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Nightside of the Runes: Uthark, Adulruna, and the Gothic Cabbala
Reveals the occult wisdom and multidimensional layers of meaning hidden in the Nordic Rune stones
• Explores the practice of the Uthark divination system encoded within the traditional exoteric Futhark system of reading the runes
• Traces the relationship between the rune stones and numerology, the Cabbala, alchemy, Gothicism, and sigil magic
• Examines the history of the runes and the ancient spiritual mysticism of Odin
Uncovering the dark side of the Nordic rune stones hidden beneath their traditional interpretation, Swedish scholar and runologist Thomas Karlsson examines the rune work of Swedish mystic and runologist Johannes Bureus (1568-1652) and professor Sigurd Agrell (1881-1937), both of whom devoted their lives to uncovering the secret uses of rune stones concealed from all but the highest initiates.
Karlsson begins by examining the Uthark system of divination--the Left Hand Path of the runes--that lies hidden under the traditional Futhark system. According to the lore of Uthark, a cryptographic ruse was used to make it impossible for the uninitiated to know the true order of the runes. Exploring Agrell’s decryption of the Uthark system, Karlsson reveals similarities between the numerology of ancient mystery cults and the Runic tradition. He explains the multidimensional meaning of each rune from the Uthark perspective, their relationships with the nine worlds of Norse cosmogony, and the magical powers of rune-rows and the three aettir rune groupings. He details how to create your own magically-charged runes, direct and activate the force of the runes, and use them for rune meditation, divination, sigil magic, galders (power songs), and rune yoga.
Karlsson also examines the secret dimensions of the 15 “noble” runes, the Adulrunes, based on the theories of Johannes Bureus. Using his knowledge of the Cabbala and alchemy, Bureus created magical symbols with the Adulrunes as well as one symbol containing all 15 Adulrunes, which Bureus called the “Adulruna.” Karlsson explains Bureus’ spiritual system of initiation, the Gothic Cabbala, revealing the connections between old Norse wisdom and the Cabbala. He explores Bureus’ Adulrune practices and explains how Bureus outlined seven levels of meaning for each rune, with those initiated into the highest rune levels able to conjure spirits and raise the dead.
Covering more than just rune practices, Karlsson’s exploration of the dark or night side of the runes provides a comprehensive guide to Norse spirituality and the ancient spiritual mysticism of Odin.
• Explores the practice of the Uthark divination system encoded within the traditional exoteric Futhark system of reading the runes
• Traces the relationship between the rune stones and numerology, the Cabbala, alchemy, Gothicism, and sigil magic
• Examines the history of the runes and the ancient spiritual mysticism of Odin
Uncovering the dark side of the Nordic rune stones hidden beneath their traditional interpretation, Swedish scholar and runologist Thomas Karlsson examines the rune work of Swedish mystic and runologist Johannes Bureus (1568-1652) and professor Sigurd Agrell (1881-1937), both of whom devoted their lives to uncovering the secret uses of rune stones concealed from all but the highest initiates.
Karlsson begins by examining the Uthark system of divination--the Left Hand Path of the runes--that lies hidden under the traditional Futhark system. According to the lore of Uthark, a cryptographic ruse was used to make it impossible for the uninitiated to know the true order of the runes. Exploring Agrell’s decryption of the Uthark system, Karlsson reveals similarities between the numerology of ancient mystery cults and the Runic tradition. He explains the multidimensional meaning of each rune from the Uthark perspective, their relationships with the nine worlds of Norse cosmogony, and the magical powers of rune-rows and the three aettir rune groupings. He details how to create your own magically-charged runes, direct and activate the force of the runes, and use them for rune meditation, divination, sigil magic, galders (power songs), and rune yoga.
Karlsson also examines the secret dimensions of the 15 “noble” runes, the Adulrunes, based on the theories of Johannes Bureus. Using his knowledge of the Cabbala and alchemy, Bureus created magical symbols with the Adulrunes as well as one symbol containing all 15 Adulrunes, which Bureus called the “Adulruna.” Karlsson explains Bureus’ spiritual system of initiation, the Gothic Cabbala, revealing the connections between old Norse wisdom and the Cabbala. He explores Bureus’ Adulrune practices and explains how Bureus outlined seven levels of meaning for each rune, with those initiated into the highest rune levels able to conjure spirits and raise the dead.
Covering more than just rune practices, Karlsson’s exploration of the dark or night side of the runes provides a comprehensive guide to Norse spirituality and the ancient spiritual mysticism of Odin.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
40 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Karlsson
24 books98 followersThomas Karlsson (born 1972) is a Swedish occultist and an esoteric author. In 1989, he and six other magicians founded Dragon Rouge, a Left-Hand Path initiatory organization and a Draconian Tradition Order, led by Karlsson.[1] As a book author he concentrates on occult, philosophy and paranormal topics. The Dragon Rouge website cites Carlos Castaneda, Julius Evola and Kenneth Grant as some of the magical writers whose work is read by the order, as are texts by classical philosophers such as Herakleitos, Plato and Plotinos, as well as modern philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Henri Bergson.
Karlsson is also associated with metal bands Therion and Shadowseeds. In the summer of 2007, he has held the first Swedish course ever in Western Esotericism[citation needed] at the Stockholm University. His personal influences include Sumerian mythology, Alchemy, Tantra, the Goetia, and the Qliphoth. In an interview dated in 2003, he claims he experienced astral projections as a child but did not think of them as supernatural experiences until he started formally exploring the occult.
Karlsson is also associated with metal bands Therion and Shadowseeds. In the summer of 2007, he has held the first Swedish course ever in Western Esotericism[citation needed] at the Stockholm University. His personal influences include Sumerian mythology, Alchemy, Tantra, the Goetia, and the Qliphoth. In an interview dated in 2003, he claims he experienced astral projections as a child but did not think of them as supernatural experiences until he started formally exploring the occult.
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January 16, 2020Runes = cabbalah.
January 10, 2022
La traducción es muy buena e intenta ser muy fiel al orden inicial del libro original. Sin embargo, hay algunos errores en el orden rúnico del Uthark en su explicación y se varía la forma, dando el nombre truncado de algunas runas (ligado a efectos de redacción). Se ve algo pequeño el libro, pero la información que trae está muy bien condensada y el tamaño de la letra le hace ver muy elegante, respetando, además, las márgenes.
Por otro lado, las imágenes que acompañan son increíblemente prácticas y bien diseñadas, aunque no indican a qué parte del libro están estas ligadas. En sí, la impresión es única y limitada en tapa dura.
Por otro lado, las imágenes que acompañan son increíblemente prácticas y bien diseñadas, aunque no indican a qué parte del libro están estas ligadas. En sí, la impresión es única y limitada en tapa dura.
July 10, 2020
I'll have to read this one several times to make sense of it. I like the first book, but the second book was rather dry and dense with history. Which is fine as I'm almost more fascinated by the historical aspect of magic than the practice its self.
September 9, 2020
Those who have only scratched the surface of Norse mythology tend to think about barbaric vikings and entertaining sagas, and that’s that. However, once one goes a bit deeper, one realizes that there is much more to it, and will eventually discover a world of myth, magic, and shamanism. In ”Nightside of the Runes”, Thomas Karlsson, who is a respectable figure in literature related to hidden magic, explores the spiritual aspects and implications of what we all know as runes.
It may be tempting to think of runes as nothing more than some kind of phonetic alphabet, with the letters only signifying sounds to make up words and sentences. What we get here is that it’s much more complex than merely being language. Each rune is ripe with meaning and symbolism, representing different forces, powers, and archetypal tendencies. Think of Tarot or the Tree of Life in Kaballah. Runes can be used for ceremonial magic, guidance, and divination among other things and there is an intricate system that holds it all together.
One of the key terms is Uthark. Its historical credibility is up for debate, but that’s besides the point in this book. The point is that it makes sense from a mythological and numerological perspective, coincidentally bearing resemblance to several other traditions. Even Christianity gets its fair share of mentions where parallells are drawn aplenty and from a wide range of sources. Figures such as Paracelsus, Agrippa, Ficino, John Dee, and related individuals, are discussed. The end result is an opus that is laden with references to previous literature, which combined with the magical aspects makes it a worthwile read.
There are two parts in Nightside of the Runes, where the first one highlights myth, magic, and ritual. Sections of it is like a manual where the reader is introduced to some ways one can work with runes, so whoever is interested in trying it out for themselves can attempt doing so. This part of the book was great with very little being sub-par. The second one is almost exclusively historical. Which would be fine with me as I do enjoy reading history, but it didn’t really amount to much. The goths (not the subculture people tend to think of today) occupy many pages, and I still don’t feel as though I’ve properly understood who they were or what their impact on runes could have been. Though it may be a fault of my own, the contrast between part 2 and part 1 wasn’t in the book’s favor in my opinion.
If I were to compare it to something, I would pick ”The Teachings of Don Juan” by Carlos Castaneda, which follows a similar setup. The first half of that book is a narrative, and the second tries to make sense of it in academic terms. I’m not so sure it’s always necessary to do that, though I’m sure there are examples where the strategy has worked wonders. Either way, the effect it had on me was very similar, resulting in a loss of interest as I make my way through the pages. Maybe it was originally intended to be two separate books, which I believe would have yielded a more coherent end product.
Definitely worth reading, but I would recommend that one skips the second part unless of course history is what one is after.
Edit: there was a lot of numerology in the book (including the second part), which is something I've never been able to come to terms with.
3 aettirs out of 5
It may be tempting to think of runes as nothing more than some kind of phonetic alphabet, with the letters only signifying sounds to make up words and sentences. What we get here is that it’s much more complex than merely being language. Each rune is ripe with meaning and symbolism, representing different forces, powers, and archetypal tendencies. Think of Tarot or the Tree of Life in Kaballah. Runes can be used for ceremonial magic, guidance, and divination among other things and there is an intricate system that holds it all together.
One of the key terms is Uthark. Its historical credibility is up for debate, but that’s besides the point in this book. The point is that it makes sense from a mythological and numerological perspective, coincidentally bearing resemblance to several other traditions. Even Christianity gets its fair share of mentions where parallells are drawn aplenty and from a wide range of sources. Figures such as Paracelsus, Agrippa, Ficino, John Dee, and related individuals, are discussed. The end result is an opus that is laden with references to previous literature, which combined with the magical aspects makes it a worthwile read.
There are two parts in Nightside of the Runes, where the first one highlights myth, magic, and ritual. Sections of it is like a manual where the reader is introduced to some ways one can work with runes, so whoever is interested in trying it out for themselves can attempt doing so. This part of the book was great with very little being sub-par. The second one is almost exclusively historical. Which would be fine with me as I do enjoy reading history, but it didn’t really amount to much. The goths (not the subculture people tend to think of today) occupy many pages, and I still don’t feel as though I’ve properly understood who they were or what their impact on runes could have been. Though it may be a fault of my own, the contrast between part 2 and part 1 wasn’t in the book’s favor in my opinion.
If I were to compare it to something, I would pick ”The Teachings of Don Juan” by Carlos Castaneda, which follows a similar setup. The first half of that book is a narrative, and the second tries to make sense of it in academic terms. I’m not so sure it’s always necessary to do that, though I’m sure there are examples where the strategy has worked wonders. Either way, the effect it had on me was very similar, resulting in a loss of interest as I make my way through the pages. Maybe it was originally intended to be two separate books, which I believe would have yielded a more coherent end product.
Definitely worth reading, but I would recommend that one skips the second part unless of course history is what one is after.
Edit: there was a lot of numerology in the book (including the second part), which is something I've never been able to come to terms with.
3 aettirs out of 5
July 31, 2022
Mysticism, esotericism, occultism or whatever, rests in this weird liminal space between religion, philosophy and fantasy world building. Even if none of it makes any coherent sense, I can still appreciate the sensitivity and imagination that go into these theories.
Nightside of the Runes is one of those books you might pick up hoping to learn something new about the old alphabets and how they were used. Instead you’ll be privy to all kinds of historically obscure speculations as to the “secret meaning” behind these alphabets. Most of this stems from the fact that the Norse ancestors considered language as something god-given, thus their Futharks were holy. However, I’m not really sure what kind of mysterious swedish LSD Sigurd Adrell must have been on to create the “Uthark” theory.
The Futhark gets its name from the beginning letters of the Norse alphabet - f, u, th, a, r, and k. Adrell had this idea that old Norse priests ordered the futhark in a way as to keep secret its esoteric meanings. How did they do this? By moving the f to the beginning of the uthark so it spelt “futhark.”
The fact this book calls this a “cryptographic ruse” is completely laughable to me. Something as easy as shifting one letter over would have probably been discovered by someone else, right? It’s more likely to me that the Uthark theory doesn’t match up, which is easy to argue since no evidence of a secret rune ordering exists anywhere in Scandinavia. The theory isn’t scientific because its unfalsifiable - you don’t have the evidence to support it, but you can’t prove it wrong so its possible!!!
From here we generate a bunch of interesting associations, including directions for spells and rune “yoga” where one makes rune letters with their arms, legs and torso (not sure what kind of stretch you’d be getting out of it). There’s also an inlaying of the symbols from the Uthark over the Tree of Life with one sephirot missing which is just….laughably atrocious.
The book picks up in the second half when Karlsson goes into a theory explaining the theories of esoteric Johan Bureus who worked in the gothic revival of Sweden in the 17th century. Like Adrell, Bureus also thought you could get secret correspondences from runes, but his theories are a lot more convincing. He arranges them in the shape of a cross and lets them tell their stories, focusing on the relationship between God and man. It’s a beautiful merge of Christian and Norse belief, and I think the rune cross can be a powerful symbol for meditation.
However despite the interest in these theories, I have to say that Karlsson is a dull, prosaic writer, and he’s these things on top of being digressive. There’s simply very little intrigue or sense of discovery in how he writes, bluntly put. He digresses from time to time to explain something that doesn’t feel rhetorically connected? The best example of this is when he talked in great detail about the continuance of a society in Sweden meant to bring back the Viking age out of adherents. I had to skip over those pages over a lack of interest
Nightside of the Runes is one of those books you might pick up hoping to learn something new about the old alphabets and how they were used. Instead you’ll be privy to all kinds of historically obscure speculations as to the “secret meaning” behind these alphabets. Most of this stems from the fact that the Norse ancestors considered language as something god-given, thus their Futharks were holy. However, I’m not really sure what kind of mysterious swedish LSD Sigurd Adrell must have been on to create the “Uthark” theory.
The Futhark gets its name from the beginning letters of the Norse alphabet - f, u, th, a, r, and k. Adrell had this idea that old Norse priests ordered the futhark in a way as to keep secret its esoteric meanings. How did they do this? By moving the f to the beginning of the uthark so it spelt “futhark.”
The fact this book calls this a “cryptographic ruse” is completely laughable to me. Something as easy as shifting one letter over would have probably been discovered by someone else, right? It’s more likely to me that the Uthark theory doesn’t match up, which is easy to argue since no evidence of a secret rune ordering exists anywhere in Scandinavia. The theory isn’t scientific because its unfalsifiable - you don’t have the evidence to support it, but you can’t prove it wrong so its possible!!!
From here we generate a bunch of interesting associations, including directions for spells and rune “yoga” where one makes rune letters with their arms, legs and torso (not sure what kind of stretch you’d be getting out of it). There’s also an inlaying of the symbols from the Uthark over the Tree of Life with one sephirot missing which is just….laughably atrocious.
The book picks up in the second half when Karlsson goes into a theory explaining the theories of esoteric Johan Bureus who worked in the gothic revival of Sweden in the 17th century. Like Adrell, Bureus also thought you could get secret correspondences from runes, but his theories are a lot more convincing. He arranges them in the shape of a cross and lets them tell their stories, focusing on the relationship between God and man. It’s a beautiful merge of Christian and Norse belief, and I think the rune cross can be a powerful symbol for meditation.
However despite the interest in these theories, I have to say that Karlsson is a dull, prosaic writer, and he’s these things on top of being digressive. There’s simply very little intrigue or sense of discovery in how he writes, bluntly put. He digresses from time to time to explain something that doesn’t feel rhetorically connected? The best example of this is when he talked in great detail about the continuance of a society in Sweden meant to bring back the Viking age out of adherents. I had to skip over those pages over a lack of interest
March 13, 2022
I always enjoyed this book. I think it gives readers a deeper understanding of runes. Some very interesting historical references that are impossible to find elsewhere, especially in English.
A very stimulating read that is sure to inspire you, deepen your knowledge of the runes, provides an excellent read that you will come back to again and find it just as refreshing and interesting the second time around. Looking forward to another read sooner or later here, which I'm sure to find just as profound.
I just read it fairly recently for the second time, while also flipping back to
it occasionally to check if I had remembered this or that detail correctly,
and getting immediately sucked into at least one chapter unintentionally.
Very good read. Warmly recommend.
A very stimulating read that is sure to inspire you, deepen your knowledge of the runes, provides an excellent read that you will come back to again and find it just as refreshing and interesting the second time around. Looking forward to another read sooner or later here, which I'm sure to find just as profound.
I just read it fairly recently for the second time, while also flipping back to
it occasionally to check if I had remembered this or that detail correctly,
and getting immediately sucked into at least one chapter unintentionally.
Very good read. Warmly recommend.
January 13, 2023
There are a lot phrases in this book but I want to write this one in this review "..every rune has a dark and a light side. This must, however, not be interpreted in an ethical way. The dark runes do not have to be equivalent to evil" ... so much knowledge has had lost in the history and this subject isn't the exception, sundenly there is a lot of tabu about this field as says in then book you have to give something to receive something.
January 8, 2021
A very interesting book about the esoteric dimension of Nordic runes, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get closer to the runes and its ancient knowledge. In regard to the Uthark, although the theory is not widely accepted it has a logic one can't ignore and in my own opinion could be correct.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews