Long before the archetypal images of tarot, runes were commonly used for divination. Made from stones, wood, and clay, the marks inscribed upon these tangible connectors to the earth were so vital that everywhere rune users traveled, remnants of their presence linger today. In truth, runes were viewed with such esteem that their shapes were incorporated into construction, commerce, religion, meditation, folk magic, written alphabet, divination, and other uses. The simplicity of the symbols and their recognizable correspondences in life made them an integral part of daily life. It is this same connection that many people feel today when they discover runes.

As mesmerizing as they were long ago, runes' simple construction motivates this attraction. Focusing on a symbol allows for a more readily obtainable connection to intuitive parts of our minds we often neglect due to our reliance on linear thinking. We are able to focus on feelings, infer meaning from within.

The symbolic nature of runes also allows for connection to the same inner resources people have utilized throughout the centuries. We become empowered through the clarity of vision that emerges when we focus on our innate intuition. We grow as we come to know ourselves and realize our part in the greater universal scheme; and we experience a sense of satisfaction that comes from actually handling these objects as they tap the inner primal forces connecting us to the earth today.

In addition to the New Age and Neo-Pagan movements having readily embraced this pathway to our inner psyches, other groups use runes as well. Since the existence of runes was so widespread, many cultures have incorporated their neighbors' shapes and symbolic messages throughout the ages, while some groups have continued rune usage without interruption. The sheer assortment of runic systems allow both traditional and new users to draw from a wealth of information.

Runes continue as a viable means of inner connection today, and exploring the various runic systems can allow for our discovering a natural way to get in touch with our intuition as well as to connect with universal energies. We can become more focused, centered, and grounded simply by availing ourselves of an oracle as alive today as ever.

Stephanie Sagemoon, well-practiced in runic divination, has written articles for a number of Internet publications, including A Woman's Journey, Daily Runes, and eSpirituality.  (Reprinted by permission of the author.)