Copyright 2008 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
Trollwise Press
Uncle Thor's Magazine Online
Magickal Survival
Practical Advice for Handling Disaster
The following is drawn from work on
a new book. These are basic ideas that will be covered more thoroughly in the
book. All of these are drawn from actual experience and observation. It was my
experience and my observation of others in similar straits. I sincerely hope you
never get into that kind of situation. If you do, these things may
help.
When you are caught up in a jackpot and need help fast, you do not have time
for bind runes or runic pairings or talismans and amulets. The best thing to do
is focus on the Rune that will help you in your immediate situation. One Rune
can do the trick, and it works better when your mind is not cluttered with
trying to create a Runic formula.
Here are a few examples:
Raido R will get you out of there
fast. It is a Rune of movement. Use it to get away, use it to get to where you
need to be. Raido R brings the means to
move quickly.
Naud N can slow someone down, Use it to
buy time. Isa I can also stop things but
it is temporary. A determined adversary will eventually find a way to bypass Isa
or get through it.
Thurs t can repel and
deter. It is a good defense, but be careful. Should you need to keep a clear
head, Thurs t and Tyr T are two runes that can make you angry. When
trouble comes, anger is a luxury you cannot afford.
If you are hurt, Urus U can call up enough
energy to get you moving again. It will only be temporary, depending on the
severity of injury. Healing requires energy. Urus U
and Bjork B are the energies that
heal. Note that if you are tired, Urus U will help you stay awake. Bjork B will let you fall asleep and in some cases may
induce sleep so as to enhance healing. Do not use Bjork B if you must stay awake and alert.
Elk Z can hallow and protect, especially
if it is covering a place. It is a good defense.
Odal O can get you shelter with overhead
cover.
Fe F can get you food and necessities. It
can also get you a quarter for a phone call.
Lagu L can get you something to drink.
Lagu L and Peord P can both get you a bowl of soup
In a pinch, Runes run very close to their most literal interpretation.
Knowing that makes using them easier.
Spoken spells are priceless. They need no equipment. You can whisper them, or
even do them silently. If you know you might face danger, have at least one for
wounds and one for general injuries. A good protective spell is also of
value.
In matters of food, invoke Aegir and Ran.
Desperation and worry can inhibit your spells. Try to get a
moment of calm before you do magickal work.
In troubled times, you need a clear head. Anger will pull you
off course. It is a danger. Remember that an old trick of boxers was to make
their opponent angry. An angry opponent makes mistakes.
Fear
can save you, fear can kill you. The first thing to do when you feel afraid is
to acknowledge it to yourself. That makes it manageable, turning it from a
liability to an asset. Manageable fear makes you careful. It makes you more
alert. Stupid fear inhibits you. It makes you indecisive and hesitant. Keep
control of your fear and it will work for you. Do not let it control you or it
will work against you.
Do
not be stupid. Pay attention to the obvious. Stick to your primary mission,
which is to get through the difficulty with as little damage as possible.
Guilt,
worry and resentment clutter the mind. If you cannot eliminate them, put them
aside until later.
Revenge
is a double edged sword. In some cases, it gives a person incentive to succeed.
In others, it distracts a person from his primary goal. It is fine to succeed to
spite somebody. It is counterproductive to abandon your survival just to get
some “payback.”
On one hand, keep a standard of behavior. Note the bottom limit of what you
will and will not do. At the same time, be ready to do things that you might
have thought beneath you. These things will not go against your standards.
For
instance, do not let desperation make you beg. On the other hand, if things are
really bad and you have no prospects for work, do not be too proud to pump gas
or bag groceries.
Relationships with friends will change,. Some will want to
give advice, and then be angry if you do not take it. They will try to find
fault with you for your circumstances. If a friend shows these traits, distance
yourself from him. The shift is psychological. Seeing you down and out, some
folks will unconsciously feel superior to you. Their advice is condescending,
and it is not based on any experience in handling difficulties. It is a thing of
”I am better than you and I know more than you.” This kind of thing happens a
lot.
You
will find out who is a true friend and who is a sunny day acquaintance.
In troubled times, you need to eat at least once a day.
Shelters and soup kitchens offer free meals, but you have no choice of what to
eat. Some like the Salvation Army may make you go to a religious service before
they feed you. I believe it is best to avoid the habitations of the homeless and
downtrodden. All they can tell you is how to be more comfortable being down and
out. If they knew how to resolve the problem, they would not be in shelters. It
is better to get your food on your own, just to retain your sense of self
reliance.
Try
to get at least one meal each day that has adequate portions of vegetables,
protein and starch / carbohydrates. An easy trick was to get a couple slices of
pizza. They have bread, tomato, olive oil and cheese. There is your starch,
vegetables and protein. One large burger or two medium burgers with lettuce,
tomato, a roll and beef will do. Some people go to a salad bar. That is fine if
you are used to eating fresh vegetables. If not, be careful of how much fresh
vegetables you eat. Too many can give you the runs. When you are in “survival
mode” you do not need another problem. The runs will weaken you and tire you and
keep you pinned down.
Eating can calm you and settle you down. It can also make you lethargic. This is
because so much of your energy is needed to digest food, especially in the
first hour after eating. Soldiers know that the a fortuitous time to attack
is right after the enemy has eaten. There are times when it might be best to
delay a meal when a situation is in motion. On the other hand, it may be a good
time to eat when you feel rattled, yet there is no pressing thing for the next
couple of hours.
Leave the booze alone. Liquor, beer and wine are a luxury you cannot afford.
If you like to drink, you can always have plenty after the trouble has passed.
Likewise, do not overdo the caffeine.
Candy and snack foods are false comfort. They offer little
nutritional value, yet make higher demands on digestion than regular food. Eat
them sparingly. Do not make a meal of them.
Avoid trouble. You have enough problems without causing more
for yourself. This is not a time to get caught up in new arguments or to
rekindle old beefs.
Think
with your mind, not with your fists.
If
others are relying on you, you have no business getting arrested
Avoid the places habituated by the homeless, the indigent and the idle. If
you find yourself drawn to them, be warned that you might be mentally shifting
from getting out of trouble to abiding in it. Stay away from those places where
the homeless congregate. Avoid hanging around shelters, bus stations, train
stations, emergency rooms, street corners and skid rows. If you must spend time
and you have no specific place to go, look for places that have a purpose.
Libraries and museums are better than the streets.
“If
you do not want to become one of them, do not act like them.”
Should
you be hurt or sick, remember that magick plus medical help is a lot better than
either one alone.
When
it comes to accepting help, use discretion. Help is fine if it is freely given
and entails no future obligation. It can be a hindrance if it comes with
“strings attached” or incurs a heavy obligation. You will always do better if
you can get by without help. Unaided, you have freedom to choose. Help without
obligation can be a blessing. The other kind of help incurs some kind of debt
and should be avoided. Better to “tough it out” than owe something you would
rather not owe.
If
things are very desperate, you may have to take help that you would otherwise
avoid. The important thing is to get through today. You cannot worry about
tomorrow’s needs if you did not make it through today.
Shelter is important. If you are without a regular place to
sleep, try to plan ahead. It helps if you know where you will spend the next
night a day in advance. In other words, when you go to sleep, you want to know
where the next night will be spent. That takes a lot of pressure off of you. The
best shelter is clean and safe. It should protect you from the elements and from
human and animal pests.
Appearances matter. Once caught up in the situation, it is
easy to let yourself go. Do not allow yourself to become sloppy. A clean, neat
person gets a lot more respect than one who is disheveled, dirty and stinky.
If
you have to take handouts of clothes, be discreet. Ill-fitttng clothes make a
person look ridiculous.
Keep
your clothes clean. Keep yourself clean., If you habitually shave, then keep
doing so. Some folks may think stubble is stylish, but most think it looks
bummy. That applies to men’s beards and women’s legs.
Remember
that your appearance tells a story about you before you even open your mouth to
speak. What story do you want to tell?
Manners and other civil behavior is important. Do not let
hard times cause you to behave at less than your best. People assume good things
about a mannerly and civil person. They will treat you accordingly.
It is a fact that for many people, financial health is linked
to esteem. Hard times hits them in the self-respect department. They tend to
feel like less. This is part guilt, part embarrassment. By knowing these
feelings can happen, you are able to deal with it. Do not feed into the feelings
that erode your esteem. Just because you feel a bit less is not reason enough to
make you actually act like less. Maintain yourself. Maintain your appearance,
your manners, and your better nature. Eventually those downer feelings will
pass.
Do not forget to check in with the Gods. Thor will protect
you, Odin will guide you, Freyja will love you and Frigga will comfort you.
Njord listens, Heimdall wards, Tyr prepares for battle and for court. Aegir and
Ran inspire mysterious artful talents. Call on them and you will never starve.
If you are in a pinch and do not know which to call, just call whichever one
comes to mind. For a brother or sister, any Ase or Vane will help when
called.
Do what you need to survive. Where there is life, there is
hope. Once dead, always dead. The important thing is to do whatever is necessary
to survive. You might not like what you lose to get through your situation. You
might mot like what you have to do to get through. The important thing is that
you get through, no matter what. Once you are through and are safely on the
other side of it, you have hope.
Think of getting through trouble like going through a tunnel
with a narrow passage way. You cannot deviate to either side. Your every effort
must be focused on getting to the other side of the tunnel. Once outside, all
the other things can be handled. Whatever you lose along that journey is of no
consequence until you get out the other side.
When you are in the thick of it, and there is no prospect of help, you will
appreciate the Runes and other magick. Hard times will prove to you what magick
works, and what does not. Magick is only as good
as the person using it. You must back it up with good judgement and the right
actions.
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