I won't go into the history of the runes here

When looking for literature on runes, it has been mostly German and English-language authors, but fortunately there are also Scandinavian authors, and I "trust" them more, at least when it comes to the Nordic runes, and it is those that I will deal with here.

If you want to learn the rune alphabet or the rune series, it's not even easy to know what to call the different runes, because they have different names, Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse. You simply have to decide on a name for each rune.

USE OF THE RUNES.

Runes can be used as an alphabet to write something, but they can also (and primarily) be used magically, and it is the latter way that is interesting in this context.

Runes are some of the most powerful and potent magical symbols I know of! And in that sense, they are "genetically" quite a bit closer to us than tarot and kabbalah, they are part of our own cultural heritage.

You can use runes for divination, rune oracles, cast runes, or draw runes and lay them out in the same or similar way as tarot cards. They can be sung, shouted, chanted and amplified by drumming, and you can adopt postures that express a rune (IS is the easiest!). Not all of them are easy to achieve, use your imagination! Thorsson says you should hold the position for 10 minutes! Was this the yoga of the Viking shamans?)

You can use them on amulets and talismans, or carve them into "rune wands".

You can use runes for healing, for protection, indeed, you can use them for almost any kind of magic.

While scholars argue about the history of runes and the correct understanding of them, we use them for magical purposes and realise that they work, even today. But you have to develop your own personal understanding of each individual rune, and you can only do that by using them over time. Actually, runes, like everything else in magic, are a lifelong study. And that's what makes magic so exciting - there are always new things to learn, which is manna for a curious soul, and you suddenly see connections you didn't see before and understand things from new "levels". When I regularly return to the runes, for example, it's not because I'm walking in a circle, but because I'm constantly moving in a spiral.

So what I write here is based on my current understanding of the runes. Hopefully it will grow over the years!

There are various things you can do to familiarise yourself with the runes. Draw a rune every morning and meditate on it throughout the day. See if you can find this rune's characteristics reflected in everyday life around you in different ways. You can also do a deep meditation on each rune or a drumming journey to find its meaning or gain understanding of it. But as I said, the best way to familiarise yourself with them is to use them diligently for a period of time. Otherwise, I don't think you should go to the runes (or tarot cards) several times a day or every day with every little problem you have. Respect the runes and use them when you feel it's necessary!

The classic and most simple method of using runes is to carve your prayer or incantation or whatever into a piece of wood (a so-called rune stick) and then colour them red, preferably with a natural earth colour, but blood is of course the best and most effective (women should also remember that in many magical traditions, menstrual blood is considered the most powerful). Then you do a small ritual where you charge them with the magical power you have and with the intention of the runes. When the goal is achieved, you can, for example, burn the stick and scatter the ashes to the winds, while thanking the powers or beings that have helped you.

It goes without saying that you should be concise in what you write or sketch. The most important thing is to have a clear intention first, and then choose which runes to use. You can also create a bindrune, i.e. combine several runes into one (and then it doesn't matter if some of the runes are reversed). For example, you can make a binderune from your initials.

You can use several runes or just one, or the same rune that you write several times. If you need money, for example, you can scratch for instance three, six or nine times on a stick. If you need to get your life in order, you can write r a few times. If you're in love, for example, you can take the name of the person you're in love with and combine it with w or s. The possibilities are endless, and as you become more familiar with the runes, it's much better to create your own rune spells than to use ready-made "recipes". The best way to familiarise yourself with them is to first set a goal and then study the runes to find out which ones to use to reach that goal.

to use to achieve that goal.

CREATE YOUR OWN RUNES.

You should have your own set of runes. You can buy them, but it's even better if you make them yourself. The most common materials are wood or stone, but you can also, for example, make them in clay and burn them. If you want to use stones, try to find some that are similar in size and shape (so that you don't immediately recognise which rune it is when you draw one) and preferably completely smooth. Paint the rune on the stone (in red colour) and then varnish it over afterwards. When using wood, it should preferably be a fruit-bearing tree (my runes are made from juniper). You can find a suitable branch and saw it into 24 (or 25, if you also want a blank rune) equal pieces, sand them down with sandpaper, then carve the runes into them and colour them red. Make a nice bag or box to store them in. When you're done, you can make a circle and consecrate the runes to help you in your future magical work. As with all other magical tools, don't leave them lying around when you're not using them. Treat them with respect and don't let others "play" with them. Among witches, it is an unwritten rule that you never touch other witches' tarot cards or runes or other magical tools without first asking the owner if it is okay.

In the beginning, it is especially important that only you touch your runes until they have been properly imprinted with your aura.

RUNE ORACLE.

We can use the runes for divination in much the same way as tarot cards, but I don't really like the word "divination" because what most people associate with it is to say something certain about the future. I don't think the future is fixed. I think we have several possible futures, and what the runes or tarot cards can tell us about the future is how it will most likely turn out if we continue on the same path as now. The word divination comes from Old Norse and originally has a magical meaning, meaning to influence rather than interpret - to bring about a blessing or a curse. I usually use the word divination instead of fortune-telling.

The simplest form of rune oracle is to draw a rune and see what it says. If you want a little more elaboration, you can draw three. You can also decide in advance what the three runes will represent, e.g. past, present, future, or your problem, what hinders you and what helps you. You can either have your runes in a rune bag and pull them out of it, or you can spread them all on a tablecloth (which you may have especially for this purpose) in front of you with the backside up, and then run your hand over them and feel which runes to pull. You can also draw and lay them out as you do with tarot cards, using the Celtic Cross, for example.

The Crone