All About Change

From the Animal Totem Tarot, the Polar Bear/Hierophant; from the Blum/Gern Rune Cards, Fehu:

It's hard not to compare the polar bear's shrinking ice floes to the shrinking affiliation with Christianity. The Pew Research Center found that Christians accounted for about 90% of the population 50 years ago, but as of 2020 that figure had slumped to about 64%. It is projected to continue its decline, which isn't a surprise. Rigid religious dogma doesn't work well in a world that is constantly changing even as our knowledge expands. Yet Fehu - a rune that represents material possessions - brings up an important point. Wealth and belongings can bring physical comfort and fleeting pleasure, but it doesn't create any lasting emotional or spiritual fulfillment. That doesn't mean we need to cling to organized religion; spirituality can be found in more places or experiences than a church.

It is quite strange that the religion founded in Jesus' name has been very resistant to change and has tended to love and protect the past and the status quo much more than the positive and hopeful futures that could be brought about by people agreeing to change. —Richard Rohr

Shared Blessings

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Ten of Summer (Cups); from the Haindl Rune Oracle, Feo/Fehu:

The fairies look like they are having what some neighborhoods call a block party. Weatherstone describes this Ten of Cups as representing heartfelt love of all kinds. What could be more fulfilling than knowing you have someone to love and care for and that you in turn are surrounded by love? The rune Feo/Fehu is generally translated as 'livestock' or 'gold.' While it might seem an auspicious rune, it comes with a warning:

Money is the strife among kinsmen

and the fire of the flood-tide

and the path of the serpent.

(Old Icelandic Rune Poem)

Both wealth and the power it brings can be as intoxicating as an unlimited supply of alcohol. But we all know what it's like to deal with a drunk person, regardless of what's got them intoxicated. There's a reason clubs hire bouncers. Blessings of any kind are meant to be appreciated and shared, not flaunted and held in a vise grip.

Knowledge is Power

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the Page of Pentacles; from the Cedar Runes, 'Fehu:'

          A young lass sits atop a rock studying the sleeping dragon below. This Page is often known as a scholar; perhaps she is like me, a student of the Earth and all its inhabitants. Studying something through careful observation can expand one's knowledge too. As Eric Alan points out: "I’ve come to believe that all wisdom, including wisdom that’s beyond our perception, is contained in nature in almost a holographic way. You can often find the largest lessons coded within the smallest vistas. There’s no answer I’ve sought in which I didn’t find nature had some relevant wisdom embedded in it for me to find." Fehu is often considered the rune of prosperity because of its association with gold and livestock. However, both the Norwegian and Icelandic Rune Poems suggest there is a downside - "Gold is the strife of kinsman." When the 'haves' flaunt or intimidate with their wealth and power, it's easy to figure out why this may cause problems with the 'have-nots.' In adding the tarot card's meaning with this rune, it seems that knowledge could also be a power lorded over others. However, the Old English Rune Poem suggests redistribution as a way to even things out - teach what you know.

Taming the Tongue

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Five of Winter (Swords); from the Haindl Rune Oracle, "Feo/Fehu:"

Three "fairy hooligans" use thorny branches to harass and taunt two hedgehogs. Such cruelty angers me, but if I'm honest with myself I'll admit that I have poked and prodded people when I wanted them to change their opinions. My words can be used to bully another person into surrendering, but often at a great price.
Fehu is often translated as "cattle, livestock, or gold." Being the normal human I am, I draw a circle around my stuff and declare, "This is mine so don't touch it." Which would be fine (if you don't mind being selfish), but what happens when there is a partnership and that stuff is shared? Am I willing to risk my relationship (5 of Swords) by demanding that our resources don't go past the circle I've drawn? Anyone who's had to deal with an addict or alcoholic in the family will understand that there are no easy, clear-cut answers, especially when young children are involved. Taming my tongue (without being silent) may be the wise path to take.

Coming and Going

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, Temperance:

A fairy woman holds a sphere of yin energy and yang energy, while above her a water dragon and a phoenix dance. Temperance reminds me to take the middle path between extremes. Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) was raised in an environment where every wish was granted; he was never allowed to witness sickness, old age or death. He later left all his wealth behind to live as an ascetic, punishing his body and surviving on a few grains of rice each day. Buddha discovered that neither way would lead to happiness and peace. A balance must be struck between the "all or nothing" polarities, a compromise that negates neither but incorporates some of both.

From the Cedar Runes comes "Fehu:"

Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;

the wolf lives in the forest.

~ Old Norse poem

Fehu literally means "cattle" and symbolizes possessions and wealth. The mention of the wolf in most myths portrays him as a ravenous creature, always wanting to consume something or someone. It symbolizes the constant feeling of discontent and irritability of either thinking I don't have what I deserve or thinking someone might try to take away what I do have. The Temperance card above reminds me that I need to practice nonattachment when it comes to "stuff." I can appreciate what comes into my life, but like the ebb and flow of the tides, things change.