Certainly learning the runes is tricksy, because you have far fewer clues from the rune compared to tarot cards, and a smaller number of representations to work with, and so the runes tend to be more "dense" and packed with meaning and information.

However, I also know that with practice, patience and perseverance, you will will get there.

I certainly agree that it is more important that one has a way of working that allows a question to be asked, the caster to engage with the medium, and for their to be a consistent way of reading/interpreting the answer. If pulling your rune staves from a bag and placing them down in a particular order represents your way of being, then I would suggest one sticks with that. If you prefer a more "holistic" appraich relying on seeing meaning in the "randomness" of the pattern as well as the the way the staves relate to each other, then that is the better path for you.

I tend to use the method that most closely matches the question being asked. Where I am looking for the answer to a question with a clear "past influences, present issue, potential outcome" reading, then I will prefer to use a three rune or other systematic spread. Where the question is less defined, or someone wants a more general reading, then a casting approach allows for a complex reading and allows the identification of a greater number of influences and factors.

Hi there, another newbie for the site, though not quite a newbie with Runes. I have been (on and off), trying to get to grips with Runes for a little over a year, mostly through the work of Edred Thorsson, who is really interesting, but quite heavy. I also have a number of other Rune books, (none of which advocate the blank or wyrd rune, cos that is a reason to not buy them as far as I am concerned).

I am now at a stage where I can recognise and "read" the Runes as letters at sight, and write the Eldar Futhark, and I am now starting to learn the deeper esoteric meanings. I am also in the process of making a yew wand and yew staff onto which I will carve appropriate runes etc.

With apologies to most of the members here, I am not so well informed with the witchy and tarot side of things...but as my partner is a very experienced witch with 10 years using Tarot, I kinda have an inside track so to speak.

Oh yes, and (I think uniquely??), I'm from that little island known as the UK.