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Dear Soul Arcanum:
I have been using runes as a manifesting tool. They are considered universal creative energies in the form of symbols that can open the doors to the Quantum Ocean. The Quantum ocean is an infinite ocean of thinking intelligent energy that responds to our thoughts and the symbols. The symbols can be practiced to attain health, wealth, money and anything one desires. This used to be practiced by ancient Northern Europeans in the form of rituals. My questions to you arose when I started working with the symbols by vividly bringing runic energies into my system. I started doubting the authenticity of this practice and at the same time became worried that it may be some form of Black Magick. Can you help me?
Deepa
Dear Deepa:
For those who are unfamiliar, runes are symbols that began as an early Nordic/German alphabet. There is evidence that these symbols were also used for divination and “magickal” purposes. In the case of magick, they were used as charms and amulets to offer protection, mark a curse, or represent a spell that was in the process of being worked. These days they are most commonly known as a form of divination similar to the I-Ching.
Magick is essentially the process of focusing mental and emotional energy in order to create what we want in the physical. Though we tend to think of witches, spells and rituals when we think of magick, manifesting is a form of magick and so is prayer. In fact, magick has been practiced in some form in all cultures throughout history. In ancient times, magickal rituals were performed for survival purposes such as ensuring a successful hunt or the end of a drought; today people us the law of attraction to align with success in business or find a soul mate. Regardless of what you call it or what you’re trying to create, the process is basically the same.
As for your concern about “black magick,” traditionally, the term black magick has been associated with evil while white magick has been associated with good. Though this is a matter of some confusion and controversy, since I’m limited on space here, we’ll work with these terms. Basically, black magick is the use of metaphysical energy in ways that may harm others, while white magick is the use of the same energy in ways that are helpful to all or at least harmful to none.
As with all power, the important thing is to use it wisely. Working magick is not itself evil anymore than building a structure is evil; using the same tools, you could build a house to shelter orphans or you could build a gas chamber in which to kill concentration camp prisoners. The ability to consciously create what we want is a divine gift we have all been given. Whether we use runes or simple visualization to imagine what we desire into being, we are working with our own divine creative power. To align with positive experience, the important thing to remember is that we get back what we send out into the Universe.
As long as you “harm none” and are ever ready to defer to a higher power and plan, you should be fine. When people are willing to do anything to get what they think they want, they do tend to get into trouble. Often we think we know what we have to have to be happy but we can’t see the bigger picture. If something is not in the best interests of all involved, we are foolish to push for it. Often we are like little kids who are sure we want to eat not just one or two brownies but the whole pan. The Universe puts the brownies up on top of the refrigerator to protect us from ourselves, but we drag a chair over and then put a crate on top of the chair and climb up after those brownies anyway. If we don’t break a leg trying to get what we think we have to have, we may actually get it and end up both miserable and confused about why getting what we wanted didn’t work out as we expected. When consciously working with the creative forces of the universe, we are wise to do what we can to create what we want, but at the same time, to pay attention to signs and intuitions and trust that whatever actually happens will somehow prove to be for the best.
There is an important aspect of this subject that most people fail to take into account: We are all working magick all the time whether we realize it or not. By this I mean that we are all constantly affecting the physical with our thoughts and feelings, for everything in the physical comes into being via the metaphysical. It is therefore actually wise and prudent to work magick in a conscious way instead of allowing our fears and desires to run wild. It’s like the Universe has given us all power tools that are constantly turned on; some people are wreaking havoc with them while others are creating masterpieces of great beauty.
As for which tools we use to create what we desire, we are free to choose. Just as you can use a variety of different tools to carve something beautiful out of wood, you can use a variety of tools to draw what you desire into the physical, for the tool is simply an extension of your own energy/intention. Runes are one option but there are endless others.
Each rune represents something like success, protection, love, etc. By focusing on the rune that represents what you desire, you focus your energy on the idea of what you want. It’s possible that the figures themselves hold special power, that so many people ascribing meaning and power to particular symbols over the centuries has infused them with those qualities. It’s also possible that the symbols carry the meanings we associate with them in the first place because they are archtypal. Personally, I feel the meaning mainly comes from within us. There are endless ways to use symbols, tools and other elements to work magick. Since these are all simply representations of the essence of something abstract, if we can focus on the essence instead of the symbol for it, the representation isn’t really needed.
I can think of all sorts of ways runes could be used as manifesting tools. Let’s say you were about to travel through a war torn country. You might choose raido for protection when traveling, create an amulet by carving raido into a wooden pendant, and then consecrate the amulet in a ritual. If a woman were trying to get pregnant, she might create an amulet with berkana carved on it, which represents fertility, growth, health and new beginnings. The possibilities are endless.
You could use runes for manifesting in all sorts of other ways too. You could carve the rune that represents what you desire into a piece of wood and burn it to send your intention out into the universe. You could carve it into a candle and light the candle while performing a ritual to manifest what you desire. You could hold an object carved with the rune and use it as a focal point during meditation or creative visualization exercises. You could carry it in your pocket so whenever you feel it, you’re reminded to focus on what you desire. Since it’s just a focal point for your energy, the power lies not in the details of what you actually do, but in how well the process helps you vibrationally align with what you desire.