Casting Light on the Mystique of Rune Stones: An Ancient Divination Tradition.
Ever needed some much-needed guidance but can’t quite make the decision yourself or know where to turn?
An ancient way that is still used today, a divination tool called Runes may help uncover the information you are seeking.
Rune stones, also known as runes or runic alphabets, are a set of characters used in various historical Germanic languages and cultures. They are most associated with the runic scripts used by ancient Germanic peoples, such as the Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and other Norse and Germanic tribes. Runes were used for writing, inscriptions, and divination.
Today, runes are still used in some modern practices, including Neopagan and New Age spirituality, as well as by enthusiasts of Norse mythology and Viking history.
In addition to their use in writing and inscriptions, runes were often employed for divination and as a form of oracular communication. This practice is known as rune casting or runic divination, when you cast or draw runes from a bag and interpret their meanings to gain insight into various aspects of their lives, including love, health, and fate.
Divination tools can be used to access your Higher Self, and it’s from here that answers can be found.
Typically, runes are made of stone, but they can be made from various other earthy materials such as glass, gemstones, ceramic, metals, bone, and wood. You could even make your own using clay!
Every Runes set will feature symbols on each making up a whole alphabet. Typically, a set includes 33 symbols. However, there are various types of runic alphabets used on runes. The oldest runic alphabet, of German descent, is known as ‘Elder Futhark’ which contains 24 runes and the first six spell out the word ‘futhark’.
Over time, several other runes were added to the alphabet in order to use it or write in Anglo-Saxon/ Old English. With the additional nine runes, this is known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.
Further adaptations of the runic alphabet include the Younger or Scandinavian Futhark which is said to have been used in Scandinavia until the 17th century. The changes all reflect life at the time as people moved and emigrated to different countries.
I recently made a set myself made from some small slate stones I collected from the beach. I carved the symbols into each stone and then using a gold permanent marker, I went over the carvings to make them stand out. I found the whole process very grounding, and it allowed me to build a very strong connection to my set of stones which helps to get clearer and more accurate answers. It took me quite a while to carve the stones as I did it by hand, but I really enjoyed it as it helped me to get to know the symbols and see the differences between them and the elements of what made up each symbol. I also believe that the act of hand-picking each stone from the beach myself was another layer of connection. I know exactly where the stones came from and what I was doing and thinking when I was picking them. Again, at the time this was a very grounding experience as I knew what I intended for these stones. Of course, I gave back to the beach where I picked them as I do believe that when you take something from nature it is best to give back and show your appreciation.
You can use runes for guidance when facing problems or issues and they are there to show you what is likely to happen. They offer advice and hints towards answers to help nudge your intuition along.
Rune stones are especially helpful when you are in a situation where the information is unclear or vague. Casting a specific rune stone could be the missing puzzle piece that you couldn’t figure out yourself helping you to see a clearer solution or picture.
Understanding the runic meanings and the significance/ relevance they have for you can take some time to master but just like with anything, the more you do something the easier it will get. Intuition is the key when casting runes and knowing that there is no right or wrong way to interpret your findings is something to remember.
Whether you are looking for some all-important knowledge or want to take your spiritualism further and explore new ways of divination, runes stones offer a simple method that isn’t too hard to execute or understand.
Millennium Milli