The Nine Worlds
as used in Divination and Runic Correspondences
The reasons I chose a
particular rune to represent a world are complex. I believe it
is certainly true that more than one rune is appropriate to stand
for a world. I use many other runes in my work with the Worlds
than the first nine. But this is the layout that seems to work
best for divination, and I tend to go with both my experience
and my intuition in such matters. Much of the wisdom of the runes
comes to us though experimentation and our "sixth"
sense, and it is good to both practice using the runes and to
be aware of what feels right to you.
________________________________________________________
 Fehu, ("Cattle") a rune
of wealth and fertility, I have placed in Vanaheim, the realm
of the Vanic Deities including Freyr and Freya. After much consideration,
I placed this world in the West. West for me stands for sunset,
autumn, harvest, as well as the element water. This seems an
appropriate direction for the Vanic realm, which is one of life,
emotions, growth, maturity, wealth, and fruitfulness. Water has
ever been associated with gold in the Germanic consciousness,
and there are abundant folk tales of treasures lying at the bottom
of the sea or rivers. Water and food are life, and not surprisingly,
the Vanir rule agriculture, animal husbandry, and all that sustains
them. Feoh is the rune of property in the form of cattle or gold,
which appropriately exist under the aegis of the Vanir, from
whom flow the forces of abundance. When a rune falls in Vanaheim,
it tells of love, personal growth, fertility, material comforts,
sex, nourishment, health, and personal happiness. It can indicate
what a person is capable of bringing forth, whether it be a baby,
a thesis, or a feast for their friends.
 Uruz ("Aurochs") I have
in Niflheim, which I see as a most ancient elemental world. Uruz
the Aurochs (later called "drizzle") seems a good symbol
for a realm of primal matter, and reminds me of Audhumbla, the
cosmic bovine who licked Buri, first of the Gods, out of a block
of salt. Niflheim is in the North, and is the realm of stasis,
crystallisation, elemental Earth energies, physical form, night,
and death. On the positive side, Uruz represents great strength,
groundedness, and fertile, though fallow, earth. In divination,
the rune that falls in Niflheim indicates what is frozen in a
person's life: their blockages of energy, tendencies to apathy,
life-sapping habits, and what they avoid. It can also be an indicator
of their most solid personality traits, their stubbornness, and
tenacity.
 Thurisaz
("Thorn" or "a Giant") is of course the sigel
of Jötunheim, realm of chaos and all that opposes human
and Godly order. It is a realm of elemental Air energy, entropy,
and trials. I see Jötunheim as a World that offers great
challenges to human kind, and in which a bold and lucky person
can find great wisdom and wealth. Because the Jötuns are
the most primal beings, existing since the dawn of time,and because
of the evidence in the Eddas, I assign
the direction East to Jötunheim. This Eastern realm is one
of birth and that which (sometimes) violently comes into being.
It is also the dwelling place of entropy and chaos. However,
because the Jötuns are such ancient beings, some of them
possess great lore, and are riddle-masters against whom even
Odin has tested Himself. Knowledge of the origin time can be
won in Jötunheim by a very clever person who is willing
to take risks. In a reading the rune that falls in Jötunheim
shows what opposes the person, their fears, challenges and trials,
and thus what they need to fight in order to gain wisdom, control
and order in their lives. More uncommonly, a rune in this position
can indicate the winning of ancient elemental wisdom.
 Raido ("Riding")
I use to represent Muspelheim. One might argue Kenaz might be
more appropriate for the land of Fire, but I use Raido because
I see it as representing the path of the Sun across the sky.
It's direction is of course South, and it is the realm of elemental
Fire, pure energy, and both beneficial warmth and devastating
destruction. Muspelheim itself is perhaps the least hospitable
to humans of the Nine Worlds. However, it is the realm from which
power, warmth, and the energy needed for growth come, and together
with Niflheim was necessary to the formation of reality as we
know it. Associated with Muspelheim are eternal Summer, noon,
the blinding bright Sun wheel riding high and radiant above the
Earth, and the power to thaw what is frozen. When a rune falls
in Muspelheim it can tell about a person's energy level, their
charisma, willingness to act, intensity of passion and life force.
It can show how a person may melt away frozen patterns in their
personality.
 Ansuz ("A God")
was a very obvious choice to represent Asgard. The God's rune
stands for the high realm of the Aesir. It is the domain of wisdom,
spiritual might and holiness, divine guidance and Guardian Spirits,
both personal and familial. Asgard is the realm towards which
the human spirit strives. It is the Heaven World, with rewards
and challenges for those heroic and persevering enough to gain
access to it. From the realm of Asgard come all the most noble
promptings of the human spirit: courage, artistic and poetic
inspiration, duty, honour, spirituality and divine love. The
rune that lies in Asgard indicates how the Gods are involved
in the matter, the person's spiritual health, Spirit Guides,
spiritual gifts, and their highest aspirations. It is an indication
of the state one's higher mental functions, moral conscience,
and deeds that have woven good Wyrd. This rune more than any
other in the spread shows the objective truth of the matter.
 Wunjo ("Joy")
has always been a rune I personally associate with the Light
Alfs, and therefore, Ljossalfheim. Here dwell innumerable benevolent
spirit beings such as plant devas, the Spirit Helpers of humans,
and blessed Ancestral Wights. This is a realm of both joy and
intellect, where the inspiration from the divine realms is "stepped
down" to a frequency more easily perceived by humans. The
Valkyries, those divine messengers between Asgard and the world
of living men, traverse Ljossalfheim on their errands. Ljossalfheim
holds the power of those beings who assist and protect those
who are on the path of learning, and who aid growing things on
Earth, including humans. A rune in Ljossalfheim can indicate
the way in which the querant's spirit guides are involved in
the matter, the way they relate to the spirit realm, and their
hopes, dreams, fantasies, and wishes. It can also be an indication
of the person's ability to perceive other planes of existence,
including such psychic gifts as telepathy and clairvoyance.
 Gibo ("Gift")is
the rune I chose to represent Midgard. Its shape is a diagram
of the powerful vortexes of energy found in holy places, where
Sky and Earth meet, joining the above to the below. Gibo is one
of the runes of Midgard the middle world, and of humanity the
middle race, who are as much of Earth as of Heaven. It is realm
of Man, of society, science, skill, survival and human creativity.
Gibo also represents the exchange of energies between Gods and
Man, and indeed, the human race is of divine origin. In Midgard
we are given the gift of life by the Gods, and here we learn
to understand the nature of sacrifice. By giving gifts in return
to the Gods on the harrow (altar) of the Earth, humans both show
their gratitude and acknowledge their connection to the divine.
It is in Midgard that the Gods generously give their gifts of
fertility, inspiration, courage, and hope. The rune that falls
in Midgard is the crux of the matter. It is the "answer"
about which all the other runes of the spread give detail and
colour. It shows the matter from a personal human perspective,
as it directly affects the querant, and also shows social influences.
This rune indicates more than any others the subjective state
of the mind and emotions of the querant.
 Kaunan ("Pine
torch") I place in Svartalfheim. It is a rune of controlled
fire, of creation and shaping. Svartalfheim is the realm of that
which is coming into being. It is a place where ideas are formed
into things, and the unmanifest is given birth in the world of
matter (Midgard). It is the underworld, where the Dark Alfs or
Dwarfs create their magnificent achievements of technology. This
land is inhabited by many other wights as well, beings that live
in caves and stones. It too is a place where ancestral spirits
might appear. The dark recesses of the burial mound have much
in common with the secret underground dwellings of the Dark Alfs.
I see Svartalfheim as a region that mediates to some extent between
the land of the Dead in Hel, and the land of the Living, in Midgard.
A rune in Svartalfheim tells about the underlying, perhaps hidden,
origins of the issue. It shows the forces at play in the person's
ability to make their ideas manifest in the real world. It can
also give one insight into neuroses and that which is repressed,
as well as the persona's ability to create, and their potential.
 Haglaz is the rune
I assign to Hel. It represents trials, the Ancestors, and the
Realm of the Dead. The rune Hagal is the "seed rune"
that holds all other runes within it. The Hel realm holds all
who die and await rebirth. It is at the tree's utmost roots,
and represents the ground of being. In Hel is also a place called
Niflhel where serpents gnaw corpses, and those souls who have
committed heinous crimes meet with extinction. In Niflhel, that
which has not by its nature and actions risen to higher evolutionary
levels sinks to be recycled and is used to replenish the resources
of creation. A rune in the Hel position shows the root and origin
of the matter. It can indicate what a person needs to bring up
into the light, even though they may be most unwilling to face
it. Hel stands for the depths of the Id also, so one's deepest
fears can be revealed by the rune that falls there. The Hel rune
can tell you about hidden agendas, blockages to growth, old habits,
negative Wyrd, sickness, stagnant energy, and anything that keeps
the persona from developing and growing. A useful and often more
positive aspect of a rune falling in the Hel position is that
because of the Ancestors, the rune lying there can reveal wisdom
from the past, and give insight into family matters and traits. |
is tilted to let the worlds fall into a
circle. The Gibo rune 
