from the archives
return
Reading the Runes
The first thing to understand is that in Norse Tradition we don't have a set future that is pre-ordained. That is a later Christian addition. The runes are scored into our bones by the Norns. These three ancient women have been compared to the fates in Greek myth, but they are quite different. Norse Tradition puts a heavy emphasis on personal responsibility and self determination.
Our past is kept by the Norn, Urd.
Urd's name translates to "what has been" and
is a root of oorlog. Oorlog is the accumulated inheritance of our parents,
grand parents, and so on. It is the spun thread that creates who we are
today. It is important because the patterns of oorlog can predict how
we will respond to present situations. Yet it doesn't necessitate our
response. We can't change our past but we can change our attitudes and
emotional responses to it. We can use the past to repeat mistakes or we
can use it as a lesson to improve ourselves.
Verthandi is the present moment, her name means "that which is." Norse philosophy asks us to be constantly aware of Urd but maintain Verthandi, present moment awareness. Living close to death as our ancestors did, with extreme weather and dangerous terrain, keeps a person very aware and focused on the moment. This is important for drawing a rune. You can't connect to nature energy safely and properly if you are distracted or flustered. Ground, center, and breathe into the moment.
Skuld is the third Norn whose name translates to "need." All future action is (or should be) based solely on need. In fact, we don't step unless we feel need pulling us. Skuld is a Valkyrie, the maidens of dire necessity. When we feel true need, we must act with dedication and purpose to our need. Skuld doesn't tell us what will happen in the future, she tells us what our need is and gives us the fire to accomplish it.
When you pull runes for the three Norns they are:
Urd "what past lessons have caused me to be in this present situation?"
Verthandi "what energy must I be aware of in my present moment?" and
Skuld "what is necessary for my future regarding this issue?"
Approaching the Runes
Sit and quiet the mind. Relaxation is the first step to getting the ego
out of the way of the rest of your brain. Think of the Norns, think of
your ancestors, and get very present. As you mix the runes (or hold your
app), think about your question. Formulate it so that you are asking what
you really need to know. When you feel the impulse, choose a rune. Start
with only one.
Since I have studied the runes for so many years I can read them like English. They are old familiar friends. Memorizing their names, speaking and singing their names, researching the gods, myths, and energies of each rune will allow you to read them deeply.
You and your divine connection are the user of these symbols. Their meanings and magic in your life depends on your intimacy with them.
When I read for others
The ritual still applies. You pick your runes. I prefer not to
know your question before I give an initial reading. As I read what you
pull, you may reveal as much as you like about your thoughts and questions
when you were mixing and choosing. But over the past decade, most people
only need to pull one rune, never tell me their question and get a spot
on answer.
Formulating questions
Remember, runes are symbols and sounds that represent the primal energy
of nature. They tell you what kind of energy (and the lessons entailed)
is running through your choices. If there is something you wish to do
and it's not a good fit for you, the runes that show up in your reading
will let you know.
Nature has a cyclical and eternal time reference, unlike Tarot that is based on the human hierarchy and has a linear progression. Therefore runes do not put answers on a time line. They don't answer "when will my job end?" but rather "when my job ends, what will be the signs energetically?"
Runes embrace polarity as part of natural cyclical progression so they don't answer yes and no questions. They indicate a rough path versus a smooth path, or one set of lessons over another set. So asking "should I take the job in South Dakota" won't be a yes or no but rather, if you do here's what you will encounter.
Are Runes anti-Christian?
Runes are pre-Christian and therefore not anti-Christian. This system
of magical inscription and incantation comes from Indo-European heritage
and pre-dates Christianity by several hundred years. Christianity has
been part of Northern European heritage since the Viking Era (700 - 1066
AD) and there is historical precedence for these traditions blending and
complimenting one another.
Ultimately the answer to this depends on your comfort level. There are multiple accounts of prophesy, dream interpretation, and other spiritual phenomenon in the Bible. My grandfather found wells using divining rods of willow and was a very devout Christian. People will say yes and people will say no. The danger in using tools of any kind comes when a user assigns power to the tool itself, rather than seeing the tool as a method to contact divinity.
For me divination is a form of prayer.
Prayer is a straight forward way to work out our issues, contact our spirit
guides and connect with the Divine. Throughout the ages, humans have developed
prayer with words, movement, art works and song as tools to help us connect
with and communicate with the Divine. Some prayer tools include beads,
mandalas, sand gardens, or rune shapes. Many prayer forms also serve to
unify the human community within the Divine plan. The runes are one such
prayer tool. I use dream work, animal cards, and pendulums for divination
or intuitive readings as well.
People ask if I do readings for myself. It's funny, but I find that when I ground and center and concentrate on my need, answers come without the use of a tool. Then a rune pull becomes more a confirmation of what I already know.
I recommend pulling one rune each day or week. Live with it and let it reveal itself in your life. Become aware of it in the shapes of tree branches, in chance phrases you hear, and in your dreams. This way you become intimate companions of the runes. Keep a journal of your experiences and soon you have your own historical record of rune use and purpose in your life.