Runic Magic and Divination

Rune stones, (sometimes cards), are used as tools of divination - a way to predict one's
future. Rune Stones come in a set of 24 ancient alphabetic symbols. They can be made
of different materials - wood or glass most common and attractive - and usually kept
in a pouch or box. They usually come with a book of instructions defining the
symbols.
Ideally ruins are cast on an East-West axis or facing the sun. A white cloth is laid
down and used to determine the direction of the casting. From here the focus should
lie with the pressing question. After casting the stones onto the cloth the ones which
have fallen the right side up are read and depending upon whether the rune is reversed
or not will have a bearing upon its meaning and the reading as a whole.
An alternative to casting the rune stones ...
Pick a rune stone randomly for a day reading; you can also do what is known as a 3
rune spread. Some feel that the day rune is a good way to get an answer to a single
question. The 3 Rune Spread is used for asking broader questions whereas the single
rune can be drawn on a daily basis.
Meanings and interpretations of each rune stone are shown below.

FEHU - F: Cattle
Abundance through effort, inheritance of self and self value, material gain, earned
income. Success, happiness and wealth.
Reversed: Abandonment of plans, loss, disappointment, frustration.


URUZ - U: Brute Strength
Strength, home love on all sides, health, changes, a forceful masculine archetype.
Reversed: Missed abilities, weak will power, lack of motivation

THURISAZ - TH: The seeing of the future
Opening the door or gate to see the future, luck reflection for action, protection. You
will see the truth.
Reversed: Not willing to heed information given, having a stubborn mind-set

ANSUZ - A: references the ancestral god, Odin.
Message from within (listen to your 'little voice'), advice from others, chance
encounter, careful thought so you will know what to do from this point in time
Reversed: Watch out for trickery, the dark side of yourself when others interfering
with your plans, or there is failed communication


RAIDHO - R: Journey
You're about to embark on a journey - either in the physical world or a journey of
your soul to heal something that needs healing.
Reversed: Unexpected, unpleasant journey, transit problems, upsetting plans, lost
tickets, communication


KENAZ - K: Beacon or torch.
When you feel in the dark - this rune will bring an opening, to help you open to who
you are and your highest possibilities. From the darkness - light will come.
Reversed: withdrawal, anxiety, closing, loss


GEBO - G: Gift of Harmonic Relationships
Unity with self and all others - especially with our higher selves, nature and all things
around us. Cannot be reversed.


WUNJO - W or V: Bliss and Glory
You do not Need anybody. Peace, pleasure, self-worth, joy and serenity, happy
results, harmony, prosperity
Reversed: Sorrow, dissatisfaction, disappointment, friction, delay, possession by
higher forces


HAGALAZ - H: Destructive forces
This refers to the destructive forces of nature, and things that are out of our control.
Cannot be reversed.


NAUTHIZ - N: The Negatives of Human Needs
Caution, hold, coming in touch with a side of you that you may not like, resistance,
distress, delay, constraint or restraint. Reflect on how bad things can and appreciate
what you have.
Reversed: Improper course of action, think twice before acting, don't make hasty
judgments!!


ISA - I: Ice
Frozen in time, calm, non-action, everything on hold, letting go of ego and seeking
your inner truths, you are blocked by your emotions. Cannot be reversed.


JERA - J or Y: The Cycle of One Year
Reaping of a reward when your world seems stagnant, harvest the seeds you have
planted, gain, fruition, things happening in their own time and space when they are
supposed to! Cannot be reversed.


EIHWAZ - EI: Yew Tree
Stability, doing the right things, patience, perseverance, endurance. Decided what is
the right way to get the things accomplished in your life. Cannot be reversed.


PERTHRO - P: Initiation, Things Unexplained, Something Hidden
A hieratic or mystery rune pointing to that which is beyond our frail manipulative
powers.
Perth is associated with the Phoenix, the mystical bird which consumes itself in the
fire then rises from its own ashes. Its ways aresecret and hidden. Powerful forces of
change are at work here. Yet what is achieved is not easily or readily shared. After all
becoming whole - the means of it - is a profound secret. On the side of the Earthly or
mundane, there may well be surprises, gains or rewards that you did not anticipate. On
the side of human nature this Rune is symbolized by the flight of the eagle. Soaring
flight, free from entanglement, lifting yourself above the endless ebb and flow of
ordinary life to acquire broader vision - all this is indicated here.
Perth stands for the heart of Initiation - Nothing external matters here, except as it
shows you in its inner reflection. ThisRune is concerned with the deepest stratum of
our being, the bedrock on which our destiny is founded. For some Perth means
experiencing some form of death - or transition. It is a letting go of everything, no
exceptions, no exclusions. Nothing less than renewal of the Spirit is at stake.
Hidden information and truths, mysteries, esoteric, that which is unknown on a
conscious level, it could come into the light and you would understand the 'higher
meaning' of things.
Reversed: Events stalled, you need to clear out something - unpleasant surprise - the
old way has to come to an end, do not focus on outcomes, nor bind yourself with
memories of past achievements or you will orb yourself of the true present. When
your inner being is shifting and reforming, on a deep level, patience, constancy, and
perseverance are called for.
Do no repeat the old - let it go!
The initiation - the veils of the illusion are being lifted - let the old ways go!
Stay centered, see the humor and keep your faith firm.


ALGIZ: Z
Spirit guides - (How interesting as my guide is Zoroaster and I call him Z!) -
protection, fortunate new influence, making the connection with spirit and working
through your issues.


SOWILO - S: The Sun
The circle is completion - wholeness, the sun, the path to awareness and self
knowledge. See you 'dark side' - that which makes you destructive to yourself and
others. Seek change to heal and be complete with yourself. Cannot be reversed


TEIWAZ - T: Tyr, the sky god.
To be successful in competition, very motivated, finding the spiritual or
transcendental self.
Reversed: Low energy and lack of enthusiasm


BERKANA - B: Birch-goddess
To be prepared, cautious in what you do. Also references your family and home.
Reversed: An unfortunate domestic situation - so use caution.


EHWAZ - E: The Sacred Horse
The balance of things in the universe, stability, move forward carefully focusing on
the tools that will help you get there
Reversed: Sudden unexpected change that is not wanted


MANNAZ - M: The nature of Humanity
The self and its place in the collective conscience of humanity. We are all part of the
collective unconscious - we are all One. Your attitude towards and their attitudes
towards you. Take this time for personal reflection. Cannot be reversed.


LAGUZ - L: Water - Emotions
The moon, the flow of emotions and all things into the collective unconscious - all
bodies of water - Aquarius - feminine energies - higher mind, spirituality, health and
healing - a time of cleansing.
Reversed: Not listening to your inner voice, tackling something you know you should
not do - or are not capable of doing.


INGWAZ - NG: Fertility
Fertility of the joining of human beings, usually for a new life - a pregnancy. Finish
what you are doing, tie up lose ends and start something new. Cannot be reversed.


DAGAZ - D: Daylight or Dawn.
A new day begins and go to work. You become more insightful, breaking through
your new ideas. Light is around you. Cannot be reversed.


OTHALA - O: Ancestral property - Inheritance
Freedom and independence through releasing ideas and things that keep you 'stuck'.
You will feel 'free'. You will inherit from someone.
Reversed: Not letting go of outmoded ideas and concepts. You will feel 'stuck'.


BLANK RUNE: Sometimes called "Odin's Rune":
Anything is possible and can happen. The sum total of who you are, what you have
done, and what you have become. Choose a direction and go for it. The blank Rune
was added to the others in the 1980's. It shows that as humanity has grown - the
possibilities are beyond what was conceived by the original Runes. Some people
include the blank Rune in a reading - while others leave it out! I prefer to leave it in as
the Universe has limitless possibilities!! If you get this Rune - and you believe in
yourself - you can manifest anything.



Runic Magic in History

There is some evidence that, in addition to being a writing system, runes historically
served purposes of magic. This is the case from earliest epigraphic evidence of the
Roman to Germanic Iron Age, with non-linguistic inscriptions and the alu word. An
erilaz appears to have been a person versed in runes, including their magic
applications.
In medieval sources, notably the Poetic Edda, the Sigrdrifumal mentions "victory
runes" to be carved on a sword, "some on the grasp and some on the inlay, and name
Tyr twice."
In early and more modern times, related folklore and superstition is recorded in the
form of the Icelandic magical staves.
In the early 20th century, Germanic mysticism coins new forms of "runic magic",
some of which were continued or developed further by contemporary adherents of
Germanic Neopaganism.
Runes have been used in Nazi symbolism by National Socialists and neo-Nazi groups
that associate themselves with Germanic traditions, mainly the Sigel, Eihwaz, Tyr,
Odal (see Odalism) and Algiz runes. The fascination that runes seem to have exerted
on the Nazis can be traced to the occult and volkisch author Guido von List, one of the
important figures in Germanic mysticism and runic revivalism in the late 19th and
early 20th century. In 1908, List published in Das Geheimnis der Runen ("The Secret
of the Runes") a set of 18 so-called "Armanen Runes", based on the Younger Futhark,
which were allegedly revealed to him in a state of temporary blindness after a cataract
operation on both eyes in 1902. In Nazi contexts, the s-rune is referred to as "Sig"
(after List, probably from Anglo-Saxon Sigel). The "Wolfsangel", while not a rune
historically, has the shape of List's "Gibor" rune.