Nauthiz - The Meanings of the Runes
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Nauthiz, the tenth letter in the Elder Futhark alphabet which is also sometimes spelled "naudhiz", directly translates to "need" as in "being in need/distress" or "necessity". In ancient rune poems, nauthiz comes with an implication of restraints as well as the implication that these barriers or restraints serve a purpose. They are there to teach something to the person that is restrained by them.
Everyone faces difficulties and barriers in life, things that hold them back or set them back, whether that is internal or external. However, these difficulties serve a purpose in that they can help us learn, grow, and grow a thicker skin. Often, we are in need when something is out of our control. After all, if a certain situation was in our control, we wouldn't be "in need". We would already have the means by which to fix the problem or go after the solution. But the important thing to remember is that situations in which we lack control are natural. They happen in life; it's inevitable.
Old Germanic poetry warns about the undependability of fortune--both good fortune or good luck as well as fortune telling. Nobody has good fortune all of the time, and fate is never guaranteed. Never solely rely on what a fortune told you. Instead, you can only rely on how you choose to respond to the challenge. Consider how even rune readings are considered guidance and advice. Rather than future predictions, they offer possibilities to consider of what could happen.
Nauthiz is both conflict and deliverance. It is the problem which ignites a solution. If you have nothing to push against in life, you aren't ever going to move anywhere.
This is a powerful rune for protection spells as well as spells for internal drive and ambition. It can also imbue any spell with the force of necessity.
In a reading, this rune can symbolize problems and constraints. This could be spiritual, internal, the odds being stacked against you, or enemies standing in your way, but remember that this is not a negative rune. At least that is part of what this rune teaches us: it doesn't have to be negative unless we allow it to be. This rune presents when you are dealing with or are about to deal with a problem that has a solution. On the other side of this challenge, this problem could be beneficial, an opportunity for learning and for growth. But you have to approach it properly because nauthiz is a sign that there is a need for change, transformation, or possibly patience. Check the runes surrounding nauthiz in your reading in order to determine what this required change is.
Summary
Direct translation: "Need"
Symbolizes: Problems, constraints, conflict and deliverance, overcoming odds/challenges
Features to note: It is the problem which ignites a solution. This problem could be beneficial, an opportunity for learning and for growth. Nauthiz is a sign that there is a need for change, transformation, or possibly patience.
Resources (paid links):
Taking Up the Runes by Diana L. Paxson
Runes for Beginners by Lisa Chamberlain
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