The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Runes
The Power of Insight: Divination Systems, Tools, and Practices

ORIGINS

Runes are the letters of a set of related alphabets used by ancient Germanic peoples prior to the adoption of the Latin alphabet. However, runes were much more than letters as we think of them today; each rune was a symbol of a principle or power, and it was believed that writing a rune invoked the force it represented. In addition to general writing purposes, runes were used to make calendars, encode secret messages, and cast spells. The word rune comes from the Old English run, meaning “whisper, talk in secret.”

HISTORY/LORE

Runes are believed to have derived from one of the many Old Italic alphabets used by the Mediterranean peoples of the first century C.E. The runic alphabets were in use between the third and the thirteenth centuries and were replaced with Latin through the process of Christianization in Europe. The Meldorf brooch (also called the Meldorf fibula) bears what is possibly the oldest known runic inscription. It was discovered in Meldorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1979 and dates back to the mid—first century C.E. However, scholars disagree on whether this inscription is truly runic or proto-runic.

USES

Like the I Ching or tarot (see entries in this chapter), you can use runes to receive messages and spiritual insight. You can visit a rune reader for an experience that is somewhat similar to a tarot card reading, or you can learn how to cast runes and read them yourself. Begin by reading up on runes and buying a set of your own. They are usually in the form of small tiles or pebbles and may be made of wood, stone, crystal, metal, or even bone. Rune reading is not to be confused with fortune telling; the runes don’t give you direct advice or exact answers. Instead, they offer hints and variables and leave you to work out the details using your intuition.