To communicate directly with a god, or the gods—that is what divination is all about. The runes on their most mundane level are a writing system. On both the mundane and the cosmic levels they are a system of communication. They are tools for reading otherwise hidden truths. Runes are a sort of traditional code, originally the gift of the god Ödhinn (Woden), through which messages can be sent from one level of reality to another, from one world to another. Whether in magic (galdr), where the runester’s aim is to cause the objective world to conform to subjective will, or in runecasting, where the runester’s aim is to read the hidden truths of his or her own subjective being or of the objective worlds, the runes are used as tools—as media —by which messages may be sent and received.

In reality, of course, the true runes dwell within the soul of the runester—within you. The runestaves are symbolic objects which act as a kind of magical mirror of your soul. When you gaze upon the runestaves strewn on the holy cloth of white, you are truly gazing deep within the Well of Wyrd. As a runecaster, the vitki approaches the level of a priest or priestess (of a godhi or gydhja), someone charged to deal with the gods and to act as a communicator between the worlds of the gods and that of Midhgardhr. Most important, however, is the fact that anyone who takes the time to become skilled in runecasting will open unseen channels between the conscious and unconscious selves.

This ‘opening of channels” is won only after some effort and willpower have been spent. The would-be runecaster must learn much and work much before great success can be expected. In this book, together with information to be found in Futhark and

Runelore, you will find all chat you will ever neee to become ur effective “runic communicator.”

This book is intended to be a practical manual containing concrete indications of exact tradittonal lore and procedures; bur it is not overly restrictive, Where the elder tradition Is clear, we follow it, but in some technical matters we have had to reconstruct some details. This was done in the spirit of the Germanic and runic tradition. Each detail can be supported by some aspect or interpretation of the older tradition as it has survived in historical or literary sources. However, it is also an integral part of the Germanic and runic tradition to innovate where necessary. The potentially great runecaster will not hesítate to invent new forms or rune readings, casting methods, etc, Most runecasters — and would-be experts on the subject—do not err on the side of innovation, but depend too much on unthinking, rote borrowing from some other (usually later, more “popular”) system of divination. These borrowed elements then are shoved willy-nilly into the runic system.

Another problem often encountered in books on “runic divination” is that the writer is totally ignorant of the true tradition —and prefers to remain so. The quality of your runecasts will be greater if you invest the time and energy to learn something before you begin casting (much less writing!).

Runic divination needs to be practiced before you can become skilled. This will require that you make many castings which probably will be undertaken with only a modicum of passion. You are urged not to make runecasting a profane form of “play” (for entertainment purposes); to this end the rituals should help. However, from a practical standpoint, how can you expect yourself to become proficient if you only undertake runecasts on important occasions? In the beginning, daily practice should be observed, though it is probably wisest not to undertake more than one casting per day. In this balanced way, a healthy respect for the runes, along with initiated familiarity will be gained ín the shortest possible time.

il. Sometimes the runecaster poses a question to the runes, but \ the runes seem to be speaking to another point. The runes (i.e, K your personal inner runes) tend to pick up the real question on ®, your mind or in your heart. It is easiest to get accurate readings ', from these kinds of questions. More refined questions require bo more direction of the conscious will.

N All in all, runecasting itself is perhaps the best method of " “getting to know” the runes. Reading —even memorizingwhat Nn the elder tradition says or what you find in Futhark and Runelore Ee is fine, but the direct method of runester to runes is by far the DEN most powerful way of learning about the “mysteries” Skills ín Nt: runecasting can be applied directly to all other aspects of runeVS work and runecraft.

i The tide has turned and the time has come for all the kith re and kin of Ódhinn to gather at the Well of Wyrd again to read ” the ordeal of the gods and humanity and to handle the mighty s blood-tines.

The author of the bestselling Futhark and Runelore takes us deeper into the heart of the runes and the runecaster’s art and focuses here on runic divination. The word “rune” means mystery, and casting the runes enables the runester to penetrate the mystery of the relationship between gods and humans, between internal and external environments. Strongly loyal to the ancient traditions, Thorsson traces the evolution of runecasting to the present in order to restore runework to its historical, spiritual and cosmological significance. Thorsson shows you:

e how to make your own runes

e how to load the rune with numinous power

e how to prepare the optimum setting for a rune reading

e how to prepare yourself psychologically and spiritually for casting the runes

The heart of this work ís the runic divinatory tables, providing us with general lore, the positive and negative aspects of each rune, its linguistic component and phonetic value. Thorsson provides several runic layouts and sample readings, as well as alternative ways of casting lots and answering yes/no questions. In each case, the author is explicit, precise and generous--he trusts the runester’s art and trusts the integrity of the runester who is new to the craft. Runic divination has been the most abused aspect of the tradition during the current popular runic revival. This volume is sure to restore runecasting to its position as a sacred art.