
Runes are old Germanic characters, which were once carved into bones or wood. Years later, they were made also out of ivory and stone. Runes weren't just simple letters for our ancestors. Runes first appeared among German tribes in central and Eastern Europe and by 400 AD a common set of 24 runes had spread across Northern Europe. The Vikings were soon adopted the Germanic symbols for their own use. When travelling the seas and ...
more... faraway islands, the Vikings would take their runes with them and leave inscriptions in the countries they visited. Runes consisted of straight lines, which made them easier to carve into stone or wood.
Runes were ways of communicating but never the basis of a written language. They were however honoured as they were believed to be sacred and powerful magic symbols and therefore used as a means of divination and were used to tell the future and people's fortunes.
Runes were and are still also used for protection or good luck charms and there is a lot to say about runes magic. Rune stones are often made into pendants or earrings and may be painted above door frames or used to embellish ornaments. Originally used solely for inscriptions, poetry and divination, runes have been used up to the present day as tools for clairvoyants.
The classical way of working with runes is to place the runic stones in a small bag, shake them well and reach into the bag with the left hand, concentrate quietly on a particular question, feel for a rune stone and take it out. In doing so, it is important to note how the rune is positioned.
Whether it is upside down or not, will affect the interpretation. If more than one rune stone is drawn, these should be laid next to one another and read from the right.
Thus it is up to each person to decide what significance the rune stones have in the oracle, in much the same way as those who read cards intuitively.