Runes

Runes are another way of giving a reading. They originated as a Scandinavian ancient alphabet and it was only later that they were used as a divination tool. Runes can be found in many different materials such as wood, stone and plastic. It is very easy to make your own set at home.

There is a Norse legend about the origin of the runes. Legend says that Odin, the god of magic and the underworld impaled himself with a spear and hung by his feet from a branch of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world, for 9 days and nights. This search for enlightenment was rewarded when he found the runes lying on the ground below him.

There are 24 runes and are collectively known as the Elder Futhark. This is divided into the categories of eight runes each known as aettir. The first 8, aett, is ruled by Freya the goddess of creation and describes the basic areas of life. The second eight known as Haegl’s aett, is the dominion of the ninth rune, Hagalaz, which runes hail and is associated with situations that are beyond our control. The last aett is named for Tyr, the goddess of justice and war and describes transformation.

Runes can be cast in different ways. One way is to place then face down and then select a specific number and arrange them in a spread. Another way is to put them in a bag or cup and throw then down. The runes that face up can be read but not the ones face down. Another option is to have them in a pouch, shake them while concentrating on a question that you are thinking about and then draw one rune to help with the answer.