Well, here we are with the 5th message and the final one directly about the Stances. I will be coming back to Stances repeatedly when discussing how they provide the basis for martial arts training etc but for today I want to talk about what we call the balance between mott and megin.

In the healing bindrune (something else to discuss in more detail soon) Mott is represented by the Thor rune and Megin by the Ur rune. Thor is effectively a giant wielding a great hammer with enormous physical strength and Ur is associated with Vidar, also immensely strong but in a silent and understated way. Ur means primal force and energy. So when we are doing the stances we are working with the physical body as I described a couple of days ago, but there is something else going on which I would describe as working with the subtle energy or life force which the Chinese call Chi, the Japanese Ki and in the Vedic tradition, Prana. In the Stav tradition we call it Megin.

What is this energy? Rather difficult to describe in western terms since Western Science has never been prepared to acknowledge that this energy actually exists at all. So all that one can really say about it is that it is the life force and the more open we are to it the more alive we will be. If we are alive then the megin is flowing through us in the same way that we will be processing food and oxygen for nutrition and breath. Megin passes through us by many routes including our food, our breathing, our environment and the relationships we have with others. Processing toxins from our system, being in contact with emotionally needy people and simply being in 'negative' environments can all deplete our megin and leave us tired and depressed.

The stances can help a great deal with managing our megin and thus feeling empowered with a greater sense of vitality and well-being. Relaxing the body and breathing correctly are massively beneficial to the Mott but also promote a flow of megin through the body. Doing the stances is also time out from other people. So if your energy levels are being depleted by needy people the time spent alone will give you a chance to cleanse your megin and recharge yourself. If you are selective on your choice of environment for doing the stances then you should be able to draw megin energy from the ground, trees, running water or any of the natural sources nearby. If you can do the stances in bare feet on grass or bare earth or rock it will improve your contact with the earth and its store of megin. Only do this when it is warm enough though, very cold feet will cost you a lot of energy.

Whatever your reason for doing the stances your megin energy will benefit even if it is not a conscious consideration. However, if you do any kind of healing work such as massage or similar then you will almost certainly be engaging in energy exchanges with those you are working on. If you are releasing pain and dis-ease it will have its own megin energy which will be looking for somewhere to go and this is very often into the system of the healer. This sometimes results in the same pain and problems being experienced by the healer. By doing the stances you will maintain your energy at a level which will make you an effective healer and enable you to ground megin energy which will be harmful if not allowed to pass back into the universe.

Happy Yule/Christmas everyone and I look forward to continuing in a couple of days.

Regards,

Graham