Rune Casting for Beginners: How to Cast Runes and Read Their Meanings

Rune casting is a form of divination where you draw or throw small stones or tiles marked with runes, the letters of an old Germanic alphabet, and read their meanings for guidance. It's simple to start, deeply symbolic, and one of the most popular divination tools among witches today.

Runes are more than letters. Each one carries an idea, like wealth, protection, a journey or a new dawn, so a handful of runes can tell a surprisingly clear story about your question.

In this guide you'll learn what rune casting means, how to cast runes step by step, all 24 runes of the Elder Futhark with their sounds and meanings, simple rune spreads, how to throw runes on a cloth, and how witches use runes in spellwork.

What Is Rune Casting?

Quick answer: rune casting (also written "runecasting") means asking a question, then drawing runes from a bag or tossing them onto a cloth and interpreting the symbols that appear. Most modern readers use the 24-rune Elder Futhark. Like tarot, it's used for reflection and guidance rather than a fixed prediction.

There are two main ways to do it. In a draw, you pull a set number of runes and lay them in a pattern called a spread. In a cast or throw, you scatter several runes and read where and how they land. Both are covered below.

How to Cast Runes in 6 Steps

1. Prepare your space. Lay a cloth (white or a plain color) on a table, light a candle if you like, and take a few grounding breaths.
2. Hold your question in mind. Make it clear and open, such as "What do I need to know about my new job?"
3. Mix the runes. Swirl your hand through the rune bag while you focus on the question.
4. Draw or throw. Pull one or three runes without looking, or take a small handful and gently scatter them on the cloth.
5. Read the runes. Look up each rune's meaning in the table below, then notice how they relate to each other and to your question.
6. Record your reading. Write down the runes and your impressions in a journal or your Book of Shadows, and return the runes to their bag.

The Origins of Runes

Runes were the writing systems of Germanic peoples, including the Norse. The oldest runic alphabet, the Elder Futhark, appears in inscriptions from roughly the 2nd to the 8th centuries CE. It is named after its first six letters: F, U, Th, A, R, K. In the Viking Age it was simplified into the 16-rune Younger Futhark, and in England it grew into the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.

Runes were carved on stones, weapons, jewelry and everyday objects, and some inscriptions seem to have had a charm-like or protective purpose. In the Old Norse poem Hávamál, the god Odin hangs for nine nights on a windswept tree, wounded by a spear, and gains the runes through that ordeal. Many readers take the tree to be Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

We don't know exactly how ancient peoples used runes for divination. The Roman writer Tacitus described Germanic tribes casting lots on strips of wood marked with signs, but he didn't say they were runes. Most rune meanings used today come from the medieval rune poems and from modern practitioners, so it's fine to read them as a living tradition rather than a fixed ancient rulebook.

The 24 Elder Futhark Runes and Their Meanings

The Elder Futhark is split into three groups of eight runes called aettir (families): Freyr's aett, Hagal's aett and Tyr's aett. Here are all 24 runes in their traditional order, with the sound each one stands for and its usual meaning in rune casting. Click a rune name to read more in our rune library.

Rune	Name	Letter sound	Literal meaning	Meaning in a reading
ᚠ	Fehu	f	Cattle, wealth	Abundance, prosperity, earned success
ᚢ	Uruz	u	Aurochs (wild ox)	Strength, health, raw energy
ᚦ	Thurisaz	th	Giant, thorn	Defense, conflict, a challenge to face
ᚨ	Ansuz	a	A god (Odin), the mouth	Communication, wisdom, messages
ᚱ	Raidho	r	Riding, journey	Travel, progress, the right path
ᚲ	Kenaz	k	Torch	Insight, creativity, knowledge
ᚷ	Gebo	g	Gift	Generosity, partnership, balance
ᚹ	Wunjo	w	Joy	Happiness, harmony, belonging
ᚺ	Hagalaz	h	Hail	Sudden disruption that clears the way
ᚾ	Nauthiz	n	Need	Hardship, patience, resourcefulness
ᛁ	Isa	i	Ice	Stillness, pause, waiting
ᛃ	Jera	j (as y in "year")	Year, harvest	Cycles, reward for effort, good timing
ᛇ	Eihwaz	ei or ï (uncertain)	Yew tree	Endurance, transformation, life and death
ᛈ	Perthro	p	Uncertain, often read as "lot cup"	Mystery, chance, fate
ᛉ	Algiz	z (later r)	Elk, protection	Protection, guardianship, higher self
ᛊ	Sowilo	s	Sun	Success, vitality, victory
ᛏ	Tiwaz	t	The god Tyr	Justice, honor, courage
ᛒ	Berkano	b	Birch	Birth, renewal, nurturing
ᛖ	Ehwaz	e	Horse	Teamwork, trust, steady progress
ᛗ	Mannaz	m	Man, humankind	The self, community, cooperation
ᛚ	Laguz	l	Water, lake	Intuition, emotions, flow
ᛜ	Ingwaz	ng	The god Ing (Yngvi)	Fertility, inner growth, completion
ᛞ	Dagaz	d	Day	Breakthrough, awakening, a new dawn
ᛟ	Othala	o	Inheritance, ancestral land	Home, heritage, ancestors

When you read, think about each rune's meaning and how it fits your question. A rune can also lean positive or negative depending on what's around it. Some readers use reversed or merkstave meanings when a rune lands upside down, usually a blocked or shadow side of the rune. Others read every rune upright. Several runes, like Gebo, Isa and Dagaz, look the same either way, so there's no wrong choice. Pick one approach and stay consistent.

How to Throw Runes

Throwing (or casting) runes is the more intuitive method. Here's a simple way to start:

1. Spread your casting cloth in front of you.
2. Focus on your question and take nine runes (or a small handful) from the bag without looking.
3. Hold them in cupped hands, breathe on them or shake them gently, and scatter them onto the cloth.
4. Read only the runes that land face up. Set aside any that land face down or roll off the cloth.
5. Notice the layout. Runes near the center are often read as most important to the question, and those near the edge as smaller influences. Runes lying close together are read as one connected message.

Rune Spreads for Beginners

If you prefer more structure, draw runes and lay them in a spread. Here are five classic layouts, from quickest to deepest.

Single Rune Draw

Ask a question and pull one rune for a straightforward answer. It's ideal for daily guidance: draw a rune each morning and notice how its theme shows up during your day.

Three-Rune Spread

Pull three runes and lay them left to right. Common meanings for the three positions are:

• Past, present and future
• Situation, action and outcome
• Mind, body and spirit
• Challenge, opportunity and advice

Five-Rune Cross Spread

This spread gives a fuller look at a situation. Lay the runes in a cross:

• Center: the heart of the matter
• Left: past events and lessons
• Right: future possibilities
• Top: challenges and obstacles
• Bottom: foundations and hidden influences

Nine-Rune Cast

Nine is a special number in Norse lore (Odin hung for nine nights). Lay nine runes in a 3x3 grid, with the rows as physical, emotional and spiritual influences and the columns as past, present and future. You can also throw all nine onto a cloth as described above.

Runic Pathworking

Instead of drawing at random, choose one rune on purpose and meditate on its shape, sound and meaning for a few days. It's a wonderful way to learn the runes one by one.

How to Make Your Own Rune Set

You can buy a rune set, but making your own is a meaningful, magickal project:

1. Choose your material: wood slices, flat pebbles, air-dry clay or even cardboard tiles.
2. Gather 24 pieces of similar size and shape so you can't tell them apart by touch.
3. Mark each one with a rune using paint, a permanent marker or a wood-burning tool. Work in a ventilated space and keep hot tools away from children and pets.
4. Consecrate the set by passing it through incense smoke, sprinkling it with salt water (on sealed or stone pieces only) or holding it while you state your intention.
5. Keep your runes in a cloth pouch, and add a casting cloth to use with them.

To cleanse your runes later, use the same methods you'd use for cleansing a tarot deck: smoke, moonlight or sound.

How to Use Runes in Witchcraft

Runes aren't only for divination. Many witches also use them in spellwork:

• Candle magick: carve a rune like Fehu or Sowilo into a candle that matches your goal. Our guide to candle color meanings helps you pick the color.
• Protection: draw Algiz over a doorway, inside a shoe or on a charm, alongside other protection spells for your home.
• Bindrunes: combine two or three runes into one symbol, much like a sigil. If you enjoy this, try our guide to sigils for beginners.
• Talismans and jars: paint a rune on a stone or slip it into a spell jar.

Runes are symbols with meaning, and they deserve respect. Heathenry, the modern revival of Norse and Germanic religion, is a living faith, and Heathen communities speak out strongly against the misuse of a few runes, such as Othala, by hate groups. Learn the history, use the runes with care, and they will serve you well. If you love working with symbols, our Wicca 101 signs and symbols course covers many more.

Final Thoughts

Rune casting is a beautiful way to listen to your intuition with the help of very old symbols. Start with a single rune each morning, learn the meanings little by little, and keep notes as you go. Before long, the runes will feel like old friends.

Curious about other tools? Explore more types of divination, learn how to use a pendulum, or try Samhain divination when the veil is thin. Which rune do you feel most drawn to?

Check out our other articles:
Divination for Beginners: 13 Types of Divination
How to Use a Pendulum
Sigils for Newcomers
How to Cleanse a Tarot Deck
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