The sisters are reunited! For my birthday, Serafina is visiting me in Amsterdam. Here we find ourselves together on the couch. She's looking at me right now and poking my knee telling me to write something about runes.

It's perfect! Why? I recently made a dramatic discovery about the runes! It's something I never came across until I found a small book written by a German scholar who has spent much time exploring the shamanic roots of the runes. It is wild because knowing what I know now contradicts many of the readily found sources about the runes as well as almost everything you can buy rune-related.

If you are new to all this stuff, here's some super quick info: In this article, the runes refer to the Elder Futhark, the oldest form of a runic alphabet used by Germanic people. This includes the Vikings! The runes were etched into stone and wood. Each letter is made up of lines. There are no circles or curves.

Divination refers to all magical practices performed to seek knowledge of the past, present, and future. In our current times, the runes have traveled to many places across the globe so people can throw or draw them for this purpose. I have worked with the runes for many years in this way and received wonderful insight and inspiration. 

Yet, since reading this book, my whole understanding of the runes has changed completely. This does not invalidate any of my past experiences, nor would it necessarily give cause for me to stop working with the runes as a divinatory tool. And yet, it makes me wonder, dream, and ponder about my future with the runes.

It seems that the biggest myth about the runes in our times is that they were used as a divinatory tool by our ancestors who were contemporaries of this alphabet. Of course, the fact that there is no direct evidence that we know of is no proof that this was not so. But in light of how much evidence there is that the runes were used for other magical purposes, it does make me wonder.

It seems that when wood or stones were etched upon for divinatory purposes, there is mention of symbols, but not of runes. When the runes are written about, there is much connection to shamanic practices, spells, healing, and curses, but not divination.

Is the biggest myth about the runes that are alive today the claim that they are a divinatory tool? I know many people who work with the runes very successfully for divinatory purposes, so future historians will write about this and be correct in their statements.

Perhaps saying that the Germanic and Viking shamans and wise ones worked with the runes as we know them for divination is the greatest myth!

We will keep you updated as we dig deeper into sources written in German and Danish.

If you want to see for yourself, the book is by Thomas Höffgen and titled: "Weisst du zu ritzen?"

ANNOUNCEMENT: A few weeks ago we decided on the theme for the Magic is the Key membership in 2025. We know this is still half a year away, but for you special people who have read this blog post until here, we will reveal the secret! The red thread of 2025 will be the Elder Futhark Runes! Each letter is imbued with universal wisdom relevant to all of us. They will flavor the new meditations, rituals, and courses in our library of effective magical practices, and each live member-only Full / New Moon ritual will be in the name of one of the runes.

Curious about this year's theme? It's the tarot and the tree of life. You can join us at any time!