How To Use Your Rune Deck
Elder Futhark is the original runic alphabet. It is the basis for the runes that were commonly used by Vikings, and those depicted in popular media about Norse Mythology before the adoption of the Latin alphabet.
Each rune has it’s own meanings and representations which makes them a great resource to use for divination, meditation, and personal reflection. Similar to tarot and oracle cards, the Rune Deck can be used in a number of ways depending on your personal preferences, some more magical than others.
It is personal preference whether you would like to include the unknowable blank rune 'Odin' when using your deck.
Here are a few different ways to use your runes:
Rune castings and spreads
Similar to tarot cards, the rune deck can be used to draw cards and gain insight around questions and situations. Focus on the topic or intention while shuffling and drawing your cards and reveal the runes as they relate to your question. While some people use this method for divination, I like to think of it not as a way to magically tell the future or reach otherworldly information, but as a useful tool for solving problems and gaining insight through the knowledge we already have (even if we forgot we had it). Humans generally tend to get stuck in their thinking patterns, and allocating a card and it’s interpretation to a topic forces us to look at it through a different lens which can help bring ideas and connections to the surface that we might not have seen otherwise.
Learning tool for study
Just as I created the deck to deepen my own knowledge of the Elder Futhark, the rune deck can act as a functional tool for the learning and teaching of these runes. They can be used as flash cards to help with memorising the meanings, phonetic sounds, and modern interpretations by referring to the info sheet or guide book, or by combining with other tools and research. Shuffle them up and practice putting them back in order, or draw a card at random to focus on and research that specific rune’s history and significance.
Focus and intention reminders
This is a flexible technique that can be used in various ways and tweaked to your preferences. Depending on how you like to use your deck, this can be done either by drawing cards from a shuffled deck, or picking out the runes you want to implement. First choose what you are wanting to focus the runes toward, whether it is a particular problem, project, upcoming event, a person or relationship, or just your life in general. It can be anything you want that you feel you would like a little extra assistance or insight on. With this thing in mind, draw your rune cards. You can choose a number of cards that feels right to you, I usually like to go with 2 or 3. Take a look at the cards, their meanings and interpretations, and think about how they relate to your chosen topic. You can use these to help guide your thoughts and actions to keep you on track. I like to keep these cards aside, propped up against something that represents the topic in a space where I can see them. It acts kind of like a moodboard and reminder of what I want to achieve or need to focus on. If you would prefer to keep your deck together, you can just copy the runes onto some paper to stick up instead :)
Daily Pulls
Similar to the focus and intention reminders, this is an easy way to use your deck and practice mindfulness. Shuffle the deck and draw a card to set the tone and energy for the day. Think of how the card relates to your life or current situation and ways in which it’s associations may be able to be implemented or planned for in a way that is beneficial. Place the card somewhere you can see it throughout the day to help with maintaining awareness. I find one or two cards works best for this.
Intuition led
Do whatever feels right to you! You can pull cards however you wish, and your personal interpretations or feelings may differ from what I or others have mentioned. These runes are very old and have been used in many different ways over the centuries. The information I share about the deck has some of the most common meanings and methods of use, but it is meant as a guide only and is by no means an exhaustive list. Ultimately, your own intuition is more important for your personal practice and how you choose to use your rune cards. Feel free to experiment or adapt any of these methods to fit your style!
