ALU-ULA Runic Mystery

The ALU-ULA Runic Mystery

This is a fairly well known runic formula found on a funeral urn in Norfolk using a form of bind-rune system made up of the runes Ansuz-Laguz-Uruz and their reflection. However, few seem to know what exactly this was used for, though we do have it that it was on a funeral urn and must have something to do with the dead. My interest in these runes was fuelled by a short article by Stephen McNallen of the Asatru Folk Assembly (Vinland) (*) who was writing about the Three Cauldrons named in Norse Mythology as Odroerir, Son and Bodn. His interest was sparked by the discovery of an Irish poem called the Cauldron of Poesy which itself mentions three cauldrons which are associated with some form of spiritual philosophy. For myself I was also aware that the Chinese had knowledge of three cauldrons within their Tantric Lore, and that these were power-centres of the human body. If we see the three vessels Odroerir, Son and Bodn as being the same as these then the Norse-Germanic Folk had a very similar concept. When I read Stephen McNallen’s work it struck me straight away that he linked the three runes – Ansuz-Laguz-Uruz – with these three power-centres of the human form.

Firstly we need to look at the three runes and their meanings, in order to get an idea of what this formula means –

Ansuz – This is the rune of Woden as the All-Father and as the Ancestral God; it is also the rune of the Ancestors. The rune-name can also be As or Aesc which represents the Ash-Tree, and thus again the Ancestral Tree. From this we can gleam that the formula has something to do with the Ancestors and maybe even to the Ancestral Memory. Strangely enough science has just ‘discovered’ what we already knew, that memory is passed from generation to generation and can thus be regained – which goes some way to explain the phenomena of ‘reincarnation’ banded about by some modern pagans.

Laguz – This is the rune of water, and thus the movement of water; the glyph is that of a wave or of a fountain which suggests water in motion. In this context we need to consider that this can be a lake, the sea, rivers, streams and brooks, and that the ‘rivers, streams and brooks’ of the human bodies are what the blood flows through, and thus the rune can also symbolise the blood. There is an alternative rune-name – Laukaz – which means ‘leek’ and which is associated with the Warrior Ethos since the leek was given to the warrior as a token of his role. Lag or Log also refers to ‘law’ which we find in the word Urlag/Ørlög which means ‘Primal Laws’ or ‘Primal Layers’ and which refers to the Archetypal Laws set down which are eternal and immutable.

Uruz – This rune means ‘primal’ and also refers to the Aurochs which is a fierce beast of the moors which once roamed Germania; it is symbolic of strength and virility. The name means Ur-Ox which is the ‘Primal Ox’. An alternative name is ‘drizzle’ which has also a significant meaning that we shall look into later in this work. The prefix ur- refers to something that is ‘primal’ and thus to the origins of something, but this also contains the concept of the ‘destiny’ too – Origins & Destiny.

Now I shall turn to the runes ALU in regard to the root-words from which alu derives –

Alua – Greek meaning ‘I am beside myself’.

Aluot – Latin meaning ‘To wander aimlessly’.

Alwanza – Hittite meaning ‘Bewitched’. (**)

These all stem from an IE Root *alw- meaning ‘To put under a magical spell’. We can add to this that the English word ale may well stem from alu and thus we have another link to ‘intoxication’, a concept inherent in the above meanings. The above concepts all point to some form of either magical force or to the concept of woda which is a kind of ‘divine madness’ or ‘ecstatic trance’, and which is also related to Woden who ‘fetters’ his Initiates to his Divine Will – i.e. ‘bewitches’ them. We can thus equate these ideas with Odroerir which is the Woda-Roarer which itself suggests a form of ‘divine madness’ or ‘divine inspiration’ and also the Mead of Inspiration which is to be found in the three vessels of Norse Mythology.

We now need to look quickly at the origins of the Mead of Inspiration and how the gods lost and regained it. The Mead of Inspiration was made up from the Blood of Kvasir after he was slain by the Vanir-Gods, and this was mixed with honey to make mead. The name ‘Kvasir’ equates to a term meaning ‘spittle’ which in ancient times was used as a fermenting agent. So we are immediately aware that this is an intoxicating drink made of honey, but also perhaps of mind-altering herbs. Here we need to consider that the use of mind-altering brews came about after certain parts of the human brain atrophied or went out of use, and thus an artificial means was used to regain to some extent a lost form of consciousness.

Cutting a long story short the Mead of Inspiration came into the possession of the Jötun through Suttung, whose daughter guarded it within Knit Mountain. Woden had a hole bored into the base of the mountain with an auger – Rati – and then shape-shifted into a Serpent in order to get through the hole. Inside the mountain he wooed Gunnlod, got drunk on the mead, and she aided him in gaining the mead and then escaping, which he did through shape-shifting into an Eagle. Straight away we can see that this is a typical Tantric Rite where the Serpent (earth-bound) is transmuted into the Eagle (heaven-bound/divine). This is done through a Tantric Love-Rite which is clear since Woden stayed with Gunnlod for three nights and the name ‘Rati’ can mean ‘rapture’ or ‘orgasm’. There was also another source of the Divine Mead which was in Jötunheim, and which was taken from there to the Moon, the mystery of which can be found in the children’s tale of Jack and Jill, but which will not concern us here.

We shall now turn to a look at the Three Cauldrons, putting together the ideas of Stephen McNallen, plus my own added ideas, and also those of the three power-centres of Chinese Tantra – remembering that the concepts from Chinese Lore were associated with Boddhidharma who was the ‘Blue-eyed barbarian’ who took these ideas from Aryan India to China. Here I shall list the Three Cauldrons in their association with these power-centres of the body, remembering that these are certainly linked to the ‘chakras’ but contain more than one ‘chakra’ and are thus not exactly the same concept.

1.     The Cauldron of Incubation which is found at the base-centre which I shall (for convenience) refer to as the Hara-Centre. This is about two fingers below the navel, the navel being the central point of the body – which is an important point. This cauldron is upright and gives wisdom, youth and virility. In Chinese Lore this is the Lower Dan Tien and in Tantric Lore is called The Golden Stove and is where the Essence and Shen (Spirit) is stored, an energy-source of regeneration and of sexual energy, the centre of what they call Chi (Chinese) or Ki (Japanese) which we will call Vril and which is the centre of balance and gravity (which is an important part of the Martial Arts). This centre is the focal point for the transmutation of Jing (Essence), Chi (Vital Energy), which are refined by heating in the cauldron into Shen (Spirit). This is the Bodn-Centre of the Norse Lore and has the Uruz-Rune as its symbol. This is linked to the concept of Tamas in Indian Lore.

2.     The Cauldron of Motion which is the heart-centre or solar-plexus centre which is the area for gaining knowledge, and is the ‘tide-water point of knowledge’ (hence its link to the Lagu-Rune), the mastery of words and language, music, poetic ecstacy, law and duty, and is the Well of Measuring (Skapker Heidrunar), giving power and strength. This cauldron is turned sideways and can be righted through spiritual exercises and through the above concepts. This is the vessel Son which means ‘blood’ which, as I have hinted’ is linked to the Lagu-Rune through the idea of the movement of ‘water’. This is linked to the concept of Rajas.

3.     The Cauldron of Wisdom or Cauldron of Inspiration which is at the Third-Eye centre between the eyes and linked to the Pineal Gland which is at the more central part of the human brain. This is the centre of divine joy and of human joy (poetry and sexual intimacy). This is the centre where Shen (Spirit) is stored and is where Chi (Vital Energy) is refined into Shen. It is also the centre where communication with the gods takes place, and where the union of Shakti (Freya) and Shiva (Woden) takes place, producing the Golden Nectar – Amrita, Ambrosia or the Hidden-Man-na. This centre was known as the Crystal Palace in Chinese Tantra.

We can see from this that the Norse Myths hold a profound secret which has been carefully hidden in symbolism and imagery, and which can contains power-centres of the human body which can be opened and produce a higher form of consciousness, and (as we shall see) a higher form of mankind. Firstly we need to look again at these centres and their association with other Aryan concepts.

Bodn – Cauldron of Incubation – The word ‘Bodn’ is so similar to the German ‘Boden’ as to be no coincidence, and this means ‘soil’, ‘land’ and thus ‘earth’. This is the ‘earth-centre’ or physical centre of the body which we have called the Hara-Centre (Hara being a title of Rudra-Shiva). It is associated with the Well of Hvergelmir which means ‘Seething Cauldron’ or ‘Roaring Kettle’ once more emphasising the idea of ‘heat’ and of ‘incubation’ or ‘brooding’. We can link this to Hela-Niflhel-Niflheim and when we consider that an alternative meaning of the Uruz-Rune is ‘drizzle’ this links to ‘nifl’ which means ‘mist’. This centre is also associated with the Ceorl/Karl who represents the landsman and craftsman, this being the centre of virility and fertility of both man and land.

Son – Cauldron of Motion – This is associated with the blood and the flow of blood through the body’s ‘rivers’, ‘streams’ and ‘brooks’ just like the movement of water around the land. It is also associated with the Blood-Memory which is the seat of the memory passed from generation through generation in the human genes. But it can also be seen as the Folk-Memory or ‘collective memory’ of a people which can be accessed by some people – Race-Memory. The heart is the pump for the blood, and is responsible for the movement of the blood around the body, but it is also the seat of consciousness as much as that of the human brain – a little-known fact today. There are so many old sayings that tell us this and these should be meditated upon. It is also associated with the Soul and the Sol (Sun) which is borne out when we consider this is also the Solar-Plexus Centre. The symbol of the human heart that is widely used is really the genitals and buttocks of a female, where the V-shaped bottom part is rounded off. This centre is associated with the Well of Mimir (Well of Blood-Memory) and with Midgard, and is also the centre of the Warrior-Ethos – of the Æthlinga or Earl/Jarl.

Odrœrir – Cauldron of Inspiration – This is associated with the Well of Wyrd which is often called by the alternative name of Odrœrir. This area is associated with Spirit and with Divine Inspiration and with Asgard and the Priest-King or Kon. This is where the Mead of Inspiration is produced and then flows downwards through the body. This area is the Crystal Palace where Shen (Spirit) is refined into Wu Wei (Emptiness), which gives us another clue as to the purpose of these centres. The Vital Energy (Kundalini or Fire-Serpent) is aroused at the base-centre (Hara-Centre), moves upwards, righting the Solar Plexus Cauldron, and moving upwards again to the Third Eye (Odrœrir) where the male-female force is conjoined in the Sacred Marriage (HE/SHE of Don Miguel Serrano or Woden-Freya in Wodenic Lore). This is now taken a step further through being refined into Emptiness which is the Void, Ginnungagap, the Black Hole, or the Black Sun, which has to be crossed (Crossing of the Abyss) making the leap to the Ubermensch (Friedrich Nietzsche) or the Sonnenmensche (Miguel Serrano).

The three centres are also associated with the colours Black (Bodn), Red (Son) and White (Odrœrir) – the colours of Eternal Germania, the Sisters of Wyrd, Atlantis and the Arts Regia (Alchemy). The sequence, we should note, are different from that of alchemy which has Black (Nigredo), White (Albedo) and Red (Rubido). Stephen McNallen also equates each centre with another rune which I am going to look at here too –

Hara-Centre – The Berkano-Rune representing ‘growth’ and ‘concealment’ – it should be noted that the root alu- also means ‘growth’. This area is also equated with Frey and Freya and the ‘Instinctive Centre’ of Gurdjieff. It is black because it represents physical matter and the ‘earth’.

Solar-Plexus/Heart Centre – The Sowilo-Rune which is symbolic of the Sun and also the Soul; it is red for the blood and for passion (love-anger) and the Warrior Spirit. Sowilo is the Sun (Solar Plexus) and the Soul (Sowilo).

The Third-Eye Centre – The Adel/Edel/Odal Rune which represents nobility and perfection – the ‘Awakened Man’ (Mannaz-Rune). It is white for the purity of spirit and the perfection of Man.

We need to look at these again putting some of these ideas together and adding further comment to each concept. I have also added comments on the link to the Three Fires of Agni-Inga -

Bodn – This is symbolised by the Uruz-Rune and is thus the Centre of Origins and of Destiny; it is the centre where heat is used as a transformation agent, starting the process of the transformation of matter into spirit. This is the Cauldron of Fire, hence the connection with heat. Veorsson pointed out to me that the term Ur-ine and Ur-ethra are connected to this area of the body and contain the root ur-. This is the centre of Physical Fire and the Need-Fire (Nyd-Rune).

Son – This is symbolised by the Lagu-Rune which is associated with ‘water’ but specifically with the movement of water, and thus the movement of blood; this is also the ‘Fire-in-Water’ which is the Vril-Energy moving through this centre. It is the Skapker Heidrunar or ‘Horn of Plenty’ associated with Capricorn (‘Goat’s Horn – i.e. Heidrun the Goat). This is the ‘Lightning in the Clouds’ (Fire-in-Water). This is the centre of the Solar Fire and the Sowilo-Rune.

Odrœrir – This is symbolised by the Ansuz-Rune and is the centre of Asgard and of the Asen-Gods – it is the Eye of Woden. It is associated with Woden as the ‘Master of Wod’, the Divine Madness or Raging Fury (Wod-Roarer). This is the centre of the Spiritual Fire (‘Electric Fire’) and the Kenaz-Rune. (The Kenaz-Rune is the Rune of the Kon).

In the Ar-Kan Rune-Lag runic system we use 33 runes which are usually seen as Frisian-Northumbrian, but which we see as having been passed down in one form or another from the ancient north-west continent of Atalland (At-al-land = ‘racial homeland’) which England once formed a part of and which was occupied since very ancient times by the Germanic Folk as descendants of the Hyperboreans. Much of this continent was finally destroyed around 7,000 years ago through a massive tsunami, leaving England as an island. Traces of this lost continent have been found around the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea. In this runic system we use the symbol of a Sacred Mountain which we call Mount Me-Ru (‘Mountain of Measurement of the Runes’); there are thus 33 runes, each of which exist along the S-shaped (Serpent) spinal column, made up of 7-12-5 (24 Rune Futhark) separate vertebrae to which is added the 5 fused vertebrae of the sacrum and the 4 fused vertebrae of the coccyx, making a total of 33 in all.

At the base of the spinal column lies the dormant Fire-Serpent (Kundalini) or Sleeping-Goddess (Shakti-Idunn) that is today in a state of ‘sleep’ but which can be awakened through the use of these Three Cauldrons and a noble life-style – one’s actions are just as important as undertaking ‘spiritual exercises’. The 33 runes go from top to bottom – Feoh to Gar – which fits with the sequence 24-5-4 – with the last four runes (Cweorth-Calc-Stan-Gar) being the Four Hallows and also the Graal Runes – Sword (Sweorth), Cup (Calc), Stone (Stan) and Spear (Gar).

The spinal column is also symbolised by Iggdrasil and Irminsul, where we find the Serpent (base) with an Eagle (top) having a Hawk-Falcon between the Eyes (Third Eye). The Third Eye is linked to the Pineal Gland which is like a Pine-Cone (as the name suggests), and this area of the brain is also known as the Hippocampus (‘Sea-Horse’) which is the processing unit that stores memories – thus scientific knowledge once again begins to discover what the ancients already knew and what was lost to us – this area of the brain is where, at death, the energy is lifted as that the Blood Memory can be retained for resurrection (this will be explained later). The area is also known as Ammon’s Horn or Amun’s Horn named after the Hidden God and associated with the Ram’s Horn (Hama-Heimdall = the Awakener). This is significant in that the Ajna Chakra has the ‘seed-sound’ OM or AUM which is the Hindu equivalent to the Amen (Christian) and Amun (Egyptian).

To recap and to take further the aims of the use of these three power-centres or Three Cauldrons we need to consider that the main-stream religions and mainstream spiritual disciplines, including what is termed ‘wicca’ and ‘paganism’, in the main seem to have the aim of the ‘Union with the One’, ‘Union with God’, Union with the All’, ‘Cosmic Consciousness’, ‘Union with Nature’ or other terms like ‘Samadhi’, which refers to the loss of the ego and the fusion with the ‘One’ or ‘Cosmic Consciousness’. Throughout history, and through various different traditions, there has been a far more hidden and secret teaching which was known in India by the term Kaivalia which means ‘separation’. Whereas Samadhi means the merging of the individual consciousness into the Primal Soup (Primal Chaos) and thus the total loss of individuality, Kaivalia takes the process as far as the point of union of the HE-SHE (Serrano) or ER-ERCE (Wodenism) and goes beyond this point to cross the abyss (The Void-Black Sun-Black Hole-Ginnungagap) strengthening the ego into the Absolute I and thus creating the Awakened Man – The Superman.

I have used the term ‘resurrection’ rather than ‘reincarnation’ and will now show why I have done this, since there is an important mystery that has not be really understood about the concept of ‘reincarnation’. In order to understand this we need to consider the place known as Valhalla and those who abide there – the Einheriar. Valhalla is not a place of ‘paradise’ and ‘peace’ since we are told that it is a training-ground for the Fallen Hero-Warriors who fight and fall and then rise again to feast with the Gods. It is the Hall of the Fallen Warriors where they train ready for Ragnarok and will be lead out of Valhalla by Woden and by Ragnar Lodbrok.

There is no logic in seeing the Einheriar as being every soldier who dies in battle, as is usually thought, for in the wars of the last 100 years, unknowingly in most cases but knowingly in some cases, some soldiers fought against their own gods, just as has happened in vary ancient times – as recorded in Norse Mythology where the wiles of Loki the Deceiver caused so many disastrous conflicts between Gods and Elves and also in the world of Men. The Einheriar are those who fight the Holy War for Gods and Men against the Jötun, and are thus resurrected throughout the ages – again and again – in order to fight this Eternal Struggle. That the Vikings left us an account of Valhalla and the role of the Einheriar is significant in view of my ideas put forward in other sources.

I have had to go off the track slightly in order to point out the difference between the mass of people and the Warrior-Hero-Elite which were once known as the ‘Twice-Born’ or the Arya. It was through the destruction of these Elite Warrior-Kings and Æthlingas through revolutions, wars and through replacing them through the power of money, that the Dark Jöten has gained control of the world. Much is made of the physical means to counter this but without a Spiritual Revolution this will be of no avail. I have looked at the runic formula ALU but the bulk of the work here has been related to ULA which is the movement of the Fire-Serpent from the base upwards. Miguel Serrano states that the movement should also be from the top downwards which is indeed true, since this is the spiritualisation of matter and of the Earth. The idea of an upwards-downwards movement of this Vital Energy is underlined by the figure of Ratatosk in Norse Myth, who runs up and down the World Tree communicating between the Serpent and the Eagle.

We can evolve a set of spiritual exercises from these Three Cauldrons and the runic formula ALU-ULA, but it is also necessary to study the various points made about each centre, and to focus attention on each centre and how it can be opened through the way we live our lives. The runes are an aid to opening these three centres, and there is also a ritual which could aid the retention of the Blood-Memory after death, whence the energy is raised from the base (Inverted Triangle) to the centre, and then to the top (Triangle). This (we are told) should be done on the point of death. Since the centre-point is linked to the blood we can then equate this with the ‘Rune of the Blood’ – Ing – which is a diamond-shape and thus the fusion of the top and bottom symbols.

(*) I became aware of this through Steed who had recognised its links too what we were doing on ALU. 

(**) alwanza is a very interesting word that we get from the Hittites, who are usually seen as being of the Aryan Race. The prefix alw- is quite obviously alu(u) but the suffix -anza is very much like the Ansuz-Rune, which forms part of the formula itself. [Added 9/8/2018]