wyrd games--the uath rune

From Middle English *wath, from Old Norse vað (“a ford”). Cognate with Scots wath, Swedish vad. Related to wade. 
Noun
wath (plural waths)

1. (obsolete, except in dialect) A ford.
2. (obsolete) A fordable stream.

vath Etymology 

From Old Norse váði (“danger”).

Noun

vath (plural vaths) Danger.

wathe (uncountable)

1. The pursuit of game; hunting.
2. Game; prey.

wathe (plural wathes)

1. Peril; harm; danger.

Uath, Old Irish Úath, hÚath (IPA: [wəθ]), is the sixth letter of the Ogham alphabet, ᚆ, transcribed ⟨ʜ⟩ in manuscript tradition, but unattested in actual inscriptions. The kenning "a meet of hounds is huath" identifies the name as úath "horror, fear", although the Auraicept glosses "white-thorn":

comdal cuan huath (.i. sce L. om); no ar is uathmar hi ara deilghibh "a meet of hounds is huath (i.e. white-thorn); or because it is formidable (uathmar) for its thorns."

The original etymology of the name, and the letter's value, are however unclear.^[1] McManus (1986) suggested a value [y] (i.e. the semivowel).^[2] Peter Schrijver suggested that if úath "fear" is cognate with Latin pavere, a trace of PIE *p might have survived into Primitive Irish, but there is no independent evidence for this.^[3]

Bríatharogam

In the medieval kennings, called Bríatharogam or Word Ogham the verses associated with Úath are:
condál cúan - "assembly of packs of hounds" in the Word Ogham of Morann mic Moín
bánad gnúise - "blanching of faces" in the Word Ogham of Mac ind Óc
ansam aidche - "most difficult at night"" in the Word Ogham of Culainn.^[4]
 . . .
http://www.lazellhistoric.com/vmchk/amulets/celtic_astrology/150_uath.html
Those born under the sign Uath are often able to charm those around them without effort. Talents are many for those born at this time of year, including a flair for the dramatic and a strong sense of self. Uath favors actors, artists, dancers and politicians. Skill at subtle negotiation and diplomacy are also common. The Hawthorn stands quietly in strength and knowledge. The Chalice of Celtic legend, the Grail cup, and Dagda’s inexhaustible cauldron, are all symbols of the gifts that flow to those who are worthy. Chalices and cauldrons represent the ancient caves and wells of Ireland, from which all good things flow freely to those who honour the land.

Tree: Hawthom
Symbol: Chalice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Thorn

The Glastonbury Thorn is a form of Common Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna 'Biflora'^[1] (sometimes incorrectly called Crataegus oxyacantha var. praecox), found in and around Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Unlike ordinary hawthorn trees, it flowers twice a year (hence the name "biflora"), the first time in winter and the second time in spring. The trees in the Glastonbury area have been propagated by grafting since ancient times.^[1]
It is associated with legends about Joseph of Arimathea and the arrival of Christianity in Britain, and has appeared in written texts since the medieval period. A flowering sprig is sent to the British Monarch every Christmas. The original tree has been propagated several times, with one tree growing at Glastonbury Abbey and another in the churchyard of the Church of St John. The "original" Glastonbury Thorn was cut down and burned as a relic of superstition during the English Civil War, and one planted on Wearyall Hill in 1951 to replace it had its branches cut off in 2010.
Common Hawthorn is extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural use. Its spines and close branching habit render it effectively stock and human proof with some basic maintenance. The traditional practice of hedge laying is most commonly practised with this species. It is a good fire wood which burns with a good heat and little smoke.^[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus_monogyna
. . .
"whereas letters of the tetragrammaton correlate with the other sephirot, no letter WHATsoever can represent or describe keter ['crown'], so only the THORN of the yod [qotz in hebrew] in the tetragramaton hints at keter"
-Gabriella Samuel in Kabbalah Handbook
"In the image of the tetragrammaton we see, once again, a strong contrast between the conscious, composite personality of the four primary elements, in contrast to a higher fifth essential power, indicated by the thorn of the yod."
from the kol menachem haggadah

 .  . .

A wat or vat is a monastery-temple in Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. (Thai: วัด wat Lao: ວັດ vad, Khmer: វត្ត wōat) is borrowed from Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa "enclosure".
Strictly speaking a wat is a Buddhist sacred precinct with a vihara (quarters for bhikkhus), a temple, an edifice housing a large image of Buddha and a structure for lessons. A site without a minimum of three resident bhikkhus cannot correctly be described as a wat although the term is frequently used more loosely, even for ruins of ancient temples. As a transitive or intransitive verb, wat means to measure, to take measurements; compare templum, from which temple derives, having the same root as template.
In everyday language in Thailand, a wat is any place of worship except a mosque (Thai สุเหร่า surao or มัสยิด masjid; a mosque may also be described as โบสถ์ของอิสลาม - bodkhong Isalam, literally "Islam church"). Thus a wat cheen is a Chinese temple (either Buddhist or Taoist), wat khaek is a Hindu temple and wat krit or wat farang is a Christian church, though Thai โบสถ์ (โบสถ์ bodkhong) may be used descriptively as with mosques.
In Cambodia, a wat is used to refer to all kinds of places of worship. Technically, wat generally refers to a Buddhist place of worship, but the technical term is វត្តពុទ្ធសាសនា vott poutthosaeasanea. A Christian church can be referred as វិហារយេស៊ូ vihear Yesaou or "Jesus vihear". Angkor Wat អង្គរវត្ត means "city of temples".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat
. . .
the uath rune is a sign indicating an aspirative lenition, which is to say a softening of whatever sound it appears next to. despite this is is often glossed as H (the 8th letter of the greek alphabet). or cheth, the eigth letter of the hebrew alphabet. in hebrew the letter is translated as fence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heth
The letter shape ultimately goes back to a hieroglyph for "courtyard",
(possibly named ḥasir in the Middle Bronze Age alphabets, while the name goes rather back to ḫayt, the name reconstructed for a letter derived from a hieroglyph for "thread",
. In Arabic "thread" is خيط xajtˤ or xeːtˤ
The corresponding South Arabian letters are ḥ and ḫ, corresponding to Ge'ez Ḥauṭ ሐ and Ḫarm ኀ.


as an apirative sign it is connected with the breath of life. cheth is the first letter of "chai" life.
  Instructor: The Latin symbol 8 rotated 180 degrees is the symbol of infinity. This relates with Chet, life, because in the symbol is the entire process that we have been describing. It is a continual flow of division and joining. Observe the two parts of the symbol joined sexually. The energy that flows through the symbol separates, moves around and rejoins continually, infinitely. The flow of life and death is a symbol and that is Chet. Chet specifically demonstrates the relationship between masculine and feminine principles,
http://gnosticteachings.org/courses/alphabet-of-kabbalah/728-chet.html
From the Upanishads: "The Self is the rider in the chariot of the body, drawn by the senses and horses and directed by the invisible reigns of the mind." A chariot is a portable fence. Note that the charioteer is standing on the chariot, but has his head in the stars. The number of this key, 7, is the number of Netzach on the Tree of Life, Victory. Note that the chariot is still. Victory is already assured and achieved. It is a state of consciousness. 

http://www.joyousworld.com/qabalah/words/letternames/07cheth.html

cypher: the bones and branches of the earliest written human communication of ideas.

first degree: signs, syntax, semantics. . .spells and spelling
 
ogham runes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham
"Ogham /ˈɒɡəm/^[1] (Modern Irish [ˈoːm] or [ˈoːəm]; Old Irish: ogam [ˈɔɣam]) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the so-called "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries), and later the Old Irish language."
"Scholars such as Carney and MacNeill have suggested that ogham was first created as a cryptic alphabet, designed by the Irish so as not to be understood by those with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet.^[11] With this school of thought, it is asserted that the alphabet was created by Irish scholars or druids for political, military or religious reasons to provide a secret means of communication in opposition to the authorities of Roman Britain."
"It appears that the ogham alphabet was modelled on another script,^[7] and some even consider it a mere cipher of its template script (Düwel 1968:^[8] points out similarity with ciphers of Germanic runes). The largest number of scholars favours the Latin alphabet as this template,^{[citation needed]} although the Elder Futhark and even the Greek alphabet have their supporters.^[9] Runic origin would elegantly explain the presence of "H" and "Z" letters unused in Irish, as well as the presence of vocalic and consonantal variants "U" vs. "W" unknown to Latin or Greek writing."
"According to the 11th-century Lebor Gabála Érenn, the 14th-century Auraicept na n-Éces, and other Medieval Irish folklore, ogham was first invented soon after the fall of the Tower of Babel, along with the Gaelic language, by the legendary Scythian king, Fenius Farsa. According to the Auraicept, Fenius journeyed from Scythia together with Goídel mac Ethéoir, Íar mac Nema and a retinue of 72 scholars. They came to the plain of Shinar to study the confused languages at Nimrod's tower (the Tower of Babel). Finding that they had already been dispersed, Fenius sent his scholars to study them, staying at the tower, co-ordinating the effort. After ten years, the investigations were complete, and Fenius created in Bérla tóbaide "the selected language", taking the best of each of the confused tongues, which he called Goídelc, Goidelic, after Goídel mac Ethéoir. He also created extensions of Goídelc, called Bérla Féne, after himself, Íarmberla, after Íar mac Nema, and others, and the Beithe-luis-nuin (the ogham) as a perfected writing system for his languages. The names he gave to the letters were those of his 25 best scholars.
Alternatively, the Ogam Tract credits Ogma mac Elathan (Ogmios) with the script's invention. Ogma was skilled in speech and poetry, and created the system for the learned, to the exclusion of rustics and fools. The first message written in Ogam were seven b's on a birch, sent as a warning to Lug mac Elathan, meaning: "your wife will be carried away seven times to the otherworld unless the birch protects her". For this reason, the letter b is said to be named after the birch, and In Lebor Ogaim goes on to tell the tradition that all letters were named after trees, a claim also referred to by the Auraicept as an alternative to the naming after Fenius' disciples."
"The letter names are interpreted as names of trees or shrubs in manuscript tradition, both in Auraicept na n-Éces ('The Scholars' Primer') and In Lebor Ogaim ('The Ogam Tract'). They were first discussed in modern times by Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh (1685), who took them at face value. The Auraicept itself is aware that not all names are known tree names, saying "Now all these are wood names such as are found in the Ogham Book of Woods, and are not derived from men", admitting that "some of these trees are not known today". The Auraicept gives a short phrase or kenning for each letter, known as a Bríatharogam, that traditionally accompanied each letter name, and a further gloss explaining their meanings and identifying the tree or plant linked to each letter. Only five of the twenty primary letters have tree names that the Auraicept considers comprehensible without further glosses, namely beith "birch", fearn "alder", saille "willow", duir "oak" and coll "hazel". All the other names have to be glossed or "translated" with a plant name."

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ogham.htm

 

 . . .

Vinca Symbols:

"The importance of these findings lies in the fact that the bulk of the Vinča symbols was created in the period between 4500 and 4000 BC, with the ones on the Tărtăria clay tablets even dating back to around 5300 BC.^[2] This means that the Vinča finds predate the proto-Sumerian pictographic script from Uruk (modern Iraq), which is usually considered as the oldest known script, by more than a thousand years."

"The primary advocate of the idea that the markings represent writing, and the person who coined the name "Old European Script", was Marija Gimbutas (1921–1994),^[4] an important 20th century archaeologist and advocate of the hypothesis that the "Kurgan culture" (actually a cluster of many related cultures and horizons) of the Pontic steppe was the archaeological expression of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. She reconstructed a hypothetical pre-Indo-European "Old European civilization", which she defines as having occupied the area between the Dniester valley and the Sicily-Crete line.^[5] Gimbutas observed that neolithic European iconography was predominantly female—a trend also visible in the inscribed figurines of the Vinča culture—and concluded the existence of a "matristic" (woman-centered, but not necessarily matriarchal) culture that worshipped a range of goddesses and gods." 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin%C4%8Da_symbols

 http://www.omniglot.com/writing/vinca.htm

 

 

 

. . .

 second degree: hermeneutics and cryptography

"A common use of the word hermeneutics refers to a process of scriptural interpretation. Its earliest example is, however, found not in the written texts but in the Jewish Oral Tradition [dated to the Second Temple era, 515 BCE – 70 CE] that later became the Talmud. Summaries of the principles by which Torah can be interpreted date back to, at least, Hillel the Elder, although the thirteen principles set forth in the Baraita of Rabbi Ishmael are perhaps the best known. These principles ranged from standard rules of logic (e.g., a fortiori argument [known in Hebrew as קל וחומר —  kal v'chomer]) to more expansive ones, such as the rule that a passage could be interpreted by reference to another passage in which the same word appears (Gezerah Shavah). The rabbis did not ascribe equal persuasive power to the various principles.^[12]
Traditional Jewish hermeneutics differed from the Greek method in that the rabbis considered the Tanakh (the Jewish bibilical canon) to be without error. Any apparent inconsistencies had to be understood by means of careful examination of a given text within the context of other texts. There were different levels of interpretation: some were used to arrive at the plain meaning of the text, some expounded the law given in the text, and others found secret or mystical levels of understanding."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeneutics
"Gematria is an Assyro-Babylonian system of numerology later adopted by Jews that assigns numerical value to a word or phrase in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like. The best-known example of Gematria is the Hebrew word Chai ("alive"), which is composed of two letters that (using the assignments in the Mispar gadol table shown below) add up to 18. This has made 18 a "lucky number" among Jews, and gifts in multiples of 18 are very popular.^{[1]
"Although the term is Hebrew, it most likely derives from Greek geōmetriā, "geometry", which was used as a translation of gēmaṭriyā, though some scholars believe it to derive from Greek grammateia, rather; it's possible that both words had an influence on the formation of the Hebrew word.[2][3] (Some also hold it to derive from the order of the Greek alphabet, gamma being the third letter of the Greek alphabet (gamma + tria).[4]) The word has been extant in English since the 17th century from translations of works by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. Although ostensibly derived from Greek, it is largely used in Jewish texts, notably in those associated with the Kabbalah."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria} 


Isopsephy (/ˈaɪsəpˌsɛfi/; ἴσος isos meaning "equal" and ψῆφος psephos meaning "pebble") is the Greek word for the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. The early Greeks used pebbles arranged in patterns to learn arithmetic and geometry.
Isopsephy is related to Gematria, the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet, and the ancient number systems of many other peoples (for the Arabic alphabet version, see Abjad numerals). A Gematria of Latin-script languages was also popular in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and indeed its legacy remains in numerology and Masonic symbolism today (see arithmancy).^[1]

 "Until Arabic numerals were adopted and adapted from Indian numerals in the 8th and 9th century AD, and promoted in Europe by Fibonacci of Pisa with his 1202 book Liber Abaci, numerals were predominantly alphabetical. For instance in Ancient Greece, Greek numerals used the alphabet. Indeed there is some evidence that from the very beginning the alphabet was designed in order to meet the needs of mathematics.^[2] It is just a short step from using letters of the alphabet in everyday arithmetic and mathematics to seeing numbers in words, and to writing with an awareness of the numerical dimension of words."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopsephy 

3rd degree: Pyscholinguistics/Neurolinguistic Programming

 "The methods of neuro-linguistic programming are the specific techniques used to perform and teach Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a movement which teaches that people are only able to perceive a small part of the world using their conscious awareness, and that this view of the world is filtered by experience, beliefs, values, assumptions, and biological sensory systems. NLP argues that people act and feel based on their perception of the world rather than the real world. NLP teaches that language and behaviors (whether functional or dysfunctional) are highly structured, and that this structure can be 'modeled' or copied into a reproducible form.^[1] Using NLP a person can 'model' the more successful parts of their own behavior in order to reproduce it in areas where they are less successful or 'model' another person to effect belief and behavior changes to improve functioning. If someone excels in some activity, it can be learned how specifically they do it by observing certain important details of their behavior.^[2] NLP embodies several techniques, including hypnotic techniques, which proponents claim can effect changes in the way people think, learn and communicate."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods_of_neuro-linguistic_programming 

"With MK-ULTRA progressing over the years, the use of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) became essential to its success.  And, with the increasing abilities of programmers to insert thought provoking language into their victims’ unconsciousness, using symbolism at the earliest stages makes the mental programming meal complete. "