Runes are an ancient divination tool for future telling, healing and protection. They consist of a runic alphabet of 24 letters, and there a few different styes and styles of Runes but most know of the Elder Futhark runes in the 5th century AD, that are most often used still today, and then the Younger Futhark stones were adapted by the Vikings and other Nordic tribes and continued until Medieval times.
Runes stones are full of powerful and magical history, and so were highly venerated and used with extreme caution. In the Norse cultures and across other Northern Europeans, it was believed that they held strong divinatory powers and as such were taken very seriously.
The origin of word “rune” stems from the Germanic word for “mystery” or “secret”, and similar findings are present in Old Irish Gaelic, Welsh and Old English, sometimes also meaning “miracle”. In Lithuanian it can me “to speak”, and in Finnish it can also mean “poem”.
As well as each rune symbol being a letter of the alphabet, they also have symbolic meanings too. Although many of these date back to traditional meanings, which would have meant a lot to the people using the runic alphabet, the intention behind the symbols still has relevance today.
For example, in the Elder Futhark:
Fehu, F, means domestic cattle or wealth.
Uruz, U, means a wild ox.
Thurisaz, T, means a thorn or a giant.
Hagalaz, H, means hail.
Ansuz, A, means an ancestral god.
Raidho, R, means wagon or chariot.
Kenaz, K, means a beacon or torch.
HOW TO USE YOUR RUNES
A: With your runes in their pouch close your eyes, concentrate on what you want an answer for (past situation, present situation or future situation) and chose a rune from the bag as your answer.
B: Gently toss the runes from the bag onto a soft surface and the runes while thinking of what you want an answer for (past situation, present situation or future situation) and the rune(s) that stand out the most to you is your answer.
C: With your eyes closed and while in a neutral state of mind draw three runes from the bag and line them up. The first rune is an answer to a past situation, the second one is an answer to a present situation and the last is an answer to a future situation.
D: Use Rune layout as detailed below.
The RUNE LAYout
Simple method: Lay the runes in a cross shape.
The rune on the bottom represents basic influences that impact the question.
The rune on the farleft indicates problems that may influence the question.
The rune on the top shows positives that may influence the question.
The rune on the far right shows the immediate answer to the questions.
The rune in the middle shows the future influences to the question.
Runes for healing
Meditating with your runes have been used for healing specific body allments for centuries.
Fehu - Chest and respiratory problems Uruz - Muscles and anything connected with bodily strength Thurisaz - Heart Ansuz - Mouth, teeth, throat, stutters Raido - Legs and gluteal muscles Kaunaz - Cysts, ulcers, abscesses and boils and any fever associated Gebo - Toxic poisoning Wunjo - Breathing problems Hagalaz - Wounds, grazes, cuts Nauthiz - The arms Isa - Any loss of feeling or sensation Jera - Bowel or digestive disorders Eihwaz - Eye problems Perth - Anything associated with childbirth or sexual organs Algiz - Mental or anxiety problems, head or brain, headaches Sowelu - Burns or skin problems Teiwaz - Rheumatics and arthritis, especially of hands Berkana - Fertility problems Ehwaz - Anything associated with the back Mannaz - Sprains, pulled tendons, etc., especially of feet or ankles Laguz - Kidneys Inguz - Problems associated with male genitalia Othila - Genetic problems, anything inherited Dagaz - Fear, distress, nervous problems, mental illness
See our new collection of Runes and Rune Boxes here