• Divination Articles,  Monthly Columns

    The Road to Runes: The Blank Rune

    Welcome back to The Road to Runes, gentle ramblings about my own bumpy journey toward learning the runes, their meanings, and using them for divination and personal exploration. The Elder Futhark runes are what most people think of when they consider a set of runes. These runes are 24 “letters” that represent sounds and words, are used in poems that carry potentially great meaning, and are strongly linked to Norse mythology. Many rune sets include the 24 runes and also a blank rune stone (or piece of wood, or tablet, or whatever the material the runes are made from). There are a few different thoughts on why the blank rune…

  • Divination Articles,  Monthly Columns

    Road to Runes: Buying a Rune Set

    There are plenty of questions you might ask when choosing a rune set. What material should I choose for runes? Do I have to make them myself? Are mass-produced runes okay? To be clear, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers, only answers that are right for you. However, we’ve pulled together some tips and advice to offer guidance with this important choice of divination tool. Materials for Runes You can find runes made out of just about anything, and you can make a set of runes out of any materials you might have to hand. Even runes written on pieces of paper can work. But if you’re in the…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-Stars, Cards, and Stones: Exploring Cosmic Connections between Astrology, Tarot and Runestones by Kooch N. Daniels, MA

    Book Review Stars, Cards, and Stones: Exploring Cosmic Connections between Astrology, Tarot and Runestones By Kooch N. Daniels, MA Publisher: Red Feather Mind Body Spirit 192 Page Hardcover Release Date: December 17, 2024 Stars, Cards, and Stones is a beautifully designed and illustrated hardcover book that discusses the three most popular divination methods: Astrology, Tarot and the Elder Futhark Runes. Anyone looking to learn the basics of Astrology, and combine that information with Tarot and Rune wisdom, combining them for a unique and in-depth reading, either for oneself or for others. The author starts by examining basics of Astrology, the Zodiac, and the Planets, which is built upon in the…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Queering the Runes by Siri Vincent Plouff

    Book Review Queering the Runes: Reclaiming Ancestral Wisdom in Rune Magic & Mythology by Siri Vincent Plouff Publisher: Weiser Books 240 Pages Release Date: September 4, 2024 On the author’s website, Queering the Runes is described as a “…love letter to the runes, the gods, and the people who follow the Nordic path.” The book is promoted as an alternative approach to learning the runes, combining personal gnosis and academic research. Importantly, this approach is inclusive to anyone regardless of their gender identity, perhaps making it one of the first widely available resources to queer and trans individuals and communities — while still wholly relevant to literally anyone else, too.…

  • Reviews

    Book Review for Runes for the Green Witch

    The Runes for the Green Witch An Herbal Grimoire By Nicolette Miele Published by Destiny Books Released date January 30th 2024 Contains 278 Pages This book has 24 chapters. Each chapter contains the Elder Futhark runes and their correspondences with plants, crystals, elements, deities, Moon phases, zodiacs, planets, tarot and chakras. For instance, chapter 15 talks about ELHAZ. It discusses the meaning of Elhaz, It was a beautiful poem, It stands for protection, Divine support and sanctuary. It also includes how to pronounce it, its history and translation. It then continues to talk about what its connected to like, there are 9 different correspondences of medical properties with plants and…

  • Divination Articles

    Tarot with Lady Saoirse

    Yule 2023 Bright Blessings! As Yule approaches, you might be thinking of which decks you would like to buy to give to loved ones as gifts- and you might be thinking of which decks you hope to get as Yule gifts yourself! Instead of focusing on cards this time, let’s set them aside and discuss the runes. Yule, is after all, named after Odin, and Odin was the one who gave mankind the runes. Some people say the runes are just letters of the alphabet some smart Heathen incorporated into a new form of divination at some point. Others say that Odin intended the runes for people to use to…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Road to Runes: Making a Rune Set Runes have been used for divination for many years, and are often incorporated into Norse-inspired magic and spiritual practices. While there are many digital tools for drawing runes, it’s normal to want to have a physical set of your own if you want to use them regularly. That way, you can draw a rune wherever you are, even if you’re in the middle of the woods or high up a mountain—although perhaps don’t go as far as to try and use them while hanging from a tree!     One of the cheapest and most satisfying ways to get your own runes is…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Two Runes Together In the last issue of PaganPagesOrg, we looked at the power of a single rune reading. As I learn the runes myself, slowly it has to be said, I love to look at the different ways the runes can be read together. Just as a single rune can give a fast, intuitive answer to a simple question or circumstance, two runes together could provide either more detail or perhaps two polarized viewpoints on the same situation.   Ways to Draw Two Runes There are plenty of different ways to either draw runes yourself or get them drawn and explained by an experienced reader. You can purchase physical…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Reconnecting to Spirituality   I recently had to write a little bit about divination for the Pagan Federation, and I realised that my regular practice had become, well, not so regular. For many months, I was drawing a card or a rune daily, and even taking an in-depth course on Ogham with the Irish Pagan School. However, I’d allowed myself to become bogged down in “day job” work and other commitments, and wasn’t utilising the tools at my disposal. What better prompt to get back into my journey learning the runes than this! And, what better question than, “How do I reconnect to my spiritual practice and ensure I’m not…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Road to Runes: Ehwaz – A Journey in Trust   I finally got a new set of runes. In fact, it’s one I’ve had for a long time that I was going to sell, years ago, but for some reason have clung onto. Now I know why! It’s a set of carnelian tumble stones (rocks shaken in a tumbling machine until they are smooth) each inscribed with one of the Elder Futhark. I don’t go in for a whole lot of crystal magic as mining crystals has a lot of negative impacts on the Earth and the people involved. However, I also don’t waste what I have, and these are…