Kan or Ken

Germanic: Kenaz
Gothic: Kusma
Old English: Cenak
Old Norse: Kaun
Coresponding letter: K
Key concept: purification
Litterally meaning: Kan means torch or inner fire according to old Germanic language and English, but
also warm place. In Gothic and Nordic this heat alludes to various diseases , because the parts that are
suffering are warmer , such as boils, or a swollen cheek or joint inflammation , or an infected part
Polarity: feminine
Element: fire
Plant: pine
Animal: hind
Astrological similarities: Gemini, it is a ambivalent and contradictorial rune, Kan's symbol are 2 twins, one is
white the other black, inverted to one another united by the umbilical cord and encased in a kind of pot or
uterus , in the act of fighting each other.
Similarities with Tarots: the sixth major trump , the Lovers , which combine two opposites.
Esoteric meaning: Yrminsul the sacred pole , incarnation of the axis of the world .Kan is similar in its form to
that mystic center, and the twig that branches off is nothing other than the penis , metaphor of the creative
act , both divine and human . in Nordic myth of creation, the opposites of fire and ice combine to form matter
in Ginnungapag ( space ).
Period governed by Kan: from 13th to 28th September.
Iconogrraphic description: Here is a tree with a straight trunk, reaching out to the gods , with one big branch
indicating the right , the right of conscience . It would remind the first rune if we immagine to remove the
lower twig.
Concepts for meditation about Kan: The flickering torch, before electricity was, that shined especially in the
homes of the rich , coming from the resinous wood of pine woods . This wood is destroyed when burned to
provide light , as the event of inner enlightenment destroys former self , transforming a meaningless
existence in a life full of consciousness and power , the life of a wise or scholar , the only one who is really
rich .
In addition, the term " entlightenment " has a altruistic value , to illuminate the path of those who are still in
darkness . The fire burns even close to the body , and this reference is inherent in the meaning of this rune ,
which is traditionally linked to the cremation, until 800 AD cremation was in use in northern Europe before
Christianity supplanted this pagan practice . So , Kenaz is not only the fire , but the immortal principle that
remains unalterated in every plane of existence , symbolized by the plumes of smoke that rise from funeral
pyres .

Cremation and enlightenment are closely connected : just as fire destroys the body of the dead , rotting flesh
now impure , so the light is destroyal of darkness , ignorance , transformation that brings a new beginning .
The enlightenment in fact is also known as " living death " at the hands of intellectual faculties : so , Kenaz is
the strength and sharpness of the mind that can focus on the sphere of knowledge , like the fire in the forge
transforms metal , modeling it by the will and ability of man , as death itself, the tomb , symbolized " kano " ,
the canoe , the small vessel sacred to the goddess Nerthus , the boat of the dead , the one that carried the
souls to the " other side." The ancient English runic poem reads :
The torch is a flame ,
clear and bright .
That very often burns
where noble men rests .
But the fire is also the fire of love . Transformation and new beginning allude in fact at the time of generation ,
in which two separate essences come together creating a third that did not exist before . , Whether it be a
new being , it is to be referred to an agreement between two people , that specific life force that transforms
the lovers into something that were not and , at the same time , ensures the survival of the relationship .
( Kenaz or Kan is very similar to Kaun , " girl " , it has always been attached by rune scholars to sexuality , as
well as mysticism . )
In essence , the fire of cremation and destruction are one thing and , so we meet it in the Teutonic mythology
, connected to the kingdom of the dead , the giant Sutr , or Surtur the Black, Chief of the demons , that in the
twilight of the gods will kill the god of light Frer , Kan is also the final fire , the fire of everlasting destruction
at the end of the world . In the realm of the dead dwells also Loki , god of evil fire , bisexual transformist and
change artist , telluric satanic force that accentuates the "dark" side of this complex and ambiguous rune,
which highlights the potential of the destructive passions .