In ancient Norse and Germanic culture, runes were more than a writing system. In the Codex Regius, a collection of old Norse poems, there’s even a reference to using runes to raise the dead. The word “rune” itself may be interpreted as “secret,” hinting that the use of magic runes was restricted to the knowledgeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are three well-known runic alphabets. These are the Elder Futhark, Futhorc, and Younger Futhark. The Elder Futhark is the oldest of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, there’s little evidence that runes were traditionally used for divination. Most of the historic references to runes show them as a form of writing, magic, or combination of the two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To ancient people, each rune was more than a letter — it was a pictograph that symbolized cosmic powers and forces, and inscribing a rune invoked those forces. Modern witches and Pagans<\/a> have expanded the use of runes to include rune divination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rune casting is a method of divination in which stone or wooden runes are tossed onto a cloth, board, or other flat surface. The position of the runes relative to each other and the caster provides insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another method of rune divination involve spreading the runes out, face down, and the diviner passing their non-dominant hand over them. The diviner will fee a subtle “pull” from the relevant runes, pick them up, turn them over, and interpret them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet another method involves picking a set number of runes (usually three) out of an opaque bag, and interpreting them in the order in which they were drawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is Rune Casting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n