Articles — runes

The blank rune is a curious appendage to most rune tile sets. Called the “Wyrd rune” or “Odin’s rune,” this mute little tile is a topic of much debate among rune readers. The 24 Elder Futhark runes are—among other things—an archaic alphabet and a divinatory system. Each character has three broad levels of meaning: a phonetic sound, a worldly object or concept, and a spiritual/esoteric idea. The blank rune is no exception to this schema. It represents, respectively: The sound of silence (phonetic), the absence of things (material), and the unknown/unknowable hand of Fate (abstract). That’s why it’s associated with...

    We're excited to announce the completion of our new Witch's Runes! Our exclusive set of eight rune tiles will be available in the shop at the beginning of August 2018. (Hooray! They're here.) The Eight Witch's Runes are an extremely accurate, concise, and portable oracle. The system has its roots in the early human art of lithomancy, where stones, bones, and wood tiles were shuffled as a method of divination. The Witch's Runes use simple, evocative symbols to provoke a universal response. Our Witch's Runes are burned onto round tiles of Baltic Birch. Each set comes with a...

Thinking about taking up the runes? Mastery of the runes can take many years, but it is not difficult for a beginner to learn the basics. (Much as young children can quickly learn their ABCs.) The first learning tool you’ll need is a rune set of your own, to begin familiarizing yourself with this ancient system of knowledge. First, some background: Runes are archaic European letters used in magick and divination. The best-known runic alphabet is the Elder Futhark, which contains 24 symbols.There are other rune systems, such as the Younger Futhark, Northumbrian runes, and Witches' runes. But most of...

Divination is one of the most-practiced branches of magick. Even non-magickal folks will sometimes flip a coin to make a decision, or crack open a fortune cookie with more than idle curiosity. As a student of the magickal arts, it's likely that you dabbled in divination as one of your first forays into the Mysteries. Skillful divination puts you in touch with both your inner knowing and external wisdom that will help you along your path.But many beginners ask the question, Where do I start? How do I navigate the maze of stones and bones and cards and tea leaves...

The Witch’s Runes are a set of magic symbols used as an oracle. (They’re unrelated to the Norse runes and other archaic alphabets.) While the exact age of this symbol set is unknown, it draws upon familiar images that will be instantly recognizable to the unconscious mind. Over time, Witch’s Runes have gained a reputation as an easy-to-learn, no-frills method for divining the past, present, and future. Author Dana Corby published an article in the Crystal Well magazine in the 1970s outlining a traditional divination method using 13 runic symbols. (It has since been expanded and re-released as a paperback...