The home of the Pagan Man

"You what?" I hear you say.
It says, "Here is an example of text written with runes". If you know what letters the runes represent then you can read the text. This is one very simple use for runes, to make text illegible to anyone who does not know the code. However, there are other uses too... talismans and divinations.

Runes probably originated about 2000 years ago with the Germanic peoples of northern Europe as tools of magic and for inscriptions. The oldest commonly used Runes are the Elder Futhark. Futhark being the equivalent to the word alphabet, and so-called by the order of the first six Runes. This Rune set contains twenty-four Runic symbols, split into three Aetts or families of eight. Some modern Rune sets have a 25^th blank Rune, but this has no part of the true Futhark set. It is thought that this blank Rune was added to commercial sets so that if a Rune was damaged, the owner could carve a new one.
Many modern fantasy and horror novels refer to Runes, but few portray them in their true light. One of the few novels to use Runes in their proper context is J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Runic correspondences

Text colours for Rune Spellings:
Old Norse Spelling, Germanic Spelling, Anglo-Saxon Spelling, Other Spellings.

Text colours for meanings:
Talisman uses, Divination meanings.

First Aett:

	FE FEHU FEOH FEH	Used to gain wealth, find fulfilment and enhance personal power. Money, energy/life-force.
	UR URUZ UR	Used to make a fresh start or begin a new endeavour. Improve stamina, independence, endurance and responsibility. Health, moral strength.
	THURS THURISAZ THORN	Used to strengthen determination and break down barriers. Courage, assertiveness.
	ASS ANSUZ OS ASS, AS	Used to provide inspiration, and find hidden potentials. Helps to improve consciousness, intelligence, communication and reasoning. Higher consciousness, self-knowledge, mental stability.
	REID RAIDO RAD	Used to gain perspective, extend awareness and make balanced judgments. Helps in taking control of the situation, being in control, taking a direct course of action. Control issues, ethical conduct.
	KAUN KENAZ CEN KEN	Used to express creativity and attain clarity of thought. Helps to improve knowledge, consciousness, and intellect. Intuition, enlightenment.
	none GEBO GIFU GYFU	Used to help you make more efficient use of time, and strengthen personal bonds. Also relates to the act of giving. Balancing opposing forces and factors.
	none WUNJO WYNN WYNJA, WYN, WUNJA	Used to build self-esteem and improve well-being and joy. Harmony, happiness, optimism.

Second Aett:

	HAGALL HAGALAZ HAEGL HAGAL	Used to focus intentions and banish unwanted influences. Helps to provide strength in the face of adversity. Corresponds to the destructive elements of nature e.g. severe weather. Learning from past mistakes, letting go of the past.
	NAUDR NAUTHIZ NEED NYD, NAUD	Used to cope with stress and to succeed in crisis. Helps to focus on needs or necessities. Catering for need, working for the greater good.
	IS ISA IS ISS	Used to improve concentration and aid meditation. Helps as a preserving influence, but thereby provides resistance to change. Stability, reflection and conservation.
	AR JERA GER JARA	Used to improve creativity and come into harmony with the cycles of nature. Growth and progress, healing.
	none EIHWAZ EOH	Used to release inner strength and provide endurance and avoid confusion. Stability in the face of adversity, endurance.
	none PERTHRO PEORTH PERTRA	Used to bring forth hopes and ambitions, and to improve awareness of your hidden potentials. Tapping into the collective unconscious for personal knowledge and growth.
	YR ALGIZ EOLH ELHAZ	Used to ward off negative influences and provide protection. Protection at a high level, communication with other realms.
	SOL SOWULO SIGIL SIGEL	Used to see situations more clearly. Enlightenment, confidence, optimism.

Third Aett:

	TYR TEIWAZ TYR	Used to become more vigilant, develop self-trust, face difficulties with inner strength, have the courage to take responsibility for your own actions, and to provide success in conflict, as such it was frequently carved onto swords by warriors before battle. Valour, strength and honour.
	BJARKAN BERKANA BEORC BJARKA	Used to help you come through a crisis safely and reserve your energies. Used to release blocking influences, and act as a rejuvenating, purifying and healing stimulator. Growth, mature wisdom.
	none EHWAZ EOH	Used to achieve balance and impart trust. Associated with marriage and partnership. Instinct, intuition, using higher powers.
	MADR MANNAZ MAN	Used to heighten intellect and intuitiveness. Open mindedness, awareness on theonebeing part of thewhole.
	LOGR LAGUZ LAGU LAGUS	Used to increase healing powers and to improve your adaptability. Empathy, and sympathy, links with the collective unconscious.
	none INGUZ ING	Used to strengthen faith and access higher powers. The child within, integration of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritualself.
	none OTHALA ETHEL ODAL	Used to improve the feeling of security, to help connect with past lives and tap into inherited knowledge. Love of ones home and connection with all other living beings.
	none DAGAZ DAEG DAG, DAGL, DAGZ	Used to see the connectivity in all things, to get in touch with your own spirit and unlock hidden doorways. Enlightenment, positive direction/intentions towards a given situation.

Divination methods

Rune-lot methods

This involves selecting four Runes at random. This method is a quick and simple method for discerning the properties of the present moment. The method of interpretation is as follows...

1^stRune - The character of the issue
2^ndRune - The condition from which the condition arose
3^rdRune - The direction in which events are flowing
4^thRune - Likely outcome of the situation.

Another method involves drawing three Runes at random. This is a quick and simple method to provide an answer to a specific question. The interpretation is as follows...

1^stRune - Past influence that caused the situation.
2^ndRune - Present situation.
3^rdRune - Future events, or likely outcome.

Rune-spread methods

The first is the traditional Norse/Germanic spread, it is used to make decisions, and to answer and solve problems.

Rune 1 - First Rune drawn - Represents the person asking the question and the direction in which he/she is coming from.
Rune 2 - Second Rune drawn - Represents everything that is related to the question from the immediate past.
Rune 3 - Third Rune drawn - Represents hidden aspects to the question, something that the questioner may have overlooked.
Rune 4 - Fourth Rune drawn - Represents the spiritual forces involved.
Rune 5 - Fifth and final Rune drawn - Represents the answer to be read in conjunction with the previous four Runes drawn.

This second method was developed primarily with Native American shamanic traditions and is used for obtaining self knowledge.

Rune 1 - First Rune drawn - Represents the past, and the source of the problem
Rune 2 - Second Rune drawn - Represents the presents, and current influences.
Rune 3 - Third Rune drawn - Represents the future, and the direction the energies are flowing.
Rune 4 - Fourth Rune drawn - Represents the challenge.
Rune 5 - Fifth and final Rune drawn - Represents the power to call upon.

Rune-casting methods

Traditional Rune-casting cloth.

Hold all the Runes in a cup or other suitable container, invoke the three Norns, and cast the Runes upon the cloth. Ignore any Runes that fall outside of the cloth, and interpret the Runes in the areas where they have fallen.

Asgard - The realm of the Gods. Runes that fall here denote spiritual ambitions.

Vanaheim - The realm of feelings. Runes that fall here denote pleasures, prosperity and feelings.

Lightalfheim - The realm of the light alfar. Runes that fall here denote mental activities and creativity.

Nifelheim - The realm of mists and the dark side of the conscious. Runes that fall here reveal your darker side.

Midgard - The realm of humanity. Runes that fall here denote the conscious self, the "I" or ego.

Swartalfheim - The realm of the Inner Earth. Runes that fall here denote sensations and transformations.

Hel - The realm of Hella, Goddess of death. This realm is associated with the female aspect of the psyche.

Native American shamanic tradition Rune-casting cloth.

Hold all the Runes in a cup or other suitable container, invoke the spirits and cast the Runes upon the cloth. Ignore any Runes that fall outside of the cloth, and interpret the Runes in the areas where they have fallen.

Runes