Meanings of the Runes
FEHU: (F: Domestic cattle, wealth.) Abundance, harvest, financial strength in the present or near future. Possessions gained, good fortune. A rune of hope, success and happiness. Energy, foresight, and fertility are all represented by this rune.
FEHU REVERSED: Loss of property, self-esteem, or something that you worked hard to gain. Possible failure is represented. Greed, a lack of harmony, potential loss of income or other finances.
URUZ: (U: Aurochs, a wild ox.) Physical strength, power, and unguessed potentials. Great personal energy is at hand. Freedom, courage and tenacity are in evidence. Unexpected changes, usually of a positive nature are at hand. Sexual desire, masculine potency.
URUZ REVERSED: Physical weakness and illness are a possibility. Could be dominated by others. Violence and brutality, ones own strength used against oneself.
THURISAZ: (TH: Thor, The Gateway) Indicates there is work to be done inside and outside of the oneself. A rune of non-action, and of contemplation. Now is not the time for decisions. A sign of possible, and likely positive change. A cleansing flame.
THURISAZ REVERSED: Personal relationships could be in jeopardy. Expectations are disrupted and desired outcomes will elude you. Hasty decisions will cause regrets. Full contemplation of choices is called for here.
ANSUZ: (A: The God Loki) A revealing message or insight, communication and signals. Good news can be disguised as bad. Unexpected inspiration, and true vision. Words are power and naming is timely. Good health and harmony.
ANSUZ REVERSED: A sense of futility and wasted motion, failed communications and lack of clarity. Inability to grasp a current situation.
RAIDO: (R: Wagon or chariot.) Journeys are at hand, both in physical terms, and in spiritual matters. The voyage can take the form of a self-discovery, or be an actual traveling to another place. This rune is also concerned with communications, with an attunement to something which has two sides.
RAIDO REVERSED: Loss of relationships, a crisis, stasis, and irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, or a possible death.
KANO: (K: Fire or torch.) The rune of opening, of vision and revelations. This indicates the opening of knowledge and creativity. Also an opening of relationships an understanding between two people. The fire of life, the fire of transformation and regeneration. The power to create your own reality, the power of light. Passion and sexual love are indicated.
KANO REVERSED: The loss of light and vision, break-up of relationships because of self-closing. A loss or lack of creativity and imagination.
GEBO: (G: Gift, partnership) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. A partnership of some nature, whether in love, business, or friendship, is at hand.
GEBO has no reverse.
WUNJO: (W or V: Joy, light) Joy, comfort, and pleasure. Journeys happy end is here. Trouble has passed by and tiresome tasks are complete. Success and recognition of worth are at hand.
WUNJO REVERSED: Sorrow, strife, and alienation. Failure and feelings of worthlessness are upon you. Trouble is your rider.
HAGALAZ:(H: Hail, disruption) Elemental destruction, uncontrolled forces and events. A great awakening is at hand, either gradual, or the ripping away the very fabric of ones reality.
HAGALAZ has no reverse
NAUTHIZ: (N: Need, pain) Obstacles and delays, restrictions imposed by others or ourselves. Restraint leading to strength and innovation. Distress, confusion, and conflict are yours. Plus the power of will to overcome them. A time to exercise patience. Identify one's own fate. A rune of major self-initiated change.
NAUTHIZ REVERSED: Constraint of freedom, a time of pain and suffering. A time of want, deprivation, need, and poverty.
ISA: (I: Ice, standstill) A time of non-movement, and a need for patience. Physical, mental, and emotional blocks to thought or activity. Goals and desires are at a standstill. Now is a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, and to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it.
ISA has no reverse.
JERA: (J or Y: A year, a good harvest.) A rune of beneficial outcomes, it can break through stagnancy. The results of earlier efforts are now realized. A time of peace and prosperity. The promise of success to come.
JERA has no reverse.
EIHWAZ: (EI: Yew tree, defense) The power to avert defeat, the strength, to endure all. The driving force to achieve, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. This rune indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals.
EIHWAZ REVERSED: Confusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, and weakness.
PERTH: (P: Initiation, something hidden) Uncertainty of meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, the gaining knowledge of one's destiny, to become knowledge of future matters, determining the future of your own path. Pertains to things that are feminine.
PERTH REVERSED: Loneliness and unease, an inability to see ones direction.
ALGIZ: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) A rune of protection, and a shield against harm. New opportunities and challenges are characteristic of this rune. A rune of warding against evil. A connection with the gods, bringing an awakening to a higher self. A reminder to follow your instincts, to keep hold or maintain a position won or earned.
ALGIZ REVERSED: A warning of hidden dangers, of consumption by divine forces, or a loss of your divine link.
SOWELU: (S: The sun, wholeness) A time of great power which will be available to you for positive changes in your life. Guidance, hope, success, goals achieved, honor. A joining or contact between the Self and the self. A wholeness, a finding of power, a flaming sword and cleansing fire.
SOWELU has no reverse
TIWAZ:(T: Tyr, the sky god, the Warrior) Honor, justice, leadership and authority are characteristics of this rune. Knowing where one's true strengths lie, and having a willingness to sacrifice the self. Victory and success in war, competition, or conflict.
TIWAZ REVERSED: One's energy and creative flow are blocked. Defeat in war and conflict, failure in competition. A lessening of passion, a failure or loss in relationships.
BERKANA: (B: Birch, rebirth) A rebirth and growth both actual and symbolic both mental and physical. Regenerative power and the light of spring. A renewal, and promise of new beginnings, of new growth. An arousal of desire, a love affair or new birth. Prosperity and fertility. The Goddess is represented by this rune.
BERKANA REVERSED: A warning of domestic troubles. A loss of desire, of love. Possible miscarriage. A stagnation of the spirit. Impotence and lack of fertility.
EHWAZ: (E: Horse, progress, movement) A rune of transit, of transportation, and movement. Points to changes in dwellings, in lifestyles, or attitudes. Shows transition and change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated by this rune. The perfect or ideal marriage or partnership. The meanings of the runes surrounding it are confirmed beyond doubt.
EHWAZ REVERSED: A blockage in movement or a denial of desires. This not necessarily negative. What is truly yours will come to you.
MANNAZ: (M: The Self) The starting point of the Self; the individual, or the human race. Expect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now. Intelligence, and forethought, the skill and ability to create. Represents a time of major growth and change.
MANNAZ REVERSED: Look to yourself for the blockages and enemies of your progress. The solution to troubles is within, not without. Expect no help now.
LAGUZ: (L: Water, that which conducts) The characteristics of this rune are water, fluidity, the sea, the ebb and flow of emotions, careers, and relationships. Plus the healing power of renewal. It signals a time for self-cleansing, for realigning.
LAGUZ REVERSED: A warning of a period of confusion in your life, of failing to draw upon the wisdom of instinct. You may be making poor decisions, judgements, and trying to exceed your own strength.
INGUZ: (NG: Ing, the hero god, new beginnings) The need to be desired, the yearning to share are embodied in this rune. Male fertility, common sense, the home and family, and internal growth are also a part of this rune. A rune of great power, marking a new life, a new path, or joyful deliverance. A time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. Listen to the voice within yourself.
INGUZ has no reverse
DAGAZ: (D: Day, transformation) A major shift or breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. The degree of change can even be an actual death, signaling the successful end of your present journey.
DAGAZ has no reverse
OTHILA: (O: Inheritance, separation) This is a time of separated paths, of a time to cast away the old. Real property is also indicated for this is the rune of acquisition, of inherited property or possessions. The acquisition may however come from something you must give up. You can expect aid in spiritual and physical journeys. This rune may indicate a source of safety, increase and abundance.
OTHILA REVERSED: Negligence and a refusal to see clearly. Pain and suffering caused to others by ones actions.
