Category:Runic Divination
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Runes are letters of the old Norse alphabet, called the futhark. They were, and are, used for inscriptions of all kinds, especially those incised into wood and stone, where the straight-line form of the letters makes for easy carving work.
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The Runes as an Alphabet
In Sweden, Norway, and Iceland, a runic inscription may be cut into a short, flat stave of wood known as a runekafle, and the writing may be either mundane or magical in nature.
Like any alphabet, the futhark can be used for writing ordinary texts, as well as for creating sigils or talismanic bind-runes. However, when considered solely as tools of divination, individual runes are futhark letters that have been engraved or incised on small tumble-polished semi-precious stones, disks of bone, wood, or metal, or ceramic tiles.
The Runes as a Tool of Sortilege
In 1982, the modern usage of the runes for answering life's questions through sortilege or the selection of random symbolic items or numbers, began. This application of rune-lore was apparently originated by Ralph Blum in his divinatory treatise, “The Book of Runes,” which was marketed with a small bag of 24 rune tiles plus one blank tile. Since that time, the term "runes" has come to signify any set of runes engraved or marked on ceramic tiles, bone disks, tumble-polished semi-precious stones, or wooden disks.
Blum's interpretations of the futhark runes drew heavily on the ancient I Ching divination system of China, but it immediately became popular among Neopagan and eclectic magic-users. Runic divination is thus a fairly new style of working in hoodoo practice, and the gifted rootworkers who use it have probably learned the system through contact with Neo-Pagan practitioners.
Each letter of the futhark is given its own meaning and is related to some condition in life or to one of the ancient Norse deities. For instance, the futhark letter "Fe," corresponding to the English letter "F," has the meaning of "wealth," while the futhark letter "Logr," corresponding to the English letter "L," has the meaning of "water." Each of these meanings then gives rise to an associated group of symbolic interpretations associated with the primary meaning.
When psychic readers use a set of Norse runes to find answers to a client's questions, to predict future trends, or to tell fortunes, the runes may be cast by the diviner on behalf of the client or, if the reading is performed in person, the client may be asked to close his or her eyes and then select one or more runes for interpretation from a cloth or leather sack. As with many of the sacred tools of divination, the runes may be kept on or near the worker's altar when not in use. In a number of contemporary Neo-Pagan traditions, the Norse god Odin is the deity who presides over rune casters and assists their divinatory skills, so a brief dedication may be made to him before commencing a reading.
By creating a "layout" or "spread" of three or more runes, a rune reader can build a coherent future narrative for the client from the literal and symbolic meanings of the futhark letters, much in the same way that a cartomancer does when laying out card readings.
Credits
This page is brought to you by the AIRR Tech Team:
- Author: catherine yronwode
- Contributors: Deacon Millett, Dr. E., and nagasiva yronwode
- Images: MacFie's Wizard Shop and Unknown Photographers; photo-edited by catherine yronwode
See Also
Divination
- Divination and Fortune Telling by Norse Runes or the Futhark
AIRR Readers & Rootworkers Who Perform This Work for Clients
Pages in category "Runic Divination"
The following 9 pages are in this category, out of 9 total.
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