Best rune divination books according to redditors

https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Up-Runes-Complete-Divination/dp/1578633257

This is the best guide to runes currently on the market. It's written by a Heathen (Norse polytheist) priestess and witch who specializes in rune work. Even some of the more conservative Heathens who won't variate from the lore recommend it. The book is both a guide to divination and rune magic all in one.

I suggest the following:

The first half of Taking Up the Runes by Diana L. Paxson

A Pocket Guide to Runes by Ben Waggoner (full disclosure, Ben is my kindred brother/co-host on Heathen History)

Rudiments of Runelore by Stephen Pollington

I'll throw you a bone here. Diana Paxson has several books on the topic, Alaric Albertsson I believe has one on trancework in Seidhr, and I believe Kveldulf Gundarsson has one on Teutonic magic.

In case you haven't figured it out, this sub isn't exactly Wicca-friendly and citing Crowley isn't going to do you any favors either. I've read some of his stuff personally and he stands for many things that Asatru is against, namely mis-appropriating symbols and spiritual concepts with zero regard for cultural and historical context.

sorry, that last was directed at /u/skull_fucked, who for some reason I mistook for OP. /u/darth_nexus, I've added links to the list above to make it easier.

Many people I know who seriously work with the runes will periodically stain them with their own blood as an offering. The runes are considered to be independent spirits by many, rather than just a divination "tool" and should be treated very respectfully and cautiously. Remember that they are embedded in a cultural context and it's important to understand Heathen cosmology and theology properly to work with them. A few recommended resources: this book, this one and this site.

Diana Paxson's Taking Up the Runes is very well-regarded by almost everyone.

And if I can sneak in a bit of self-promotion, while learning the runes myself (not that I'll ever be done learning) I created a playing card deck with runes, images, and meanings on them. It's helped some of my friends learn as well. It's mostly based on the meanings given in Taking Up the Runes, plus a little bit of extra I've picked up here and there.

I am the author of "The Serpent and the Eagle: An Introduction to the Elder Runic Tradition.".

I am not anti-Thorsson. However I am going to offer my view here also as an author on this topic as well.

First, the criticism regarding his Left-Hand-Path views I think are not entirely on the mark. If you read his LHP and Runic books you will see a sharp difference of viewpoint. I don't think it is accurate to say these are merged. I also know from personal discussions with him that his Runic views are not the same as his LHP publications. So let that sink in. Some of us do follow multiple traditions and some of us can keep the teachings separate. Thorsson does a decent job here.

The Good:

Thorsson is immensely knowledgeable and well studied. Of the authors in this area, he is probably the one who has had the strongest academic background in this area. In my conversations with him he has always been respectful, knowledgeable, remarkably humble, and open to disagreement and debate. His books are worth reading. Particularly "Green Runa" if you can find a copy. I actually think his LHP works are less well done than his Runic works (he gets core aspects of LHP HInduism wrong in Lords of the Left Hand Path).

Additionally the books are essentially the foundation of contemporary Runic practice even for a lot of people who dislike Thorsson (Mr Plowright is no exception).

The Bad:

Every book that is out there is worthy of critique, even mine. Heck I am even happy to critique my own book if you like (though I still think you really should read it). Thorsson's books are no different. Reading his major Runic books, there are a few things I personally think a reader should bear in mind.

The first difficulty is you can see a strong evolution in his writing between Futhark and Runelore. Futhark was his first book and is far more Armanen-influenced than Runelore. But Futhark is a practical book and Runelore is not so much, so the reader is somewhat left trying to navigate an evolving understanding. But as authors our viewpoints evolve. I remember reading my own book shortly after publication and realizing how much my own viewpoint had changed during the editing process..... Frankly you are better off using Northern Magic as a practical book and then reading Futhark later (after Runelore and others).

A second major problem that a lot of the commentary doesn't really cite sources. This makes it difficult for a student to decide whether or not to accept his interpretation of the staves. I don't actually know if this is deliberate or not (it could be a starting point, to be rejected and hopefully returned to later) but I don't personally find this helpful. He is clear (I think) that this part is subjective but I didn't feel like there is an adequate framework communicated to allow a student to evaluate the subjective bit itself.

So those are my two major critiques. The books are certainly worth reading, though they don't fit well into the sort of "strict reconstructionism" that has become trendy in some Asatru circles -- esoteric practices never will and for good reason. Naturally I think my book should be read first but then I won't call myself unbiased.

Additionally, I think it is a bad idea to only read books from one author or another. If you really want understanding you want to get a few different author's takes on the topic and then think about how they go together or not. Under no circumstances should you limit yourself to THorsson's works.

(BTW, may I also recommend reading Christopher Smith's Icelandic Magic)

My answer to this question is the same answer Richard Feynman gave when asked whether anyone could be a physicist. More or less. These things are not perfectly analogous, but the end result is true: Yes, anyone can learn to be a magician, barring some sort of severe mental disability or whatever. No one is "born into it" in any real sense other than -- we are all, when born, attuned to the state of our greatest power. The cultures and mores we absorb, the environment and our surrounding circumstances, modulate this state, almost always in a derelict way.

Most of the work you will do to achieve your natural magickal abilities consists in unlearning concepts. I think that the writings of Don Maguel Ruiz would be worth looking into with respect to this subject, although I would also recommend what I do for generally beginning in the occult, esoteric, and magick: the Kybalion, the Bhagavad Gita, and my personal niché favorite: Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny by Mark Stavish. These works internalized into true understanding will be sufficient for any reasonably intelligent person to become a master of their own mind.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rMeMEkyNpxEjxsWo8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Beo94TL9qd8wKQc1A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/q8fPUiKdzNZr5yns8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DW1uYLqtkQA1znNP7

I got Deluxe Precious Wooden Runes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738732451/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_a3y9BbKQBA54M as the base for it. Glued those to foam core board, made a frame around it with foam core, then poured in some mold Max 30 from https://www.smooth-on.com/category/tin-silicone/ to form the mold. Let it set and then had a mold for runes. Cast them using Merlin’s magic plaster (I did hirst arts stuff too, so I had some), painted them, and sealed.

My first piece of advice is to completely divorce in your mind the tarot and the runes. They are two completely different systems. The tarot were developed by Ceremonial Magicians in the late Victorian Age, and the runes are an ancient symbol set used by an ancient culture as a language and magical symbols. In fact the runes are a whole system of magic.

To really get started with runes you have to read up on each one and the history behind each. Divining with them is as simple as grabbing a few and scattering them and reading their meanings but you'll need to background about each letter for that to work. Here are a few sources that I like for runes.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin/Runes/Rune%20Of%20The%20Month/Index.htm - Ignore how this site looks. because it hasn't been updated in a while but each article on the runes is very well written by a couple who know the runes very well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1578633257/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1459023490&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=rune+divination&dpPl=1&dpID=51eexi1vgZL&ref=plSrch - A great book on the whole system of magic that the runes are. I really like this one as it doesn't try and "culture wash" the runes. Instead she frames each meaning historically so you can get a better understanding of why things are as they are.

http://www.amazon.com/Rune-Poem-Jim-Paul/dp/0811811360 - This book is a translation of the original Norse poems that the runes are mentioned in. It doesn't offer much in the way of interpretation so you are meant to take your own from it. It gives you a reference point to think about when meditating on the runes.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

There are some books on Runes you could check out. I am using this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738748285/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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and I also saw this one while looking for the above link, and it looks cool: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Runes-Rune-Magic/dp/1578636523/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=runes&qid=1574109807&sr=8-4

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The first link definitely instructs on how to create your own runes. I don't know if the second link includes that level of material but maybe

I would also advise patience. Runes are powerful symbols, runes convey messages, runes influence the world around us. Not being familiar with the runes could make you regret this decision for the rest of your life. This requires a lot more than a day to think about.

What actual message are you trying to convey? That would certainly help us help you. I'm not a runic scholar myself, in any sense. Although, I've heard great things about the first half of this book. I haven't read it myself yet but I did recently purchase it.

I started with Runes about 30 years ago, unfortunately with the inaccurate Blume. I've thankfully moved on to better materials!

Two books I would recommend by the most respected authors in these:

Taking Up the Runes:

https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Up-Runes-Complete-Divination-ebook/dp/B0070YFQFS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25193ECRZP0F0&keywords=taking+up+the+runes&qid=1571599080&sprefix=Your+Book+of+Shadows%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-1

And if you are at all interested, Ogam:

https://www.amazon.com/Ogam-Weaving-Erynn-Rowan-Laurie/dp/1905713029/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ogham&qid=1571599122&sr=8-3

For a good academic/historical text https://www.amazon.com/Rudiments-Runelore-Stephen-Pollington/dp/1898281491

For divination and the like this is a good starter text https://www.amazon.com/Futhark-Handbook-Magic-Edred-Thorsson/dp/0877285489

This one if you want to learn divination with runes

This one if you want to learn how to invoke Norse gods. The gist of it is in the preview. No need to buy it.

Good luck.

Note that you'll have to pick up (or download) a copy of Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magick to see the full version of The Hammer Rite.

I love your dreams. They both seem very feminine to me. I think you might find a more general pagan approach helpful. The symbolism carries on through out all beliefs in slightly different ways but similar core understanding. There's a book I find really helpful, it might be a bit much for a novice but then again it might be helpful too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0738732532/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527082760&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=correspondences&dpPl=1&dpID=51-FRJV-cGL&ref=plSrch

I disagree with the other reply - a fantastic book on Enochian is Enochian Vision Magick by DuQuette. For the runes, if you're taking a traditional approach, I recommend Thorsson's Futhark though it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

As for learning to write in another language - practice, practice, practice! The biggest help will probably be concentrating on learning one language, don't try to confuse yourself with too many at once. Once you've chosen one, just write out anything you can think of in that language. For me, just an hour a day of sitting down and writing things out, not even trying to translate it back to english, is the best way of learning. After two weeks or so, you'll be great at writing and re-translating, just because the letters are so ingrained in your head. My friends and I used to use Tolkien's Elvish alphabet as a secret code in high school, and I can still write in it to this day, seven or eight years later!

I suggest Taking Up the Runes. Paxon.

Living Runes by Galina Krasskova states that you have to earn the runes. You can pick them up and use them for readings beforehand, but to work well with them and use them easily in spells, you have to earn their respect and understand every nuance of their meaning. She writes that the spirits that correspond to the symbols are older than even the Norse gods, and even Odin had to hang on Yggdrasil for three days to earn the knowledge of how to work with them.

Living Runes: Theory and Practice of Norse Divination https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578636663/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3nZ2DbEQRMQCC

This is one of the best: https://smile.amazon.com/Taking-Up-Runes-Complete-Divination/dp/1578633257

She compares a bunch of different meanings provided by various people, explains the history and the uses, and generally gives you the clearest foundation.

Also: avoid Blum.

https://www.amazon.com/Llewellyns-Complete-Book-Correspondences-Cross-Referenced/dp/0738732532 is pretty great - cross-referenced and thorough. I don't follow a particular tradition and neither does this book, but you might like it anyway.

From what I've seen, Stephen Flowers' translation of The Galdrabók might be what you're looking for, especially if you want a somewhat heavily footnoted historical context for their usage and a host of references to leap to for further reading. I suspect his other works are along similar lines, but I haven't had a chance to pick them up yet, so I can't say for sure.

If you're looking for more casual reading, I've found Nigel Pennick's Magical Alphabets is a relatively light read, although it's also a lot lighter on sourcing than Dr. Flowers' material. Furthermore, the author refers to himself in the bio as a "runemaster," which likely means at least some of the content on the runes reflects more contemporary understandings of their meanings. Still, it may prove handy if you need a quick reference.

The Goodly Spellbook is a good one because it talks about magical theory, not just the spells. I have Judika Iiles' Encyclopedia of Spells, though I don't use it often, it's a good starting point.

I just recently purchased a correspondence book. It's pretty interesting, though I haven't had much need of it just yet. Something like this might help you write your own spells. IME those work much better.

Taking up the Runes, by Diana Paxson, is pretty good.

You might find Mike Howard's book useful.

The book that I found most useful is Freya Aswynn's Northern Mysteries and Magick.

A great source is also Diana Paxson's Taking Up the Runes.

Love your set. Enjoy your journey!

Edit: You may also find this site useful.

I personally use Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson ( https://www.amazon.com/Futhark-Handbook-Magic-Edred-Thorsson/dp/0877285489 ) as my rune guide. It is a basic rundown of the lore and use for the runes, including the tools you would need and even goes into the numerology (which for me still makes my head spin but I enjoy the challenge of theorycrafting powerful rune charms via numerology) and color meanings.

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In my opinion, it is really easy to understand as far as how the runes are, and if you just sit down and read it, it goes over how you can do coded notation and how to read that code as well, and it's really useful.

Yeah I did see that, and it did give me pause. The few reviews on Amazon did seem a little more favorable though.

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Add-Blood-Understanding-Anglo-Saxon/dp/1782794018

Taking Up the Runes

Firstly, runes. The thing is, runes are usually thrown by shaking them up in a bag and then choosing, and a square shape isn't that great for this - most runes don't have sharp edges or corners. Could you round them off?
There are loads of books about runes. Because I'm old-fashioned I'd recommend Thorsson, but there's plenty of other options around.
I have absolutely no idea whether anything I deal with on the spirit plane is 'real', I don't even know what the term 'real' means. What matters to me is whether it works for me. If it does (and in many cases it does) I'll leave it to the philosophers to decide what it means. It looks like a duck. It quacks like a duck. If it's just a duck impersonator, I'll handle that when the time comes.