Working with Runes

Runes are most probably our most ancient divination tool! Runes perhaps not as we know them, but in a very rudimentary form.

Runes can be made of anything!  Ranging from the beautiful little square of pottery with the now familiar markings on them that many of us are familiar with in our work. To seashells off the beach, pretty coloured pebbles, crystals, feathers, twigs, and almost anything else that you can think of that can be used as a medium for either runic symbols, or meanings given to the objects themselves. 

All of these constitute runes and have been used in many civilizations since the beginning of mankind's development.

It is more than possible to make your own set of runes, and to attribute your own meanings to each.

One of my earliest sets of runes were simply smooth pebbles from a local beach, which then I painted with symbols that had significant meaning to me, and varnished to keep the symbols on! 

Since then I have discovered a commercially available set of 'Witches Runes' which are indeed very similar to my own!  Which simply tells me that there is nothing new in the universe, and that many of instinctively are aware of the same symbols and symbolic information at the same time.

This is fine!  Because it means that we are all tapping into the 'greater mysteries'.  The information that is out there for us all to tap into.

There are of course beautiful sets of runes that you can buy, that do have very specific meanings when laid out in specific sets.  These take a little learning and a little getting used to, but the symbols are beautiful, and it is possible to do a very precise and intense reading with them.

But for your own use, why not develop your own set of runes?  From perhaps 12 objects, shells or stones or pieces of wood.

It is very easy to develop your own symbols for things that are important to you... for example, love can be symbolized by a heart or a cup, work can be symbolized by a tool perhaps a hammer, or a spade.

Money is easy to symbolized by a coin and so on, and if you think about it this is probably how many established runic symbols came about.

Then create your own simple way of reading them.

Keep them in a beautiful bag, and when you need a rune, simply take one out and see what it tells you.  That can be your rune for the day.

For a more involved reading, shake the bag of runes out onto a surface, and see how they fall. See which are the most prominent and make these the most important runes for the moment.

There are many ways of organizing this and you can have  great fun and satisfaction in developing your own system.

Although the runes themselves have their own inherent mysteries as do all things that help and teach us in this way.  They should also be something that is very familiar to us and comfort in times of need. 

Getting to know your runes... or even creating your own runes can be a therapy in itself!  And can provide a guide and a comfort in times of need.