One a Day Spread

[Opal]

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?

[Grymdycche]

I've done it before - some people refer to this "spread" as Odin's rune.
(It fits here just fine, BTW)
It kind of gives you a theme for the day, or something perhaps to watch out for.
For whatever reason, I haven't done it lately though.

Every so often,  I do the "Norn" or 3 rune spread:  3 runes drawn from the bag, or 3 chosen from having all 24 laid out face down and mixed around, then placed in a row to represent past, present, and future.
Or alternatively, the positions can be seen as root of the issue, current circumstances or actions (or perhaps, recommended action), and final result if querent stays on the current path or heeds the middle rune.
As you can see, I'm a little iffy with even this simple spread, as even this has slight variations.

I've discovered one potential issue with choosing runes from a face down spread, and that is, some of my current rune "cookies" (clay chips or stones) have distinctive sizes or shapes. You can get to recognize these runes even face down, even though I try not to.  I'm afraid this entice me to, consciously or subconsciously, cherry-pick certain runes and avoid others, badly skewing the reading.
Probably better that I draw them right from the bag. There's still the issue of feel, but at least, not sight. I believe in a true random drawing, and letting Wyrd sort them out.

There is also the 9 rune spread, and others.. I've even heard of people doing a classic celtic cross spread with runes!

Here are some other spreads to try:
http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/runecasting.html
http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/layouts.html

[winter night]

I have only ever drawn a single rune at times when I have needed guidance/advice.

Just to throw a spanner in (hopefully not!  ) - in learning, can the rune a day (spread or single) also be productive if you leave the spread till last thing at night - can you use it to interpret something about whats gone on that day instead? 

Just wondering as sometimes I use the runes to make sense of a situation that has occured.

(I am going to have to learn a whole load of new stuff anyway if I make a set for myself aqs I am keen to get going with the anglosaxon runes now!)

[Opal]

@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

[phoenix]

I think the 'casting on the ground' is interesting.  I have tried something like this before.  My trouble with reading runes, or tarot, is connecting all of them together and getting a clear meaning.  It is hard for me to sift through all the possibilities of meaning to get to what I actually need to know.  Maybe my questions aren't clear enough?  I have worked with the runes many times, but the more I learn and see that my information hasn't always been very accurate I am relearning them.  Maybe it was the inaccuracy of the meanings presented that has caused the problem?  or maybe it's just that I need to work with them more frequently. 

[Opal]

It is hard for me to sift through all the possibilities of meaning to get to what I actually need to know.  Maybe my questions aren't clear enough?  I have worked with the runes many times, but the more I learn and see that my information hasn't always been very accurate I am relearning them.  Maybe it was the inaccuracy of the meanings presented that has caused the problem?  or maybe it's just that I need to work with them more frequently. 

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.

[Mountain Witch]

I draw one in the morning just to get a feel for the day and write it down - I have a notebook just for this purpose. Then I go back to it in the evening and see if I can match my day with the rune. I generally can - even if it's only a tiny thing that happened. You'd be surprised if you read back a month or so at how tiny things add up over the course of time to give you a bigger picture of things.

I do a Norn (past/present/future) if I need an answer to something.

Then on my birthday (the beginning of my year), I do what I call a 'full cast'.  Meaning I take all 24 in my hands and dump them onto my chosen surface (which happens to be a piece of white linen). I record whichever ones come face up (can't get into reversed or merkstave) and once I've looked at all the meanings, do my own interpretation as to what's going to happen in the coming year. It's eerily accurate.

I've never been able to get the hang of the Tarot but I understand from people who do both that the Tarot will give you much more information. I don't need everything spelled out for me but just general guidance. Maybe that's why I can't get the Tarot?

[winter night]

Then on my birthday (the beginning of my year), I do what I call a 'full cast'.  Meaning I take all 24 in my hands and dump them onto my chosen surface (which happens to be a piece of white linen). I record whichever ones come face up (can't get into reversed or merkstave) and once I've looked at all the meanings, do my own interpretation as to what's going to happen in the coming year. It's eerily accurate.

I've never been able to get the hang of the Tarot but I understand from people who do both that the Tarot will give you much more information. I don't need everything spelled out for me but just general guidance. Maybe that's why I can't get the Tarot?

Its my birthday soon, never thought of doing this - thanks MW!
I also am not great with the Tarot, I think less is more for me!

[Opal]

Then on my birthday (the beginning of my year), I do what I call a 'full cast'.  Meaning I take all 24 in my hands and dump them onto my chosen surface (which happens to be a piece of white linen). I record whichever ones come face up (can't get into reversed or merkstave) and once I've looked at all the meanings, do my own interpretation as to what's going to happen in the coming year. It's eerily accurate.

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

[Grymdycche]

Then on my birthday (the beginning of my year), I do what I call a 'full cast'.  Meaning I take all 24 in my hands and dump them onto my chosen surface (which happens to be a piece of white linen). I record whichever ones come face up (can't get into reversed or merkstave) and once I've looked at all the meanings, do my own interpretation as to what's going to happen in the coming year. It's eerily accurate.

I've never been able to get the hang of the Tarot but I understand from people who do both that the Tarot will give you much more information. I don't need everything spelled out for me but just general guidance. Maybe that's why I can't get the Tarot?

That's an interesting idea, MW, particularly doing it on your Birthday.  Is there a certain reading order, left to right, for example, or do you just see which ones tend to group together, or which fall towards the center of pile and which fall to the outside.. ?

Sometimes I see Tarot and Runes as two opposite ends of the spectrum. Tarot has highly detailed pictures to work with, and plenty of reference material out there;  runes are more obscure in their simplistic symbology, and the references are ancient and difficult to access (directly anyway.. but that's part of the "fun" for me)
I like Tarot as well, but one thing that sometimes nags at me about it. Being that the cards can be (re)drawn by any artist, the details can greatly changed from deck to deck; yet, so many tarot readers get insanely granular by putting the tiniest details under a microscope; if a reader is scrutinizing the artwork to that degree, isn't what they're really doing is interpreting an artist's interpretation?  That doesn't seem.. very "direct". 
OTOH, to contradict myself I suppose, I do pay some attention to things in the classic Pamela Smith Coleman artwork.  But for the most part, I guess, I consider Numerology as the primary guide to the tarot (major and minor arcana), as well as the the way the four suits represent the four elements. 

[winter night]

I like Tarot as well, but one thing that sometimes nags at me about it. Being that the cards can be (re)drawn by any artist, the details can greatly changed from deck to deck; yet, so many tarot readers get insanely granular by putting the tiniest details under a microscope; if a reader is scrutinizing the artwork to that degree, isn't what they're really doing is interpreting an artist's interpretation?  That doesn't seem.. very "direct".  

Similarly with the Runes - I learned most of what I thought I knew from Rune books which were someone else's take on them.  so the meanings had been re-hashed over and over, quite far from these poems.

I am enjoying starting from scratch on this forum though.  I do prefer to try to draw out the meaning myself than have it spoon fed in a manual - though not all manuals are like this, but some are!  But i also enjoy reading others take on it on this forum too, everything thinks in a different way.

[Mountain Witch]

That's an interesting idea, MW, particularly doing it on your Birthday.  Is there a certain reading order, left to right, for example, or do you just see which ones tend to group together, or which fall towards the center of pile and which fall to the outside.. ?

I'm one of those weird people that doesn't pay attention (much) to dates, holidays, celebrations, etc. So for me the beginning of the seasonal year at Samhain ain't much; the solar year - enh! (although I use Midwinter & Midsummer as planning [plotting] days); and the calendar year is really arbitrary but who can argue that my year begins on my birthday?! And another year begins as well - my wedding anniversary is the day before. Sort of a logical time (to me) to see what's up in the coming 12 months.

I usually do top-bottom, left-right (like I'm reading a book or somethin'), paying attention to which ones fall together. It's an overview of a year, not looking for anything specific, so I don't think the 'order' one reads them in is essential but runes can influence each other, so I do pay attention to any pairs/groupings.

[Grymdycche]

I'm one of those weird people that doesn't pay attention (much) to dates, holidays, celebrations, etc. So for me the beginning of the seasonal year at Samhain ain't much; the solar year - enh! (although I use Midwinter & Midsummer as planning [plotting] days); and the calendar year is really arbitrary

I could probably find the answer if I searched long and hard enough, but the whole Gregorian calendar thing leaves me scratching my head. You'd at least think the new year started on a solstice or something, but no, it's not quite 2 weeks after the winter solstice...
(Not to mention, Sept thru December are 2 numbers ahead- Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec should be the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10 month, not 9, 10, 11, 12)

[midnightblue]

It all worked fine until the Romans insisted on giving Julius and Augustus their own months!  I can't remember exactly when the new year was shifted to 1st January but it's all linked in somehow (I looked it up around Samhain because I was interested in why we celebrate the New Year when we do.)

Anyway, I have been known to draw a couple of runes on my arms in biro when needs must.  I haven't used them in spell casting apart from that but I am moving towards that as I have an affinity with runes so I think they will work well for me.

[Grymdycche]

It all worked fine until the Romans insisted on giving Julius and Augustus their own months!  I can't remember exactly when the new year was shifted to 1st January but it's all linked in somehow (I looked it up around Samhain because I was interested in why we celebrate the New Year when we do.)

True, I suppose we're lucky there isn't a month for Caligula and Nero too.. or Justinian or Constantine, for that matter!

Anyway, I have been known to draw a couple of runes on my arms in biro when needs must... 

Aha, now we all know which side of the pond you're on.    In the Americas, (or in the US anyway) we call them "Bics".