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Celtic Cross Spread

A spread that’s synonymous with tarot cards can be used in casting the runes. It involves picking 10 runes and placing them in the same layout that the Celtic Cross tarot card spread is in. The one variation that I like to use with this involves the first rune. In the tarot card reading you choose a card that represents the person that is asking the question. For a rune spread I like to do one of two things. If the person asking the questions wants, have them pick a rune that has meaning to the question. If this is a question about love, have them pick a rune that involves love, fertility or something similar. Draw this rune on a piece of paper and give it to the person asking the question to have them concentrate on. If you’re asking the question for yourself, then just concentrate on the rune as you cast. The other way to do this is to pick a rune at random from your rune pouch and write the rune down. Place the rune back in the bag so it has the possibility to turn up in your reading. Just make sure that you or the other person are concentrating on that rune, depending on who’s asking the question.

Celtic Cross Spread

Celtic Cross Spread



Rune number 2 should be placed on top of rune 1 if this is possible. To read this layout follow this guide.

  1. Expresses the matter or question at hand
  2. Shows the forces that may hinder or oppose the matter or question at hand
  3. Represents the underlying influences of the matter at hand or question
  4. Shows the influences that are passing or coming to an end
  5. Denotes the influences that may become important in the medium to long term
  6. Represents the influences on the questioner in the near future
  7. Represents the fears and negative feelings that the questioner may have
  8. Denotes the outside influences of friends and/or family
  9. Stands for the beliefs and hopes of the questioner
  10. This rune shows the final outcome of the question or matter at hand

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Celtic Cross Spread rune cast.

[download id=”10″ format=”1″]

How To Do A Reading

Before you begin casting there are a few things that you may want to do to get yourself in the correct frame of mind. In doing readings and castings the one thing that is necessary is that you are comfortable and prepared before you start. Nothing on these pages is absolutely necessary to do a rune reading (except, obviously, a rune set) so if you feel like you’d like to do something different than the way this page suggests, then please do so. You know yourself better than anyone else and what makes you comfortable will only help you in a reading. Okay with that said here are a few suggestions.

Time of Day

Some people say that castings should only be done during the day, outside, with the sun shining. Others will tell you that the proper time to get the best reading would be near midnight when the veil between this world and the “Other World” is at it’s thinnest, therefore getting help from spirits. I’ve even seen ways to calculate what time of the day to do a reading depending on the question you are asking. This is really all up to you. There is no hard evidence to say that one way is better than the other so try a few castings at different times and see which time works best for you.

Weather

I mentioned above about the shinning sun. Why would this be a better time than a calm day that’s slightly overcast? Well the reason is that the weather can affect our mood and the one thing that we want is to be in the best frame of mind. If you cast on a day when you’re not in a good mood this can affect the outcome. So you may want to hold off to do a casting until the weather and your mood is perfect.

Surroundings

Something that you may want to consider when you sit down to cast the runes is your surroundings. This can be important because of the surrounding energy fields. You don’t want to cast near power lines where the energy given off by the lines could some into conflict with your own power.

Another thing to look out for is the people around you. You don’t want to have people who are skeptical or doubt what the runes can do. If you have people around you doubting this can come into play with your own feelings about the runes. You may even start to doubt yourself and therefore get a poor or inaccurate reading.

Casting Set-up

If you are casting outside the set-up is simple. Face the sun, layout your casting cloth and pillow and take a seat on the pillow. On the opposite end of the casting cloth place your mearmots and the question written on a piece of paper, if you’d like. Gather up the runes, think about the question you are asking and then toss the runes in front of you.

If you are casting indoors there are a few possible set-ups that you can do. First find a room where you can layout your casting cloth where nothing will be in the way, and so it’s not bunched up against the sofa or anything like that. If it’s possible set up the cloth so that you can sit facing east or in the direction of the sun at that time of the day. If it’s at night then you can set the cloth up so that you are facing the moon, or to the east to “await” the rising sun. What happens if you can’t lay your casting cloth to face to the sun? Well you can just cast in whichever direction that the cloth fits in the room. Or you can try to layout the cloth so that the longest side of the cloth is parallel with the longest wall in the room. The choice is up to you.

Casting

You are now ready to start casting. You have your casting cloth laid out in the setting of your choice, you’re in a surrounding that makes you comfortable and everything is perfect. Now gather your runes and have a seat because it’s time to cast. Layout your runes face-up in front of you and make sure that they are all there. If you have a pouch that you use to carry your runes in place them back in the pouch and mix them up. If you have small rune tiles, or large hands, you can mix the runes up in your hands. Concentrate on your question and toss the runes down on the cloth in front of you. Now you’re going to need to choose the number of runes that you’ll need for the spread that you have chosen. To do this you are only going to use then runes that landed face-up. If, by chance, you do not have enough runes to fill the places in the spread you have chosen you can do a few things. You can re-cast the runes that have landed face down, cast the whole spread over, or leave the places in the spread blank. I suggest that you re-cast the remaining face down runes.

Picking the Runes From the Casting Cloth

When the runes land on the cloth in front of you, how do you know which runes to pick up? There are a few ways to determine that. You could pick a single spot on the cloth before you cast the runes and then pick up the face-up rune closest to it to fill the first spot in the spread. You would then pick up the next closest rune to that spot for the second place, and so on until you’ve filled all the places in the spread.

Another way to do it is to draw an imaginary line down the center of your casting cloth and pick the rune that lands face-up and closest to the line. Start with the rune that is closest to the line first. If there are two that are about the same distance then pick the rune that is closest to you and the line. After you have filled all the places in your spread the next thing is to read them using the meanings of your runes. Which can be found in the Rune Meanings section.

What You Need For Casting

Once you have the meanings of the runes memorized the only thing that you’ll need to have for a casting will be a set of runes. The other items on this page are optional but can really help set the mood for your cast, which helps you to focus your mind and can lead to better results.

Casting Items List

Set of Runes

You can either buy or make your own runes to cast with, but this is the one thing that you will need.

Pouch to Hold Your Runes

If you plan to carry your runes with you it’s good to have a pouch or some type of container to carry them in. Try to pick a material that will not “suffocate” your runes. Pick something that will allow energy to get to your runes and also allow them to release energy as well. Any fabric material works well but something like metal container may not be the best choice. A wood box can be a good idea, just try not to use wood that’s heavily coated with stain and/or varnish.

Summary of Rune Meanings

If you don’t have the meanings of your runes memorized then it is a good idea to have with you a sheet with all the meanings on them. You can get a list of the rune meanings for various sets in the Rune Meanings section. Just select the set of runes that you are using.

Casting Cloth

It’s a good idea to have a casting cloth especially if you plan to do a lot of outdoor castings. This way you can cast on the grass, sand, or any other outside surface and not worry about trying to find the runes buried under something. You can make the casting cloth any size you’d like, but remember that you will be tossing the runes onto them, so try not to make it too small. A good size for a casting cloth, which is also personal to you, is to measure it from the lengths of your body. Stand up and stretch your arms out so you make a “t” shape with your arms parallel with the ground. Measure from fingertip to fingertip. This is the width of the casting cloth. Now extend your arms up above your head and measure from the floor to the tip of your fingers. This is the length of your casting cloth. The material and color of the cloth is up to you, although white is a great color for all around use.

Casting Pillow

If you’re doing a lot of outdoor readings you may find that sitting on the ground for a long while may get uncomfortable. I suggest that you use a casting pillow, sometimes called a stol. This actually serves two purposes. First it makes reading more comfortable so you can concentrate on casting and reading the runes. The second thing it does is put you a little higher up above the runes and give you a feeling of being “above” the runes more. You’ll feel like you’re on another plane reading making the power you add to the cast a little stronger. Another purpose you can use the casting pillow for is to place it at the opposite end of the casting cloth and place your mearmots on.

Mearmots

These are personal items and talismans that help you to focus your mind. If you are doing a reading for yourself, use items that mean something to you and to the reading. If you are casting about concerns in your family, you may use pictures of members in your family. If you are doing a casting for someone else, then use items that are personal to them and to the cast.

Pen, Pencil and Paper

Some people, like myself, like to record all of their readings so it is good to have a pen or pencil and paper with you to write the information down. If you’re doing a reading for someone else they may want to have the information for later use or reference. Also there are times when you do a casting that you may want to read more into the reading but can’t remember the exact casting meaning for the runes. You can write the runes down and read them when you have the exact meanings near you. The one other reason that you may need a pen or pencil and paper is for writing the question down that you are casting for. It will help you focus your mind and you can place it with the mearmots when casting.