Eihwaz is symbolic of the Yew tree for mystery, magic and transformation with this dense wood being historically used to make talismans, bows, arrows, spears and other weapons, some tipped with poison from the yew causing it to be called the Death Tree. In fact, the entire tree is poisonous wood, bark, needles and berries, and it also expels a toxic gas under its canopy. Another reason for the name Death Tree is its propensity to be planted in or near cemeteries and churchyards and can outlive the existence of the church buildings. Legends from many different eras and sources contended that the Yew tree was the purifier of the dead before entering whatever afterworld deemed appropriate and gives access to otherworldly realms; in fact it’s believed the asymmetrical hooks on each end symbolizes different dimensions. Eihwaz's transformational energy connects with all the runes cobbled together into a shared whole. It is the pivotal rune for the gateway of transformation. Eihwaz demarcates the thin line between gods and worlds, heaven and earth and living and the dead in your multi-dimensional cosmic collective citizenship of your soul. The Norse made contact with the collective through Yggdrasil, and you’re making contact through electrical devices, Internet and your mind. This is akin to your Fool’s journey through the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot deck. You’re at some critical juncture in your life, and it’s time to let some things go that are no longer serving you; some aspects of your life are seeking closure. Purification by fire must occur before you reach the next level. Eihwaz is the key to the secret of the runic wisdom to propel you to this next level of your higher self.

Fire brings that flash of enlightenment and those ah-ha moments that you're now seeing with clarity and is a time of sudden and unexpected change. The power of knowledge passed on from our ancestors is hidden in the inner most cores of our souls and is like a memory chip that activates when needed.

If you accept the death of some kind for a closure in life, you’ll by pass the grief and loss associated with denial, anger, bargaining and depression to reach the acceptance stage. Your attitude has changed, which now offers new choices because inside blockages are bring released from a time of pain to a time of gain.

This is the one symbol-letter that was never supposedly used in the runic alphabet in words but only as a magic symbol and is symbolic of the phoenix rising from the ashes to live again. The Eihwaz rune carries magical healing properties and mystical divination energy. From the earliest inscriptions, they were used on magical charms and in spells. The word rune means secret, mystery or something hidden, in which were revealed to Odin by sacrificing himself to himself for the wisdom of the runes. In fact, the Hávamál poem speaks of the power of the runes to bring the dead back to life:

I know a twelfth one
if I see up in a tree,
a dangling corpse in a noose,
I can so carve and colour the runes,
that the man walks
And talks with me.

Now that’s some heavy juju…

Eihwaz is the center of the spiral that is constantly renewing itself from the power of the life and death cycle. Live the joys of the present while looking towards the future with the wisdom of the past.

Keywords: Yew Tree, Transformation, Intuition, Magic, Defense, Power, Healing, Regeneration, Wisdom, Perseverance, Self-Discipline, Longevity, Enduring

Associated Tarot Cards: Magician, High Priestess & Death

Astrological Signs: Scorpio & Virgo

Planets: Pluto & Mars

Norse Gods: Odin, Freya and Hel oversaw the afterlife and was dependent on where you went Valhalla, Fólkvangr, Hel, respectively, or Helgafjell, which was a holy mountain with a parallel existence similar to the one you lived.

Other Spellings: Eoh, Iwaz, Eow & Ihwar

Pronunciation: Eye-Waz