Are you feeling stuck or uncertain about how to move forward? Have you ever considered casting runes for guidance? No? Bear with me, it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Several years ago a friend introduced me to the power of runes. She had a full set with her and allowed me to give them a try. Their use is pretty simple. Begin by holding a specific question in mind, pull a rune from the set, then read the interpretation of the symbol you’ve drawn. As you read, you will often find some nuance or particular phrasing in the interpretation which applies to your question. In almost every case I am surprised by the relevancy and insight of the drawn rune(s). We could debate all day about how and why this works but an excerpt from the preface of my rune manual of choice covers this very nicely.
…play with the possibility that [these runes] can provide “a mirror for the magic of our Knowing Selves,” a means of communication with the knowledge of our subconscious minds.
Remember that you are consulting an Oracle rather than having your fortune told. An Oracle does not give you instruction as to what to do next, nor does it predict future events. An Oracle points your attention towards those hidden fears and motivations that will shape your future by their unfelt presence within each present moment. Once seen and recognized, these factors become absorbed into the realm of choice. Oracles do not absolve you of the responsibility for selecting your future, but rather direct your attention towards those inner choices that may be the most important elements in determining that future.
How can random selection of marked stones tell you anything about yourself? Perhaps these Rune interpretations are simply so evocative that each contains some point which can be accepted as relevant to some part of what is happening at the limits of consciousness any day, any time, to anyone. That is the easiest possibility to accept from a strictly scientific standpoint. Nevertheless, my own play with these Runes has shown coincidence piled upon coincidence and an apparently consistent “appropriate-ness” in each Rune reading which is difficult to explain by the mechanism I have just described.
Can there be other factors that distort the expected randomness of Rune selection so as to provide a language by which the subconscious makes itself and its expectations known? For myself, I maintain an open mind, reminding myself that observations should not be discounted simply because their underlying mechanisms have not yet been satisfactorily explained.
— Quoted from The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum
This passage captures my feelings and experiences with runes precisely. Last evening I sat down with them and cast some helpful guidance for my current situation. I love doing this!
You can buy runes online, but I decided to make my own as I wanted something more personal. The runes can be made of wood, stone or anything else that suits you. I made my mine from stones I gathered from a beach near my home. I formed them into runes using a Dremel and small diamond point bit to carve the symbols. It was meaningful and I had fun doing it.
If you choose to make your own, and I hope you do, the main requirement to keep in mind is each finished rune needs to be of uniform shape, size and weight. Each rune symbol must be painted, carved, engraved or otherwise formed on one side. When finished, place them in a bag or bowl and they are ready for use. The only other item you need is a way to interpret the symbols you’ve drawn. A little more guidance on how to work with runes than what I provided above would be helpful too. As mentioned earlier, my recommendation for this instruction would be The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum.
If the opportunity ever arises to work with runes I hope you would be open minded to it. They are so good at helping tap into your own internal guidance system that often goes unheard.