An introduction to runic script and other alternative methods of magical and secretive writing




Pt. 1

What ever the origin or style of writing it should be understood that it all came to exist simply to make communication easier to do and to remember.
A system for recording laws, history, trade, beliefs, thoughts, ect.
But at it’s simplest form it is nothing more than a random set of symbols set to trigger thoughts Within us to focus our minds and give us a foundation
(a common ground to work from )
It should be understood also that several types of writing came in to existence to hide or keep secret certain writings from those not worthy of being in the know.
Or in some cases to keep the Christian wolves with their cries of witchcraft at bay.




Pt.2

And now on to their use in magic.

By taking the time to learn or create an alternate form of writing.
By investing our time, energy & intent, we create a field of magic within ourselves
(a focus if you will)
Which allows us to release our energy with purpose focused by the meanings each symbol holds for us.
The reason we don’t use English or other established well used languages for this is simply that they are too common place to be able to focus the same upon we automatically can read or write our home language and can do so even with out thought.
where as we have to concentrait on the others. There by instilling our own energy into them.
Now some scripts symbolise only the alphabet while with others each glyph holds an alternate or deeper meaning and in some forms even several meanings.
In the forms that are already established their basic meanings are established as well but it bodes well to remember that symbols in general are a personal thing and do and should mean different things to different people.
and those things already written (YES!!!!! Even this)
Are nothing more than a guide a point of perspective.
Shared perspective in some cases, but always open to individual interpretation.
Throughout this time i intend on touching briefly apon the following forms.
Pictic, Theban, Malachim, Angelic / Celestial, Heiroglyphic. and then we will dive deeper into the Elder Futhark as that is the form we traditionaly use.


OGHAM
The Ogam Bethluisnion was a form of writing used mostly by the kelts and the druids. Kept simple in form it was primarily used in carving into wood or stone however also might have worked as a form of sign language as well
Any wood carvings have of course long vanished: the Cetlic runes are known principally from inscriptions cut on the edges of rough standing gravestones. These are found primarily in west Ireland, but they have also been found in England (Wales, Cornwall), western Scotland, the Isle of Man, and the Shetland Islands.
The Irish had no other written alphabet until Christian missionaries introduced Latin (though runes may have also been used).
Ogham ceased to be used after the first few centuries of the Christian era, as the use of inscription languages (like runes and ogham) was reviled as a pagan practice.



It could also be represented as dots like above

Or seen as below .






Note many things can be used as the center line.
Or can they?
as a sign language how about using the edge of a table or the bridge of your nose and your fingers as the letters?




Malachim& Angelic

The origins of the Malachim alphabet are shrouded in mystery. It was based on the Hebrew alphabet and was popular with secret socities. It is still used by Freemasons to a limited extent







Angelic /Celestial






Vau, He, Daleth, Gimel, Beth, Aleph,
Kaff, Yod, Theth, Cheth, Zain,
Shen, Tau, Nun, Mem, Lamed,
Resh, Quff ,Zade, Pe ,Ayn ,Samech.
IMMAGES should be read From right to left as follows
A, B, G, D, H, U/V
Z, C, T, I/J, K
L, M, N, Y, X
S, O/Q, P, Z, E, R.
Their seems to be 2 z’s in this above image it is also missing the letter for W
Which would look like the same as the symbol for u/v except on the w their is a circle on the bottom as well as the top

The thing with these styles of writing is that they were and still are primarily used by ceremonial magicians and they are often found engraved on tailsmins


Passing the river



Hieroglyphics



But note many of budges translations were later proven to be a bit off







Vulture = a
Forearm = o
Remember this is a simple form and is subject to be wrong on some accounts due to translation errors

THEBAN






Theban’s origins are lost in history however it is believed that this is one of the styles that came into being to keep secrets

the theban script ( also known as honorian) was a popular alphabet and is used almost exclusivly by gardnerian witches
among others it has been wrongly refered to as the witches runes it is in fact not runic




PICTIC



Pictic swirl




Notice that i touched only briefly upon the above listed scripts
Realise also that the words i have spoken and am speaking are only guidelines and you should always seek understanding for yourself and not just go by someone elses opinion


Now on to the meat of the matter


Futhark and assorted runes









The ones we use the most ( almost exclusively)
And the ones we use for divination are the
Elder Futhark also known as the Germanic runes

The elder futhark



The elder futhark is also known as the Germanic runes
This is the style we use mostly for writing and for divination but it is a very common runic style and if you want to keep secret I would not recomend this style for writing purposes.
As a form of divination the following letters and corresponding words are a start for you but as with all things you must find your own meanings within your own soul and learn to trust in your own voice


A- ansuz- mouth / signals
this rune can come up to indicate that either their are signs before you that you need to notice or that maby someone is talking about you

B- birkana - growth / beginnings /birch goddess

As it would seem above the b rune can symbolise that a new beginning is ahead or just started this is a good rune by my estimation for it can also represent growth but must be taken in context
Ex. If coming up on question of money it could represent a new job or better position in the one you have

D-dagdaz-breakthrough
Another good rune this rune can mean that understanding is coming your way their will be a breakthrough that will allow youto move to the next step
/ or to see what you couldn’t before

E - ehwaz - horse / movement
As the horse was a form of transportation this rune is often seen as movement along one’s path note tho that this rune can be taken 2 ways as movement either foward or backward we as readers must divine the meaning based on the context of the other runes that fall as well as that which our own spirit tells us

F - fehu - cattle/wealth
as it seems it is about prosperity either good or bad, that you must divine for yourself
In days of old the amount of cattle one had determined one’s worth and depending on how it falls it can be good or bane

G-gifu- gift / partnership
This rune can be seen as a gift coming from either a mundain source such as a friend , the lottery or as a divine gift rom above a challange which will strenthen you or can also be seen as a marrage or as a contract between people

H -hagalaz - hail / disruption
inspite of it’s obvious disruptive overtones it can be a very good rune for as in tarro with the tower it can signify a breakdown of existing order to make room for new growth for we can not bring in with out first tearing down to make room for the new

I-isa- stand still
This rune is similar to the hanged man of the tarro
It seems to indicate stagnation either of energy , manifestation or the self it can be seen as a kick in the pants telling one to get moving or can be seen as a warning not to take the action specified within the question it falls apon

J/Y -jera- harvest
To put it simply you reap what you have sown you get what you deserve weither good or bad but here is a thought what if the gifu falls before it could it mean that a windfall is coming ?
Or could it be that you deity is about to kick your butt?

K-kano- torch or opening
A the torch is often associated as the torch of knowledge ( which is often depicted above the brow of the baphomet) this rune can often signify that a new way of looking at the world is about to take you by storm your eyes are about to be or have just been opened
But can it also be used as a more mundain opening?
As an opening in ones work place that may lead to greater prosperity?
Or could it be seen as an opening of ones heart or emotions ?

L-laguz - water/flow
As water is associated with emotion this rune can be of that realm.
but can also be seen like in tarro with the wheel as the flow of life coming round full circle taken in this way it could signify that all things will come within their own time and should not be rushed
Or should they?

M-mannaz- the self
This rune i feel is self explanatory it in my opinion must be taken with what is around it it can mean that you need to go within to find your answers or that if you dont do something who will? This rune seems to tell one to take a good look into the mirror

N - nauthiz - constraint / necessity
Seeming to imply that you should take things easy or tone things down a bit theis rune can also represent a needed sacrifice in order to be able to grow
ex. you must work hard to make a living

O- 0thila-seperation/property
Whilst this rune can mean that you will soon be experiencing or need to be experiencing a breakup or seperation it can be a good thing by leaving that which is no longer needed behind but can also be seen as that which you own that which you have made yours

P-Perth- fate/ initiation/dice cup
As with all things your own intiution must lead this rune can be seen as that which will come to pass no matter what but it can also be seen as taking your chances and rolling the dice one more time another aspect of it is an initiation into greater mysterys charging off in to the unexplored

R-Radio- journey/ cart wheel
Self explanatory? This can be seen as either a metaphysical journey or a trip to someplace in the manifest world
But as the wheel spins remember all things come back if given enough time

S-Sowelu- sun/wholeness
A good sign the sun is often associated with masculine power it is a shining symbol of strength and as in tarro it can be seen as being all you ever wanted but it can also represent learning to make ones self whole or changing things for the same reason

T-Tyr- norse god/ warrior
This i see as a powerfull rune often inscribed on armor or weapons by the norse it was thought to invoke the warrior spirit within that take no prisoners attitude might serve you well when dealing wit difficult problems or could this rune represent an advesary ?

U-Uruz- wild bison/ strength
To the native american the wild bison was a source for all things strong and whole within it’s self this rune could mean that it is a physical,mental or metaphysical strength but it could also be taken to mean that you are standing on solid ground when it falls at asking a estion as to weither you ought to take a specific action

W-Wunjo- Joy/ happyness
Rune also is self explanatory but is it gaining happyness or loosing it only you can tell

Z-Algiz- elk horns/ protection
This rune i see as putting up your fences so to speak passive protection as could be seen as planting a ring of hawthorn around your property or mabey by wearing your pentacle
Protection by non agression

Ei - eiwaz- defence/ bow

As in the bow and arrow i see this rune to represent active defence such as manning the battlements or picking up your gun to defend yourself or your family making the first strike before you can be hurt

Th - thorn or thoth- gateway
To me this rune represents greater understanding and mental growth learning tempered by wisdom

Ing - inguz - goddess power or femal energy
Covering birth and the womb is how i translate this also as fertility and growth as all things come from the mother

let me repeat myself again loud and clear

All things written here are a matter of interpretation
You should always look to yourself for answers
And only use this as a guide

Blessed be hope this has helped

Wow, that was impressive. I am afraid that I only know Theban and some basic runes. That was educational, thank you for that post.

Scarlette

one thing i cant say often enough is that you should always question everything

you see the world around you with your own unique perspective and you should always seek your own meanings and paths in life

I've spent several years in the study of the runes (I use the Elder Futhark). They vibrate on many levels, not just as a magical alphabet, or as a divinatiory tool. Interestingly they are still in common use today.
They are the alphabet used in Iceland, so they are taught in schools to children, just like we teach our alphabet. The best peice of advice I ever received for using them was....

Runes are language, language is power. All words have power.

So taking that into consideration, I quit using any "magical" scripts. English works well enough, it is the language of my birth and one that causes a deep subconsious reaction. Words have power. Thoughts lead to words. Words lead to deeds. Deeds change the world. Changing the world is power.