Runes beginner

I was drawn towards Runes (kept seeing a set of stone ones in my mind), so bought a set this week (not the Preseli Bluestone set I discovered on Etsy that is the set in my mind, but very very expensive!!\) and a book.

Being strong and not starting with them yet, as I am still very much a Tarot beginner and need to concentrate on that for now.

Anyone else who reads with Runes? Any good guidance on how to learn them?

Thanks, Ali x

I have the Rune Learning cards by Living Magick - they have a set of rune cards, plus a set of rune flashcards, as well as a book that goes with. Very in depth, and I bought it at Amazon for $24.95 USD.

I also got the Galaxy rune app for my phone, also very informative, and so far has proven extremely accurate, as well as fun to play with Choosing one rune a day to get the idea of where your day is heading is a good way to begin, and jotting notes at the end of the day to see how it corresponded.

Have fun learning them!

(oh and the Preseli stone ones sound awesome!)

I've been reading with runes on and off for a number of years.

When I was just beginning, I found it useful to create a 'cheat sheet' with the rune names, translations of the names and basic meanings. I also had a lot of fun writing names using the runes and creating patterns with them, which also helped me remember the names and Latin/English equivalents of the runes. Naturally, I asked them questions and would normally pull one rune or 3-4 ones in positional spreads, and I peeked into the cheat sheet more than once. I can't remember any particular difficulties in deciphering what they wanted to tell me, and it always amazed me how relevant the advice was.

Once you feel somewhat comfortable with the runes, I urge you to offer readings to other people for feedback. This is an invaluable learning experience, and it'll round up your knowledge of the runes in no time.

Good luck!

Don't save them, use them!
If your first experiences are anything like mine, you will be blown away. Ask a question and pull a rune from a bag. Read up on what the rune means and you'll very quickly learn them all.

What are yours made of?

I have a set of runes gifted to me by a close friend of my wife's & mine. It was made from one of the craft clay products - with the reverse sides painted blue - contained it a hand made bag and a square of white felt. Along with it was a hand made guide copied from a physical book . . .

This was pre-2000 and it has had much use and like my tarot reading had always gave me pertinent accurate & timely advice, which I kept in a journal. I still use it as adjunct to my tarot, always in the same way.

The guide included "spreads" and reversals, which I use (and probably why I use them in my card work). When I draw I view the edge of the stone held in my hand so that is all I see so that I put them down blue side up in the pattern of the spread. I then flip them rune side up (always in the same direction) and from there I read.

As always find a method and a guide that resonates with you and keep on reading.

Just my thoughts . . .
Jim

I did what dancing_moon did and made a cheat sheet too. Mine was the size of a small poster, I have a "poster" sketchbook that's the largest size of spiral bound hard cover sketchbook the art supply store had. I have tree of life stuff (as it relates to the tarot), rune stuff, guitar stuff, great way to learn. Make a few cheat sheets, every time you write things down it helps you learn. I mean, in my Psych classes they said it was actually better than typing for helping the brain store information.

I recommend Taking Up The Runes by Diana Paxson, when I was younger I had something by Edred Thorsson that I liked, but she uses that book as a reference. Both books recommend spending time with each rune, similar to a card a day only in her book she has a pair of runes you do each week.

Even without that particular book, it's a great method for learning them. Live and breathe just that rune for a while, even drawing it on food and eating it, doing "rune yoga", humming or singing it, etc. I think it was Thorsson that discussed the "vibrating" the runes, that's what helped me a lot. Saying the rune's name to the point where you feel your body and the world around you resonating with the energy of the name. I could feel myself humming, and my ex husband (in a different room) asked me with surprise what I had been doing when I came out of the room, he said he felt the air change but he couldn't hear me chanting the name softly.