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Orientation, Positioning and Patterns

This lesson is about the interaction of runes in spreads with other runes and how the position and orientation of a rune may affect its meaning. Some aspects of this lesson are controversial and it will be for you to decide if you will pay attention to in future readings, or not. Other aspects will require time and practice for you to successfully recognize. We are introducing them here so you will be aware of the possibilities from the start of your runecasting career.

Orientation

There are 16 runes which are capable of recognizable 180 degree rotation, and therefore look different when rotated. In this example you can see the Isa (Is) rune in the first diagram does not rotate, but the Fehu (Feoh) rune in the second diagram does.

A rotated rune is referred to as a "reversed rune", or sometimes as a "merk stave", though whether or not reversed runes have any special meaning is a matter of debate.

In Tarot, cards have different meanings when they fall reversed compared to those they have normally. Since Tarot cards have asymmetrical designs, all 78 cards have a normal and a reversed position. This is not the case though with the runes, where only just over half are reversible. It raises the question then why these runes should be any different to the others in the Elder Futhark.

Is then the concept of reversal something which has been inherited from Tarot, and as such is of modern origin? Or is there a historical precedent? While there is no historical/literary material to suggest ancient runecaster paid attention to reversed runes, equally there is nothing to prove they did not. Since the rune glyphs are designs with symbolic and magical importance in their own right, it would arguably be strange if they gave absolutely no import to a rune displaying the opposite to its normal shape.

Whether or not to use reversed runes is a decision for the individual runecaster to make and something which is only an issue with respect to divinatory usage of the runes. However while this issue is one that often provokes sharp polarization of views, there is no reason why this should be the case. The mistake is never the use of reversed runes, but rather, seeing reversed and upright meanings are binary oppositions. The runes are always multi-facetted and though we may not be able to see all the possible meanings at any given time, it does not mean they are not still there.

Let's demonstrate this with a simple example using the first rune, Fehu (Feoh). Here are six possible meanings of this rune

1. Wealth and profit


2. Loss and poverty


3. Fertility and pregnancy


4. Elemental fire and expansionist forces


5. Sharing with others


6. Cattle

If we label the sides of a die with these meanings, and then roll it, we might see the following

You will note that "Wealth and Profit" is facing us and so dominates, but "Loss" is nowhere to be seen though it is still there, just out of sight. Indeed since all the meanings are related, it is reflected, at least partially, in "Sharing with Others" since both apply to reduction to funds. However one is voluntary and advised, the other is involuntary and undesirable.

However rolling the die again, we produce the following, which may at first glance appear to be totally different.

Yet if wealth results from the fertility (breeding) of cattle, it is precarious. Firstly money needs to be reinvested to keep the farm functioning, so buildings need to be maintained, chemicals purchased for cattle dips etc (sharing). Cattle age, sicken and die. It is thus an uncertain venture to put ones money into and hence we return to the threat of sudden poverty (loss) again. What we are seeing when we rotate the die is not a change in meaning but in emphasis. This is what occurs with upright and reversed runes.

Though reversed runes are normally thought of as more negative, this is an over-simplification. The Hagalaz (Haegl) rune does not reverse yet its normal meaning is not one that is usually embraced with much enthusiasm. It is not correct then to make an upright = good, reversed=bad division. Each rune has a little of everything within it, both positive and negative. In truth it depends too upon viewpoint. Disruption of our nice ordered lives as Hagalaz (Haegl) threatens, is normally seen as unwelcome. Yet if that disruption clears space for new opportunities and new growth, is it really so bad?

Coming to the runes we have to rid ourselves of simplistic good/bad concepts and accept that much of our lives are cyclical. There will be both periods of summer and winter in our lives and both serve a purpose. If you decide to use reversed runes, do not see them as negative in character but rather as giving more of a warning. Just think of rune reversal as a kind of underlining. The runes are simply working harder to bring something to your attention.

Positioning

Inexperience rune casters tend to look at each rune in a spread in isolation and this therefore means there is a whole level of information offered by the runes which they may miss.

There can be a degree of interaction between runes in a spread. We will come to deeper patterns shortly, however for now we will look at the easiest form of interaction, that between runes in adjacent positions in a spread. This a more advanced aspect of rune reading which depends heavily on the reader's intuition. For any two runes in a spread there are three ways they can behave

They can have entirely separate meanings and not interact in any way

They can have separate meaning but the second rune reinforces or clarifies the meaning of the first

Both runes have an (almost) identical meaning foregrounding the importance of this message within the reading as a whole

Of these the first is the most common and the third quite rare since it can only occur with particular runes and where the spread itself can support it. Hence it is the second type then with which we need to concern ourselves. This is not common either but it occurs with sufficient frequency for us to need to be alert to the possibility. Where it happens, and again not all spreads support the eventuality, the second rune normally proves additional information relating to the message of the first.

If we take the rune Fehu (Feoh) on its own, this could indicate money moving towards the querent

However adding another rune provides the possibility of extra information. In this case we will use Othala (Ethel) as our second rune

Othala (Ethel) is the rune of home, family, clan and heritage. Taken in combination with the other rune it could suggest the source of the new wealth will be an inheritance or bequest.

If we use a different second rune then we receive a different message. This time we will use Raido (Rad) as the second rune

Now Raido (Rad) is the rune of travel and transport. Its presence here suggests the money will result from a journey, perhaps an overseas business trip or maybe a new job involving relocation.

Where this type of cross-referencing of runes happens is the most likely time you will find a (the second) rune serving a representative function. Some of the possibilities are

Rune	Possible Representative Meaning
Fehu (Feoh)	Cattle, a cattle farmer or maybe an entrepreneur
Ansuz (Os)	An old man or teacher
Tiwaz (Tir)	A male authority figure particular those concerned with the law such as a cop or lawyer
Berkana (Beorc)	A mother
Eihwaz (Eh)	A couple

These are not the only possible representative runes or even all the potential representative meanings of these particular runes but it illustrates the method and the possibilities.

Patterns

It is possible to find more complex and deeper patterns than those which occur between two adjacent runes. This is very much advanced rune casting but explaining it here can do no harm. Be aware though that not all runecasters uses these methods and many see them as overly mathematical and/or artificial.

Modifier Runes

There are certain runes which particular authors consider to act as "power" runes dominating those around them and/or modifying the tone of surrounding runes.

Runes to which particular attention should be paid are those relating to key gods or starting one of the Aetts. This would be Fehu (Feoh), Ansuz (Os), Thurisaz (Thorn), Hagalaz (Haegl), Tiwaz (Tir) and Mannaz (Man). The presence of one or more of these in a spread indicates the gods are taking a particular interest in the situation.

It is also thought that there are some modifier runes such as Wunjo (Wynn) that moderate the tone of those around them. Some authors argue that Wunjo is so positively powerful it weakens the impact of any negative runes in its vacinity. Note that it does not change the meaning. The presence of Hagalaz always means problems but an adjacent Wunjo may reduce some of its impact for example.

Elemental Runes

Each rune is considered to have a governing element. By element we do not mean the hundred and twenty or so elements of the modern Periodic Table, but rather the four elements believed in by the ancients. Each of these elements had different properties. Earth provided solidity, Water offered fluidity and linked to the emotions, Air was associated with movement and shapelessness, linking to the mind and the imagination and finally Fire was expansive and creative. This still remains a useful model.

The extent to which rune readers take account of this governing element varies. For some though the interaction of the elements within a spread can provide conflict or balance, modifying the impact of individual runes.

So for example if we have a spread including the runes Laguz (Lagu), Dagaz (Daeg) and Fehu (Feoh), here we have two Fire runes and one Water rune. There could be deemed to be a conflict between the two elements and some runecasters would therefore argue that the influence of the Laguz (Lagu) rune is accordingly diminished. It would be even more so in a spread with a third Fire rune. However if the Water runes were in the majority they could be simplistically be thought of as extinguishing the flames and hence it would be the Fire rune which would be the less significant. A pattern therefore emerges.

1 rune of first Element +1 rune of second Element	runes of equal significance
1 rune of first Element + 2 runes of second Element	Second element runes more significant
1 rune of first Element + 3 runes of second Element	Second element runes clearly dominate

There are other examples of pattern which can be found within a spread, however you can see clearly enough how the method works. It can throw additional light on difficult and complex multi-rune spreads when used appropriately, however there is the potential danger of reducing the complexity of runic divination to a simple mathematical equation.

We live in a world where trusting our emotions and instincts is generally discouraged. There is doubt about anything which cannot be exactly measured and quantified. We should thus beware of trying to merge two incompatible worlds. The runes belong to Shamanism, to altered states of consciousness, to new ways of looking at the world and learning to trust our inner voices. Though nothing is beyond their scope, what they don't belong to are scales, rulers, electronic measures, tables,charts and diagrams. The runes operate in different ways and by different rules. We must avoid the belief that any divination tool operates according to a formula since it can be seductive. If after all the runes can be shown to follow a basic set of rules, most of the pressure is off us. No need to practice, to hone our perceptive and intuitive skills when ultimately all it comes down to is counting numbers

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You have completed the lesson. Read it as many times as you need to in order to feel you understand it. Then return here for:
Lesson 17 - Comprehension Tests, Reading and Further Exercises

Please ensure you complete these exercises before moving on to the next lesson.