An Introduction to Runes...and so much more...

My relationship with the runes runs deep. If you’re not familiar with the runes, especially those of the Elder Futhark, here’s what I tell the folks to whom I provide readings: the runes are an ancient alphabet from Northern Europe that range from Scandinavia to Iceland. They’re an alphabet in the way that you can spell words and write with them, but they’re also an alphabet like the Egyptian hieroglyphics, in that each of the runes represent a different idea or concept.

If you follow my Facebook page you’ll see that I pull a rune each morning and then write about it at night in a Facebook post. I do this for a couple reasons - it helps me develop a relationship and a better understanding with each rune, but it also gives people who may have an interest in them some insight. It’s also a great way to watch how patterns unfold in my life, how some runes will repeat themselves over and over again, especially when I am following a routine.

According to mythology, Odin - the chief god among the Norse pantheon - hung for 9 days on the Yggdrasil, the World Tree, sacrificing himself to himself, gazing into the well of Urd, picking up the runes. In its literal translation, rune means “mystery” or “symbol.” No matter their origin, no one really knows where the runes came from or who created them.

I’ve walked several different spiritual paths, but nothing grabbed me like the runes. Both my DNA and ancestry come from the same area as the runes so it makes sense that I would pulled to them...but again, it’s been like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Learning the runes feels like I’m finally speaking in a language I didn’t realize I knew.

After working extensively with the runes, I’ve decided to take my knowledge to the people. Once a month you’ll find me teaching an Intro to Runes class. In the class we’ll go over the history of the runes, some cool folklore and legends surrounding them, and then we’ll get into what each of the runes means, from commonly-held standpoints. I always stress to people, in class or out - nothing matters except your relationship and understanding of the runes. Nothing - not what another person tells you, not what you’ll find in books or lore...nothing trumps your understanding of the runes.

Finally, the last part of the course is an introduction to different divination methods with the runes and how to read them for yourself and others. This is where the class really gets to be a lot of fun, as you’re using your new-found knowledge for yourself and other class participants.

The students of my first class are still using their runes and practicing to this day. I consider runes to be symbolic energies of our natural world, but they’re more than that - they’re a key to help unlock the mysteries of ourselves, as well as the Universe. They’re an incredible tool and incredibly easy to use.

My next class is this Saturday, September 8th, from 1 - 4 pm. The class is $50 if you bring  your own set of runes, and $80 if you want to buy a set of runes to me. The $30 set of runes has been hand-burnt by me while I Galdr’d the runes into them. Galdr is an ancient practice of intoning the runes. They’re made of birch and soaked in linseed oil, and you’ll take them home in a cloth sack.

If you’re interested, please email me at therunegoon@gmail.com.

I look forward to exploring the mysteries of the runes with you.