Kenaz: Our Torch in the Dark

Greetings from the Mystic Cave,

In vision this week I asked what symbol I was to write about, what felt pressing to share, and the rune Kenaz came through.

It surprised me as it hasn’t recently appeared in a reading or a dream and in my experience, symbols typically make themselves known multiple times, eager to be seen, their message fervent.

So what did Kenaz want to share and why now?

At first glance, Kenaz is a straightforward rune, it represents the torch, bringing light to the dark and illuminating all we need to see. If you imagine the shape of Kenaz to be the light beam, you can picture a little handle behind it, forming a modern day flashlight.

Ken is knowledge ‘to know’, distinguishing what is real from the false light.

As I sat with its energy a little more, the words became clear:

Illuminate. Shine. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Creation comes from the earth, the air, the source. Nourished by the light, nurtured by the sun. True growth isn’t always clear until the path ends. A choice is forced.

I believe we all have one overarching path in life (I tend to follow numerology on that one, Life Path 7 here) and then as we go through life we’re presented with options, the path splits off in various directions. Now sometimes (quite often actually) the path gets muddied by other people’s expectations, influences, ideas, and they’re not always aligned with what we truly want.

This week, Kenaz invites a sacred micro pause. A reassessment of the path ahead.

On a global scale, the first two weeks of January have been wild and even those of us that started out with the best intentions, feeling energised for new beginnings, are probably feeling energetically exhausted right about now, I know I am.

Plus planetary wise, the old cycles are still wrapping up (I’m no astrologer, but I do take these things into account.) And consequently it doesn’t feel like it’s time for ‘new’ yet.

So I invite you to join me in taking a sacred pause at some point in time over the coming week, switching on the light of Kenaz and letting it shine ahead, asking for it to illuminate what needs to be seen.

Maybe you’d set yourself some pretty intense new year goals? Maybe you’d pressured yourself into having it all figured out? And now it’s all feeling rather different (Forever guilty of that over here.) Whatever the case, Kenaz invites us to see.

Now just for a bit of fun, I took a look at Kenaz through the lens of Tarot and it had me frothing! (bit of Aussie slang for you).

Runes carry such a layered energy within them and tarot really illuminates their multifaceted nature.

First up, there’s The Fool, taking the leap into the unknown and joyously following the path ahead with that blind optimism we all sometimes need. In this energy, the sacred pause of Kenaz asks: What lights you up? What brings you joy? And you don’t have to have it all figured out to follow it.

Elements of The Empress also shine through. Kenaz carries the energy of creativity, that essence, that spark, which springs forth from the fertile void.

The Hierophant another, to seek wisdom and knowledge, Kenaz is exactly that. The card of The Hanged One too, enlightenment through sacred pause.

Now, I feel a lot of people may instantly associate Kenaz with The Hermit, given the lantern they carry to help ‘see’ in the dark. But to me, The Hermit more aligns with the energy of Raidho and the journey through life.

The Hermit asks for introspection, to turn inward, whereas Kenaz is more outward, a communion with source. It’s a subtle difference, and one could argue that both are one and the same, but hey, my cave my rules (jokes jokes).

Lets throw a little numerology into the mix too, because why not. Kenaz carries the energy of the 6. A number associated with seeing the bigger picture, it’s creative and visionary. The energy of the 6 is also deeply nurturing. And maybe Kenaz asks that we nurture ourselves by following our truth?

In Tarot the sixth card is The Lovers, and one aspect of this card is about making soul-aligned choices. The people on the card present themselves, naked, exposed, presenting who they are in all their truth.

This is who I am, see me.

We’ve got so used to contorting ourselves, to be, look and feel a certain way, we’ve become disconnected from our own desires. In truth, this has happened for aeons, it’s not new, it makes sense, to be liked and to present a certain way is to survive. But this online world has catapulted our parameters, our truth so distorted that it’s hard to distinguish.

Kenaz is a reminder to look, to search, to see.

Shine a light on what you want, what do you desire? What brings you joy? What do you want to learn? Where do you want to go? And who do you want to do it with?

Until next week, be well, stay curious.