Ehwaz: the Spirit of Cooperation

Ehwaz (the Horse)

Meaning: Companionship, Cooperation, Going the Distance, Loyalty, Reliance, Speed Through Teamwork, Social Harmony, Teamwork

Affirmations: I am cooperative and harmonious within my community.

Associations: Friendships, the Horse, the Letter M, Pets, Teams and Work Partnerships

Ehwaz is the rune of social harmony, loyalty, and cooperation. I also personally identify Ehwaz as the rune of the companion animal, because of its association with loyal partnerships and the horse, which is why it is featured here with the Wolf of Rabbit and Wolf, Doobert! Well, his paws, anyway.

The energy of Ehwaz is friendly and brave, much like the spirit of the dog or horse, which I envision together, when I think of this rune's energy. It fears nothing, and may in fact look forward to any sort of obstacles, as most challenges are just more chances to prove that cooperation and teamwork can make those challenges easier. Ehwaz knows its place in the community, and works to fulfill that role in an honest and loyal way. It asks us to maintain our personal boundaries, which helps our community maintain its normal flow and function, by enforcing that others take on their own responsibilities and work. In addition, Ehwaz teaches humility, and the need of the individual to belong to a supportive and healthy community.

When I look at Ehwaz, the first rune that I see composing it is Isa, Ice. Isa's steady, unchanging nature provides a lot of much needed stability to Ehwaz. It is the legs of this communal rune, after all. Tradition, a form of healthy stagnation, creates a cultural standard and day to day routine that we can come to expect from our communities and relationships. If we cannot rely on our community to remain at least somewhat the same from day to day, knowing our place in it can be quite difficult. It is also important to know, however, when change is necessary, such as when an idea or behavior in a community or pairing has grown stagnant or harmful.

As well Isa, I see Laguz, the rune of Water. Laguz provides Ehwaz it's element of flexibility and emotional understanding, an important component that all communities and relationships have to have in order to last for the long term. A certain amount of flow is absolutely necessary to avoid constant conflict, and emotions are a very core component of any relationship. The balance of these energies is also important, which is why Laguz reflects into itself. We cannot only serve ourselves, or our communities and partners. We must serve one another equally, or at least well enough to equal that neither side feels at a disadvantage or used. If we do find ourselves feeling taken advantage of, we can always carry on. If we are using others, we can adapt, like a river into rain.

The final rune I notice when I study Ehwaz is Kenaz. I find this very apt because they not only have similar names, but also work together very well. Knowing your own self, and how your external and internal worlds serve your higher purpose, is pivotal to finding your place in the proper community in the proper way. Letting others guide us may eventually get us somewhere that is decent and serves a good enough role in our lives, but if we truly guide ourselves, we will wind up where we are destined to be, doing what we are meant to do. Kenaz helps to fully illuminate the emotions of ourselves, and the deep set traditions of the communities we find ourselves in, to determine if we are upon our proper path, after all.

All in all, Ehwaz asks that we take the time to get to know our individual communities and partners, and their needs, so that we can best fulfill them, but also to make sure that we are happy meeting those requirements, in the first place. Working together with others is a complicated but rewarding process, Ehwaz asks us to learn.

I have included a spread that uses the energies of Ehwaz to tell us more about our current role in our current community. If you use this spread, I'd love to see your pulls! Please tag #RunicWisdom or #RunicWisdom Ehwaz to make sure I can see it. I have also created an easily shareable image of this spread on my Instagram, for those who would like to share it with their friends!