The Elderfuthark RUNES

RUNES  -  The Elderfuthark


Life is a series of lessons. The quicker you learn, the more progress you make upon your spiritual path. Everything we experience along that path presents us with an opportunity to learn. The lesson is to learn from our past experiences, to live with clarity and awareness today, which in turn enables us make choices with wisdom, for the future.

For the ancient people of the Norse the word ‘fate’ was used differently from the way we are accustomed to using it today.  The Norse understanding is that what we have done, or not done, in the past, creates our present conditions. In the present moment, we experience the energy of our own past choices in life. This is where we stand on our path, today. -  that is the runic concept of ‘fate’. It is the central theme in runic spirituality and crucial to our understanding of the runes and the way they work.

The runic system is one which embraces mankind and is central, sacred and steeped in the tradition where responsibility for one’s own actions is the core of existence.

The secret language of the runes was passed down from generation to generation; from master to apprentice, via sacred ritual. Most of this was never written down or recorded.

With the passage of time, trials and tribulations of the world, including the ‘introduction’ of Christianity and the like, much of the wisdom and knowledge of those times are lost to us today. 

Much of what we know of the people of the Norse, their beliefs and actual lives and lifestyles, has been documented by historians and mythologists alike. The contribution of generation upon generation of storytelling and folklore add credence to the age-old messages of the runes.

Runes, since their inception, have taken on a variety of ritualistic functions. There were runes that influenced and corresponded with almost every aspect of human life, including birth runes, death runes, weather runes, health runes and love runes.

Runes were inscribed on amulets singularly or as ‘bindrunes’ for protection, courage and luck in battle. They were employed for legal documents, for writing poetry, for invocations and divination; yet have never evolved as an actual spoken language. There are phonic values which correspond with each rune, but these do not qualify as a language as such. 


Each rune is like a word or phrase moreso than a singular letter in both it’s meaning and interpretation. Each are a concept of their own, but integrate with others to ‘tell a story’ or give insight and guidance.

As with the Tarot, the runes are encoded with primal symbols, which speak to our collective consciousness through shape, idea, meaning and intuition. Ancient symbols and meanings lay behind each rune and they are powerful tools on their own, as ‘Bindrunes’ or read in conjunction with other runes.

The runes are much more than a simple alphabet or compilation of symbols. They are tools for assisting us to guide our lives in the present – for it is only in the present that our power of choice can be exercised.

The runes give insight and wisdom, which in turn teaches decision-making skills and give us tools which enable us to assess, consider and make wise choices – for today, and the future.

The rune in itself does not have power unless you understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the rune. Learning the runes themselves is quite an accomplishment. They are complex, and like the Tarot, each can be interpreted differently, according to the issue at hand, intuition and personal comprehension. 

By learning how to use the runes you will develop a new mind-set, as well as a different way of looking at the world around you.

The most beneficial gain of utilising the runes is self-empowerment, and with that comes personal responsibility; the biggest life lesson of all.

The runes can provide a ‘mirror for the magic of our knowing selves’ – a means of communication with the knowledge of our subconscious minds. They allow us to access our Higher Selves aswell as the collective consciousness.

Runes are the keepers of a cycle of mysteries. They hold answers, give insights and advice to those who need it. They can be used as a tool for self-healing as well as for the healing of others, on all levels.

To the Rune Masters of old, ‘function determines form; use confers meaning; and runes always respond to the requirements of the time in which they are consulted; and to the needs of those consulting it’.

A set of runes is an item of considerable power and, as such, it will present itself in a moment of need. They may present themselves to you as an unexpected gift, an intuitive purchase or an accidental find. Whatever the circumstance, the runes have come into your life for a reason.

  

Within the runic system is contained the answers to the mysteries of the Universe. Use the runes to awaken the wisdom that lives within you.

We live in a time of spiritual searching as well as awakening.


Knowledge and wisdom from the past is sought as eagerly as the experiences of the new, the unknown and the untried, today.

In the course of this searching, our age has seen many of the ancient traditions of spiritual wisdom such as Tarot, Numerology, Astrology, the I Ching, Feng Shui, and of course the Runes, come to life once again.

The runes are teachers. They disclose the true nature of our past actions;  force courageous self-truth and honesty with facing issues today;  then offer the gift of choice and change through powerful insight and gained wisdom.

The runes provide a key to understanding and appreciating the lives and beliefs of the ancient people who created them. They have much to teach about a way of life that was perhaps more intimately connected to the natural world and the to the realm of spirit, than we as a society, are today.

The runes, in their contemporary use, are for those whose quest it is for inner and self-change.

The runes may also teach you to be free of anxiety and to practice absolute truth in the struggle for awareness, and ultimately, self-awareness.

Sometimes we must change the way the past has affected us and learn from the lessons we have lived through, before we can earn a new future.

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Joanne Walmsley
Sacred Scribes