Runic Magic: The Forgotten Gateway to Ancient Wisdom

Runic magic is a profound and powerful tool – an ancient key that opens the doors to understanding, transformation, healing and deep personal meaning. This is not a myth or a romanticized story from a distant past. It is a living spiritual practice that has shaped countless generations in Northern Europe and continues to reveal its wisdom to seekers around the world today.

For thousands of years, this knowledge has been transmitted from teacher to student, from shaman to apprentice, and from those who walked the path before us to those who are ready to rediscover it now.

The runes are not limited by geography or ancestry – they speak a universal language of energy, consciousness, and natural law that anyone can learn to work with, no matter where they come from.

Ancient Graphic Symbols of Power

The word rune originates from the Norse term “rún,” meaning secret or hidden. Maybe you have encountered runes as historical artifacts: carved into stones, painted on church walls, engraved in ancient objects, or through rich Norse literary heritage like the Edda and Hávamál. However, these encounters only offer a glimpse into the true nature of runes and their profound significance to our ancestors.

In popular culture, runes are often simplified as an “ancient writing system.” While this is partially true, it merely scratches the surface. Runes are far more than just letters or simple communication tools. They are ideograms: living, powerful symbols that describe and channel nature’s forces, psychological processes, spiritual laws, and cosmic rhythms. Each rune carries its own energetic signature and represents a gateway to deeper understanding of both the inner and outer worlds.

Determining who first established the idea that runes are exclusively “Nordic writing” remains challenging. Some historians trace runic origins to the Etruscans, who migrated from Asia Minor to Northern Italy around 1000 BCE. Others point to the Alps in present-day Switzerland, while some researchers argue that runes originated in southern Jutland, Denmark.

The prevailing academic view suggests that runes emerged among the Germanic peoples (Goths) in Northern Germany around 100 CE. One of the oldest known runic alphabet – the Elder Futhark – consists of 24 runes. The term “futhark” derives from the sounds of the first six runes: Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raidho, and Kenaz.

In the Nordic regions, runes began to manifest between 200 and 400 CE. However, stone inscriptions featuring symbols that share similar fundamental structures and functions exist worldwide, dating back over 20,000 years. This suggests that runes emerged from a much older and more universal symbolic tradition.

They are part of a global heritage of sacred, archetypal ideograms/signs – comparable to Sanskrit, Hebrew, and the magical language of Ōlelo Hawai’i. This points to a universal wisdom that transcends time and cultural boundaries.

In reality, the core essence of runes predates human history – they have been woven into the fabric of creation since the universe’s inception. Throughout the ages, this knowledge has been known by various names, with the term “runes” only being used for the past couple of millennia. I will explore the true nature of runes more extensively in an upcoming book.

Vinča – The Forgotten Precursor of Runes

Long before runes took shape in the Elder Futhark, the Vinča script flourished in a peaceful, goddess-oriented cultural space in Southeast Europe (5300-3500 BCE). This harmonious, goddess-centered civilization extended from Hungary and Romania, through former Yugoslavia, reaching as far as Northern Greece. The Vinča culture shared numerous commonalities with contemporary advanced civilizations in pre-Aryan India, Asia Minor (including Çatalhöyük 6250-5400 BCE and Hacilar 5700-5000 BCE), as well as the earliest societies in Jericho and Crete.

In this highly sophisticated culture, each symbol functioned both as a written sign and a magical symbol (ideogram) – a key connected to natural forces, rituals, wisdom traditions, and light beings.

Evidence strongly suggests that the Vinca script is one of the spiritual predecessors to modern-day runes. Archaeological discoveries and contemporary research reveal striking similarities between Vinca symbols and later runic forms – both in their graphic expression and their esoteric function as carriers of energy, archetypal forces, and cosmic principles.

In this cultural space, the sacred sun wheel, Swastika, was also used as a symbol of cosmic harmony and eternal movement – thousands of years before Nazism misappropriated and distorted its original and deeply sacred meaning. 

When Runes are Misused – and Why It Never Works

In the early 20th century, several nationalist and esoteric groups in the German-speaking world attempted to reinterpret ancient symbols through the lens of political ideology. Among the most influential figures in this movement was the Austrian occultist Guido von List (1848–1919), whose invented Armanen runes were a creative but historically inaccurate system. Although his ideas inspired parts of the völkisch movement, they had nothing to do with the authentic runes used in ancient Northern Europe.

At the same time, the Thule Society (Thule-Gesellschaft) emerged in Munich in 1918 as a local branch of the Germanenorden, a secretive, antisemitic, nationalist organization. Although some of its members later became involved in early political groups that preceded the rise of National Socialism, the Thule Society itself was never a school of authentic runic knowledge—nor was it guided by Guido von List, as many later myths have suggested.

In this turbulent cultural climate, runes were stripped of their ancient meaning and misused as ideological symbols. This distortion has no connection whatsoever to the runes’ historical origin, spiritual nature, or ceremonial use. The fears and misconceptions that still surround runes today often stem from this unfortunate period, where modern political agendas were projected onto sacred symbols that long predate any such ideology.

Authentic runic wisdom cannot be misused.

Runes are expressions of universal divine archetypes and natural laws. Their energies do not respond to manipulation, domination, or destructive intention. Attempts to use runes for harmful purposes simply collapse in on themselves—because the spiritual structures behind the runes recognize only alignment, integrity, and the heart’s intention.

Although the Thule Society dissolved around 1925, its reinterpretations resurfaced decades later in fringe groups such as the Armanen Order, which continues to promote Gido von List’s invented system. These groups have no relationship to true runic magic and no access to the living spiritual forces that have accompanied humanity for thousands of years.

It is important to clarify this history, not to give power to it, but to free the runes from the shadows cast upon them by misunderstanding.

The runes belong to a far older, sacred tradition—

a tradition rooted in natural wisdom, cosmic balance, and the deep magic that has guided seekers since time immemorial.

How the Armanen Tradition Shaped Modern Misunderstandings About Runes

Much of what is written about runes in modern esoteric literature comes not from ancient Nordic traditions, but from a much later and historically inaccurate source: the Armanen tradition, created by Austrian occultist Guido von List in the early 1900s. His system of “Armanen runes” was not based on archaeology or historical runic inscriptions, but on visions, personal intuition, and the völkisch ideology of his time.

When Guido von List’s writings emerged, academic research on runes was still limited. As a result, his ideas spread quickly through occult circles and influenced many early writers on runes—and later, large segments of the English-speaking New Age and neo-pagan movement. This created a domino effect: one generation of authors copied the previous one, often without knowing that the material they used was not historically authentic.

Because of this, many modern rune books unknowingly draw on Armanen concepts, including:

• fabricated rune meanings
• psychological or astrological connections not found in historical sources
• fear-based ideas about “dangerous runes”
• mystical hierarchies that never existed in the Norse world
• confusion between the invented Armanen runes (18 symbols) and the historically accurate Elder Futhark (24 runes)

This mixing has created significant misunderstanding about what runes truly are—and what they are not.

Although the Armanen order still exists today and continues to promote Guido von List’s invented system, it has no connection to authentic rune magic. The true runes belong to a far older, sacred tradition anchored in Divine Archetypes that have existed since the universe’s beginning.

By recognizing how these modern distortions arose, we can return to the genuine rune tradition—free from fear, misunderstandings, and political misuse—and reconnect with the deep, universal forces that runes have always represented.

Norse Mythology and Rune Magic

In Norse tradition, we encounter Odin as a complex and profound archetype. He began as a death god, evolved into a warrior seeking to shape the world, and ultimately became a shaman and wanderer between worlds. In Yggdrasil – the tree of life connecting all planes of existence – his journey through these various roles is described. Odin understood that true change can never be forced from the outside; it must grow through inner transformation.

Odin is called the All-Father and is the creator god of our world, though he is not the original creator of the universe. As leader of the Aesir and the einherjar – warriors who fell in battle and reached Valhalla – he is the guardian of wisdom, fate, and the cosmic laws that govern our world.

His deepest spiritual power came through a shamanic initiation of the most extreme kind. For nine days and nights, he hung upside down in Yggdrasil, without food or water, suspended between life and death. It was here that the secrets of the runes were revealed to him – not as mere symbols, but as living forces and cosmic principles.

Odin is also the god of wisdom and knowledge. He sacrificed one of his eyes to drink from Mimir’s well, the source of knowledge, gaining insights that extend far beyond human comprehension. In Hávamál, verses 111-164, it describes how he received the power and knowledge of the runes.

Gods in Norse Mythology

The Norse tradition encompasses a rich diversity of gods and goddesses – archetypal forces that in other cultures are known as angels, light beings, devas or power animals. Studying the qualities of these divine forces can provide insights for working with rune magic in a more conscious, precise, and spiritually grounded way in relation to the Norse understanding of the runes.

When examining the Nordic spiritual tradition in depth, one quickly realizes that it stands fully equal to the traditions of Greece, Egypt, India, and Asia. Unfortunately, large portions of our written and material transmissions were destroyed during the Christianization of the North. Therefore, fewer direct sources of practical magic from our own cultural heritage remain.

Each rune has a relationship with gods as archetypal forces. At the same time, the runic forces change character depending on which divine qualities they are combined with.

Here is a small selection of the Norse gods:

Baldur – god of light, beauty, and purity.

Bragi – god of poetry and skaldic arts.

Erda – goddess of the fertile earth.

Heimdall – guardian of Bifrost, the bridge between the world of humans and gods.

Loki – the god of fire, who maintains balance between order and chaos.

The Norns (Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld) – the goddesses of fate, who weave time and the threads of human lives.

Thor – the thunder god who controls storms and protects Midgard.

Magical Runic Powers

Behind the runes lies a fascinating world of extensive, powerful, and effective rune magic. Each rune carries its own energy, its own language, and serves as a gateway to the forces that bind together life processes and universal order. Rune magic is particularly powerful because the energy of the runes doesn’t originate from human imagination, but from Divine Archetypes to which each rune is connected.

These archetypes only cooperate when the intention is pure and in harmony with the heart’s path. If a practitioner attempts to use the runes for harm, manipulation, or destruction, the archetypes immediately block the energy flow. All destructive magic therefore rebounds upon the practitioner and intensifies negative karmic patterns. This is why the runes cannot be misused – their nature protects them against it.

When facing a deep or complex problem, whether for myself or a client, rune magic is often one of the most precise and powerful tools I use to create movement, insight, and healing. A rune ritual initiates processes that cannot be stopped, provided the intention is positive and aligned with divine order. Things will change – with clarity, consequence, and direction.

My First Rune Ritual

At the Yggdrasil Shamanic School, where I currently serve as both Rune Master and Tradition Bearer, students receive comprehensive training in the meaning, power, and application of runes early in their education. The goal is to empower them to utilize rune magic in ways that produce tangible, measurable, and effective outcomes. Only after receiving an energetical initiation from the teacher do students gain access to the deeper levels of runic energy – and that’s when the true magic begins.

Already in the very first seminar on runes, new students in Yggdrasil Shamanic School learn to perform spontaneous healing with runes — achieving objective, measurable results without ever needing to physically touch the person being treated.

When my deeper relationship with the runes began in this lifetime in 2004, I was brimming with enthusiasm and eagerness to test their power. Yet, the engineer in me remained skeptical. I had heard numerous accounts from other students about dramatic and life-altering results following rune rituals – incredible stories that sparked both curiosity and doubt.

During that period, I was living in Germany with a friend. One late evening, just before midnight, I embarked on my first rune ritual. As the ritual reached its climax at midnight, strange phenomena began to manifest: The lights in the room fluctuated, dimming completely before brightening again – repeatedly. The entire room shook, as if the house itself was responding.

As a self-proclaimed ultra-skeptic, I briefly attempted to dismiss everything as imagination. However, when my roommate suddenly burst in – pale-faced, wide-eyed – and exclaimed:

“What on earth are you doing? The lights are going crazy, the whole house is shaking, and there’s this terrible smell!”

– all thoughts of this being mere fantasy instantly vanished.

This experience became the turning point that led me to intensively study the true nature of runes and rune magic over the next two decades. Today, I find great joy in passing on this life-transforming and powerful magic, enabling others to access this unique treasury of wisdom – and use it to create a better life and a better world.

The Universe of Runes

The runes reveal our world in an archaic, deeply tangible, and simultaneously complex manner, illuminating both the material creation and its spiritual foundations. They offer us a window into physical reality, the invisible forces behind creation, and the spiritual frameworks that bind the universe together. There are no “good” or “dangerous” runes; each one simply mirrors life’s processes as they truly are, unfiltered and unadorned. They demonstrate how everything in life moves, transforms, and flows with the universal rhythms.

To the uninitiated, this might seem alien and even frightening. This reaction is natural – for the runes reveal the truth about change, and change can appear threatening when one doesn’t understand its language. But change is a universal law – everything that exists is in constant flux and transformation. We may fear it, ignore it, or try to resist it – but it comes nonetheless, just as yin and yang exchange places in eternal cycles.

Each rune is a complete universe of information and magic. It carries its own letter, sound, color, direction, season, connections to archetypal forces through gods and light beings, elemental qualities, psychological characteristics, associations with stones, plants, and natural forces, as well as energies related to transcendental transition and unmanifested potential. When we grasp this, we understand that runes are not mere symbols – they are living portals to cosmic principles and archetypal forces that have accompanied humanity since the dawn of time.

Runes as Oracle

When used as an oracle or book of wisdom, runes can provide a clear picture of where you stand in your life processes – and what it takes to move forward. They reveal the transitions between life’s phases in a direct, unvarnished, yet profoundly wise manner. For those trained in the mystical art of runes, they unlock an entire library of insights, perspectives, and solutions.

The runes are also an exceptional tool for personal development and spiritual growth. As healing instruments, they work precisely and powerfully on both physical and psychological imbalances. Their energy penetrates directly into the fundamental structures that maintain illness or stagnation, and for a trained rune practitioner, this often leads to rapid and profound shifts.

In ritual magic, runes are among the most consistent and effective tools available. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, they can unravel the most complex causes of problems and remove even the most resistant obstacles standing in the way of change, growth, and healing.

Our Own Magic

The divine nature of the runes are part of an ancient spiritual heritage – a sacred symbolic language that has accompanied humanity for millennia. While they took forms as runes and flourished in the Nordic anf Germanic world, their deeper essence belongs to something far older and more universal. When we work with the runes through the lens of Norse mythology, we open a direct gateway to profound wisdom and to the powerful forces woven into each symbol.

You do not need to be Scandinavian or have Nordic ancestry to connect with runic magic.

The runes speak a language of nature, consciousness, and universal law – a language that anyone can learn to hear and feel.

For those who grew up in the North, runes may feel intuitively familiar because they echo through our cultural memory, our landscapes, and our stories. Yet people from all parts of the world often discover that the runes resonate just as deeply with their own inner nature. This is because the runes address something fundamental in the human spirit: the cyclical patterns of life, the rhythms of transformation, and the ancient divine archetypes that live in all of us.

Some find it easier to approach runic magic than to learn more complex healing systems from other traditions. This is not because the other systems are weaker or less meaningful, but because the runes are simple, direct, honest, and profoundly aligned with natural law. Their essence is universal.

In this sense, the runes are not only “Nordic or Northen European”

They are part of humanity’s shared spiritual heritage – a hidden wisdom that becomes accessible the moment we open ourselves to it. Whether we know it or not, the language of the runes already lives within us, waiting to be remembered.

Right at Our Doorstep

My intention with this article is to spark curiosity and encourage seekers everywhere to explore the wisdom held within the runic tradition. We do not need to look to distant cultures to find profound magic or genuine healing. Some of the most powerful and accessible spiritual tools are already right at our doorstep – in the symbols, archetypes, and natural laws that have been part of humanity’s shared heritage for thousands of years.

The runes are not bound to a specific land or lineage.

Their wisdom lives in the patterns of nature, in the cycles of life, and in the deep intuitive knowing that exists within every human being. When we open ourselves to this ancient knowledge, we discover that we already carry the keys we have been searching for – not far away, but within ourselves.

Here you’ll find an overview of all my published articles about shamanism.