What Are the Runes?
May 30, 2021

Reading time 2 min.

My practice is centered around the use of the Runes of the Elder Futhark. The Runes are a set of symbols from about two-thousand years ago in the Germanic regions of Europe, with the oldest known inscriptions dating to about 150 AD – obviously the one who inscribed them had to know them, so there is reason to believe they are far older still. It is believed that they were greatly influenced by the Latin alphabet, and this is substantiated by the fact that the Romans had been the undisputed ruling power of Europe in that time. However, unlike their Latin counterparts, the Runes served another purpose in addition to their use in mundane context, in that they were believed to possess magickal power, power which was expressed in various ways, from divining the future to imbuing certain traits. To the tribes of pre-Christian Europe, the Runes were sacred in their own right.

There are two main “Futhark” (a word derived from the first six Runes): the Younger and the Elder. The Younger has only 16 Runes and dates to the Viking age, whereas the Elder is older, as the name implies, and has 24 Runes. I use the Elder Futhark exclusively, due to the fact that they belong to a rich esoteric tradition and have the most “depth”. While there is a clear historical point of origin for the Runes as referenced above, there is also a mythological one, and despite obvious “factual” inaccuracy, there is a great deal of “truth” present – the ability to understand the difference between these is vital in order to fully appreciate any mythology.

According to myth, the Germanic patriarch Wotan (who will be described in greater detail in another piece, but just imagine a very morbid Gandalf and you’ll get the idea) hung from the world tree, a great yew called Yggdrasil, for nine days and nine nights with a spear in his side. He hung in a death trance, without food or water, and staring down into the roots of Yggdrasil until the glowing forms of the Runes appeared to him. This nine day ordeal is described as sacrificing himself to himself “Wotan to Wotan”, the act of killing the old self in order to make the new – the fact that Yggdrasil itself is a yew tree supports this notion.

There is another element to the Elder Futhark which reinforces my assertion to use it instead of the Younger, and that it the relationship of each Rune of the Elder Futhark with Skuld’s Net, also known as the “Web of Wyrd”. Skuld’s Net is a series of nine lines, three vertical, three slanting left, and three slanting right. The interpretations of this symbol vary, but ultimately it depicts the Norns (those who weave  “Wyrd” or “fate”) and that which they weave. The interpretation I use is that the three vertical lines are the Norns – Urd, Verdandi, Skuld – and the diagonal lines are the threads which bind them together.

Urd is the past, “That Which Has Come into Being”, and can be thought of as solid, rigid, earthy – the soil in which Yggdrasil is rooted.

Verdandi is the present, “That Which is Coming into Being”, and unlike many contemporary philosophies which assert that there is only “now”, Verdandi implies that “now” is an illusory point between past and future, one which becomes past as soon as it is observed – the point of weaving.

Last is Skuld, “That Which Should Come into Being” the fluid, watery counterpart to hard Urd, which is yet to be woven and solidified via Verdandi – many potential futures to be woven.

It is from these nine lines that the Runes of the Elder Futhark come, and each of the 24 Runes can be found within. Thus, even the act of communication via writing was somewhat mystical, and if one thinks about it, isn’t writing a fairly esoteric act? A series of abstract lines arranged in order to contain and transmit complex information? “Spelling” indeed!


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Stacey Gill
May 31, 2021

They had back then the secret ingredients to functional, practical occultism that are very much in short supply today. The extremes of human experience were the norm then, and it wasn't too uncommon to know a few folks with at least a handful of tales to tell of combat and peril. These days those experiences which evoke a certain animal thrill as one's life is on the line are almost non-existent, and life is very sterile, safe, and as such much of we call "magick" fails because it is so very safe.

Stacey Gill
May 31, 2021

My practice itself is either using the Runes to discern outcomes or to make Bindrunes. Fact is that regardless how much time progresses, the same themes are present in everything that happens.

Anyone can use tools like Runes and Tarot to help them reflect on a situation, and they are expressions of latent human capabilities for this kind of thing. I'd say it's a particular breed which can utilise magick most,effectively, which will be touched on in the Wotan article.

Sherry Turnbull
May 31, 2021

Hello! In your article you say that runes are something magical, but how do you use them in your practice? Do you think that if you use runes, you have magic? Thx.

Jonathan Tayron
May 31, 2021

An interesting topic. I've heard enough about rune magic. I would like to move to those times for a while, to look at the ancient peoples. Who knows, maybe some kind of magic could exist in those distant times, we cannot know, even statements to the contrary are also suspect.

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Rune Reading
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Create Bindrune

Whereas my other service is a consultation and guided meditation on a given problem, the creation of a Bindrune is a means of providing my client with a constant mimetic tool for overcoming a central issue once identified. A Bindrune is a sort of talisman or sigil made of a few Runes combined in order to evoke the forms associated with each. I will design and draw up your Bindrune, and provide a written summary of its constituent parts in PDF form. It will not solve your problems on its own, but it will help give you an edge.

Stacey Gill
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Cast and Interpret the Runes

It's what it says on the tin: I'll cast the Runes like one would with tarot in order to answer a question or provide insight on a troublesome matter. I place emphasis on solid, useable advice, as problems are not solved with empty platitudes.

Stacey Gill
Rune Reading
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Rune Divination Reading

Past, present or future, runes can often show us that which we would like to know. Runic divination has been around since the time of the Vikings, longer even than Tarot, and the name “rune” means “secret”. The Nordic peoples believed that the runes held secret knowledge and wisdom, and this has been my experience with them. They can offer a unique and distinct insight into ourselves and our lives.

What can the runes tell you? The runes are best consulted when attempting to understand a person, a situation, or to glean some insight into the possible outcomes before us. They may help to bring closure, confidence, or even to reveal untruths. I have often found that the runes tell us that which we feel we are ready to know. Even so, one should always try to be open to the truth.

What does a reading entail? We begin with a chat; this can be a call or a text chat. We will discuss your issue or concern, and you can share with me what you’re comfortable with so that I can understand your situation and the questions that we must put forth to the runes, our chosen oracle for this reading. I will take what you have shared with me and I will consult the runes, I will interpret their meaning and their guidance, and I will relay this to you in a conversation. This will be a FULL cast reading (25 stones), not a 3 rune reading or spread; this will cover a breadth of possible insights rather than trying to distill a complex issue into three cards. During the reading, I may need to ask follow-up questions in order to best understand the guidance being offered by the runes. We will discuss the results of the reading and apply their wisdom to your query.

Please note that this exchange may seem personal. While I am intuitive, I would be doing you a disservice by presuming to understand your thoughts and feelings without discussing them first. Please know that anything we discuss will be confidential and that there is no topic or realm of human thought, feeling or experience which I am uncomfortable engaging with. In my readings, I try not only to bring the wisdom of the runes, but also my own wisdom as an empath and student of psychology.

My purpose here is not to tell you what you want to hear, but to earnestly try to help you find truth and understanding. I will do my best to guide you to that truth with compassion, empathy and objectivity.

Chris Reiter
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Runic spells

As a practitioner of runic art and mysticism, I can create a spell just for you, for your problem.

You can have it in two ways, that’s up to you:

1. Custom individual bindrune

2. Runic spell based on ancient germanic traditions

I can create a bindrune just for you. All projects are individual and I never made two the same bindrunes. But hey, what is a bindrune? It’s a magical symbol made of more than one rune. In our germanic traditions, we believe our fate is something you can weave and bind to your will, just like the fabric. Binding runes into one can affect your surroudings and your own fate. The project I will provide you is based 100% on your individual needs and will work only for you and only for your problem. I will not only choose runes and bind them for you in a proper manner, I will also guide you on how to use the bindrune and its all potential.

For runic spells, I base them on ancient runic stones. I studied hundreds of them and with all confidence I can tell you, that I can make a runic spell the way it would have been done thousands years ago. These spells I write usually in Old Norse language, sometimes I go for Proto-Norse or Proto-Germanic. What kind of spells do I make? All sorts. Usually fertility, power, love and financial aid. Most of my spells are based on calling the power of particular god/goddess, so if you’re a non believer, let me know, we’ll think of something different. The same as for bindrunes, I will guide you on how to use the spell and unlock its full potential.

Kaka Kuka

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