Runes 101, Anyone?

I’ve decided to start a little Rune study – it’s never a bad idea to go over the basics. I doubt this will be 24 consecutive days, as I’m in the middle of the semester at school and therefore, am crazy busy. So I wanted to start with the Runes as a whole.

To me, the Runes are a system – a system of magic, of divination, of letters. I like systems, they flow and work together, they speak and sing and shout their story if you’re there to listen. “Rune” itself derives from Old Norse and Old German words meaning “secret” and “whisper” and that helps understand how the Runes communicate with me.  They whisper their secrets to me as I cast them, as I read them, as I write them.

It’s somewhat difficult to put into words my connection with the Runes. I can’t help but feel that long ago my ancestors worked with the Runes: read them, spoke them, lived them. Or perhaps in a past life this soul was that of vitki (wise one) or volva (shamanic seeress).

Young Voices In Tarot – Angelo Nasios

Bringing you more on tarot – Yes indeed:

Young Voices In Tarot – Angelo Nasios

This is an interview by the Tarot Lady (Theresa Reed) with Angelo Nascios – a voice in the Tarot world who I greatly admire, and have talked about before.  The real meat of this interview is the topic of young readers in Tarot, professionally speaking. Of course, I’m fascinated by this, as I am (more or less) a professional reader though I do offer other readings. We have a divination discussion group at my local New Age shop, and often I am the youngest one there – but have been reading longer then some of the others!

Do we question the abilities and potential of the Fool?

I love to see readers my age, or even younger. Actually, a young woman (maybe 14) signed up for my Rune Workshop – and I was so excited because everyone else was old enough to be my mother/father. They actually didn’t realize – even as I walked back and forth from the “big room” that we hold classes in – that I was the one leading the workshop until I invited them to come in and sit down. I often hear from people after readings that they didn’t expect me to “be so good” because of my age.

All too often we forget that in spiritual matters, the age of the body can be a very misleading factor. I’ve been told all my life that I have an “old soul” and perhaps that is a factor in my affinity for divination. Maybe it doesn’t matter at all – I don’t know. Either way, it’s important to keep an open mind and heart in these sorts of matters.

Rune Workshop!

So, today was the big day – my Rune workshop at my local New Age store! Everything went well, aside from the fact that my cold has left me with next to no voice. So we skipped the guided meditation, but instead talked and did a little interpreting.

As we painted each symbol, we discussed the meaning and a various interpretations. I think it made for a very powerful set of Runes. I can’t wait to really use them. It was pretty simple, I got some glass marbles (the flat-ish ones you use for decorating) and paint pens – it’s a very user friendly way to make a beginning set.  I’ll have a picture soon.

I have to say I was nervous – mostly because I knew a few folks in the class were somewhat familiar with the Runes (we even had a Heathen with us today) and I was worried I’d be covering things they already knew. I think everyone came out the class having learned something new, even me.

All in all – a good time. I can’t wait to do it again!

A New Spin on Tarot

Tarot Insight – Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shooting.

I adore Angelo Nasios and his work with the Tarot. I’ve mentioned him here before, but this is a little different. In this linked post from his blog That’s Totally Tarot, he uses the Tarot to investigate and understand the recent shootings in Arizona.

He inspires me to use Tarot (and other divination systems) in new and unconventional ways.

~Take care and Blessed be

Prepairing for Workshop

This month, on the 29th, I’ll be leading a Rune Workshop at my local New Age shop. This is really exciting, but also the first time I’ll be teaching people about something. We’ll also be making a simple set of Runes that they can take home and use. If you ask me, it’s a pretty good deal.

Anyway, here’s the general of what I’ll be talking about:

My hand made clay Runes (not in order)

What are the Runes? – This will be a pretty short segment on the history of the Runes and of runes in general.

Odin and the Runes – This section of the workshop will be about the connection between the Runes and Odin, who in Norse mythology found and shared the Runes with humanity. This is just to give a little background for those who’ve never looked into the Runes

The Setup and Meanings of the Runes – This is where we will be creating the take home runestones. I will talk a little about the aettir, or rune rows then move on to the individual runes. As I read through each rune, we’ll create that runestone together. I have a feeling this will create a really powerful set!

How Can We Use the Runes? – A brief overview of different ways to use the Runes, including divination. I think introducing people to other uses, such as bindrunes and galdr, would be nice for those who have no experience so they don’t feel like they have no other use.

And at the end, I’ll offer a Q&A session and go over some recommendations for books, websites and Youtube channels. I’m seriously looking forward to this! I’ll be taking pictures too, and maybe make a tutorial on making a simple Rune set. Who knows?

~Take care and Blessed be

I’m a Fortune Teller!

Seeing as I’m on a Tarot kick, I thought I’d share my two cents about the words “fortune teller” and “fortune telling”. I saw this in a blog entry by Angelo Nasios. There’s a tendency among readers (of Tarot and other divination systems) to fly a giant disclaimer (figuratively speaking) to clients; it reads: “I AM NOT A FORTUNE TELLER, I CAN ONLY COMMENT ON THE HERE AND NOW AND DISCUSS HOW THAT MAY EFFECT THE FUTURE” and to me, that is more or less wrong. I’ve only been reading professionally (as in, charging people) for a little over a year now but there is one thing that is true about 95% of the time – people come to me be because they see me as a fortune teller. They come seeking advise, sure, but they always first ask about what’s going to happen before they ask about what is happening.

The Rider-Waite Tarot images are classic

I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of Tarot readers are introduced to the system as a way of predicting the future. I know that’s how I came to the Tarot nearly ten years ago, and I don’t understand why we have to be ashamed of it. Can I predict the future? No, but I can predict a future – a likely future, one based on the here and now. That doesn’t mean it’s not able to be changed or molded. The future is fluid, changing and always able to be shifted. We weave the web of life through our interactions and intentions.

Of course, there are many other uses for the Tarot, or the Runes, or Oracles, or any other form of divination. They can offer insight into patterns in our lives, cast light on the shadows of the unconscious, and provide a means of connecting with other beings or realms. The usage of any divination system is limited only by the imagination of the diviner; but I think it’s a disservice to try to “cover up” one of primary purposes that these systems serve for us.

Is there really any shame in being a fortune teller? I don’t think there has to be. So many readers I come across prefer to say that they “practice divination” instead of saying they are “fortune tellers” – without seeming to understand that they mean the same thing! Divination is simply the practice of foretelling future events, be it by cards, runes, intuition, or any other system.

I’ve decided to change my disclaimer to now read: “I AM A FORTUNE TELLER, BUT THE FUTURE IS EVER CHANGING, YOU HAVE FREE WILL NO MATTER WHAT FUTURE THE CARDS PREDICT”.

I love me  and I love being me – and part of being me is being a fortune teller.