|
The
Message of The Runes
Rune
divination is one of the oldest divination systems in Northern
Europe. The word “RUNE,” which occurs in various forms in
both Germanic and Celtic languages, means “a mystery” or “holy
secret” that is “whispered.” The 24 Germanic Runes (with origins
in Nordic tradition) are divided into three families of eight
Runes.
Initially, the Runes were simple, straightforward symbols
representing a certain sound, usually a sound derived from
the natural forces of the environment. Sound is one of the
ways in which Nature manifests itself, as in the sound of
the wind, the roar of the sea and the sounds of animals. Sound
is vibration. It is energy. It is creative. It was a prelinguistic
way of communicating. Over time, certain sounds were connected
with specific symbols and became concepts. The repeated use
of these symbols deepened and expanded the original concepts.
Their use by successive generations invested the runes with
special powers, and as a result, a large memory bank was built
up in the collective Northern unconscious.
Each individual rune has a variety of meanings, ranging from
the most mundane level of understanding to the highest degree
of esoteric knowledge. In ancient times, wise women and men
used the Runes to determine tasks that needed to be carried
out; to divine the intentions of the deities of the tribe;
to alter consciousness; and to bring about external events.
The Runes were cast at a child’s birth to find its name and
life-path, and helped members of the tribe when returning
to their ancestors at death. They were used by tribal shamans
on their ecstatic journeys into the Underworld, as a means
of gaining knowledge, for healing, and to bring back gifts
like wisdom or courage to the tribe. Rune-chants were used
for the conception, gestation and birth of a child, and also
for the celebration of seasonal festivals.
Every Rune-worker exchanges something of herself or himself
when drawing on the power of the Runes. Like any other system
of divination, the Runes require extensive knowledge and some
clairvoyant abilities. Simply learning the traditional meaning
of the basic key words is not enough. They should be allowed
to speak for themselves without interference from the analytical
mind.
The Runes are not for fortune telling in the modern sense,
that is, wanting to know whether good or bad things are going
to happen to you. This kind of thinking is alien to the consciousness
out of which the Runes emerged. Runes can, however, help us
toward achieving wholeness, make deeper contact with our inner
self, and act as a mouthpiece for the gods, goddesses, ancestors
and nonhuman beings who will help us with the task of spiritual
growth.
Back
to Articles page
Pathways
to Health
™
77 Shore Road
Mt. Sinai, NY 11766
(631) 642-2200
e-mail: info@pathwaystohealth.com
© 1997-2008 Pathways to Health. All rights reserved.
|
