| The runes are magical symbols that convey the story of creation, life, destruction, and rebirth, and these forces constantly occur on many levels of being. Because the mind processes all stimuli as symbols, although oftentimes unconsciously, the runes are extremely useful for personal transformation in that they may help to make the process a more conscious one. Initially, runes were a series of sounds, incantations, and bodily postures for communicating with divine powers and connecting with the elements of nature. Gradually people identified these sounds, incantations, and postures with specific signals or symbols which became concepts that could be inscribed or written down. A rune bears the primary definition of "secret." In Old Norse, run means "mystery." In Old Irish and Scotch Gaelic, run means "secret" or "mysterium," as does Thin in Middle Welsh. The Proto-Indo-European root of the word rune is reu, "to roar," while the modern German cognate raunen means "to whisper". The idea of letters having magical meaning beyond their literal meaning is not special to runes. Many of the early writing systems had magical meanings, including Egyptian hieroglyphs, which were originally magical pictures in addition to their literal meanings. It was only later, with the advent of many foreign words, that an early system of writing with 24 consonants was standardized for non-Egyptian words, and this became the writing of the early traders. Technically, the runes are not really an alphabet at all, because in a strict sense the word "alphabet" or the lesser-used "abecedary" refers to a row of characters beginning as do the Greek, Hebrew, Roman, and Gaelic, with the characters alpha and beta or their equivalents-A, B, and so on. Letter rows that use a different order are not alphabets in this sense, and so are called by other names. Runic letter rows begin with the six letters F, U, TH, A, R, K, and because of this are named Futharks. The magical implications of pictures most likely originated in cave drawings, dating back to 15000 B.C.E. In these drawings, a picture of an elk was, on one level, a picture showing what the animal looked like. This was the literal meaning. But beyond this, the drawing also embodied the essence and spirit of the animal; in the case of the elk, a fast creature with protective horns that are very dangerous if you get in too close. As with Egyptian hieroglyphs, many of the early writing systems lost their magical element as they became a form of notation. Traders were continually coming across new cultures that had new foods and goods. It became important that the writing system be adaptable enough to handle this influx of new words. The primary traders of early history were the Phoenicians, who had a reputation for roaming the world aboard their ships, providing a link between many different cultures throughout the world. The Phoenician alphabet came into use around 1200 B.C.E., and had twenty-two characters that were read from right to left. Because they traveled so extensively, the Phoenicians spread their system of writing throughout the known world. It became the source for later writing systems such as Greek, which came into being in the eighth century B.C.E. and had 24 characters, just like the runes. As people used writing more to convey literal rather than magical meanings, specific letters were used to make up recognized words. The magical element of writing waned, and in most cases was lost. The runes are one of those early writing systems that never lost the magical aspect, and those magical meanings go along with their literal letter meanings. Gebo, for example, the seventh rune of the Elder Futhark, looks like an "X," but its letter equivalent and phonetic value are that of "G," and its magical meaning is "a gift"; in particular, the divine gift of life. The "X" depicts the relationship between the giver and receiver and how their paths cross, joining at the point where the two lines come together; interpret their meanings as spiritual, mental, and/or physical. Runes are universal. Everyone who is comfortable with rune symbols and their meanings can use them. As you work with runes, your conscious and unconscious connect, so that you access the runic energies in a unique way. When you use them as divination tools, runes can help reconnect you with your inner resources and wisdom. When you use runes, you can increase your self-awareness, and they can serve as confirmations as well as putting one in better touch with the symbols that exist all around. Each Rune contains three aspects. The first is the symbol, or image itself. The second is the name, meaning and letter value, and the third the energy the rune embodies. Runes represent constantly changing and evolving universal forces. The 24 Runes of Futhark are divided into three groups of 8. Each group is called an aett. 8 represents the eternal and continuous spiral motion of the Universe and of all evolutionary cycles, and holds the secret of balance. The number 3 is symbolic of the Trinity; an expansive number, unlimited and free, pointing the way to transmutation. The first aett is about creation. The second aett, the human elements, and the third aett, reaching that higher frequency, then all begin the spiral again on a higher plane of consciousness. The Links Below have much more information about the runes. The Three Aetts: the 24 Runes and their divisions into 3 aetts the images themselves; interpretations and correspondences Runic Formulas and Associated Numbers: Rune Count, Total, Multiples and their meanings Wheel Of Runes: Spin the wheel for your Rune of the Day Cyber Rune Sets for Download |
 |
| The Magick and Mystery of |
