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Algiz: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned. Algiz Reversed: or Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels. |
ALGIZ - Reed Reeds, often man-high, once covered the ancient marshlands and were associated with secretiveness and inner depths because although some trees could be uprooted by strong winds, only the top of the Reed bent and there was little disturbance at water level. So Reed is associated with the strength and endurance that can withstand the storms of life. The stalks of the Reed are hollow and were once used to make wind instruments, especially reed pipes, so Reed is related to the Element of Air, to thought and ideas, and to the vibratory force of the Universe. The long, straight stalk of the Reed was compared to the shaft of an arrow, which the warrior hunter needed to choose with great care for it had to be as true as his intentions. So Reed teaches the importance of having a sense of direction in life, coupled with a willingness to be flexible and to adjust to change as a protection against being broken through stubbornness and rigidity. Reed is associated with ALGIZ, a Rune which suggests an inner strength through being rooted firmly in the ground of practical reality whilst adjusting also to change. |