What are the Rune stones?

The runes are an ancient method of divination from northern Europe which could date as early as the Roman Empire, preserved through ancient texts and poems which describe the meanings and correspondences of the characters.

The runes are markings, particularly, letters of the ancient Germanic alphabet, each of which corresponds to some particular aspect of life, such as “mankind”, “flow”, “stasis”, “justice” or “fertility”. These are over-simplified versions of the true meanings of the runes, which are steeped in historical and mythological meanings, but that gives you the basic idea.

Most runes are made with painted or carved stones, though in ancient times, they were always made with wood, particularly from fruit-bearing trees like Apple or Peach trees.

Here is an extremely basic guide to rune stone meanings. Where possible, I broke down the meaning to a single word or two. Remember, this is extremely elementary, and does not go into anywhere near sufficient enough depth to cover every, or even most potential meanings commonly associated with each symbol.

The f-rune is about exchange or a transfer of power

The u-rune is a symbol of power and virility

The th-rune is a symbol of balance

The a-rune means breath or knowledge

The r-rune is about rhythm

The k- or c-rune is about passion

The g-rune (it looks like the letter x) is about generosity

The w-rune (it looks like a “p”) is about joy

The h-rune is the rune of loss

The n-rune is about necessity

The i-rune is about stasis

The j-rune is about topics like justice and says “you reap what you sow”

The p-rune is a rune of chance and mystery

The ei-rune is a rune of self-transformation

The z rune is a symbol of protection

The s-rune is a symbol of reliability and good health

The t-rune is a symbol of confidence and victory

The b-rune is the rune of new beginnings

The e-rune is a symbol of teamwork

The m-rune is the sign of mankind

The l-rune is about flow, or the sharing of knowledge

The ing-rune is the sign of fertility (particularly related to males – it’s named after the god Freyr or Ing)

The d-rune is a signal that destruction will bring new, or unintended consequences

The o-rune is a symbol of heritage and the past.

Diana Paxson’s book is by far the best resource for learning more about this incredibly complex system of divination.

Scrying for Beginners

In my article on making use of scrying, I talked a little bit about how to create a scrying mirror and some basics for developing your abilities in this method of divination. Many readers wrote in to say that they did not have a lot of success with scrying, and that they needed some more information on scrying for beginners. So, here you go:

It should be mentioned right of the top that scrying is not often recommended for beginners who are just starting off with developing psychic abilities. Seeing the images and figuring out what they mean is usually quite difficult. I mention this type of divination in part because it is incredibly popular, and also because it is one of the most powerful types of divination, drawing on your intuition and your visualization skills more than your ability to interpret a pre-defined message.

As such, you should not be discouraged if you find scrying for beginners to be incredibly difficult. It is.

There are many things you can do to increase your ability to find images and meanings from the mirror, however.

Since you can’t develop meaning if you have no images to work with, the number one thing you need to do is to develop your visualization skills. An easy exercise for this is to sit facing a plain white wall and to trace letters of the alphabet in the air with your finger. When doing this, try to visualize a slice of blue or red light wherever the letters were drawn. If you can develop your ability to see this, even after closing your eyes for a few moments and even after turning away and coming back, then you will have more success with scrying.

In doing this, you’re working with developing your mind’s eye, which is, of course, a very important part of your ability to visualize.

Note: if you’re signed up for my newsletter, you’ve got a good head start on some other exercises. Good choice.

What is Scrying?

Scrying is the art of being able to use a mirror or some other reflective surface to see into the spirit realms. Many people make use of scrying as their preferred method of divination, and it is often considered to be the second or third most used divination tool after tarot cards and possibly pendulums.

In order to make use of scrying, you must first construct a scrying mirror. While it is possible to use a regular mirror, the majority of professional scryers tend to use something which will blur reality a little more so that they can see the spirit realm more clearly.

The most common method of making a scrying mirror is to take a handheld cosmetic mirror and paint it black (use glass paint for making stained glass, not regular paint). You could also take a surface of glass and place it on a very thin layer of water (and you can color the water as well). Sealing this kind of mirror creates a very viscous surface which is very conducive to allowing you to see many different things which you may not be able to see with a regular mirror, though it is difficult to create.

When your mirror is created, then you can start using it. It is best to sit in a dark room dimly lit either from a distant lamp or with candles nearby to the surface. Defocus your eyes, and stare into the mirror. After a little time, you should see some movement or some images in the surface which you can make out. By focusing your attention on them, they may become clearer.

From these images, you should get some indication of the message you are supposed to be receiving.

If you get nothing, try performing a reading with a specific question or situation in mind. Also remember that it is difficult to hit a home run the first time you ever play baseball, and that as with all things, practice and patience will increase your ability to do this kind of reading.