A Brief History – Runes
The word “ rune “ actually mean’s mystery, magic, secret, or whisper. They are an ancient Germanic alphabet that has been dated back to the 3rd century. It is thought that they were first used for divination purposes and later for writing and record keeping.
Legend has it that Odin, the Norse High God of the Aesir, hung from the world tree (Yggdrasil), impaled on his own spear for nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of runes. When the runes appeared below him, he reached down and picked them up, and the runic knowledge gave him power. He later passed on this knowledge to the Vanir goddess Freya. She in turn taught him the magic of Seidr. Heimdall the god who guarded the Rainbow Bridge taught the Runes to mankind.
The death of the runes as magical instruments occurred in 1639. The official laws of Iceland banned them, and any people found with runes in their possession were burned alive!
It is fascinating to think that as long ago as the 3rd century, runes had been used for major decision-making. That their belief in them was so strong gives them a sense of awe. I have great reverence for my stones and always treat them with the utmost respect. I truly believe that if you have a real affinity with your runes, they will speak to you.
Creating you own set
Today the use of rune stones is again becoming immensely popular. With many attractive sets available, (I personally have a beautiful amethyst set, which was given to me by a dear friend).
It can also be very satisfying to make your own set. These can be of wood with the glyphs burned onto them, or as simple as flat pebbles from the beach with the glyphs either engraved or marked with a permanent pen. Whatever style you choose, making the runes yourself will certainly help you to become familiar with them, and getting to know your stones is very important. A little imagination is all that it takes. I keep my runes in a velvet pouch, inside a beautiful box.
Lending your runes
Once you have become familiar with your own set, I think you will find it very difficult to lend these out. To me there is something very personal about my runes. I feel that my own personality is around these stones and strangely I am very protective over them.
The Blank Rune
Again this is down to the individual. There is no evidence to suggest that there ever has been a blank rune. You can of course delve into this a little deeper if you wish; my thoughts on this are not to include it in my castings. I will however give you the meanings, as I know them, so you can make you own decision on this. But my suggestion to you is that if you happen to have a set with a blank rune then keep it and use it, as a replacement should you need to.
While others prefer to pick the runes individually out of the bag and form a spread.
Day rune – A good way to get an answer for a certain question. Simply pick a single rune each day.
There are several different spreads to choose from and I will explain a few of these later on.
Rune Diary
It is always a good idea to keep a rune diary, as It is important to keep a record of all of your readings, weather you think they are good or bad. This will also help you to become more familiar with your runes.
Rune casting
The runes have become a great source of inspiration for many, and for some they provide a guide for daily life. It is more a means of analysing the path one is on, and a likely outcome.
Get your runes read here. Ancient anglo-saxon runes reveal much about you. Check out our articles, read your monthly horoscope and make and meet new friends in our free chatroom!
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