Ansuz is the Rune of Odin and his main brand of Magic, Rune-Galdr, the singing of Rune sounds.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Os byþ ordfruma ælere spræce,
wisdomes wraþu ond witena frofur
and eorla gehwam eadnys ond tohiht.
God/Mouth is the chieftain of all speech,
the mainstay of wisdom and a comfort to the wise ones,
for every noble warrior hope and happiness.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Óss er flæstra færða för;
en skalpr er sværða.
Estuary is the way of most journeys;
but the sheath is that for swords.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Óss er algingautr
ok ásgarðs jöfurr,
ok valhallar vísi.
Ase is the olden-father,
and Asgardhr’s chieftain,
and the leader of Valholl.
This is Odin’s Rune and has the properties of his character as well as of his magic. Odin is the God of Consciousness and never passes up a chance to learn or experience something new. He travels the 9 worlds extensively and learns all that he can in order to expand his consciousness thereby becoming more knowledgeable and to increase his wisdom. He usually achieves this by talking to other wise beings and this importance of the spoken word is also found in his personal brand of magic, Galdr. Practicing Galdr means to sing a Rune or a string of Runes in order to manifest them in our inner as well as in the outer world. Learning this kind of magic is an essential part of the curriculum of the Gild the other being the more animistic kind called Seidhr, which is the specialty of Freya.
We have to remember that most people belonging to the Germanic tribes as well as to people of the North during the Viking age were mostly illiterate. Only a small elite was able to write and read the Runes and so they can be seen as oral societies. In such societies the spoken word is very important and valued highly, which is one reason that the medieval Scandinavians held poets and word smiths in such high regard.
In a magical context Ansuz can be used to overcome a fear of public speaking, improve our ability to say the right thing at the right time and to become aware and understand the importance of our constant inner dialogue.