Thorn. Defense. Action. Thurs. Thor. These are all but some of the words that come to mind when I contemplate Thurisaz. A prickly rune literally. But not really so painful to grasp as at first sight.
This rune for me always means action. Doing something. As in it’s guise as defense. Defense is taking preventative action. It’s all about forward movement brought on by yourself. Having this rune in a reading always alerts me that there is something to be done. Action is required. What that action may be is brought to light by interpreting the other runes cast. For example near fehu it means financial action. Near othala it calls for creating a sacred enclosure. All the questions are answered if you only know how to look at things.
Defense speaks of this rune’s affinity with Thor and thurs. Thor was always battling the frost giants. The thurs. His never ending strength and stamina served him well in this regard. As in his tussle with the Midgard Serpent action is required. We can find many lessons of strength in Thor. This strength is often what is called for in taking action. May the unlimited strength of Thor be with us all as we take action in our daily life!
In it’s murk Self it can simply mean defenselessness. Being defenseless is a scary thing to be sure. It becomes up to us to flip it around to become action.
These are a few of the thoughts that come to me with thurisaz. Your meanings and interpretations may be different. That’s the miracle of the runes. They open. They don’t close. So explore to find your own true meanings. Happy delving!