The art of reading Runes

Rune is the general term for the ancient alphabet for many German, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon people often referred to as Futhark which is just the first six letters of the runic alphabet. Rune comes from the root “runa” meaning a whisper or a mystery. Runes are often carved on pieces of wood, stone or bone using a special consecrated knife or pointed tool example I use my dremel to carve

mine. Often when casting runes they are placed in a bowl or a bag and a certain number are drawn out one at a time and then laid out in a specific pattern and/or order. Like other forms of divination meaning is assigned to the order and position of the runes. Runes can be purchased but all magickal tools are stronger and more powerful if the are hand made, this instills your personal power and intent. The easiest runes to make are to cut pieces off of a branch, sand them clean and mark with paint or markers if you don’t have a carving tool. For carving I recommend from experience using a small chisel rather than a knife it is easier and safer, also use soft or wet wood and then let it dry out after you carve it. Always use proper safety gear and don’t try anything you don’t think you can do. For carving stone I find a diamond tip for a dremel works well and is pretty easy. Do not hold the rune piece in your hand when you are carving it (it hurts when you slip trust me) I also don’t recommend trying to carve a rune while it is setting on your leg (that one my husband did,it also hurts) make sure it is well and safely secured to a work surface, I use C-clamps or a vice. You could also use a wood burner to mark the runes. Always use safety gear. If you don’t feel comfortable carving a set just use marker or paint. While runes are best made from natural sources they can be made from clay or just written on identical pieces of paper too. It is important to build familiarity with your runes it will make them more responsive.

Clear your mind and relax letting go mundane thought. Keep lighting low just like in other divination.

Credit: Meeghan Belford

Casting the Runes

The field on which you cast the runes represents the world in which you live. The right represents the past and the left the future. Rune readings are read left to right with the center representing the present. Reading it vertically the rune closest to you (near) represents the issue and furthest from you (far) is the outcome. This central area represents your needs, actions, and obstacles.

When drawing the runes, draw them, unseen, from a bag or box. Swirl/ mix the runes with your dominant hand and let the rune fall naturally into your hand when you feel it is right one to draw, pull it. Always draw runes one at a time and lay them just as you draw them, don’t turn them, being upright (right way) merkstave (reversed/upside down) converse (face down) or obverse (face up) makes a difference in the meaning. Upright will be read with a normal meaning, reversed is the opposite meaning, converse means the rune is hidden or internal and obverse means the rune is not hidden or is an environmental/outside influence. When laying the runes place them right to left and then near to far.

After drawing all four runes take time to think about the associations of each and there relationship to each other.

Odin's Rune:

This is a one ruin draw that covers an entire matter from past to future. A good choice for instant guidance when trying to make a choice you are unsure about.

Three rune cast:

Draw three runes and place them Right, Center and Left. The first rune (Right) is the present. The second (Center) is the course of action called for The third rune (Left) is the outcome based on that action. 

Runic Cross:

Similar to the tarot layout this is a six rune draw that is used to give an in-depth analysis of a situation.

Draw six runes. Cast them Right, Near Center, Left, Near, Far Center, Far. The Right rune represents the past, the situation which has brought this issue to exist. The Near Center rune represents you now The Left is what lies ahead of you. The Near rune (the Foundation) gives the underlying basis of the issue The Far Center (the Challenge) represents the nature of the obstacles or

blockages which you wish to overcome. The Far rune ( the Outcome) foretells the best outcome you can anticipate if overcoming the challenge.

Three lifetimes Cast:

This is a more advanced casting and should not be done likely I am including it for more advanced readers and future use if you like. As this is a reincarnation casting it can bring up past life memories and and nightmares so do not do it if you don’t feel comfortable with it. Not recommended for beginners included for future use.

Draw 5 runes. Cast them right, center, left, near, far. Right represents your birth and childhood, it points out your talents and

short comings. Center is the present life and will show you actions needed to improve this life. Far shows if you will reincarnate in the next life and what kind of person you will be. Left shows the future of what this life holds if you follow your current path.

Near is your past life, if you had one, what kind of person you were, your character and your behavior.

Credit: Meeghan Belford

The Runes

There are several possible meanings for the different furthak runes. What follows is the description of the ruin meanings forward and Merkstave (reversed).

Fehu, Feo, or Peoh

Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength in the present or near future. Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. Social success. Energy, foresight, fertility, creation/destruction (becoming).

Fehu Merkstave: Loss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord. Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery,bondage.

Ansuz, AS, or Ansure

A revealing message or insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. Good health, harmony, truth, wisdom.

Ansuz Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence.

Berkana, Bar, Ba, Beorc, or berkano

Birth, general fertility, both mental and physical and personal growth, liberation. Regenerative power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings, new growth. Arousal of desire. A love affair or new birth. The prospering of an enterprise or venture.

Berkan Merkstave: Family problems and or domestic troubles. Anxiety about someone close to you. Carelessness, abandon, loss of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation.

Gebo

Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. All matters in relation to exchanges, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships.

Gebo Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.

Eihwaz, Eoh, or Eh

Strength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness. Enlightenment, endurance. Defense, protection. The driving force to acquire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. Indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals. An honest man who can be relied upon.

Eihwaz Merkstave: Confusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, weakness.

Laguz, or Laga

Flow, water, sea, a fertility source, the healing power of renewal. Life energy and organic growth. Imagination and psychic matters. Dreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown, the hidden, the deep, the underworld. Success in travel or acquisition, but with the possibility of loss.

Laguz Merkstave: An indication of a period of confusion in your life. You may be making wrong decisions and poor judgments. Lack of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. Fear, circular motion, avoidance, withering. Madness, obsession, despair, perversity, sickness, suicide.

Naudhiz, not,  or Nyd

Delays, restriction. Resistance leading to strength, innovation, need-fire (self-reliance). Distress, confusion, conflict, and the power of will to overcome them. Endurance, survival, determination. A time to exercise patience. Recognition of one's fate. Major self-initiated change. Face your fears.

Naudhiz Merkstave: Constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity. Necessity, extremity, want, deprivation, starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger.

Othala, Odal, or Othal

Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order, group prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and fundamental values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys. Source of safety, increase and abundance.

Othala Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to.

Perdhro, Peorth, or  pertho

Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one's destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary change.

Perdhro Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, loneliness, malaise.

Raidho, Rit, or Radh 

Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective. Seeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. Personal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life.

Raidho Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.

Sowulo, Sigil, or sowilo 

Strength. Life bringer. Success, goals achieved, honor. The life-force, health. A time when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life, victory, health, and success. Contact between the higher self and the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force, sword of flame, cleansing fire.

Sowulo Merkstave (Sowilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): False goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals. Destruction, retribution, justice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god.

Teiwaz, Tyr, Tewax, or tiwaz 

Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one's true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters.

Teiwaz Merkstave: One's energy and creative flow are blocked. Mental paralysis, over-analysis, over-sacrifice, injustice, imbalance. Strife, war, conflict, failure in competition. Dwindling passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation.

Uruz, or Ur 

Physical strength and speed, untamed potential. A time of great energy and health. Freedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better). Sexual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self.

Uruz Merkstave: Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, domination by others. Sickness, inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence.

Wunjo, Wynn, or W

Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going "over the top". If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth.

Wunjo Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation. Delirium, intoxication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. Raging frenzy, berzerker.

Elhaz, Eiwaz, ehwaz or Eloh

Transportation. May represent a horse, car, plane, boat or other vehicle. Movement and change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated. Harmony, teamwork, trust, loyalty. An ideal marriage or partnership. Confirmation beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it.

Elhaz Merkstave: This is not really a negative rune. A change is perhaps craved. Feeling restless or confined in a situation. Reckless haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal.

Thurisaz, Dorn, Thorn, or Th

Reactive force, directed force of destruction and defense, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. A tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire. Male sexuality, fertilization.

Thurisaz Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. A bad man or woman. Rape?

Kenaz, Kan, Ken, or k

Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality, the power of light. Open to new strength, energy, and power now. Passion, sexual love.

Kenaz Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of creativity. Nakedness, exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.

Hagalaz, Hagall, or H

Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial. Controlled crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony.

Hagalaz Merkstave (Hagalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Natural disaster, catastrophe. Stagnation, loss of power. Pain, loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis.

Isa

A challenge or frustration. Psychological blocks to thought or activity, including grievances. Standstill, or a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it.

Isa Merkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Ego-mania, dullness, blindness, dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit, betrayal, guile, stealth, ambush, plots.

Jera

The results of earlier efforts are realized. A time of peace and happiness, fruitful season. It can break through stagnancy. Hopes and expectations of peace and prosperity. The promise of success earned. Life cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe. Everything changes, in its own time.

Jera Merkstave (Jera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Sudden setback, reversals. A major change, repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict.

Yr, or Irr

Wrong path. About to make an error. Missed objectives. Victim of an unexpected attack. You are vulnerable. Conflict with the natural order. Power to restrain outgoing forces fails. Acting against natural order and they way things should be needs to stop. Time to get back in sync with real truth.

Daeg, Dagaz

Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. Hope/happiness, the ideal. Security and certainty. Growth and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet.

Dagaz Merkstave (Dagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): A completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness.

Algiz- Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or

maintain a position won or earned.

Algiz Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels.

Mannaz- The Self; the individual or the human race. Your attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you. Friends and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill, ability. Divine structure, intelligence, awareness. Expect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now.

Mannaz Merkstave: Depression, mortality, blindness, self-delusion. Cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. Expect no help now.

Ingwaz- Male fertility, gestation, internal growth. Common virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love, caring, human warmth, the home. Rest stage, a time of relief, of no anxiety. A time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. Listen to yourself.

Ingwaz Merkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Impotence, movement without change. Production, toil, labor, work.

Blank Rune :There is no historical support for a "Blank Rune" in runic divination. It was invented in the 1980's. It should not be used in a rune casting. If you bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose another rune piece, but don't use it in rune casting.

Credit: Meeghan Belford