City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

Modern Symbols
20th-Century Runes

Figure 17 shows a collection of symbols that can be used in modern rune rituals (see page 193). They are symbols with which I have experimented and had success. There are many more to be discovered. Ignore those that do not resonate with you and supply yourself with ones that do. The wonderful thing about creating your own tradition is that there are no rules. You can pay homage to the past, or simply create the symbols that feel correct for you. Most divination systems have a set number of pieces, a magical number resonating with the system. The traditional Norse runes, the Elder Futhark, has 24 symbols. The Younger Futhark has 16 runes. The I Ching has 64 hexagrams. The tarot has 78 cards. Use a number that is correct for you. You can add to it, as long as the symbol system does not become too complicated for you to use it easily.

Airplane

The invention of the modern airplane gave humanity a chance to master the dimension of flight. Metaphysically, the airplane obviously resonates with the element of air, both mastery, as signified by a “successful” flight, and a disaster. The airplane symbol on an outward and obvious level can mean travel by plane, or, more important, travel by mind. Place your thoughts, your worldview, into a new location. Sometimes, the journey is more important than the destination. Excitement and potential danger are signified by this marker, though the danger can seem exaggerated, since, statistically, travel by plane is much safer than travel by car.

Figure 17. Modern rune symbols.

Answering Machine

Of our many loved communication devices, the answering machine is a favorite of many. Acting as a personal secretary, it can simultaneously take messages and screen phone calls, allowing you to avoid those to whom you do not wish to speak. Only our modern world could simultaneously embrace the answering machine or voice mail to avoid people, and call-waiting to make sure we don’t miss anyone important. For those who, when calling, get the answering machine continuously, it becomes a source of constant frustration. This symbol indicates miscommunication, avoidance, and the feeling that someone is too busy for you. It can also mean that the responsibilities you are avoiding are piling up.

Arrow

The arrow is a symbol of direction. It can point where you are going. At other times, as in a one-way street sign, it can indicate restriction. If you turn this way, you have no choice but to follow the arrow. There is no turning back. In a rune reading, the arrow symbol can point toward another symbol, indicating that those energies are unavoidable. It can also point to the pathway that will answer your question.

Atomic

The symbol of the atom shows great potential for creation and destruction. The atom itself is the basic building block of matter and, ultimately, of life. It symbolizes the knowledge humanity has gathered regarding the physical sciences in such a short time, and how much more knowledge it has to discover. The atom is a great symbol for the misuse of knowledge and power, whether in science or magick. The atomic bomb can be seen as one of the greatest misuses of power in the world. The potential problems deriving from atomic energy are also given this symbol. Remember, however, that the Sun’s light also works on atomic principles, so all atomic energy is not clouded by the specter of the bomb. The atomic symbol truly denotes power, for good or evil. With that power comes the potential for misuse.

Balloon

Balloons go up and away, rising with gases lighter than air. The symbol is obviously connected to the sky realms and the idea of rising. For some, this may be a message of enlightenment, of continually expanding perspective, or gaining a greater vantage point. The balloon also signifies some potential problems. As you go higher, you gain a greater perspective of the whole, but may lose track of details and become detached from individual people and situations. Sometimes things rise without us. Think of a crying child accidentally letting a balloon go and watching it float away. Moreover, once something goes up, it usually comes back down, with no control over the location of descent. Balloons are battered by the winds of fate and have no control of the journey. Depending on your need for control and attachment, the lesson of the balloon symbol can be a blessing or a curse.

Boat

The boat is master voyager, a tried-and-true form of travel. Tales of magical boats and journeys by boat are plentiful in mythology. Water is not only the emotional or the astral, but also the gateway to the otherworld, the underworld in Celtic myths. A journey by boat is a journey of the soul as much as of the body. On a mundane level, the symbol can indicate an actual boat journey or time spent near the water. On a metaphysical level, it can indicate an emotional or magical journey, often for healing or transformative purposes. Like boat rides, emotional relationships can be smooth and steady, tranquil or turbulent, filled with sound and fury.

Brick Wall

Like many symbols, the brick wall has two interpretations. It can indicate a wall that is blocking you from going somewhere or doing something you desire. It can represent an obstacle with which you have difficulty. You could potentially climb over it, but you have no idea what is on the other side. The other possibility is that the brick wall is protecting you from something on the other side. It is a defensive measure you have put in place. Unlike a window, although it is strong, it does not allow you to see what is on the other side. You can climb to the top and peer over, but that action could reveal you to your enemies. Both these meanings share the common element of obscurity—the unknown on the other side of the wall. You may have created the wall, or it may have been created by someone else. In divination readings, look to see what is being blocked by the wall.

Car

The car is another symbol of elemental transportation. Driving over roads and highways, the car resonates with the element of earth. It stays close to the ground and relies on the land as its foundation. For many, car travel is a more practical method of travel, despite its obvious environmental drawbacks. The car symbol indicates a practical, usually short-term, journey, often in the mundane sense, by car. It also indicates the potential for people to humanize objects, giving their cars names or assuming they have a personality and disposition. Many spend a lot of time in their cars. Some live out of them, seeing them as a second home. Many keep little necessities in them, giving them a very lived-in feeling. In a reading, the car symbol can indicate travel, or a home away from home.

Clock

The clock, whether mechanical or digital, is the mechanism by which we measure out our days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Society works on an agreed objective division of time. Through this common language, appointments are made, schedules set, and things agreed upon. The clock symbol can indicate the necessity or importance of time and scheduling, or the lack of time. Many feel they are running out of time and this symbol usually indicates deadlines or missed opportunities, if you are not aware of time.

Computer

Computers are, to many, the modern miracle. Many jobs would be much more difficult without this invention. Computers indicate the ability to do many different tasks, and often to do them at one time. They indicate the potential for worldwide communication. Some see them as artistic tools for composition, music, and graphics. Others see computers in a darker light, as machines that take us away from nature and basic skills. Both are correct. As with the atomic symbol, there is a dark side and a light side to this technology. The ultimate extension of the computer symbol occurs in the world of AIs, or artificial intelligences—self-aware computers. Speculated about in many science fiction movies, this is the ultimate interface of humankind and a potential new life-form. Will these creatures be kind to their creators? Although they will probably be relegated to science fiction for quite a while, the potential for disasters still exists. The computer symbol will always carry your own personal interpretation. Do you see it as a helpful or harmful tool? What do you use it for, if at all?

Dollar Sign

The dollar sign obviously indicates money, but, on an esoteric level, it indicates the more subtle levels of prosperity, abundance, resources, and the talents and education needed to acquire wealth. Depending on what symbols are near it, the dollar sign can indicate where and how wealth will be made or lost.

Garbage Can

Garbage is the unwanted waste, refuse, and remains of our activities. The symbol itself indicates something thrown away, something discarded in life. For some, the symbol can aptly describe emotional garbage and unhealthy relationships, as well as physical refuse. Sometimes, it marks things accidentally abandoned. Think of how many times you may have searched the trash bag for something you needed, like a receipt or a check stub. The search through the unwanted waste is never pleasant, indicating a need to deal with what you created, even if you thought you had thrown it away. In reality, there is no “away.” There is only here and there.

Go

The green traffic light is a symbol giving permission to go forward. The road is safe and clear, proceed with your plans. When you are looking for permission to do something or go somewhere, the go symbol indicates you have the green light to proceed.

Gun

Guns and gun control are a hot topic in North America. Gun violence, particularly when children are involved, is a growing problem. Many, however, believe in the right to bear arms for protection. The lines are getting blurred in the types of weapons and responsibilities involved in gun ownership. For some, the gun symbol is an indication of protection, either present or needed. For others, the symbol means potential danger or attack. Many associate guns solely with the criminal element. For those living in the city, the chance of being robbed, or knowing someone who was robbed, is high. You can substitute the gun with another weapon that you feel is appropriate to your rune set.

Key

The key is the symbol of opening. The key unlocks barriers and obstacles. It can indicate a doorway through the brick walls around you. The key unlocks parts of your self that you hide or information you seek. A key without a lock marks a search for its match, or a quest, a desire to find your missing half, which can be interpreted romantically in a reading.

Lightbulb

In comic strips, a lightbulb above the head depicts an idea or inspiration. Similarly, in the runes, the lightbulb symbol shows a burst of insight or knowing. On a mundane level, it can indicate electricity. As an esoteric principle, it resonates with fire, spirit energy, and life force.

Man

This familiar symbol, found on many bathroom doors, means you are working with a masculine energy. Notice I did not say “man,” necessarily. Though many men may be the living archetypes of masculine force, both good and bad, that energy is not restricted to people of that gender, or to people at all. Masculine energy indicates an active, electric, more aggressive energy. Many times, it is more mental in nature and more likely to project outward rather than look inward. Again, these qualities do not indicate men in general, just the energy described here.

Medical

The ancient symbol of the medical profession, the serpent and staff of the caduceus, is used here. If you prefer, a simple cross, like those found on ambulances, can be used as a modern rune. The caduceus is originally the symbol of the God Hermes, a founder of many of the arts and sciences of ancient Greece that became the building blocks of modern Western society, minus much of its esoteric content. On a mundane level, the symbol indicates medical aid or the need for it. Such a divination would indicate potential illness or injury. Sometimes, the medical aid is traditional, other times less so. Most important, the symbol marks the relationship between life force and the body, and the true roots of disease that lie in the spirit. If your spirit is relaxed and easy, it will experience no “dis-ease,” unless you bring it out of balance through your actions, thoughts, and feelings.

Pedestrian

On the roads, a pedestrian-crossing sign indicates a potential danger in the area, danger that you, as a driver, can cause to someone not in a vehicle. The symbol indicates those who might be caught in the “crossfire” of your action, usually inadvertently. These people do not have the same situation or protection that you do. The crossing sign also points to a potential crossroad, where many paths lie before you. It may also indicate simply that you must cross one path before you can continue on your journey.

Poison

The familiar skull and crossbones tells us danger is near, and, more important, toxicity. Poison has the potential to make you sick or make you dead, and care must be taken around all toxic substances. The poison symbol in these runes is not restricted to physical substances and chemicals, but more often points to toxic or poisonous relationships. It tells us something or someone is poisoning us and often this slow poison is operating on an emotional level. When someone is angry or jealous of you, speaking badly, they are said to “spew venom,” an animal’s natural poison. Toxic relationships are the most difficult to break, for, at times, these harsh feelings become addictive patterns and we no longer realize they are harmful.

Prohibited

The circle with a slash, usually red, tells the viewer that the word or action depicted within the circle is prohibited, not allowed. The rune symbol means the same thing. An action you desire, or an action related to your question, is not allowed at this time, at this place. If you ask a question about starting a romantic relationship with someone specific, and you receive the prohibited symbol, the answer is not likely to be favorable.

Railroad

Railroad-crossing signs signify the opposite of the pedestrian symbol. Here, at the crossroad, you must be aware and cautious, because stronger, potentially destructive forces may be crossing your path. The magical image of the crossroad, the province of the Greek Goddess Hecate, is the image of a junction point between worlds and realms. The many paths between the worlds can lead you where you want to go. First, you must decide where that is.

Recycle

The recycling symbol is the rune of transformation. One substance, now useless and discarded, is transmuted into something more useful. As we learn to recycle our wastes to create our future, the concept behind the symbol becomes even more important to our survival. In magick, this rune indicates a transformation of old to new, whether physical, personal, or spiritual.

Rocket

The rocket is our last mode of elemental transportation. The fires of the rocket guide it out to the great beyond, beyond the realms of earth, air, and water. This method of transportation obviously resonates with fire, but also with the undefinable life force that reaches beyond our earthly perception. Usually, the rocket rune does not mean travel by rocket, but a controlled spiritual journey upward. Danger is a potential, but growth and understanding are more likely.

Scissors

Scissors are a tool for cutting. This marker means that you are making a break or cutting things away, usually ties to people, places, and situations. The familiar image of cutting the apron strings is an example of this symbol at work. It can indicate cutting off unhealthy or healthy relationships. Sometimes, we push away those who could help us and maintain binding ties to unhelpful forces in our lives. The meaning of the scissors symbol in a divination depends on what is near it and on your own intuition.

Shoe

The shoe, or more important, the foot, is the sign of walking, travel under your own physical power, through no other vehicle than your own body. This symbol demonstrates the ability to be self-reliant. Walking journeys are introspective, a time to think things through and explore in a relaxed setting. All the aspects of the sidewalking exercise relate strongly to the shoe symbol. Drawing this rune in a magical work can indicate a need for some city sidewalking.

Skyscraper

The skyscraper is the image of the archetypal Worldscraper, the connective force between the worlds. It can be the mundane world of the street level, with its upper crust of business elite, or a symbol of the worlds within us, a connection of the middle self to the sky self (higher self) and the lower, hidden self, the unconscious or psychic self. The most important lesson of this rune is the connection between vastly different realms. Depending on what other symbols are used, the skyscraper symbol is the vast bridge between worlds, people, and self-images.

Stop

The octagonal red street sign means stop to drivers. The rune bearing the same image is a call to come to a complete stop. Then look around and proceed with caution. Such signs are there for your own safety, as well as the safety of others. When you receive this sign, take time to weigh your options and be cautious. Obstacles and injury can be avoided with some awareness.

Telephony

The telephone is a key to verbal communication, the medium of words. It carries the implicit drawback, however, that you cannot see the reaction of the person on the other end. The phone is a double-edged sword, giving the gift of easy communication over great distances, and the potential for miscommunication. Telephone wires are the metaphorical web that connects most households and businesses across the world. They are a symbol of unity, but, as with a web, make sure you do not get caught in the pitfalls. Most important, this rune indicates two-way communication, back and forth between people.

Television

The television is a one-way window on the world. The television symbol indicates information you are receiving and can react to, but does not indicate one-on-one communication. The information flows in one direction. You cannot send a message or an image back across the box to those you just saw. In a divination, drawing this rune can indicate absorbing information, or simply entertainment, but also the inability to communicate a response. It can mean a one-way relationship, one in which you feel more like an audience member than an actual participant.

Test Tube

The image of a laboratory fascinated me as I was growing up. The idea of discovery through actual experience, actual experimentation, was a magical concept. The test-tube laboratory is a place of wonder and science, of potential miracles, but also of potential dangers and poisons. Another symbol of the blessing and curse of science, the test tube rune stands for all these things and more. The symbol means medicine, elixirs of life and love, advances in science, and fertility for those seeking artificial means of conception. The test tube also stands for explosion, poison, and accident. The fragile glass can contain a miracle cure or the pox, and one wrong move can release it. You may see the vial as Pandora’s Box, never knowing what is inside until you release it.

Woman

Another symbol found on bathroom doors everywhere, it indicates the female. For our purposes here, it indicates feminine energy, and not necessarily a person of the feminine gender. Qualities of feminine energy include intuition, emotion, grounding, nurturing, protection, and receptivity. Some say feminine energy is passive, but I see it as more receptive, going within for answers instead of seeking them outside the self.

Yield

The triangular traffic sign means you must let others go before you. They have the right of way; you do not. The rune also indicates that you are in a subservient position and must yield to another who has the right of way. The yield symbol does not mean that you will always be in this position, or that your efforts are completely blocked. It simply means you must let others pass until the right opportunity presents itself to you.

Here I have given you thirty-three modern symbols to get you started. You can use them as a complete system, or modify them as needed for you magick and divination. Add symbols specific to your own experiences, like symbols of totem animals you’ve encountered on your shamanic journeys. Use the names of beings you meet in these journeys. Your system of city runes does not have to be limited to modern symbols. One of the greatest modern traditions is borrowing from the past. If you have some favorite ancient symbols, use them. Add to the symbols or replace a few. The symbols for Venus and Mars can be used for woman and man, bringing the connotations of both gender and the planetary energies.

EXERCISE 20—RUNIC SIDEWALKING

Perform a sidewalking adventure, as explained in Exercise 9 (see page 79). This time, start with the intention to quest for magical symbols to add to your runic system. You can carry a pen and paper with you to write down these new symbols.

Mark on your magical street map where you find these symbols, both new ones and the ones listed above. These can be additional places of power for you, particularly when making city sigils. You can combine the power of these modern runes with your streetwise magical symbols.