The Norse Runes & Mental Health

My experience with bipolar disorder back in 2018 led me to consider divination as one of the most powerful tools for‌ ‌improving‌ ‌my‌ ‌mental‌ ‌health.‌ ‌Divination‌ ‌uses different tools to determine your reality, where you are at the moment, and what you can improve.‌ ‌Although some may consider divination a form of fortune telling, I avoid the idea that we are victims of destiny.I see the runes, tarot cards, oracle decks, and other tools as psychological tools to help us overcome. 

My mental health is improved through the use of the Norse Runes, one such method of divination. What are the Norse runes?

The most commonly used runes are called the Elder Futhark. They are an ancient Germanic alphabet consisting of 24 symbols.‌ ‌People who lived from 160 CE in Scandinavia and surrounding lands at the time typically carved runes into wood and stone. The runes consist of three sets (called Aetirr) with 8 runes each dedicated to a specific Norse God. The Norse God Odin is said to have retrieved the runes and their powers, from hanging upside down from The World Tree (Yggdrasil) for nine days. 

I find runes to be helpful when working through mental health situations because of the simplicity of their communication. For example, if you were to cast a single rune for a situation and pulled out “Algiz” You have a very definitive answer to what may seem like a complicated situation. Algiz is traditionally a rune that represents the ELK. An elk is one of the largest animals you can encounter. They are divine in that they walk in total confidence and harmony with the universe around them.

A ELK can either run to a safe location or stand and fight if necessary. If you were apply this to your mental health and given the circumstances, you could ask yourself if you are walking in confidence or are you needing to escape because the situation seems insurmountable? Do you need to stand your ground and reaffirm boundaries or is their possibly an easier solution?

Pulling a rune daily is a tiny ritual which can easily be done in a few minutes. You don’t need to set yourself up for anxiety or be overwhelmed by a complicated spread. You can pull or cast one rune from your set and meditate on the meaning for 10 minutes. That’s a powerful action if you can pull it off. You’d be surprised what these “tiny” acts of self-improvement can do for you!

Later, you could do more complicated spreads and ask the runes for ‌advice.‌ ‌We are in control of our own fate.‌ ‌The‌ ‌runes‌ ‌teach‌ ‌us‌ ‌that‌ ‌obstacles can be overcome by embracing new perspectives about ourselves and the world. This has just been a brief overview of the runes and how they could help improve our lives. If you have more questions or you would like to contribute another idea, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for reading and have a blessed day! – Shining Quill