Divination is the esoteric art of discovering something that was previously hidden. People have been using runes for divination for thousands of years. Historically, divination was employed for foretelling the future, problem-solving, seeking direction, or looking to alter one’s fate, but the word is also associated with deities, the divine, and of being in communion with the shining heavens. This is part of the beauty of the runes – they allow us to reach out to the gods and guides and receive reflections, revelations, and guidance for our lives.
Perhaps the first recorded account we have of runic divination is from the Roman historian Tacitus in around 98 CE. Tacitus stated that Germanic people held divination in high regard and that, to decide on a course of action, rune-like symbols were inscribed on to strips of wood, which were then thrown, or cast, on to a white cloth. Odin also established the importance of rune casting in the poem Hávamál, from the Poetic Edda, in which he tests the reader’s knowledge of runic divination, asking, ‘Do you know how to cast?’
Although we would love our knowledge of runic divination to be inherited from an unbroken lineage from the distant past, unfortunately this is just not the case because very few pagan or pre-Christian spiritual practices have been passed down through the ages. Various divination systems have been channelled and created over the last millennia, and in the 1980s the modern system of divining with runes became popular through a range of books and rune kits.
However, there are a couple of things I’d like to say to anyone feeling disappointed with the lack of evidence for historical rune casting. Firstly, people have always looked for answers, signs, and meanings in life and sought out ways of communing with gods and guides via divination and oracles. Although we live in very different times today, our needs, worries, and desires are essentially the same as those of our ancestors. We all want health, safety, abundance, and to love and be loved.
All symbols and languages evolve over time, and their meanings can be portrayed in different lights depending on the social, cultural, and political climate. It is therefore natural that the runes have also evolved, and their meanings have expanded to encompass our modern issues. Although runes can adapt to our modern lives, they also have the power to call us back to our primal and elemental selves and remind us of our inherent connection to the land.
Secondly, each rune is a gateway we can journey through. When we actively engage with the runes, they show us who and what they are, and their energies are very much their own, unspoiled by the passing of time. As we quest to respectfully understand them, and ourselves, we gain access to ancient pools of wisdom and inspiration that encourage us to embark upon our own runic journeys, just as our ancestors did before us.
The runes can reveal the swirling energies that are within and around us, and can help us to find the necessary calmness, clarity, and understanding. They can help us to understand our present situations and reveal the deeper themes and what powers are at play. They show which paths lead to healing, and which appear to bring further challenges. They can help us to understand our life path and the threads and patterns of our days.
Getting started
There are a few things you might wish to have close by before you begin your work with the runes.
YOUR RUNES
Firstly, and most importantly, of course, is a rune set! There are plenty of gorgeous sets you can purchase in shops and online, and I do happily own and work with a few. However, it is the ones I made myself that always hold the most personal magic. I explain how to create your own magical runes in my book,
A Guide to Reading the Runes.
A RUNE BAG OR BOX
The container in which you keep your runes is also an object of power. If we look after our runes, they will look after us, and so it is wise to keep your runes in a nice bag or box, which you could buy, or you could make yourself. It can be as plain or as ornate as you wish. The most important thing is that it feels sacred and joyful to you. Your choice of container will also depend on what you intend to do with the set. For example, I have a rune set on my altar for personal divination work, which I keep in a decorated box, whereas I have a strong cotton pouch for the runes that I like to take outside and work with on the land.
A RUNE CLOTH
A rune cloth is a piece of material that is used to place or cast runes on to for divination. It is not essential to work with a rune cloth, particularly when you are getting started, but you may wish to use one when you are further along your journey.
Although Tacitus recorded that rune cloths were traditionally white, there are plenty of beautifully decorated cloths available if you prefer something more colourful, or you could always repurpose material that you already own. If you are feeling creative, you may wish to experiment with fabric pens and paints to create your own decorated rune cloth – perhaps inscribe the runes around the edge of the cloth, or draw or trace Yggdrasil, one of the gods, the Norns, a dragon, or other magical being on to the cloth.
You could also create an elemental cloth by splitting the cloth into four equal parts, with a section for earth, air, fi re, and water. In each segment, draw symbols, swirls, or images that represent the element. Elemental (or other specific) cloth designs can give structure to readings.
A MAGICAL NOTEBOOK
Dedicating a notebook to recording your runic journey is an important and special part of the work. Your runic notebook is a place where your wisdom will expand and develop over time, and it will be a faithful companion on your journey, which you can reflect upon to remember your wild adventures between the worlds. I am a huge fan of handwritten journals, because there is something deeply therapeutic about expressing yourself with pen, pencil, and paint on paper. Another idea is to cut out images and words from magazines to create a collage about each rune. You can, of course, create digital journals if this is your preferred method of note-keeping. This does make it easier if you want to change your work later!
Tips for your rune notebook...
• Allow generous sections in your book for each rune to give you the space to note down all the meanings and correspondences that speak to you.
• Journal your experiences, readings, and meditations with the different runes.
• Read the rune poems and note your responses to these source texts.
Which verses or lines do you connect with? Which ones feel odd to you?
• Read the work of different rune experts and take on board the insights that feel right to you. Over time, as your knowledge grows, you will develop your own correspondences and personal language with the runes.
Laura Daligan is an artist, teacher, witch, seer, fire priestess, musician and healer who has more than 20 years’ experience of rune and tarot reading. She has appeared on various TV channels including BBC, MTV, C4, ITV and Sky’s Psychic TV, and her work has been featured in numerous magazines. She runs courses and workshops, and she has a master’s degree in Viking Studies, in which she focused on the magic and mythology of the Viking Age. Laura currently resides with her magical cat in Somerset.
