Runes Join me here by the fire, and listen to the whispers of my Rune room. You will hear tales of the old tribes, and the hallristningar, or pre-runic symbols. You will learn of the Futhorc, the Anglo-Saxon version of the Runes. You will hear of the Younger Futhark (the Danish variation)which changed and simplified the Runic alphabet. The Runic alphabet remained in common use into the 17th century, being consulted for matter of both public and private concern. They were officially banned in 1639 as part of the Church's efforts to *cleanse* Europe of evil. They were revived in the 1920's and 30's by the Nazi movement - which led to their going into disfavor again after the war because of their (then) political associations. Perhaps the largest controversey in regards to Runes today has to do with one of the most popular Runic books on the market - "The Book of Runes" by Ralph H. Blum. (To his credit, he does state in the book that his interpretation and presentation of the Runes is non-traditional.)He introduced the concept of the "Blank Rune" (sometimes called the Odin or Wyrd Rune). There is no historical evidence for this Rune, which is defined by Blum as being The Unknowable or The Divine. This Rune speaks of the symbolic shamanic death and rebirth, a concept not unusual in other current divinatory systems. While not historically accurate, I do find that it has a place in Rune readings. As with any divinatory oracle, the Runes are the connection between ourselves and the Universe, or self and Self. For those on the shamanic path, Runes take their place along with Tarot (which some people feel can be aligned with the Runes symbolically) and other systems of self discovery. If the Runes are whispering to you, check out my Rune links page for further information and sites that facilitate interactive Rune readings.May you enjoy your journey. Thank you for listening to the whispers of the Runes. May your day be Blesssed. As of December, 2003, I will no linger be updating these pages. I hope that you continue to enjoy the material that is already here. Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. My goal is to offer you insight into your decision making process, as well as tools that you can use to both better understand your path and make conscious, choice centered decisions. Home Rune links View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Graphics by Art for the web