Meeting the Tools: Anglo-Saxon Runes

Full disclosure – much like with the Ogham, the Anglo-Saxon Runes are new to me. Unlike with the Ogham I was able to get a set that I wanted off the bat (Ogham rune sets are rare, and what I really want is a set where each piece is the corresponding kind of wood – which will be pricey I’m sure as I am not a wood-worker).

There’s a handy dandy chart available Here if you’re interested, and a dear friend of mine did a beautiful breakdown of the runes and their meanings (along with the Anglo-Saxon rune poem stanza that corresponds to each one) Here if you are so inclined. Note that much like my friend, I’ll be excluding the four runes which have no corresponding stanza in the poem. They are legit runes, but for divination purposes I’m sticking with the 29 runes.

Just like with the Futhark, the Anglo-Saxon runes are more about a long, proper conversation. But, while the Futhark seem to ask to be placed gently and with purpose – at least for me – the Anglo-Saxon runes require more intuition.

Namely, up-ending the bag over my casting mat and gleaning the message from the aftermath of the chaos. Which is a bit more difficult than having a preset “spread” – much like with tarot cards – and placing the runes deliberately in each space – which is what I do with the Futhark.

That said, I became fast friends with this set. Our Getting to Know You ritual was relaxing, and the message that came from it positive. I like positive – and don’t get me wrong, negative messages are good too! Some times you need to get that heads up that shit’s about to go down so you can prepare and mitigate things as much as possible. But I’m a long time sufferer of Brain Weasels, and positive reinforcement and gentle encouragement are things I react to better than any level of doom and gloom.

I’m looking forward to journeying with this set, and seeing what comes of it.