Runes are a part of Germanic tradition. Mythology states that they were found by Odin. Runes were in fact initially used for writing, before then being used for magic. They are used to discover the mysteries hidden within each empirical phenomenon. Runes are also a philosophy in themselves. This ancient Germano-Nordic writing is considered sacred; through it, the cosmos expresses itself, and its meaning then needs to be interpreted. Runes can be used in our daily lives as you can see here : Select your 3 runes.
Ideally, you want to choose one rune a day, and afterwards try and interpret what it symbolises. The letter contains an entire philosophical interpretation that will help you to make the right decisions each day.
Runes change according to their orientation. They don't have the same meaning upside-down as they do positioned upright, even if its symbolism in the general sense remains unchanged. Before taking a rune, you should focus on the question you want answered.
Runes have their origins in the Nordic mythology of Scandinavia and Germany. They are used to predict the future, and also as talismans to protect against bad spells. The story of runes goes back to the legend of the god Odin. Odin was the god of gods, and ruled both Heaven and Earth. He held absolute power over everything: war, death, poetry and freedom. Odin didn't eat, nor sleep. He married Frigg, the goddess of marriage, family, fertility and love. Odin is often represented as an old man with one eye.
The legend tells that Odin hung himself upside-down from a sacred tree, the yew known as "Yggdrasil". After enduring much suffering, he became illuminated, and discovered the secret of the Runes. So he would be able to transmit his message, he found the shapes of the first 16 runes in the roots of the tree.
Runes in themselves were used a bit more than 2000 years ago, far from the influence of the Roman Empire. They then appeared in England at the beginning our own era, but Christianity was very quick to ban this pagan practice.
In runes, words are filled with mystery. Rune means "secret, secret writing, whispering". This alphabet is considered holy. It is, however, the least well-known alphabet, whilst it proves to be a very efficient tool for divination. The use of runes allows for difficulties to be side-stepped; it unveils the secrets of energy and harmony.
The Runic alphabet consists of 24 letters (runes),as well as one supplementary rune, the white rune, which is called "Odin's rune". This last rune is only used in divinatory magic. The runes represent the past, present and future. If they are read properly, they will help us to find the right path.