Uncle Thor's Lessons, Anecdotes and Humor

One of my favorite toys was / is plastic army men. As kids, we loved them. We knew each pose and each weapon. Of course, our knowledge of these things was far from accurate. (I found that out in the army.)

Each bag had different poses, such as the crawling guy, grenade thrower, bayonet guy, machine gun guy, flamethrower guy…well, you get the point. One of the favorites was the bazooka guy. “Bazooka” is a slang term for a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. It is a tube through which a small explosive rocket is fired. The weapon was originally meant to be used against tanks and bunkers. As kids, we thought the bazooka could blow up anything. It could blast tanks, half tracks, bunkers, ships,, you name it! If the enemy brought up something too big and bad, the bazooka was the antidote.

In real armies, bazookas and other rocket launchers have their uses, but they are not the super weapons we thought they were

Nonetheless, the bazooka guy of childhood has his spiritual counterpart. Imagine a spiritual bazooka that holds off troubles long enough for you to apply a more enduring solution. You could use it in a pinch to buy time and space. When a threat, problem or quandary appears, your spiritual bazooka will give it a blast that whittles it down to size.

The first thing to do is load your bazooka. Contact the power with which you work best. It may be a God, a Rune, an Element or anything else. Hook into that power and try to get your mind clear, if even for a moment.

Next, bring that power to bear. Focus it on the situation. Use your mind, use a spell or invocation or whatever thing gets the power flowing at the problem. Be prepared to follow up with other action. Maybe you need your spiritual bazooka to buy enough time to get out of there. Maybe you need it to stop a problem long enough for you to get a handle on it. Perhaps you will use it on a problem that you want to obliterate. Maybe it will give you time to formulate a plan or a course of action. Like a real bazooka, you fire at a target and prepare to follow it up with the appropriate action.

You spiritual bazooka is a tool you use to apply spiritual power when things difficult in a hurry. It is meant for those times when trouble comes suddenly. Rather than be caught unprepared, take time to prepare your own spiritual bazooka. Think of what you will use in a tight spot. A little preparedness now will quell unexpected turmoil later.

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Army Men? Here is a whole website devoted to them. It’s lots of fun for all ages:

http://www.armymenhomepage.com

There is also a page of Toy Soldier art

http://www.thortrains.net/toysoldierart

Today’s runecast is

Sig – Naud – Gyfu

When good times (Sig) are followed by bad (Naud), Gyfu is the bridge by which you can escape to better conditions.

Sig is usually beneficial, but too much can lead to complacency. That leaves you vulnerable. If complacency leads to trouble, the first step to remedy it is to seek the way out of there. The troubles that come via complacency are best tacked from without rather than within.

There are stories that speak to each of us. Most people have different stories that talk to them. It is as if the story touches something deep inside and tells the person something about himself. The story that speaks to one person may not speak to the next. However, there are stories for everyone.

It may be a folktale or a legend, a movie or a TV show. What matters is that the story speaks to you. It may be the whole story or part of the story or one scene.

What story tells your story?

Today’s runecast is

Ing – Elk – Urus

Ing is the spark that starts things. It is also a Rune of the hearth, which is the heart of the home. In times before modern heating, the hearth room was the center of life in the home. Ing is also a token of luck. Elk is a Rune of protection. It keeps the home safe. Urus is the strength to stand firm and to be independent.

The safe home is a strongpoint. This applies both literally and figuratively. The person who carries his own luck can make a secure home that endures. Likewise, the family united by the glow of the hearth stays united and strong.

Many of us have gone on our spiritual quests, studying open thing after another. Mine was not so much a search for spirituality as a chance to experience various kinds of spiritual beliefs. The one thing that remained constant was me.

That is true of all spiritual seekers. The one constant element is the seeker himself. The one thing that stands in the way is oneself. Until a person takes on the mystery of himself, the seeking is nothing but mind candy.

The seeker must deal with himself. Until that is done, everything else is a distraction.

Your quest must start with you.

Today’s runecast is

Yew – Odal – Raido

The Yew is the old tree that holds its place. It flexes and bends, but does not move. The Yew Rune also represents the eternal nature of Life. Odal is property that does not move away from its owner. He owns it thoroughly. Like the Yew, it stands firm. Raido is a Rune of speed and movement. In a way, the Yew is the axis on which the wheel of Raido spins.

What does this reading say to you? Think about it. I am sure that at least one of our readers will find a very personal message in it. (And no, I do not know who that may be.)

Do you get the feeling that there is a higher motion? Do you feel that humankind and the planet itself are being guided to a destination of their own? Have you felt that a power greater than you has responded to you to manipulate conditions in your life for a specific purpose?

If there is a universal god doing all this, we have to wonder why. In the vastness of the movement of galaxies, why take note of us? Maybe the force working for us here is something closer to home. Perhaps our Wyrd and the power that moves things are just a small part of something greater.

Whether you believe in a universal divinity or a more localized power, the one thing that is evident is that something important is going on. We can partake of it. Obviously, our experiences and our world are more important than we may have thought. Why else would a benevolent power take interest in individuals?

You may believe in a universal spirit or in galactic, system, or planetary deities. Whatever you believe, it is obvious that your life here is more than just biding time of Earth. You count. We do not have to know the whole scheme of things. Sometimes it is sufficient to know that you count. In that, there is comfort.

Today’s runecast is

Jer – Gyfu – Tyr

The Harvest brings a Gift of Victory

On another note, Gyfu is the interchange and crossroads between Jer and Tyr. Jer is the harvest that comes with time. Tyr is the goal that is attained through effort. We find herein a matter of timing. Jer is that which grows at its own rate, and no effort of ours can slow or hasten it. It will come in its own time.

Tyr’s goal requires intelligent effort. We need to play and apply tactics. Though there may be a need for patience, we cannot wait for the goal to suddenly mature. We must make it happen. Unlike the Jer goal that comes in its time, the Tyr goal comes in our time. We must work to make it happen. Without our effort, the Tyr goal is never gained.

Jer is “watch and wait.”

Tyr is “make it happen.”

Gyfu allows us to tackle goals which require a blend of patient waiting and planned action. It puts the Tyr and Jer principles in proper balance to achieve complex goals. When two seemingly different Runes are needed to cooperate for a single thing, Gyfu is the bridge that can connect them for you.

We all have different desires and motivations. Sometimes we forget that the desires of others can be as strong as ours, even when the things they desire are different from ours. Though we may find their choices uninteresting, we can be sure they are extremely interested. We need not understand the things that motivate them, but we certainly can understand the power of desire.

If one is uninterested in ballet, opera or football, he may not understand the fervor of fans of these endeavors. However, it helps that he makes an effort to understand that they desire them as much as he desires the thing he likes.

Have you even wanted something so much that you would make every sacrifice to attain it? If so, you can understand those who go to extraordinary lengths to get theirs. Desire is a powerful force. It can keep a person motivated long after willpower wears out. Understanding it in yourself allows you to understand it in others. Goals may differ, but the ardent fire of desire is pretty much the same.

Today’s runecast is

Wunjo – Bjork – Odal

Within Wunjo is a harmonizing principle. Joy is the product of being in harmony with something good. Here we come to Joy leading to natural expansion. We might even consider this as harmony within nature. The end result is Odal, which is an inheritance. It is also tradition, non-movable possessions and ownership.

There are some things for which we must prepare before we take possession of them. We do not automatically own them. We must grow into it. For example, if a young man inherited a family business, he could only operate it successfully if he grew into the position of leadership. Growth means acquiring the skills and wisdom to steer the company into profitability. Owning these things is more than taking possession. Full ownership entails the means to command them and employ them.