I already sort of do this with whatever rune I pull in the morning, but never thought of doing it with a rune picked for magical purposes.


Lucky you living by the beach! The closest I get here in the desert is leaving the windows open when it's windy, closing my eyes, and imaging the ocean (it sounds very close!). lol Still there is lots of sand around that could still be useful I suppose.

I totally agree! As long as it feels right, makes sense, and most importantly works, who's to say what is or isn't "correct"? 

Aha! My apologies! I can see how that can be taken that way. Relying on other interpretations is not something I wanted to suggest either. I must be more careful in future how I word things, getting tone right through typing is so difficult sometimes.

A side note.... I was also under the impression that the rune poems posted in each forum were indeed for discussion of said poem until you pointed out they were for reference only. Another reason I was going in a different direction.

Anyway! No harm no foul! I am having a wonderful time here thus far, thank you.

I like that! Must wait till October to try it out though.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having these issues! Sometimes I wonder if using runes for divination is even the way for me to go, or if practice, practice, practice is the key.

@Grym,

Maybe I have not been clear. I did not mean to be dismissive of the poems at all. I was just curious as to different takes and first impressions different people might have had from the runes themselves. Not taking into account other authors or interpretations, so I'm not sure how fluff or Llewellyn got in there? I mentioned my first impression might sound fluffy, but that's just me and my first thoughts, no Llewellyn (or other books for that matter) involved there either.

My whole thought was to keep out the middle men. I guess I didn't realize I was a middle man too?

I'm mean I'm all for studying the ancient texts and taking the lead there, but having a personal connection with the meanings of each rune is part of how I'm learning and how they are useful to me. Otherwise I might as well be studying algebra.

"Letting the runes speak directly to you is one way to avoid this."

This is the vein I was aiming for, maybe I missed.

"To get to the point, the old sources are reliable;  it's just that they're a bit esoteric because they're of a different age and a different culture.
That's the fun, mystery, and challenge of exploring the runes; to go directly to the old poems, the Havalmal, the Völuspá, the Grímnismál, etc.. and see how they - and the ancient authors who wrote them-  speak to you."

I didn't mean to imply that they weren't reliable, just that there are language and cultural barriers.

"It's fine to also meditate on the shape or even the sounds of the runes; don't get me wrong, but I believe the ancient texts should be the primary, and not secondary, authority.
(If you wish to primarily go on intuition based on shape and sound, it'd probably be even more potent for you to create and identify with your own custom symbols.)"

I'm glad you somewhat approve of my personal practices? I wasn't aware there was only one  set way of studying permitted here. Don't get me wrong, I think the ancient original texts are very valuable and important, definitely a main focus, but also not the be all and end all of the story. To look at it that way, purely academically, is as bad as the fluffiest mix and match paganism imnsho.

"One other aside: we don't really necessarily know what the sound of each rune was. Many of the runes may not sound as they initially look, partly due to the great vowel shift of the middle ages, among other things.
Also, of course, each rune has multiple names, depending on the culture. (I need to work on putting them here)
If it helps though, this is, to date, the best rune pronunciation guide I've found for the reconstructed Old Germanic language for which the Elder Futhark is named.
http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/pronunciation.html
Pretty cool."

This is an excellent point which I failed to recognize and will be very excited to look into more thoroughly! Thank you for the link!

The Norwegian poem reminds me of catechism, and also zeitgeist the movie.

The Icelandic poem is interesting because it suggests the exact opposite of Isa. I suppose that's obvious in that it represents the sun, but being described as "destroyer" makes it sound that much more potent.

Another rune of the day! lol XD And a continuation of this idea of first impressions -------> http://www.phrets.com/runeforum/index.php?topic=45.msg71#msg71

I've very fond of Isa, partly because it seems so self explanatory. Just saying it's name tells me a lot about it. It's icy, it's cold, it's almost hissing at me, which always shoots a picture of hot breath in the cold air into my mind's eye.

Just looking at it though, I get something else. A straight path going on indefinitely. A wall or blockage without an obvious way through it.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying sharing my first impressions and getting a little feedback, hope I'm not the only one.

What are/were your first impressions of Isa from simply looking at it or reading/hearing it's name?

I have yet to get into this too deep or use it myself, but I'm sure the possibilities are endless.

Do you use runes for spellcasting or other forms of magic? What's your preferred way of going about it? (If you don't mind sharing, that is! )

@Grym,
Thanks for the links! Casting the Norns looks interesting, I'll have to try it out.

I always pick from the bag for the same reason. Some of the "cookies" are chipped or warped. lol So it's easy to tell a few of them.

@winter,
I hadn't thought of that! I suppose drawing in the morning would be trying to predict your day and drawing at night would by more of a summary of how it already went. Very interesting! Because at first it sounds like only a slight variation when really it's reading for entirely different purposes. It's almost getting into divination vs. personal growth/exploration. ymmv

I'll have to think more on this, and maybe start pulling two a day just to see how it goes! lol XD

I like that! I'm very interested in impressions of hearing the name Gebo because it's one that I really never got anything from that way. I can see (er, hear lol) what you mean by warmth in it though.

So today my rune of the day is Gebo. I've always liked Gebo because the first time I saw it it reminded me of a hug. I know, that's sounds like fluff, but still does.

It makes me think of wrapping (or being wrapped) in a great big bear hug. The really meaningful kind that you don't give (or get) very often from people you aren't close to unless something terrible has happened, like a loved one dying, or your house burning down, etc.

First impressions I think, can say a lot. Even more so because there isn't always a lot to go on  other than that and a little poem that has almost certainly lost something in time and translation, unless you're relying on other people's interpretations.

Giving the marks themselves personality is also how I tend to remember them (musical notes too! lol), but first audio impressions (reading/hearing) of the name of a rune itself could also be significant in your own understanding.

One of the most interesting things about runes to me is their outward simplicity, yet seemingly never ending layers of deeper meaning and connections.

What are/were your first impressions of Gebo from simply looking at it or reading/hearing it's name?

This seemed to fit under spreads, maybe not...

Anyway, I'm not new to runes and seem to have at least the names/letters and basic meanings lodged into my head by now, but have never been able to really go very far with them. At least in so much as reading them for divination.

So I've started pulling a rune a day to remind myself of what I already know and see how it might correspond with the days events/emotions, or see what kind of "feel" I may get off of it that I hadn't thought about or noticed before. I pull it in the morning and usually keep it with me throughout the day, then try to write something down before bed.

I've done this sort of thing before with tarot, but (obviously) it was very different and to me, a lot easier. Doing it really helped me not only understand the cards better, but also immensely with reading them in a spread.

With the runes... not so much. I feel like I am starting to understand them better, but the whole divination aspect is just not there (yet). I don't know if I'm just not seeing it or what, but I can't even imagine doing a bigger spread and making any kind of sense of it (yet).

So I was interested in other people's experience with this spread, but also in starting out or having trouble using runes for divination (maybe that part deserves it's own post in another part of the forum?).

Do you/have you pulled a rune a day? Does it work for you? What are your experiences with this technique?

Beeswax? Walnut oil? Maybe test out a few different things on test chunks and see how they hold up, which feels better, etc.