This
section I have had to essentially write myself, as the notes from De Azcarraga
are incomplete and very fragmentary. Jon

To
get started casting and reading the runes, you need a few things; staves or
stones inscribed with the runes, a plot or map on which to lay them, and the
knowledge of at least a few of the main formations or patterns in which the
runes can fall. When it comes to creating runestaves and runestones, we’ll
cover the basics at the end of this section, and then try to return to advanced
techniques at some later date.

The
map you will be using is of the three realms. There is a much more advanced
version including all nine realms of classic Norse mythology, but that too will
have to wait for some other time. Basically, it is three circles, on top of the
other, and each of them divided into eight sections to correspond to one of the
three different aettir. Simply divide the circle along the compass directions,
and then divide those in half (like putting an ‘x’ on top of a ‘+’ sign). Then,
starting with the top right ‘slice’, enter the runes in order around the
circle.

· 
First Aettir = Midgard, or middle level, AKA the mortal realm, land of
humankind

· 
Second Aettir = Niflheim, or lower level, AKA the dark realm, land of
the dead

· 
Third Aettir = Asgard, or upper level, AKA the bright realm, land of
the gods

Basics
of Reading

You
can begin to figure out a few things now about reading the runes if you think
about it. Suppose a rune of the first aettir lands in the middle realm – it
would make sense if it’s influence was enhanced, right? And if it actually fell
in the slice of the realm that was already set aside for it, it would be even
stronger, sitting in its own ‘house’ as it were. The runes can be read upright,
or reversed (Merkstave). Also, each stave or stone that you use has the rune
only on one side. The back is blank, and if it falls with the rune facing
downwards, then that rune is either blocked by another or by its location, or
its influence is hidden in some way. If a rune falls outside of the three
worlds completely then its influence is non-present for the purposes of the
reading.

Rune
Patterns

The
next stage is to learn to recognize some of the main patterns the rues can fall
in. This will require dipping deeper into Norse mythology. For instance, if
some of the runes end up in a largely straight line with others clustered near
one end, you might be looking at Gungnir, Odin’s Spear. Or you might see
Bifrost, the rainbow bridge that Heimdall guards. Maybe Thor’s Hammer,
Ormungandr the world serpent, Tyr or Frey’s sword, Freya’s necklace or cloak of
feathers might come up. Each is going to have a different meaning, depending
upon that mythological character’s areas of interest, the uses and symbolism of
that particular artifact, and so forth. It is beyond the scope of this workbook
for me to go into detail on all of them, but a bit of research and
experimentation should yield some interesting results.

Creating
Runestaves and Runestones

Ideally
you would be able to find a set that has been made and used by someone who
knows what they are doing, but should you need to make your own, a simple set
for the purposes of learning and experimentation is easy enough to make. Take
pieces of wood about three inches by two inches, and around a ¼ inch thick.
Almost like a thick playing card. Draw, or ideally carve the shape of the rune
at one end, leaving the bottom half blank so it will be more obvious when it
lands reversed. If you can, carving the runes into flat river-stones can be
very satisfying. Some use inlay of metals into stone, or paint the wooden
staves. If you are using color for the runes, it should be red. As mentioned
above, there are ways of bringing other elements into the creation process, ‘charging’
them so as to make them more potent magically, but for now we will stop here.