Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on divination, and specifically within the divination category, resources on runes, so this article is the beginning of many resources to come.
What are runes?
An overview of runes
Runes are an ancient form of divination that originated in Northern Europe. Runes are a set of symbols, each with its own meaning, that are cast or drawn to provide insight and guidance. Practitioners of rune divination, known as rune casters, interpret the patterns and positions of the runes to gain an understanding of a person’s past, present, and future. Runes are often used to gain clarity on important decisions, identify potential obstacles, and connect with one’s intuition. The practice of rune divination remains popular today as a means of self-reflection and spiritual exploration.
When people begin the process of learning divination, they are tapping into a large supply of energy and wisdom within themselves and can quickly become susceptible to being drained, exhausted, fatigued, etc., so it’s incredibly important to take divination slow.
Getting started with runes
Start with Grounding, Cleansing, and Protecting Yourself and Your Space
How to Ground Yourself
Grounding before divination is important as it ensures that you are connected to your body, the material realm, and very much present for any messages that will come through. You can ground your energy in several ways including, spending time in nature, walking barefoot on the grass or soil to feel the connection to the earth, sitting crisscross on the ground to connect your root energy source to the earth, imagining roots growing from your feet into the earth anchoring you firmly, practicing intentional breathing exercises, and more. Remember that grounding is a personal practice, so feel free to explore different techniques and find what works best for you.
How to Cleanse Your Space
To cleanse the energy of your space before practicing divination, you can smoke cleanse with sacred dried herbs, sound cleanse with bells or singing bowls, or utilize energy-clearing sprays like Florida water or other cleansing blends. Each method has its unique way of clearing energy and creating a positive environment for your divination session, so use whatever method is easily doable and works best for you. Remember to be intentional through the process, so if you are going to cleanse with burning dried herbs, for example, do not simply wave the burning herbs and smoke around, but set your intentions and focus on cleansing the space you’ll be working in of any negative or stagnant energy so that you have a neutral starting point.
How to Protect Your Space
After cleansing the space to bring it to a neutral state energetically speaking, you’ll then want to protect yourself and the space from any additional unwanted energies from entering during the divination session. This is a critical step as it helps minimize the risk of any disturbances or connecting with any energies that aren’t aligned with your highest good. Protection can be implemented by setting an energetic boundary, such as casting a circle, if this aligns with your spiritual path and beliefs, wearing protective crystals, such as black obsidian, black tourmaline, or hematite, or casting a protection spell.
Learning the Basics
Gather your runes:
Rune sets typically consist of 24-25 runes, each representing a different symbol or meaning. Our preferred runes are the Elder Futhark Runes since they are the oldest known runic alphabet (used from around the 2nd to 8th centuries CE), but there are multiple different types including, the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc: A variant of the Elder Futhark used in Anglo-Saxon England from the 5th to 11th centuries CE, the Younger Futhark: A simplified version of the Elder Futhark used in Scandinavia from the 8th to 12th centuries CE, Medieval Runes: Runic alphabets used in Scandinavia and Iceland from the 12th to 15th centuries CE, Staveless Runes: A type of runic alphabet without the characteristic vertical “stave” lines, and Bind Runes: Ligatures formed by combining two or more runes into a single symbol, and Icelandic Runes: Runes used in Iceland from the 16th to 19th centuries CE.
Elder Futhark Runes:
- ᚠ (Fehu) – Wealth, Cattle
- ᚢ (Uruz) – Aurochs, Strength
- ᚦ (Thurisaz) – Thorn, Giant
- ᚨ (Ansuz) – Mouth, Breath, God
- ᚱ (Raido) – Riding, Journey
- ᚲ (Kenaz) – Torch, Knowledge
- ᚷ (Gebo) – Gift
- ᚹ (Wunjo) – Joy, Harmony
- ᚺ (Hagalaz) – Hail, Destruction
- ᚾ (Naudhiz) – Need, Hardship
- ᛁ (Isaz) – Ice, Stagnation
- ᛃ (Jera) – Year, Harvest
- ᛇ (Eihwaz) – Yew Tree, Death
- ᛈ (Perthro) – Dice Cup, Mysteries
- ᛉ (Algiz) – Elk, Protection
- ᛋ (Sowilo) – Sun, Victory
- ᛏ (Tiwaz) – Tyr, Justice
- ᛒ (Berkano) – Birch, Birth
- ᛖ (Ehwaz) – Horse, Partnership
- ᛗ (Mannaz) – Man, Humanity
- ᛚ (Laguz) – Water, Flow
- ᛜ (Ingwaz) – Ing, Fertility
- ᛞ (Dagaz) – Day, Breakthrough
- ᛟ (Othala) – Inheritance, Homeland
Cleanse and consecrate your runes:
This can be done through meditation, visualization, or ritual. This helps ensure the runes are energetically neutral so that any messages to be received can come through clearly.
Cast the runes:
Hold the runes in your hands and focus your intention on the question or issue you want to explore. Cast onto a flat surface, such as a cloth or board. Allow them to fall randomly.
Interpret the runes:
Interpret the runes that fall onto the cloth or board face-up. Look at their individual meanings as well as their positions and relationships to each other. Use your intuition and knowledge of rune meanings to provide insight into the question or situation.
The position of a rune within a rune cast or spread can provide important context for its meaning. Runes placed in the central or focus position tend to represent the core issue or energy at hand. Surrounding runes can provide additional details, influences, or potential outcomes related to the central rune.
The relationship between runes is also significant. Runes that are next to or touching each other often have a synergistic meaning, combining their individual energies. Runes that are reversed or inverted may indicate challenges, obstacles, or a less favorable expression of that rune’s qualities. Runes that are far apart in the spread may represent disconnected or conflicting elements.
The overall pattern formed by the runes can reveal larger themes, cycles, or dynamics at play. Paying attention to the spatial relationships, alignments, and clustering of the runes can help uncover deeper insights and meanings in the rune reading.
While learning to effectively cast runes, record your runecasting session for future reference and reflection. At the end of your session, be sure to give thanks to the runes, the spiritual realm, and any other spirits present for the session (if applicable) and properly store your runes until the next time you wish to cast them.
May you walk your path with wisdom and prudence. Blessed be on your journey of spiritual growth and healing.