Runes are an ancient form of oracle used by those seeking advice. Runes have a long history, dating back to ancient use by Germanic and Nordic tribes, and are still widely used in today’s society. Anyone can have a rune reading.
What Can Runes Be Used For?
The runes can be used to help guide you through problems or issues and help show you what is likely to happen. They’re not a form of fortune-telling and don’t offer exact answers or give you advice - rather they offer different variables and suggest how you could behave if the event does occur. Runes are known for hinting towards answers, but leaving you to work out the details, which is where intuition is helpful.
Runic readers acknowledge that the future isn’t fixed and that individuals have the power to follow their own path and make their own decisions. So if you don’t like the guidance that a rune reading provides, you’ve got the power to change your direction, or your path, and follow a different route.
Runes can be used in many different situations. For example, one of the occasions when it can be useful to consult the runes is if you’re in a situation where you have limited information, or can only see an incomplete picture.
How Do Runes Work?
When you cast the runes, it’s not fortune-telling. The idea behind the way that runes work is that, as you ask a question or think about an issue, your conscious and unconscious minds are focused. When the runes are cast in front of you, they’re not totally random, but are choices that have been made by your subconscious.
Fehu, “cattle.” Phoneme: F. Meaning: wealth.
Uruz, “aurochs.” Phoneme: U (long and/or short). Meaning: strength of will.
Thurisaz, “Giant” Phoneme: Th (both soft and hard). Meaning: danger, suffering.
Ansuz, “an Aesir god.” Phoneme: A (long and/or short). Meaning: prosperity, vitality.
Raidho, “journey on horseback.” Phoneme: R. Meaning: movement, work, growth.
Kaunan, “ulcer.” Phoneme: K. Meaning: mortality, pain.
Gebo, “gift.” Phoneme: G. Meaning: generosity.
Wunjo, “joy.” Phoneme: W. Meaning: joy, ecstasy.
Hagalaz, “hail.” Phoneme: H. Meaning: destruction, chaos.
Naudhiz, “need.” Phoneme: N. Meaning: need, unfulfilled desire.
Isaz, “ice.” Phoneme: I (long and/or short). Meaning: unknown (the rune poems are ambiguous and contradictory).
Jera, “year.” Phoneme: Germanic J, modern English Y. Meaning: harvest, reward.
Eihwaz, “yew.” Phoneme: I pronounced like “Eye.” Meaning: strength, stability.
Perth. Phoneme: P. Meaning: unknown. (Note: the theory that this rune’s name was “Pertho” is just speculation. No one really knows, because the Viking Age and medieval sources are too vague.)
Algiz (the rune poems are contradictory). Phoneme: Z. Meaning: protection from enemies, defense of that which one loves.
Sowilo, “sun.” Phoneme: S. Meaning: success, solace.
Tiwaz, “the god Tiwaz.” Phoneme: T. Meaning: victory, honor.
Berkanan, “birch.” Phoneme: B. Meaning: fertility, growth, sustenance.
Ehwaz, “horse.” Phoneme: E (long and/or short). Meaning: trust, faith, companionship.
Mannaz, “man.” Phoneme: M. Meaning: augmentation, support.
Laguz. Phoneme: L. Meaning: formlessness, chaos, potentiality, the unknown.
Ingwaz, “the god Ingwaz.” Phoneme: Ng. Meaning: fertilization, the beginning of something, the actualization of potential.
Othalan, “inheritance.” Phoneme: O (long and/or short). Meaning: inheritance, heritage, tradition, nobility.
Dagaz, “day.” Phoneme: D. Meaning: hope, happiness.