The Runes and their uses

If we were to mention the word rune in the 1970's the general reaction you would be met with would be one of horror. The runes were thought of as evil, signs of black magic, sorcery and devil worship. This was completely ridiculous but it was a consequence of hundreds of years of Christian propaganda. Not content with destroying the sacred places the hierarchy of the church decided to belittle or demonize Europe's older traditional religions.The word Rune is an old Norse word which translates as mystery or secret. Runes are written characters which hold an oral teaching. Under oppressive rulers and religions the runes were a secret language and alphabet. This alphabet held an inner wisdom and was a key to Shamanic divination.The use of runes tapped into the life energy that flows through us all. And with the correct usage of the runes you could manipulate your own reality.

The use of runes was very prevalent throughout Northern Europe between 400 AD and the end of the Viking Age (1066AD). Warriors of the Germanic tribes had runes inscribed on their weapons, these magically enchanted swords feasted on the life energy of the slain enemy giving the swords owner greater strength. Most Commonly you would find a Germanic
European sword engraved with a Tiwaz rune for protection ( The Tiwaz rune is symbolized by an arrow pointing upwards, Tiwaz is associated as Tyrs rune who is a God of War and Justice). Some swords had messages etched on them, these messages may have the name of the sword or a dedication to a deity or fallen hero. There have been archaeological finds with weapons called Pain giver!

The knowledge of runes brought great fame and respect to the rune masters of old,generally the rune master was either a wise man or women. They were effectively shaman of the tribe or the village. At this present time,people are beginning to treat Rune Divination more serious, or at least giving it a bit more respect than it has had in previous years. The renewed interest in Rune divination is partly down to a few Hollywood stars taking an interest in it, and that in turn creates a fad. The rune masters who do the celebrity circuit get paid large amounts when any one can do it.

You can do a simple divination yourself, all you need is a set of runes, a booklet with their meanings and a quite and calm setting. It is best to hold the runes in a bag and concentrate on what you seek enlightenment on. I usually stick to selecting 3 runes, which represent past, present and future. If i need further clarification i pull out another rune and i get a bit more information from that. If you buy runes they will include a guide of how best to use them. Another technique is to think of what you need guidance on and scatter the runes you have been holding forward. Any rune which is upturned is active and you can piece together a timeline of events from nearest( Shortest time away) to furthest ( more in the future). Your last rune will point to the end result of your query.