The first thing to do is to make sure you understand what the meanings of the runes are. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is to sit down and memorize them. We covered the meanings for the runes in previous articles so feel free to use those if you'd like. If you find yourself having trouble committing them to memory make some "flash cards". Draw the rune symbol on one side and then on the opposite side put the name of the rune and the meaning. Use those until you get a pretty good understanding of each rune meaning.

When you have the meanings pretty well memorized take some time and do a few sample readings for yourself and watch closely as to what the runes are saying to you. This is a good way to see if the rune meanings that you are using are working for you. While the runes have some "set meanings" they don't always mean the same thing for every person.

Take for example the elder futhark rune Isa which represents an icicle. A lot of rune readers will say that this rune is one that means a halt in activity, like the icicle when it melts the situation takes on a more fluid and moving form like the water from the melting icicle. Others will say that the situation is similar to the properties of an icicle. The situation, like the look of an icicle, may be nice to look at, but if not handled with care the icicle can break, it's fragile.

When you do the sample readings for yourself you'll start to notice that the rune meanings that you see can be a little different than the ones you have studied. Do not be afraid to change the meanings to reflect your style of reading. Let me repeat that, "Do not be afraid to change the meanings to reflect your style of reading." This can be one of those things that can make or break you as a great rune reader. If you're not going to let the runes "personally" speak to you, then you're going to find your readings lacking something and, speaking from experience, it can take a long while to figure out what it is you're lacking.

Trust your instincts in a reading and "go with the flow". There's no way to make a perfect rune reader out of anyone, but if you do pay attention to your runes and what they are saying you will start to see that your readings are better and better each time you do them. So until next time, keep on casting and keep on learning.