10 most popular questions from beginners about runes

What are runes and how to work with them

World Tree Yggdrasil

Before you start working with traditional Scandinavian mystical symbols, you should find out what runes are and how to work with them correctly. These signs are the quintessence of the universe itself, embodied in various combinations of the nine branches of the world tree.

The number nine itself was sacred for the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples. It was given even more attention than three - one of the most popular magic numbers, which is found in the esoteric tradition of most peoples of the Earth.

Icelandic skald Egil Skallagrimsson. Illustration for the edition of 'Egil's Saga'. 17th century

In ancient times, the art of reading runes and, moreover, using them in magic was the lot of the elite. People who knew runes were called Erils. The most famous of them was a certain Egil - the hero of many Old Scandinavian legends and traditions. The most famous and almost intact work about him is the “Saga of Egil” written by Snorri Sturlsson. Egil was not distinguished by either beauty or valor, but he was not lacking in wisdom and depth of knowledge of the mystical sciences. This work is one of the main sources of information on how to work with runes correctly. It contains both recommendations and warnings against the thoughtless use of the power hidden in these signs.

Nevertheless, now any person has the opportunity to touch the mysterious tradition of the Old Scandinavian peoples. There are no restrictions for this - the power of ancient signs can be available to everyone. The main thing is to know how to work with runes correctly.

List of runes

(for complete information about the meaning of the rune, click on its photo)

How to start working with runes - the process of activating them

The main thing is to set up a connection with the runes

Before you begin practical work with the magical signs of ancient Scandinavia, you should activate them in your mind. This process is extremely important - it allows you not only to study the direct meaning of each symbol, but also makes it possible to independently draw conclusions regarding the operation of each of the runes and its properties. Under no circumstances should you neglect it, otherwise the likelihood of making a mistake during the work process will be extremely high.

First of all, it is worth noting that activating runes in the mind cannot be called a quick task. To learn how to start working with runes, you need to devote at least one, three or nine days to studying each of these signs. You can meditate on the runes, print out images of them, or simply think about them constantly and try to find your own associations with them. Such a process of spiritual knowledge should not replace, but complement practical information about these signs. You will definitely feel the end of the activation process of each rune - at this moment you will be able to tell yourself that you are precisely aware of the meaning, significance and properties of each of the runes.

Thus, it is necessary to work with each of the 24 signs of the Elder Futhark, and only after that begin any practical work. It wouldn’t hurt to make your own runes in the form of a set for fortune telling. This does not require any special tools, and this process is described in more detail in a separate article on our website. Here we will consider first of all the direct activation of runes.

Rune meanings (1-12)

So, almost all esotericists use Scandinavian symbols. These are 24 completely different runes. They differ in appearance, meaning and energy. Some of them are more aggressive, they seem to blow cold. Such runes have negative interpretations. Others are warm or even hot. Let's look at the first 12 runes.

Feu is one of the most famous symbols. This is the rune of wealth, protection and achievement. In love matters, it symbolizes former partners and relationships. Uruz is a symbol that denotes strength and victory. This is the rune of health, power, it allows you to realize all your plans and dreams. Turisaz - critical situation, problems, destruction. This symbol means that you should carefully consider the current circumstances. Ansuz is a rune that means expectation, wisdom, and is literally translated as “mouth.” Can be interpreted as an exam, interview, important negotiations, or in love - a heartfelt conversation. The Raido symbol symbolizes the road, travel. But besides this, the rune can also mean spiritual movement and self-improvement. Kano – fire or torch. The rune symbolizes energy, power, strength. The interpretation has some similarities with Uruz. But at the same time, this symbol indicates that a favorable period will soon come, and this will happen without any effort on the part of the person. In love fortune telling, it symbolizes a man. Gebo is a fairly common rune. It originates in the meaning of “gift”. This is one of the most favorable signs, meaning happiness, luck, joy. This rune is very often used in the preparation of special formulas for well-being and wealth. The Vunyo rune is often compared to the Wheel of Fate Tarot card. Indeed, their meanings are almost identical. This symbol can have both a positive and negative interpretation. As a rule, the rune indicates that everything is going in the right direction and the person has nothing to worry about. With negative runes nearby, Vunyo can be interpreted as stagnation in business, impossibility of advancement. Hagalaz (Hagall) – literally translated “hail”. This is a symbol of spontaneous destruction, the collapse of hopes and plans. It warns that the person is no longer in full control of the situation. Nautiz is a rune that not only shows the situation, but also explains what to do. The literal translation is “take your time.” Most often, the rune falls out when a person has many problems in life. The symbol gives advice: “You need to be patient.” Indeed, everything that happens in life is not accidental, and one must humbly accept the trials of fate. Isa is depicted as a vertical stick. And this is no coincidence. It seems to show that a period of stagnation has arrived. You should put all matters aside and look at them from a different perspective. At this time, you will not be able to achieve success, but at the same time nothing threatens you. Yer translates as “harvest”. The rune symbolizes receiving finance, but not just winning the lottery. This is a well-deserved reward. Although, the rune does not always indicate material values. Let's say a guy spent a very long time trying to win the girl's favor.

If Yer falls out, it means he succeeded and she will finally pay attention to him

How to work with runes and amulets correctly - learning how to activate them

When you make your first runes, each of them will also need to be activated. First of all, this action lies directly in the manufacturing process. When you work with these ancient signs with your hands, you are already establishing a spiritual connection with them.

When creating a runic set, it is recommended to follow a certain sequence. First, you need to prepare blanks for your future runes, then carry them with you for a while and get used to the dies themselves. You can turn them over in your hands and meditate with them to understand that these blanks are right for you. After this, it is necessary to begin the actual production of runes - their cutting and coloring. Runes are made strictly one by one - you take one blank, cut out a symbol on it, color it and activate it. The simplest way to activate is to add one or several drops of your blood to the coloring composition.

Another option involves the use of elemental magic. After coloring each die, you should carry it over the fire, fumigate it with incense smoke, sprinkle it with salt and hold it under running water. You can also turn to the Northern Gods and Odin, the direct patron of the magical arts and knowledge associated with the runic tradition.

You should also spend quite a long time activating a finished runic set. It is not recommended to activate more than one plug in one day. In this way, you will be able to learn each of the runes for the second time and further deepen your knowledge in this area. As a result, you will literally feel your dies and accurately guess their predictions when divining with runes.

How to use runic amulets

After the initial activation process that occurs in your consciousness, you need to activate the runes in their material embodiment. This is necessary to establish contact with ancient symbols and provide a spiritual connection with your energy.

How to make and “charge” runes:

• Prepare blanks on which you will depict Futhark symbols. It can be any natural materials: stones, bones, wood, metals
• After this, you need to draw runes on the blanks. Depending on the material, choose the appropriate method. For example, paint on stone, cut or burn on wood, metal can only be engraved
• Apply the image of each symbol to the blanks one by one

After that they need to be activated. The methods are as follows:

1. The easiest way is to add a few drops of your own blood to the coloring composition.
2. Fumigation with incense smoke. To do this, you can use aromatic incense or essential oils lit in an aroma lamp.
3. Roasting with open fire. If the material allows, burn each rune with a candle flame. This method is not suitable for wooden workpieces.
4. Activation by the energy of Water. A very easy way - rinse each rune under clean running water

During the activation process, focus your consciousness on the properties and meaning of each symbol. Various associations and images may arise in your mind - remember them.

Important: the activation process will take a lot of time, because only one symbol can be activated in one day. That is, it will take at least 24 days to energy charge 24 characters.

Making and activating talismans and rune staves

Remember about the service life of the created talismans

When you go through the above stages of immersion in runic magic, the question of how to activate a runic spell is unlikely to be too difficult for you. Any runic amulet is activated in the same way as a rune set. There is only one additional point - when working with each individual amulet, you must clearly set its expiration date. At the end of this period or upon achieving the intended goals, the amulet must be consigned to the ground or fire, thanking it for the work done.

Also, many followers of the Scandinavian tradition and runic magic believe that a necessary element in the manufacture of each of the amulets is an appeal to the Gods of the North. Chief among them is Odin. This is not an entirely correct opinion - most practitioners believe that runes are fundamental signs in which all the symbolism of the Universe is embodied. And the Northern Gods are only conductors of this knowledge, but not monopoly masters.

Therefore, turning to them and a deeper study of the pagan traditions of the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples, of course, can help in working with runes. But it is by no means an obligatory part of rituals and runic magic. So a person of absolutely any religion can use runic magic without any regard for alien religious traditions.

Newbie mistakes

It is not always possible to achieve your goals using runic magic the first time, because beginners often make the following mistakes:

• Haste. Do not try to activate all the runes and learn from the properties in one day. Give this process enough time, otherwise you risk harming yourself and others
• Using other people's ready-made kits. By being lazy and taking someone else's fortune telling kit, you risk not getting results. Such symbols are not endowed with your own energy, therefore they are useless
• You also cannot give your personal runic set to another person. Keep it in a secret place and keep it away from prying eyes

Take your time, try to penetrate deeply into the meaning of ancient symbols and devote sufficient time to activation. Then working with runes will bring colossal results.