Lost Teachings of the Runes: Northern Mysteries and the Wheel of Life

by Ingrid Kincaid

Lost Teachings of the Runes  presents a life-affirming, death-honoring approach that returns the runes to a place of balance, of light and dark, of order and chaos, back to the roots and branches of the World Tree. It invites the reader to journey to the realms of past and future that exist hidden beyond the horizon and beneath our feet. Using an engaging blend of stories, meditations and ancestral knowing, author Ingrid Kincaid explores Northern Mysteries from the center of the Wheel of Life, demonstrating ways the Wheel can be used to connect ancient wisdom with modern living. She offers tools and teachings that may be used on a daily basis to enable readers to reconnect with their ancestors, reclaim their heritage and live more harmoniously with the earth.
Lost Teachings of the Runes is an unexpected adventure into the hidden meanings and profound lessons held in the signatures of these ancient beings.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Joe Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, it’s so good to see more folks working with the 33 AngloSaxon runerow! This one’s a more poetic meditation on the runes, centered on the World-Tree, and aligning oneself with the world and the Worlds and the ancient ones that live and move through the worlds. It’s got useful meditation guides, and a new runepoem for each of the 33 runes, and the author’s got a much more relaxed and flexible attitude towards the meanings and interactions between the runes than you often see. She’s also very much on the same “the runes are spirit entities in and of themselves, not just symbols” trip as I am, and that’s good to see. Well worth picking up; I’m gonna hafta dig up some more of her stuff.

[Lindsaymadelaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Can you travel to meet yourself without moving?"
If you aren't stoned out of your wits, this book is a flop.
If you are stoned out of your wits, this book is unnecessary.

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn’t like other books on the Runes. It’s not about divination as much as it’s a guide to truly help you see inside yourself and discover the world around you. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Don’t pick this one up if you’re just looking for descriptions of each rune. This book is about how to connect with nature and life. So glad I added this book to my library.

[Witch of Brush Hollow · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can get this information elsewhere without the climate change denial.

[Julie McCord · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book, but it has to be approached in a certain way, I think. I wouldn't suggest it as a first book on the runes, and in general it's not laid out in a way that's going to be satisfying for someone who wants to download lots of information. It's more of a meditation on the runes and the author's perspective on what the ancient Germanic mindset might have been (rather than the version people who mix Viking stereotypes with their own racism tend to end up at). Read it as if you're walking with an old woman who is gradually peppering you with bits of lore and ways of approaching things, and it will go better.
Interesting to me because it's one of the few sources that goes into the Saxon and Northumbrian additions, though she doesn't label such things clearly. That aspect of lore isn't her focus, and you'll have to get it from other sources. You might also shudder now and then at things like how easily her take on Berkana, true to nature as it is, can lean toward eugenics. (Never fun to see when you're, say, neurodiverse and arthritic.)
Regardless of these cautions I'm throwing down, there are interesting thoughts and meditations here, and an approach to working with the runes that's worth some investigation.

Edited to add: Positive points for explicit anti-racist and anti-Nazi sentiments expressed. Assumes a degree of pull to the runes comes from blood ancestry but does not take this as excluding anyone from them.

[Philomena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted this book at the start of my rune journey and have been referencing it since. This is mostly due to the thoughtful queries and philosophizing. However, bring written in prose, it's not especially helpful as a beginner's guide, which is why it took me so long to finish. Of the five books of runes I've finished, this is the only one that has information on the North-Umbrian (named the Jotunar Aett, by Ms Kincaid). And, yet, this is, also, the only book on runes I've read that doesn't have a section for notations, so, if you want to study what she studied, you'll need to learn to read Old Norse. That's neither good, or bad, it just is. If my assumption is correct, these are purely Ms Kincaid's interpretations of Norse mythology and the rune poems.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the very first book I read on runes and I’m so glad it was!!

I thoroughly enjoyed how the author brings you into the space of the runes. They are alive and the author gives you permission to learn for yourself what they mean. It is up to you to get to know them.

You are given a general overview of each rune (more than the normally seen Elder Futhark) more of the spirit of the rune rather than a concrete definition.

This book is fantastic

[Ciera Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very thought provoking and interesting to read. It's also very well written and encourages you to decide for yourself. It's not , however, at all beginner friendly or informative, nor is it instructions based.

[Heather Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dude!! I’m still in awe. This book READ ME!! I haven’t read anything like this that resonates so much since “Women Who Run With The Wolves.” There is still so much I don’t understand so.. I’m restarting it.

[Louisa Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Thank you, Ingrid, for being.