I’ve received a number of emails asking about the Courses in runes offered by Ragnar at the Denali Institute, and by Edred Thorsson. The question usually asks about the rune courses, and the titles gained through their completion. It is an important question, because it differentiates two divergent beliefs in how the runes should be used.
I found this video on YouTube and I really like the music and motion. It cycles through the elder futhark in the proper order, so give it a watch and see if seeing the runes evokes something within you…
Most welcome guest contributor to the site, Mahryan, addresses some frequent issues that newcomers to the runes have, in particular the idea of reversed runes, positive and negative interpretations, which are often called murkstaves.
Some thoughts on “murk-staves” and other possibilities
by Mahryan
Some of us cast our runes, tipping out the whole set and letting them fall as they may. Others pull runes from our bag, usually one at a time. Either way, the runes do not always come out upright and face up. Some rune commentators see any reversal of a rune as negative, often describing it as ‘murk-stave’ (dark or at least gloomy) as opposed to ‘bright’ when in the upright position.
Nauthiz (or Naudhiz) represents the need-fire, and in every way related to necessity, constraint and the inevitability of human suffering. The Nauthiz rune meaning has no reverse, but it is one of the runes whose positive and negative interpretations are closely intertwined. One doesn’t really seem to come without the other. As harsh a rune as this can be, Nauthiz also reveals to us the ways of transmuting our distress into greatness and success.
Photo by Blerina Berisha
Kaedrich Olson is the author of a popular new book entitled ‘Runes for Transformation: Using Ancient Symbols to Change Your Life
Below is his first guest post with us, a Rune Secrets exclusive!
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