The runes have been described as an ancient alphabet for modern magicians. Reveal and understand the meanings of the runes for the coming month!
What are the runes?
The word ‘rune’ comes from the old Germanic ‘runa’ or ‘runo’ and means something secret, a mystery. The northern peoples saw the earth, its forces and all things in nature as living forces or spirits to be honored and respected. The runes were and still are used for psychic readings and advice – divination – or used for magical purposes and luck – seidr.
Runes were the first writing systems developed and used by the Norse and other Germanic peoples. These runic alphabets are known as ‘futharks’ after the first six runes (Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raidho and Kenaz) – just as the word ‘alphabet’ comes from the names of the first two Semitic letters (Aleph, Beth ).
There are three runic alphabets or futharks: the Elder, Younger and Saxon futharks. The 24-character Elder Futhark was the first fully formed runic alphabet dating back to our knowledge as far back as the first century CE/AD, although it may have been in development as early as about 200 BCE.
Today we use the Elder Futhark’s alphabet runes, illustrated below.
The more specific the question, the more detailed the runic reading. Here we have no specific question and the reading is therefore very general. What the reader is doing here is looking for the tone and feel of things, the tone, for challenges, opportunities or guidance contained within the runes.
Runecast for September 2022
The reader has used a three-rune spread known as The Norns spread. The number three played an important role in ancient divination practices. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that this runic spread was in common use 2,000 years ago.
It should be noted that, as far as we know, this spread was traditionally read from right to left.
Who were the Norns?
The Norns were the fate of Norse mythology. Like the Moirai, the fates of Greek mythology, “they shaped the lives of every man from his first day to his last.” They weren’t exactly goddesses, but creatures of the time. They lived at the Well of Wyrd (Destiny) and their great job was to water the great World Tree, the giant ash tree, Yggdrasil.
Their names were Urd (“What once was”), Skuld (“what comes to pass”) and Verdandi (“what shall be”).
The Norns scattered
The runes in this spread are read aloud right to left
Perthro-Ingwaz-Isa
Perthro (Urd: “What once was”)
Another name for this rune is ‘paddock’. This is the rune of the sanctuary and of secrets, mysteries and occult matters. The rune itself is a mystery. Not much is known about it. The teaching of the runes was an oral tradition known only to a few. Apart from Tacitus, we have few written records or references that tell us of the earliest origins and uses of the runes.
The rune reflects the fact that collectively we have left behind a long period of ‘sanctuary’; a time of relative stability and security in Europe after World War II and after the end of the Cold War, although the West now realizes that the Cold War never actually ended.
We do know that when this rune Perthro shows up, we wrestle with a lot of questions and uncertainty, which is certainly true for many of us right now. Perthro begs the question: what makes us feel the safest? Where do we have direct personal control over our own situation? What or who makes us feel less safe? How can we best protect our home, our sanctuary, to maximize its comfort, safety and security so that we can rest and relax in our study? Many people in the world can’t even do that right now, for fear that a rocket will crash through the roof, or that attackers will swoop in, whether in Ukraine, Gaza or many other places.
Perthro means secrets are revealed and new information comes to light in the public eye.
Also on a personal level, we may make a surprising or startling discovery this month, or discover that someone has shared our classified information. Perthro suggests that we review our online protection of our information.
In September we can expect even more surprises, although this does not necessarily have to be a negative. Perthro is associated with gambling and here, in its positive aspect, this rune might suggest that we take a little risk in the coming month. For example, we can ask for a pay rise. We may get a refusal, but often it really is a case of ‘don’t ask, don’t get’. What is there to lose? This gamble could literally pay off.
On the positive side, Perthro could mean we find something we’re looking for. Lost things come to the surface again, or we receive – often unexpectedly – a financial offer, a gift or an inheritance.
Ingwaz (Skuld: “What arises”)
Ingwaz is also known as Ing. The name literally means ‘god’s seed’. This is a powerful primordial fertility rune, a positive and optimistic rune.
Here it is about the fertility of the earth itself, and about the coming harvest time. On a clearly material level, this reflects events related to agricultural exports from Ukraine, and the continued threat of famine, unrest and migration if those exports are blocked by Russia. Grain shipments have now started to leave these blockaded ports, following interventions by Erdogan and the UN, but the threat of Putin’s influence over the maritime blockade is still very much there.
Ingwaz is an auspicious rune of affirmative action, suggesting unity, agreements and peace. Only the situation here requires a lot of work, just as agriculture does even in the best of times: sowing, growing, harvesting and distributing (exporting) the harvest.
This is one of the many runes that cannot be reversed, meaning it has no negative meaning in itself, and looks the same from top right as it does upside down. It has no negative meaning unless it is sandwiched between deeply negative runes. Here the surrounding runes are tricky, but not terrible. Ingwaz’s appearance offers a glimmer of hope that diplomatic efforts over the coming winter will yield some results, however small, but that will depend on whether Russia feels an urgent need to come to the negotiating table.
In our personal lives, this rune can speak of the men in our lives. Maybe we’ll meet someone this month. Or a partner has the highest priority or may need some extra attention.
Ingwaz signifies birth, whether this is the arrival of children, whether we get a new job offer in the coming weeks, or we experience a burst of energy, and a new project takes off and begins to take shape.
However, if communication with an important man in your life seems to be going just fine, the next rune, ISA, says you’re probably not imagining it. The question is whether it’s terminal, or if you’re just going through a cool period. These occur in most if not all established relationships at some point, and we work through them. But if this is a newer relationship and commitments haven’t been formalized, that’s usually different, and distancing yourself is a warning sign that this isn’t a good prospect.
Ingwaz signifies birth, whether this is the arrival of children, or we get a new job offer in the coming weeks, or we experience a burst of energy and a new project takes off and begins to emerge.
Overall, Ingwaz says we’ve been through a testing period, but better news is on the horizon, promising good news at least in September.
In general, the more we sow, the more we can hope to reap. What new seeds will we sow?
Isa (Verdandi: “What will be”)
Isa is the rune of ice and everything that goes with it: winter, the cold, things that slow down, silence, things that seem to ‘freeze’.
If you look at this rune from a literal point of view, there is no argument with Isa. Winter will certainly be coming. It is only late summer, yet there are world events; the economy, the rising cost of living and the looming energy crisis mean that we are already thinking – or that we need to think and prepare for winter.
We need to plan more carefully than usual for simple measures we can take to secure our warmth and health this winter, with energy prices rising to levels that household users have not experienced for years.
What can we do for ourselves and our families to cope with energy cuts or rising costs? Some old fashioned amenities for starters, that’s what. Hot water bottles, flasks, bed socks, thermal vests, fingerless gloves. LED candles, torches, or if you live in a remote, rural area, maybe a camping stove for emergency use (be careful). Restock the medicine cabinet with vitamins C and D and simple flu meds.
Isa can mean a state of fatigue in which we come to a standstill. Winter is a resting time for the trees and also has consequences for humans.
But when faced with a problem, especially when there is uncertainty or confusion, the sparkling Isa can be understood as a diamond of cool, clear clarity, telling us to step back, take a deep breath and analyze a problematic situation. and respond with logic. We leave our feelings out of it. Maybe we helped make this mess. Maybe it’s a situation we didn’t create. But let’s leave our feelings out of it. What we need is a plan. A strategy. What must be done first?
In related news, the runes here reflect something from September astrology. Mercury, the planet of communication, commerce and short-haul travel, goes retrograde for three weeks in September 9 September-October 2.
This can be seen as an astrological equivalent of the rune ISA. There may be a brief period of wires crossed and misunderstandings, things moving slower than usual, missed deliveries, event cancellations or travel delays.
The advice here is to check and double check information about documents, major purchases and when making travel plans. We should take these things for granted anyway, but it’s easy to keep our eyes on the ball, and quite a few people have recently found themselves in violation of rules changes while flying, and have been denied access to the flights. they had booked and paid.
Isa says you should be especially aware of any additional possible outages in the coming month.
Read further
The New Rune Book by Ralph Blum
Futhark. A handbook of runic magic by Edred Thorson.
The Runes: A Practical Guide to Their Use in Divination and Magic by Lisa Peschel, published Llewellyn
Discover Your Personal ‘Birth Runes’ – Your ‘Heroic Destiny or Potential’ https://haquil.com/blogs/viking/how-to-calculate-your-viking-birth-runes
