The basic philosophy of Runes is to offer guidance for lessons to be learned on life’s journey.

The origin of the runes is uncertain, but evidence has been dated back to 3 AD that they were used as a writing system for the tribes of Scandinavia, Britain and Iceland. There is a variety of runic writing, ranging from Germanic to Swedish script; there are still a number of manuscripts still in existence today, over 2,500 originating from Sweden.

Traditionally there were two types of people who worked with runes. The rune cutters, who had a very limited knowledge of the runes powers and the rune masters who had to undergo many experiences to learn the deeper secrets of rune lore.

Rune lore, being closely linked to Scandinavian spiritual history, tells of the works of the Norse gods and goddesses. These writing were called sagas. The sagas tell of the chief god Odin (also known as Othin), who is the discoverer of the runes and is the first rune master. Odin was married to Frigg and had two sons, Balder - the beautiful god and Thor - the god of thunder. The vision of the runes came to Odin while being hung for nine days upside down from a tree.

Today the popularity of the runes is growing and there are many books and schools that teach the secrets of the runes.

Typically the runes are consulted when a querier has a problem that they cannot solve or are unable to make a decision. The runes are used as a guidance to gain a new perspective to the situation.

Another way runes can be used is by wearing one as a necklace or caring one in a pocket. The runes can also be used in conjunction with mediation. Each rune has individual healing properties and lessons to teach.

Runes can be created a couple of ways, one is by painting the symbols on a set of small stones and the other is by using circular pieces of wood, like discs and carving or burning the symbol into the wood.

A few example of runes and their basic meanings are as follows:

	FEOH RUNE - Let your richness shine to lighten your path and the paths of others. Wealth should not be hoarded, but shared with others
	THORN RUNE - You have the inner power to face anything that may cross your path. You should never need to tell others of your authority, having it should be enough.
	BEORC RUNE - A time of new beginnings and adventures. It is time to sow the seeds, but the harvest is still a ways off.
	PEORTH RUNE - You have a choice in everything. Make your choices and create your own destiny.

Whether using the runes can be beneficial or not is certainly up to the individual, but even from a historic perspective they are a fascinating area of history that seems to have stood the test of time.

© Melt Magazine 2003