How to Read Runes: Selecting, Consecrating & Casting Your Rune Set

The complete rune reading practice: choosing or crafting a set, consecrating it, preparing a cast, and working every major spread from the daily draw to the nine-rune grid, with worked interpretation examples and both sides of the reversed rune debate.

How do you choose or make a rune set for your practice?

The best first rune set for most people is one you make yourself from wood or stone, because carving all 24 Elder Futhark symbols by hand teaches them before you ever cast a reading. Wood is the most traditional material. The Havamal and the sagas describe runes cut into wood, and Tacitus reports Germanic peoples marking strips taken from a fruit-bearing tree. Apple, cherry, hazel, and rowan sit inside that tradition, while ash links the set to Yggdrasil. Take a fallen branch rather than cutting from a living tree, slice it into 24 discs of one to two inches, sand the faces flat, then carve or burn a rune into each. Color the cut lines with red ink, echoing the reddening of runes described in the Sigrdrifumal. Stone is the second choice and the one many beginners find easiest to live with: flat river pebbles of even size, painted or engraved on one face, feel weightier in the hand and land more decisively when scattered. Clay, bone, and antler all have long-standing practitioners behind them, while crystal sets sit furthest from historical practice. If you buy instead of making, choose natural materials from a maker who understands the Futhark, hold the set before purchase if you can, and check that no rune is carved so ambiguously that you will hesitate over it mid-reading.

Tacitus's "Germania" (chapter 10, written 98 CE) gives the earliest outside description of Germanic lot divination: a branch from a fruit-bearing tree is cut into small pieces, marked with distinguishing signs, and scattered onto a white cloth, after which the diviner prays, looks upward, and picks up three pieces one at a time to interpret. Tacitus never uses the word runes, but the procedure matches later runic practice closely.

How many runes should be in a rune set?

A traditional Elder Futhark rune set contains exactly 24 runes. Some sets include a 25th blank rune, a modern addition without historical precedent. You will also want a bag of natural fabric or leather, which lets you draw without seeing the runes and keeps the set contained when it is not in use.

Can rune cards replace physical runes?

Rune cards work for study but cannot replace physical runes for casting. Physical runes land face up or face down, upright or reversed, clustered or scattered, and each state carries interpretive weight a flat card cannot. Cards also remove the tactile moment of reaching into the bag and feeling one rune settle into your fingers.

How do you consecrate and bond with a new rune set?

Consecrating a rune set turns a collection of marked objects into a dedicated divination tool, and the process matters more for its sincerity than for any fixed wording. Begin with cleansing. Wash the runes in salt water while picturing the residue of manufacture and handling dissolving away, or pass each rune through the smoke of burning juniper, mugwort, or sage. Some practitioners bury a new set in clean earth overnight. Then create a space for the dedication itself. Light a candle, spread the runes in front of you, and pick each one up in turn. Hold it, speak its name aloud, and sit with its meaning before setting it down. Working through all 24 runes this way can take an hour, and that hour of attention is itself the consecration. As you hold each rune, introduce yourself to it and ask for its help in your practice. Once every rune has been greeted, gather the set between your palms and speak a dedication: what you intend to use these runes for, and what you are asking of them. Address Odin as the discoverer of the runes, the Norns as the weavers of fate, or the runes themselves as living symbols. Close by returning the set to its bag and keeping it somewhere dedicated to it. Many practitioners sleep with a new set under the pillow for its first week.

Consecration of divination runes is not directly documented in the sources, but adjacent Norse ritual practice supplies the pattern. Sacrificial worship dedicated objects through offering and spoken prayer, and the Havamal refers to reddening runes, usually read as staining carved lines with blood: practical, in making the cuts legible, and binding, in tying the runes to the carver. Practitioners who want that resonance without blood substitute red ink or wine.

Should I reconsecrate my runes if someone else touches them?

Reconsecration after someone else handles your runes is a matter of personal practice rather than a rule. Some readers permit no other hands on their set. Others invite the querent to handle the runes, treating that contact as useful. A middle path passes the set through smoke or salt water afterward, refreshing it rather than repeating the full dedication.

Can I consecrate runes to a specific deity?

Yes. Consecrating a rune set to Odin is the most traditional choice, given his winning of the runes on Yggdrasil. Some practitioners dedicate their set to Freya, who rules seidr and the first aett, or to the Norns, who carve fate at the Well of Urd. Consecrating without invoking any deity is equally workable.

What should you do before casting runes?

Before casting runes, prepare the space, settle your attention, and formulate the question precisely, because a rushed setup produces a rushed reading. Use a consistent location when you can, since repeated use charges a place with accumulated intention. Spread the casting cloth. Light a candle or oil lamp, and burn juniper, mugwort, or pine resin if smoke helps mark the shift out of ordinary attention. Then ground yourself: breathe slowly, let the day's chatter fall away, and arrive in the present before you touch the bag. Question formulation is the step that most determines the quality of the reading. Vague questions produce vague answers. Turn "What should I do?" into "What do I need to understand about my career crossroads?" Turn "Will it work out?" into "What forces are at play between me and this person?" Ask for wisdom rather than a yes or no verdict, and frame the question around what you can learn or change. Some practitioners open with an invocation, asking the Allfather for sight to read what the runes reveal or asking the Norns to show the threads of wyrd. Closing matters as much as opening: thank the runes, record the reading in your journal, return the set to its bag, and put out the candle. Those closing actions draw a clean line between the reading and the rest of the day.

Preparatory ritual before divination is close to universal. The I Ching prescribes washing, incense, and a specific posture before consultation. Tarot readers clear the deck and set the space. Geomancers draw a protective figure. The shared logic is that ritual creates a recognizable threshold, and crossing it repeatedly trains you to enter a receptive, pattern-attentive state on demand rather than waiting for it to arrive.

Does the time of day matter for casting runes?

No specific hour is prescribed for casting runes, though many practitioners favor dawn and dusk as liminal times, the dark moon for introspective questions, and the full moon for questions needing illumination. In practice the best time is whenever you can be genuinely quiet. A centered reading at noon beats a distracted one at a theoretically ideal hour.

Can I cast runes outdoors?

Casting runes outdoors connects the reading to the natural world Norse cosmology is rooted in, and historical accounts of divination describe outdoor settings. Bare earth, running water, and the base of a tree add elemental weight to a cast. Wind and birdsong during the reading are sometimes taken as commentary. Use a heavy cloth and a sheltered spot.

How does the single-rune daily draw work?

The single-rune daily draw is the foundation of rune practice: one rune, drawn each morning with intention, becomes a lens for the whole day. Hold the bag between your hands, either ask a specific question such as "What energy should I focus on today?" or open yourself to whatever the runes offer, then reach in without looking and let your fingers move among the runes until one feels right. Set the drawn rune somewhere you will see it, note whether it landed upright or reversed if you work with reversals, and spend five minutes with it rather than glancing and moving on. Start from its established meaning, recall how the Rune Poems describe it, then apply it to the day ahead. If you drew Raidho, watch for movement, travel, and progress toward a goal. If you drew Isa, watch for the situations that call for patience. If you drew Thurisaz, watch for boundaries needing reinforcement or a challenge that requires defensive force. Each evening, record the rune and what actually happened. Over a few months this practice teaches all 24 rune meanings through lived experience rather than memorization, builds an understanding of each rune that goes past any book definition, and trains you to notice runic patterns in ordinary life, which is exactly the skill complex spreads demand.

Daily divination has parallels across traditions: daily hexagram consultation in the I Ching, the Roman augur's morning reading of the auspices, the Hindu astrologer's check of the day's planetary positions. Part of the daily rune draw's effect is straightforward priming, since fixing attention on one concept at dawn sensitizes you to related patterns you would otherwise walk past.

What does it mean when the same rune keeps appearing?

A rune that appears repeatedly across readings is pressing for attention because its message has not landed yet. Rather than dismissing the repetition, go deeper: study that rune thoroughly, sit with it before sleep, and look up how the Rune Poems and the myths treat it. The repetition usually stops once the lesson has been absorbed and acted on.

How do I develop intuition for when a rune feels right in the bag?

The sense of a rune feeling right in the bag develops through repetition rather than technique. Draw without expectation and trust whatever arrives. Over time you notice that some draws feel decisive, as though a particular rune pressed itself into your hand. Note those moments in your journal until the signal becomes recognizable enough to act on.

How do you perform and interpret a three-rune spread?

A three-rune spread is performed by drawing three runes one at a time and laying them left to right, then reading each rune individually before reading the story they tell together. It is the workhorse of rune divination, large enough for real nuance and small enough for a beginner to hold in mind. Three positional frameworks cover most needs. Past-Present-Future is the classic: the left rune shows the conditions that created the situation, the center rune shows what is happening now, and the right rune shows where current forces are heading if nothing changes. Situation-Challenge-Outcome is more action-oriented and the better starting point for beginners, because the first position grounds the reading in what is actually true rather than what you assume, the second names the obstacle, and the third shows the result of meeting it well. Body-Mind-Spirit maps the three runes onto physical circumstances, mental state, and spiritual condition, which suits questions about wellbeing. Interpretation takes two passes. First read each rune on its own terms. Then read the connective tissue: how the first rune leads to the second, how the second produces the third, and what single narrative holds all three. Three runes from one aett concentrate the reading in that aett's domain, while runes drawn from all three suggest several dimensions in play at once. A genuinely deep three-rune reading takes twenty to thirty minutes.

The three-rune draw has the strongest claim to historical continuity of any modern method, since Tacitus describes Germanic diviners scattering marked pieces on a white cloth and picking up exactly three for interpretation. Three carries its own weight in Norse cosmology: three Norns weave fate at the well, three roots hold Yggdrasil, Odin hung nine nights on the tree, and surviving deities rebuild the world after Ragnarok.

How do I read contradictory runes in a three-rune spread?

Contradictory runes in a spread describe transitions and tensions rather than errors. Fehu in the past position beside Nauthiz in the present marks a shift from plenty into restriction. Thurisaz in the present beside Wunjo in the outcome says current conflict resolves into satisfaction. Read the friction as the real shape of the situation instead of forcing agreement.

Can I draw a clarifying rune if a three-rune reading is unclear?

Drawing a fourth rune as a clarifier, placed above the row, is accepted but should stay rare. Regular reliance on clarifiers usually points to imprecise questions rather than unclear runes, since a well-formulated question almost always yields a readable three-rune spread. Leaning on clarifiers also stops you developing patience with the original three.

What is the Norns spread and how does it connect to Norse fate?

The Norns spread is a three-rune layout whose positions belong to the three Norns who sit at the Well of Urd and weave the fates of all living beings. The physical layout is identical to a standard three-rune draw, but the framing changes what each position means. Position one, Urd (pronounced OORD), is What Has Become: the accumulated weight of past actions that have already hardened into the conditions you now live in. Urd's rune shows the foundation you laid, sound or unsound. Position two, Verdandi (vair-DAHN-dee), is What Is Becoming: the forces actively in motion, the process of becoming that shapes your immediate experience. Verdandi's rune captures the present as a live bridge rather than a fixed point. Position three, Skuld (SKOOLD), is What Shall Be. Skuld's name is related to the Old Norse sense of debt and obligation, which is the key to the whole spread: the future here is not a random event but the consequence owed by present action. Skuld's rune shows what the current pattern is building toward, as a likely result rather than a sentence. The Norns spread suits questions about life direction, inherited patterns, and how past choices produced the position you are standing in. Because it treats time as a weave rather than a line, it tends to produce readings about responsibility rather than prophecy.

The Voluspa (stanzas 19-20) places the three Norns beside the Well of Urd, where they carve on the trunk of Yggdrasil and water its roots from the well. Their names track one verb through time: Urd from the past sense of "to become," Verdandi from its present participle, and Skuld from the verb meaning shall, should, or owe.

How is the Norns spread different from a past-present-future reading?

The Norns spread differs from a past-present-future reading in framework rather than layout. A past-present-future spread treats time as a flat line. The Norns spread treats it as causation: Urd is not simply what happened but what has hardened and now shapes everything, and Skuld is not simply what will happen but what is owed given current action.

Can I perform a Norns spread without believing in Norse mythology?

Yes. The Norns spread works as an analytical framework independent of belief in literal fate goddesses. Urd stands for accumulated history and its consequences, Verdandi for the live dynamics of the present, and Skuld for the trajectory those dynamics are creating. The mythological language adds resonance, and the structure holds up on practical terms without it.

How do the five-rune cross, seven-rune horseshoe, and nine-rune grid work?

The five-rune cross, seven-rune horseshoe, and nine-rune grid are the advanced layouts, and each answers a different kind of question. The five-rune cross places one rune at the center for the core issue, one to the left for past influences, one to the right for future direction, one above for the highest potential or conscious goal, and one below for the hidden foundation. The horizontal arm reads as the timeline, the vertical arm as depth, and the center rune sits at the intersection carrying the most weight. Reach for the cross when a question involves hidden factors a three-rune reading cannot surface. The seven-rune horseshoe arranges seven runes in a U with positions for the past, the present, hidden influences, obstacles, external influences, suggested action, and likely outcome. Its strength is problem-solving, since it names the obstacle and then recommends a response, so use it when you want guidance you can act on rather than understanding alone. The nine-rune grid lays nine runes in a three-by-three matrix read several ways at once. Rows run spiritual, present, and material from top to bottom. Columns run past, present, and future from left to right. Both diagonals carry cross-cutting themes, and the center rune is the nexus where every line meets. The grid produces the richest readings available and demands the most skill, so save it for genuinely major questions.

No surviving Norse or Germanic source prescribes a spatial arrangement for casting lots, and the named spreads used today were developed in the twentieth century, often adapted from tarot layouts. That modern origin does not make them arbitrary, since positional meaning and spatial narrative extend logically from reading several runes together.

How do I read the diagonals in a nine-rune grid?

The diagonals in a nine-rune grid connect dimensions the rows and columns keep apart. The upper-left to lower-right diagonal runs from past spiritual conditions to future material reality, showing how earlier ideals take concrete form. The upper-right to lower-left diagonal runs from future spiritual potential back to past material foundations. Diagonals often produce the spread's most surprising connections.

Can I design my own rune spread?

Yes, and experienced readers often do once a recurring question type outgrows the standard layouts. Give every position a specific meaning that does not overlap with any other, since a vague position like "other influences" yields a vague reading while "the audience's first reaction" yields something usable. Test any new spread across at least ten readings before trusting it.

How do you cast runes onto a cloth the traditional way?

Casting runes onto a cloth is the oldest attested method: hold the full set in cupped hands, focus on the question, and scatter the runes across a light-colored cloth, then read only those that land face up. Face-down runes are treated as hidden or dormant and left uninterpreted. What makes the scatter cast distinctive is that position becomes information. Runes landing near the center of the cloth speak to the core of the question, while those near the edges are peripheral influences. Runes that land touching or overlapping have intertwined energies and must be read as a pair rather than separately. A rune lying well apart stands on its own as an independent factor. Direction matters too: many practitioners read runes pointing toward the center as forces moving into the situation and those pointing outward as energies leaving it. A tight cluster marks where the pressure in the situation is concentrated. This method asks more of the reader than any drawn spread, because nothing is prearranged and no position label tells you what a rune means. That is also its strength. A scatter cast produces an organic map of a situation, weighted and grouped by the throw itself, rather than an answer poured into slots chosen in advance. Attempt it once you know all 24 runes well enough to read them without reaching for a reference.

The scatter cast is the method Tacitus described in 98 CE, and the white cloth in his account is the same surface practitioners use now. His detail about the diviner praying and looking up to heaven before picking pieces up suggests the cast was understood as communion rather than mere randomization. Medieval Icelandic sources mention casting lot sticks for divination without specifying method.

What surface should I cast runes onto?

Cast runes onto a dedicated cloth, ideally white or undyed linen, kept for rune work alone; leather and felt also serve. The cloth should be wide enough that runes can spread without piling up, and the surface should not be polished or slick, since slippery surfaces make runes slide and cluster in ways the throw did not intend.

What do I do if runes fall out of the bag accidentally?

Runes that fall from the bag by accident are widely read as messages in their own right. If a rune drops while you are reaching for another, note it as commentary on the question at hand. Some readers deliberately hold the bag loosely so an eager rune can escape. The convention is modern rather than historical.

What do worked rune spread interpretations look like in practice?

Worked examples show how textbook rune meanings become a reading. Take a three-rune Situation-Challenge-Outcome spread for "What do I need to understand about my career transition?" drawing Raidho, Nauthiz, and Wunjo. The situation, Raidho, confirms genuine movement: this is a real journey, not restlessness. The challenge, Nauthiz, names necessity as the driver, so the change comes from need rather than whim. The outcome, Wunjo, promises satisfaction. Constraint here is not an obstacle to the move but the pressure that will make it matter. Take next a five-rune cross for "What is happening in my relationship?" with Gebo at center, Fehu in the past position, Ehwaz in the future, Wunjo above, and Othala below. Gebo puts exchange at the core, what each partner gives and receives. Fehu shows a history of generosity, Ehwaz shows trust deepening ahead, and Wunjo names shared joy as the aspiration. Othala, in the hidden foundation, is the rune that changes the reading: inherited family patterns are shaping the dynamic beneath everyone's notice, and a three-rune spread would never have surfaced it. Take last a Norns spread for "What patterns shape my current situation?" with Isa at Urd, Kenaz at Verdandi, and Dagaz at Skuld. A frozen stretch of enforced waiting created the present conditions, a torch of deliberate learning is being carried through that ice now, and the trajectory runs toward daybreak.

These examples run on principles worth naming. Runes sharing a theme reinforce it, and the emphasis should be trusted rather than diluted. Adjacent runes that contradict describe a situation pulled two ways: Fehu beside Nauthiz is abundance under constraint, Wunjo beside Hagalaz is joy interrupted or joy emerging from disruption. Textbook meaning bends to context without breaking, so Raidho means professional transition in a career reading rather than literal travel. And meaning emerges between runes, which is why Nauthiz reads as productive friction between Raidho and Wunjo when it would read as bare hardship alone.

What does it mean when most runes in a spread come from one aett?

Runes concentrated in Freya's Aett (runes 1-8) point the reading toward material and practical concerns. Concentration in Heimdall's Aett (9-16) points to elemental forces outside your control. Concentration in Tyr's Aett (17-24) points to moral choice and transformation. An aett entirely absent can mark a dimension irrelevant to the question, or one being neglected.

How do I avoid projecting my own wishes onto a rune reading?

Guard against projection by naming the answer you want before you interpret, then setting it aside deliberately. Record readings and review them weeks later with fresh eyes. A run of readings that always confirm your hopes signals biased interpretation. Runes should sometimes surprise or challenge you; if they never do, you are listening to yourself.

Should you read reversed runes?

Reading reversed runes is optional, and the debate over it is one of the liveliest arguments in modern rune practice. The case for reversals is practical. Practitioners who use them argue that orientation flags when a rune's energy is blocked, internalized, misdirected, or running in shadow form. Fehu upright is healthy abundance flowing toward you; Fehu reversed warns of greed, loss, or unhealthy attachment to possessions. Without that signal, the reader determines from context alone whether a rune's difficult face applies, which some find too loose. The 15 reversible runes plus 24 upright positions give 39 distinct readings instead of 24. The case against reversals rests on history and internal consistency. No surviving Norse or Germanic source distinguishes runes by orientation, the Rune Poems describe each rune as a single concept containing both its bright and its difficult aspects, and inscriptions appear in every orientation without interpretive comment. The convention entered modern practice through Ralph Blum in 1982, borrowed from tarot. Nine of the 24 runes are symmetrical and cannot be reversed at all, which leaves the system with two classes of rune under different rules. Opponents hold that every rune carries its own light and shadow, and the reader discerns which is active from the question, the neighboring runes, and trained instinct. Many experienced readers take a middle position, noting orientation as one signal among several without treating it as an inversion of meaning.

The modern origin of reversed rune readings is traceable. Ralph Blum's "The Book of Runes" (1982) was the first widely available rune divination guide to use reversed meanings systematically, and it sold in enormous numbers, fixing the convention for a generation. Edred Thorsson uses the term merkstave for a reversed rune and treats it as legitimate but optional, while Diana Paxson presents both approaches without insisting on either.

How should a beginner decide whether to use reversed runes?

Decide by testing both systems. Spend your first few months reading with reversals, which gives beginners structure and prevents the habit of reading everything positively. Then spend a few months reading without them, drawing each rune's shade of meaning from context. Compare the accuracy and depth of both stretches in your journal; a clear preference usually emerges.

What about the nine runes that look the same reversed?

The nine symmetrical runes are Gebo, Hagalaz, Nauthiz, Isa, Jera, Eihwaz, Sowilo, Ingwaz, and Dagaz. Because they cannot be reversed, readers who use reversals treat them as always carrying their full spectrum, present in totality rather than flowing or blocked. Critics point to exactly this as the system's weak seam.

How do you develop as a runecaster over time?

Developing as a runecaster happens in phases, and the first year is about foundation. Study one rune per week in depth, pull a daily rune and journal what it did, run simple three-rune readings for yourself, and read the Rune Poems, the Havamal, and at least two reputable modern references end to end. By the close of that year you should recognize any rune on sight and state its core meaning without checking. Years two through five build interpretive confidence. Move into the five-rune cross, the grid, and the scatter cast. Read for trusted friends, then track which readings landed and which missed, and work out why. Study how runes modify each other in combination. Explore galdr chanting, rune postures, and meditation on individual rune energies, and read the Poetic and Prose Eddas for the cosmology the runes sit inside. From year five onward the work becomes integration. Readings get faster because the runes have become a language rather than a vocabulary list, and you start noticing runic patterns without formally casting. Ethical practice matters throughout: read for someone only with their consent, present hard runes as guidance rather than verdicts, keep away from medical and legal pronouncements, and decline a reading when you know you cannot be objective about the person in front of you.

Graduated runic skill appears in the sources themselves. The Havamal names distinct competencies in sequence, including knowing how to carve, read, stain, test, ask, sacrifice, send, and destroy runes, which implies a curriculum running from basic literacy to advanced application. The title erilaz on early inscriptions such as the Lindholm amulet appears to designate a recognized rune master, and the Rigsthula has Rig teach the young Kon to carve runes.

How important is keeping a rune journal?

A rune journal is the single most valuable tool for developing as a runecaster. Record the date, question, runes drawn, positions, your interpretation, and eventually the outcome. Review entries monthly for patterns in your accuracy and your blind spots. Over years the journal becomes a personal reference reflecting your own relationship with each rune.

Should I study runes with a teacher or learn independently?

Both paths produce skilled runecasters. Independent study with good sources builds a personal relationship with the runes and independent judgment, while an experienced teacher supplies correction that books cannot. The strongest combination is daily solitary practice supplemented by workshops or mentorship from practitioners in local heathen and pagan communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials are best for a rune set?

Wood and stone are the best materials for a rune set. For wood, practitioners favor a fruit-bearing tree such as apple, cherry, or rowan, or ash for its link to Yggdrasil. For stone, flat river pebbles and tumbled crystals both work. Wood feels warm in the hand; stone lands more decisively on a casting cloth. Clay, bone, and antler all have long-standing users. Mass-produced plastic sets are generally avoided, since they lack the weight and grain that make a cast satisfying to read.

Do I need to consecrate my runes before using them?

Consecrating a rune set is strongly recommended but not required. Ritually dedicating the set marks it as a divination tool rather than an ordinary object. A simple consecration cleanses the runes with salt water, smoke, or moonlight, then states your intention over the set and asks for guidance from the runes themselves or from Odin as their patron. Some practitioners anoint each rune with oil while speaking its name. The bond consecration begins deepens with regular use.

How do I choose the right rune spread for my question?

Match the spread's complexity to the question. A single-rune draw suits simple daily guidance such as "What energy should I focus on today?" A three-rune spread suits a specific situation. A five-rune cross suits a crossroads decision with hidden factors. A nine-rune grid or Norns spread suits questions about identity, purpose, or a major transition. An overly elaborate spread for a simple question produces confusion, and too small a spread for a complicated question misses the factors that matter.

Do I have to use reversed rune meanings?

No, reversed rune meanings are optional. No surviving Norse or Germanic source shows runes read as reversed; the practice entered modern rune divination through Ralph Blum's "The Book of Runes" in 1982, borrowed from tarot convention. Many experienced practitioners reject reversals and read each rune's full spectrum from context. Others find reversals sharpen a reading by flagging blocked expressions of a rune. Try both approaches over several weeks and keep whichever produces more useful readings.

What is the Norns spread?

The Norns spread is a three-rune layout assigned to the three Norse fate goddesses: Urd (What Has Become), Verdandi (What Is Becoming), and Skuld (What Shall Be). It is structurally a three-rune draw, but the Norns framing reads each position as a layer of wyrd rather than a point on a timeline. Urd's rune shows how past actions hardened into present conditions, Verdandi's rune shows the forces actively at work, and Skuld's rune shows what those forces are building toward.

Should I use a blank rune?

The blank rune, sold as the "Wyrd rune" or "Odin's rune," is a modern addition with no basis in historical runic tradition. Ralph Blum introduced it in his 1982 "The Book of Runes." Many experienced practitioners leave it out, holding that the 24 Elder Futhark runes already cover the full range of human experience. Others keep it as a marker of the unknowable. The choice is personal, as long as you know it is a recent invention rather than inherited practice.