On the Runes and Their Usage

The runes are sacred mysteries first grasped by the All-Father when he sacrificed himself to Himself–screaming, he took up the runes. Then, Lord Heimdallr gave the runes to our ancestors when he helped our Folk become who we are now. The runes are symbolized by staves, various characters corresponding with the different mysteries (the concepts behind the runes). The proto-Germans had slightly different symbols than the Anglo-Saxons, whose symbols were different than the Norsemen, so on and so forth—but the powers that are the runes stay the same. Many of our Folk ask: How do we use the runes in a serious way in 2025, and now going into 2026?

There are a few ways!

The first is Galdr, which is done during meditation or when harmonizing the Folk during Blót. We will typically sing the proto-Germanic name for a given rune, focusing on its concept and honing in on harnessing its power to some extent.

The second is very mundane, and thus very common… using them as we would letters. It is not wrong to do this, per se, but it should only be done with an understanding of the runes and their power, as well as being done in some sort of service to the Æsir. A great example is Witan Herul’s artwork on all of the Hof murals!

The third is divination, or what we commonly call “rune pulls” in modern Ásatrú. We will go into a bit more detail on this one as its truths are quite esoteric compared to the previous two uses!

When we do “rune pulls” correctly, we are asking the Nornir themselves to give us insight into what should come to pass; not what WILL come to pass, but what SHOULD come to pass.

Many people pull runes in different ways. Some do nine runes, some do one rune, some do three runes. I will give here personal examples of how I conduct my one-rune and three-rune pull, as well as the effects of that specific three-rune pull example.

My one-rune pull: My one-rune pull is very simple. I pray to the Nornir and ask for their insight, specifically in regards to an important question. I pull a single rune, figure out what it likely means in context, and do all I can to ensure that it comes to pass.

My three-rune pull: Every year, on the twelfth night of Jól (December 31st), my wife and I will stand before our home altar and pray to the Nornir. I will speak to all three of them, thanking them for the gifts already given and asking them to grant us insight into the coming year. I pull one rune at a time—one from Urðr, from Verðandi, from Skuld.

In my real-life example, we pulled the runes Perthro-Kenaz-Tiwaz for the year 2025. Because my wife and I kept to right action as best we could, these runes (that which SHOULD be!) came to pass. Perthro is the rune of the womb and opportunity; my wife was pregnant with our son. Kenaz is the rune of knowledge and passing the torch; we became parents and extended our kin-fence forward. Tiwaz is the rune of victory and ascension; I was elevated to the Witan at Sigrheim, a dream come true for me, and certainly a victory. These things happened because we stuck to the path of right action as often as we were able, and when that path was clear. If we had been careless throughout the year, we would have surely strayed from that path of that which SHOULD be.

One final note — when you choose to consult the runes, you are making a conscious decision to ignore Lord Óðinn’s advice of being “middling wise.” You are choosing to peer beyond the veil, into the depths of the well, and to grasp cosmic truth for better or for worse! Know that.

Witan Trent East

teast@runestone.org

~ From The Runestone, December 2025 ~