Not Exactly Pagan

[One Eyed]

Greetings...
Not a pagan but I do find the myths of the Norse quite interesting and valuable. Anybody here practice any Norse stuff?

[st0rm]

Welcome to mw...

[Flar's Freyja]

:wave: Merry Meet and Welcome to MW! We have ongoing rune discussions in the Divination and Magick and Rituals forums, and you might want to check out the Gods and Goddesses forum as well. I have a strong interest in Norse magick and Rick knows everything.

[Siarlas]

Greetings and Welcome, One Eyed! :wave:

And... yeah.. what Freyja said.

[shnen]

MM & welcome to MW! :wave:

[Nissala]

merry meet and welcome to MW! :wave:

[One Eyed]

Thanks for the welcome - but here is the problem! I do not know anything at all about the runes besides what some of them stand for. A very close friend who is into paganism but not exactly norse said you can make your own runes out of stones but I do not know how the practice works and she never really showed interest in me learning.

[Thia]

Hi and MM.

I do not practice Asatru, but do work with the runes quite a bit. I've read a lot of the threads in the divination section on this board that will really help you. For Norse myth, there are a lot of great books out there. I have several that I've really enjoyed.

[One Eyed]

I will look over the rune section but like I said I do not have any idea of how they are used or anything. I have a friend which is into 'spirituality' but she can never explain anything to me and I want to know a lot - but she just ends up getting mad at me because I guess I ask her things the wrong way hehe

As for the books - I have read a few books on the subject but they still do not tell me much - the myths are a whole different story.

Thanks

[Thia]

Ok. I think I misunderstood what exactly you wanted to know.

Runes are used somewhat like tarot cards. They are used for divination (you use spreads, some of which are also similar to tarot spreads). Runes are also used for spells, charms, etc.

There is a very simple rune book which I think is a good beginning: "A Practical Guide to the Runes: Their Uses in Divination and Magick by Lisa, Peschel". She covers how to make your own, what to use them for, etc. After I read that book, I "graduated" to more complex authors.

[One Eyed]

The only thing I also know about Tarot is from a reading the same friend has done - and as far I know it was simply a small look into the future no?
I dont exactly know what this 'divination' means - like I said I am very new to anything 'religious' period hehe
I was raised Roman Catholic but rejected those ways some 7 years ago and since then have been pretty much have been 'nothing' here and there I read books about the Norse but I have never practiced anything on a 'spiritual' level - I wanted to many times but my friend is not so willing to help - as a matter of fact she's even mad that I came to this board and that's really not too good. I want to learn more but I have no one to teach.
I think she has a basic book on runes but I doubt in the state she is in now that she would let me read it.

[Thia]

"Divination" is simply to divine, or peer into, the future. It can be as short-term or as far-reaching as you want and depending on the spread that you use. Spreads are the patterns that you lay the rune stones or tarot cards in.

Why would your friend not want to teach you or, at the very least, want you to discover new interests or your spirituality?

[Moon Daughter]

Thia- because 'his friend' grew to see him as a predator and danger to her own individuality, freedom, independence and spirituality.
because 'his friend' doesn't feel safe with him intruding into all her personal things, demanding to be told and explained- ;later to be used against her in the lowest of ways.

besides, 'his friend', believes that if he really wants to learn, he will pick up the book and start learning instead of pressuring her, stalking her, harassing her, and referring to Pagans as the dumbest people.

just a few reasons here.
don't really mean to start the fight on this board,
so i will leave .

[One Eyed]

Thia - ignore her comment - the only things I demand from Moondaughter is that she informs me of what she is doing to our child - which she does not.
Danger to individuality would be hard to destroy when someone doesn't have individuality in the first place - and follows anything she reads.
I just want to know what is being done to my kid!

As for pagan and dumbest people? That is simply a lie!

On a more interesting note - You mention peering into the future is there a way to peer back into the past? I know with the 'friend' she tells me about her dreams and her past and how that's how she knows all about her past - yet I am a bit unlucky here because the closest I ever got to looking at my self in the past is probably WW1 and it wasn't that clear as in if it is me - or anything of that sort. But I do dream a lot but sadly also my dreams almost lack any sense of reality or of meaning - at least none that I can find.

Do runes in some way act almost as the same 'tool' as 'tarot'?

[Thia]

I'm SO staying out of that particular part of the discussion and I wish you both well.

Now on to divination...yes, you can peer back into the past. I've only gone as far as the portion of my spread which talks about what led me to the place I am now. But a friend of mine uses tarot to peer much further back than that.

There is also a LOT of information out there about dream interpretation. I rarely dream or remember them so I don't know much about that.

Runes are a tool like tarot, yes. In many ways, just like tarot. With tarot, there are more cards than there are rune stones.

Runes can also be used for charms, spells (which are very powerful to me), and bindings.

[One Eyed]

Well I wish somebody did step in between us because it's not about me and her anymore - there is a kid on the way and I may be an asshole at times but I do not want to loose my kid or ruin my future kids life because we have arguments...

By spread - do you mean who you were before this life time?
See all this stuff is new to me and usually I am critical of it but I do want to learn more because as it sometimes seems I can learn more about myself then I know.

I have checked out a bunch of websites about dream interpratation and even read a few books but never did it give me any hints of what my dreams may mean - the girl i spoke of earlier has I think great capabilities when it comes to that because she always gives my dreams some meanings but I get lost in all the information.

From my basic knowledge I do know that Tarot has way more cards then do Runes but is the main difference the "charms and spells" - maybe I am better off not getting into Runes because at this particular time I do not wish to make any 'charms or spells'
and I dont even feel I would be ready for anything of that sort.

What are bindings?
Thanks for your time btw!

[Thia]

"By spread - do you mean who you were before this life time?"

A spread is the pattern that you are laying your cards or runes into. There are many different kinds of spreads. If you are working with tarot, you shuffle the deck and then deal out a certain number of cards on the table (or cloth or whatever) in a certain pattern. This is a picture of a common spread: http://www.tarotspreads.com/ShowSpread.api?Spread=Celtic

The numbers represent the cards. Number 1 is the 1st card you lay down, #2 is the second, and so on.

A rune bind is the combination of two or more runes. You link them together to form a strong symbol. It can be used as a talisman or charm. You can also use them in spells. I wouldn't worry about that for now. It takes a while before you are comfortable in just using your runes for divination before you get to the point where you are doing rune spells. I did a quick search and found this picture of a rune bind: http://store5.yimg.com/I/capricornslair_1718_62851093

(I'm not affiliated with these sites in any way. Just thought they were good pics)

And...you are very welcome. :)

[One Eyed]

I see now i got a better picture of things :)
As for the 'rune bind' that is strange as hell but I used to draw the 'tree of life' rune binded with the S rune
It used to just come out like that hehe

[Raevyn]

For what it's worth, some Norse beleive you shouldn't get into runes without a solid understanding of where they came from and the myth behind them. They are very powerful so it's better to come to use them in the mindset of someone who knows them well, is what some think.

But then, other people use runes without that, and it works fine for them.

So whatever works for you is fine. It's a choice you have to look at. Personally I would suggest if you're interested in various forms of Paganism or other aspects of it, you study it in that way - like theology, philosophy, history, ethics, or what have you. Then you'll know where you're coming from as far as a good mindset to understand tarot and runes and so on. Though then, sometimes people use them without that mindset, and some people use them at the same time. One book that might give you a good overview of Wicca and witchcraft, runes and symbols, and so on and on, in kind of an introductory way, is Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. Certainly there are other book recommendations in our book forum for you to look at as well.

Anyway, you are welcome to ask any questions you have here. Welcome to our forum and we're blessed to have you :)

[One Eyed]

Thanks for the welcome but because of many people I have met I am very turned off Wicca - it definetly takes something to get me to even read anything about it - I just have met way too many people that considered themselves 'wiccan's that didn't seem to fit under the catagory.

[Raevyn]

Ah well I don't blame you there - it goes without saying (of course) that the people aren't the religion, and I know you know that of course, but I can also see your point! I'm not sure if I'm Wiccan either, just because I think the label's been stretched out a lot, and I'm not sure if it fits me.

One thing I've learned recently is what I knew as Wicca for years has been very very eclectic - which is all well and good and valid, but I'm also starting to study what it was originally.

[One Eyed]

Perhaps one day I will read more into it but right now that is not really a priority - the people that I met that were 'wiccans' seemed to be happy with what they were but something to me at least did not click with what they were saying/doing.

Ofcourse it's not like with everybody, I met one Wiccan which was nothing like that but I didn't enjoy his company for different reasons hehe

[Thia]

"For what it's worth, some Norse beleive you shouldn't get into runes without a solid understanding of where they came from and the myth behind them. They are very powerful so it's better to come to use them in the mindset of someone who knows them well, is what some think."

I actually agree with this statement. But then I agree with it for just about everything I do. It helps you understand what you are doing if you know the history of it. Or at least have some understanding of what it is you are doing. I read a ton of Norse myths before I opened my rune books.

Also, One Eyed, according to Norse myth, Odin (who hung from a tree for nine nights to gain the wisdeom of the runes) is the wisest of Gods. He gave his eye to drink from Mimir's well and gain wisdeom. So, he is "One Eyed". ;)

[One Eyed]

hehe well I am not that dumb! hehe
I do know the myths but my knowledge does not go anywhere beyond that.

[Thia]

I never said you were dumb. I don't believe in "dumb". I just didn't know if you knew that or not. If you didn't, it would be a "coincidence" if you were interested in runes and your name was "One Eyed". ;)

[One Eyed]

hehe I didn't mean to say you thought I was dumb - it's o.k no need to argue about 'dumbness' which you don't believe in hehe

Well it would be a great concidence if I had no idea for sure!