Runes, Orion Plain and Simple

by Kim Farnell

A practical guide on how to make your own set of runes and how to interpret them.Runes are alphabet letters or characters that have been used for thousands of years as a form of communication and divination. This book, written by an authority on divination systems, shows readers how to make their own set of runes and how to interpret them.Topics covered · A brief overview of runes, from Etruscan times to the present· A summary of the myths and lore that inform runic wisdom· Definitions of the basic rune symbols· Instructions on how to read the runes and rune spreads· An introduction to runic magicIn the past 25 years using runes as a divination tool has become increasingly popular. This accessible guide presents each letter of the runic alphabet in detail with its origins and magical uses and helps seekers tap into their energy. From making your own runes (and a bag to protect them) to reading the ancient alphabet, casting the runes and interpreting the spread, all the basics are laid out in a clear, easy-to-follow and superbly illustrated fashion which is perfect for beginners.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2016

Reviews

[Mette Borsboom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I don't know, I started this book knowing I was not going to get in to all of the casting and spiritual stuff that would be in there, I suppose that if you genuinely want to learn how to cast runes etc. This book could be very convenient, I enjoyed reading about the origins of the runes and also how the castings work but its not for me. It was also unfortunate that there where some mistakes on the mythology aspects, like mixing Freyr and Freya.
Nevertheless if anyone wants to try a casting for the fun of it, hit me up.

[Sabbrin Whitethorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years I've seen many books written about runes - there are countless resources out there about these symbols, which have been used for communication and divination for thousands of years; unfortunately, they are not all written by knowledgeable sources.

Plain and Simple Runes by Kim Farnell is a good resource for learning the history of runic symbols and basic information about rune-casting. Farnell begins by introducing the origins of runes - their history, mythology, and the people and beliefs behind them... It's very thorough, and I got quite a lot out of it. Next, she discusses making your own runes... What materials to use, how to mark them and with what, and even dives into consecrating them; one thing I loved about this section was that she went into the various types of wood you can use and talked about their associations and magickal properties (this was something I wasn't expecting to find within this book). Next, we see visuals of each rune, separated into the three Aettir (or groups of eight), broken down with brief origins, positive and negative/reversed interpretations, and magickal uses. After the Aettir, Farnell discusses reading runes… How to put the querier at ease, how to prepare for a reading, and how to cast the runes. Then, she talks about rune spreads, offering a variety of layouts. The last section is Rune Magic, which touches upon numerology, charms, and bind runes (runes that are combined to increase their magical power).

Farnell has presented the Aettir of the Futhark runic alphabet in a simplified way that is easy to understand, just as the title suggests, yet the origin and magickal uses of each rune allows more insight and gives a deeper understanding of how each particular symbol can be utilized. Due to the simplification, some of the names of the runes were spelled differently than I have come to know them, and some of the meanings were slightly different from what I’m used to seeing; however, there are many interpretations out there, and as this is an ancient form of writing that goes back to the Bronze Age and Viking/Pre-Columbus era, no two resources will be identical.

Perhaps my favorite section are the charts in the back, which include Magical Correspondences between each rune and Gods, Colors, Stones, Trees, Flower, Herbs, Astrology, and Tarot… She also discusses associated initials, names, and pronunciations for each rune, and offers a fantastic chart for the runic calendar and clock, associating dates and hours of the day with each rune.

The book is meant as an introduction to runes, but is so much more… It’s actually a resource, as advertised, and it’s laid out in a way that is simplistic and easy to follow, it’s a very thorough and decent beginning resource for runes. The only thing that may have tarnished this 5 for me would have been if the "blank" rune had been overly focused on, but it was not; it was mentioned, as it should always be, as there are those who do use it… But I personally feel there’s a responsibility to explain that the blank piece is not an actual rune and was added in the 1980's due to misunderstanding. Farnell did mention it’s not traditionally used, and there was not enough focus put on the blank piece for it to hurt my solid 5 stars here.

This was a very quick read and was focused enough that I didn’t feel the need to take a break - for a book on runes, it’s perfectly engaging. I would suggest this book even for those who have experience with runes for the correspondences and origin aspects of her research… I actually walked away from this book with knowledge I did not have before. Do I think this is the end-all-be-all and only resource one should ever have? No... But it’s sure one of them!

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buono per chi si approccia a questo mondo per la prima volta: ha una parte sulla storia delle rune, una sulla loro suddivisione e poi un'overview su ciascuna con significato positivo, negativo e utilizzo nella magia. A fine libro si possono trovare tabelle che collegano ogni runa a dei, tarocchi, astri e altro.
Purtroppo non è presente un indice delle fonti usate

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was relatively interesting, but not groundbreaking or anything. I did like how it was set out though. Good research info!

[Sérgio Pelado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Runas
São como rivãs

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good explanation of Norse Runes and casting the bones. I enjoyed the history of it.

[Christa Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice layout and explanations. Easy to understand!