Also called Ken
Letter: K or hard C
Old Norse name: Kaun
Flower: gorse, wild rose
Gem: bloodstone
Number: 3
The traditional meaning of Kenaz is a torch, and in that aspect, Kennaz in a reading indicates knowledge revealed. As a torch lights a pathway, so does Kennaz shed light on hidden reasons, underlying causes, unknown or unacknowledged aspects of the self, and hidden motives belonging either to the querent or another person who may be involved in the reading.
Kennaz's element is fire, the fire of creation, the fire of inspiration, the spark of enthusiasm that gets a project going. Kennaz often indicates that creative aspect in a reading; if it shows up with Berkana, it can presage a birth of some creative project, for example, a novel or a piece of art.
In health readings, Kennaz can indicate good health or strong recuperative powers. If querent is already ill, Kennaz can indicate recovery that will be more likely with a positive attitude.
In relationship readings, Kennaz often indicates the active or dominant person in the relationship. It is here that Kennaz, along with the other runes, may reveal those hidden motives we talked about earlier. If the querent is the passive person in the relationship, he or she might be able to learn a lot about his or her situation from Kennaz.
When reversed, Kennaz suggests that some knowledge or aspect of a situation is being withheld from the querent-he is either keeping something from himself, or someone is keeping something from him. It can also indicate an impending loss for the querent-loss of love, employment, friendship, or something equally important to the querent. In this situation, if Kennaz falls with positive runes, the loss is temporary or transitory. With runes such as Isa or Nauthiz, the loss is more permanent, and can cause delays for querent.