as mannazi or Eliza. Names establish and convey identity. This can also be conveyed via common traits. Humans are identifiable by their unique, bipedal locomotion, cats are identifiable by their triangular ears, eyes with elliptical pupils, and claws that can be sheathed, velociraptors are marked by their sickle-shaped, retractable primary claws.  

Kr- Mannaz energy is also tied to all that which deals with mankind, with humans. Our rune-warden, Cala, likens us to being penultimate anthropologists, those people who study humans whenever and wherever they have existed. This is a fairly accurate assessment. We are the energy that governs the various branches of anthropology, just as our kindred runics, the ehwazi, govern the various branches of the study of sociology.

Questions to consider when working with Mannaz energy- 'Who' are you? Aside from your name, what other means do you use to identify yourself? Are you the person you want to be? How well do you interact with other people?

Meet the Collectives- The Ehwazi

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To me, this collective has a dark ruby red energy. The rune-drakes are scaled in dark ruby red.

Our resident ehwazi is Ehwa, yet another who didn't stray far from their collective's name when seeking their own. Ehwa chose Mo'at, from the Avatar movie, to model her appearance after and she can be just as scary when she wants to! Ehwa deals with all aspects of her collective and uses the initials Ew.

Ew- Ehwaz energy is to be found in expressions of social status and hierarchical dominance and submission. It is easy to think that the only thing that matters is how much 'prestige' one has or how high in the hierarchy one is. Not so. There can be no 'high' society without those lower than you. In the ideal society, there is an equal balance of power and responsibility between those of higher status and those of lower status. Nor is anyone 'entitled' to higher status. This should be earned, not expected as a right of being. Nor should there be shame at having or choosing a lower social status. Each person is absolutely necessary. There is a subculture among you today that perhaps all could learn from, a subculture that thrives on the concepts of dominance and submission and sees the inherent values and strengths of each.

Jealousy and envy are dense emotions, Thurisaz energy if you will, that can arise when you have an imbalance in how you view your relative status to others. If you feel they are taking away 'limited' resources, you feel jealous, especially if these resources go to someone new to the group, whom you feel should be lower in the pecking order. If you find yourself coveting another's rightful possessions or their social position, you are in the throes of envy, for these things are indications of social ranking, at least to your own eyes, that you aspire to.

Status is socially defined, sometimes arbitrary and quite often simply subjective. Status is defined by the roles people take on, the masks they wear. Social status is given to doctors and others who have invested many long hours in schooling to gain the Ph.D or M.D. behind their names and the appellation of 'Doctor'. A different type of status is given to those who serve in law enforcement, paramedic or firefighting capacities or those who serve in the military. And, of course, within any organization itself, there is a very specific hierarchy which people are expected to adhere to. Matriarchal and patriarchal family structures have clear pecking orders. Rank and status matter. They may seem arbitrary and subjective, but they serve to create a social cohesion within groups. With greater status should come greater responsibility, a notion often lost in today's societies.

Questions to consider when working with Ehwaz energy- 'What' are you? What roles do you fill in your life? What are your feelings towards 'status' and 'rank'? Are these things important to you or can you take them or leave them? Do you get jealous or envious easily?

Meet the Collectives- The Raidhoi

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To me, this collective has a dark purple energy. The rune-drakes have dark purple scales.

Our resident raidhoi is Ren'ju, who often presents himself in the guise of a scruffy, whip-thin boy around the age of 13, with shaggy, sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a very playful nature and represents the aspect of his collective dealing with physical movement. His initials are Rj.

Rj- Raidho energy lives in a thing's capacity for movement and everything has this capacity. Living things, even when at rest, display some measure of movement. They breathe. Blood flows through vessels. Hearts beat. Nerves conduct electrical impulses. The eyes make hundreds of minute movements a minute. Seemingly inanimate objects contain movement too. Sometimes it's easy to see, such as the eddies and ripples of water or the stronger rapids. The ocean caresses the shore in some places, batters it in others. Deeper than that, at the deepest level of being, the quantum level as your science calls it, all things contain atoms, which are in constant movement, no matter how stationary an object might seem.

Raidho energy can be seen in your daily life in your manner of movement and travel. Are you a fairly active person? Do you enjoy walking or running for exercise? How about just simply driving? You may be a mostly sedentary person, but remember, movement is essential for preventing stagnation. No matter how much you might prefer to stay cozy and inactive, be sure to take a least a small walk outside each day and savor the fresh air!

Questions to  consider when working with Raidho energy- How active a person are you? Do you enjoy travel? Do you have mobility issues that require you to use a wheelchair or a cane? If so, how do you let those things affect you?

Meet the Collectives- The Jerai

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To me, this collective has a peach colored energy. The rune-drakes have peach colored scales.

Our resident jerai is Peach, who took her name from the color I see the jerai collective as. She often presents herself as an older woman with peach blonde hair and a very sunny disposition. Peach represents the aspect of her collective that deals with bringing work efforts to fruition, with reaping the fruits of the skills you have, so to speak. She uses the initial P.

P- We are the timekeepers, those who measure the balance of efforts. We are the spiral-walkers for whom there is no end, only endless beginnings. We guide the cycles of life and usher in the new seasons with the isai and the sigeli. Jerai energy can be found in the harvesting of any effort and none too great or small. For some, who are ill or weakened, this may be as simple as achieving a shower, when every little movement takes monumental effort. Graduations are jerai energy. So is getting a book published, raising children to adulthood, getting married, and wrapping up a major project or business deal. It is to be found in any instance of reaping the rewards of a task.

Our energy is also to be found in the great cycles within cycles that guide the planet, cycles far too vast for most humans to even begin to process. Jerai energy not only ushers in the seasons, it ushers in the ages of ice and the ages of warming, of which there have been many and will be many more. We guide the small cycles as well... caterpillar to butterfly, drought and plenty, the inner cycles of living things that circle between periods of rest and activity, not just day to day, but those that last months and even years. Remember, though it may not seem like it to you in the moment, all things pass into something other. Even if you cannot perceive the cycles, they are there.

Questions to consider when dealing with Jera energy- Where do your success and achievements lie? What goals are you in pursuit of?

Meet the Collectives- The Tyri

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To me, this collective has a muted reddish-orange energy, different from that of the sigeli. The rune-drakes are scaled in muted reddish-orange.

Kei is our resident tyri. In appearance, he is dark of hair and eye and he speaks with a Welsh accent. Kei deals with the aspect of his collective that helps form and maintain resolve and dedication to a goal. Kei uses his whole name.

Kei- Ours is the province of discipline, duty, persistence, and perseverance. Our collective shares the name of the Norse deity who best symbolizes these things- the one-hand god, Tyr, who gave his other hand fulfilling his duty. Duty is important, yes, as is being disciplined, yet one should never compromise oneself, nor betray one's own ethics. When duty conflicts with morality, there is little to compare. The tyri also influence fair justice. Vengeance is not justice. Vengeance is personal. Justice is impartial.

The energy of Tyr also includes perseverance and persistence, two necessary skills that go hand in hand with discipline. It takes time and dedication to establish a new routine or to cultivate a new skill or craft. If you don't persist, you will certainly fall short, be it in your studies, your work or your social life. If you are going to do something, take the time and patience to learn to do it well. Call upon the tyri when you need help establishing a new routine, the perseverance to break a bad habit or an addiction, or when you need help re-calibrating your moral compass.

Questions to consider when working with Tyr energy- how strong are your morals and ethics? How patient are you, how dedicated to a goal? Do you have a short attention span and lose interest in things quickly? Do you have the strength of will, the necessary perseverance, to break a bad habit, start a new routine or focus on learning and perfecting new skills?

Meet the Collectives- The Ansuzi

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To me, this collective has a pale blue energy. The rune-drakes have powdery blue scales.

Our resident ansuzi are Donia and Ashgar. Donia represents the aspect of Ansuz dealing with learning and study. She pulled her appearance from my mind in the form of Lisa Cuddy, from House, M.D. Her initials are Dn. Ashgar represents the aspect of Ansuz dealing with communication. He has no other appearance than the rune-drake form and his initials are As.

As- Ours is the collective of knowledge, of information and communication. Everything, even those things you consider inanimate and insensate, contain traces of our collective. All things contain or convey information. This is easy to see in things like books or computers. To the person who knows how to listen, even the trees, the rocks, the soil, and the water can convey information. Think of your geologists, who can unlock the knowledge the earth has to offer. Think of your shamans, your herbalists, who can unlock the knowledge the plants have to offer. Knowledge and information is contained in all things.

Dn- Within humans and other biological life, Ansuz is clearly expressed in the capacity for thought, for reasoned action, for memory, and for language, be it verbal or non-verbal. It is how living things store and communicate information. When looking for your own Ansuz energy, think about how you communicate. Are you clever with words? Can you articulate your thoughts effectively? If you cannot articulate effectively, perhaps your Ansuz energy, and therefore your ability to communicate easily, is blocked. Or perhaps you communicate differently. Some people find it hard to convey their thoughts and feelings via normal communication. They do so instead through the medium of art, from the writing of poetry to the crafting of paintings and elaborate sculptures. Writings and art are the legacy people leave behind, one aspect of Othala energy, expressed through our collective's energy.

Questions to consider in working with Ansuz- What does knowledge mean to you? Are there any particular areas of study that come naturally to you? What do you find it easiest to discuss? How do you communicate with others?