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Casting record sheets

One thing that I always do when I cast the runes is to record the results so I can look back at each reading at a later date. In order to do this you want to make sure to write down as much information as you can. The best way that I’ve found to do this is to use a rune cast record sheet. They’re so useful to me that I’m sharing them here.

Rune Casting Record Sheets

All downloads listed are PDF files.

Download all record sheets in a ZIP file: [download id=”12″ format=”2″]

A little note on the record sheets

At the top of each sheet there are spaces to record the date and time, for whom the rune cast was for, information about the surroundings (or setting) and the question being asked. Next will be a section that will allow you to draw in the rune symbols that you picked for each spot. You are then given an overview of what each space in the rune cast stands for or means in relation to the layout. You can scribble down what each rune means or general notes on what the rune is trying to tell you for each spot. Lastly, there is a section for any additional notes you may have – the weather, your health condition, which rune set you were using

Egil’s Whalebone Layout

This a layout taken from the Icelandic Saga titled, “Egils saga Skallagrímssonar” (Egil’s Saga). In this story Egil Skallagrimsson is a master poet, warrior and rune master who accomplishes much in his lifetime. While this story does offer a lot of insight into the uses of the runes we are especially interested in his rune work in chapter seventy-three. It is in this chapter where we see Egil cure Thorfinn’s daughter, Helga, who had become sick because of some runes wrongfully carved on whalebone. The runes were originally carved on whalebone and placed in Helga’s bed. But because the person who carved those runes was not a master of the runes, Helga became sick and lay dying in her bed until Egil came, scrapped off the old runes, and cured her by placing healing runes onto the whalebone.

Egil's Whalebone Layout

Egil's Whalebone Layout

For this reading we do something a little different than most other rune readings you may be familiar with or even come across in other books. Instead of each rune having it’s own unique meaning we break this twelve rune layout into four “group of three” positions. For each group we take all three runes and read them as it they were “speaking” to us as a whole. Basically it’s like doing a typical three-rune reading and at the end of that reading you look at what all three runes are trying to say to us as a whole.

The four groups derive their names and meanings from the saga, the characters, and their purpose in the story. It’s not necessary to read and understand Egil’s Saga in order to use this layout but it can help, especially if you ever do a spur of the moment rune cast for someone and would like to use this layout. Then knowing the story can help you to remember what each group stands for more easily.

Group 1 – Runes 1, 2 and 3 – Carver’s Intentions
In the story we see that the original rune carver had specific intentions for what he wanted the runes to do. This first group acts the same for us during a cast. We consult the runes because we have certain situations, goals or intentions. Before you do this cast figure out what it is that you want to know from the runes. Keep this in mind through the entire cast, even as you pick up your runes and place them in the layout positions. These first three runes will tell you what the runes think about your intentions. It is important to keep what they say in mind as you work towards your goal.

Group 2 – Runes 4, 5 and 6 – Helga’s Results
Helga is the woman in the story who gets harmed due to the result of wrongfully carved runes. For our purposes this group of runes lets us see the possible “wrong” results that may come about if our intentions are not pure or we are not willing to put forth effort to move towards our goal.

Group 3 – Runes 7, 8 and 9 – Thorfinn’s Concerns
Thorfinn is the father of Helga and, in the story, we see him worry about his daughter, as she lay sick in her bed. This group of runes represents any outside concerns or obstacles that may come into play as we move towards our goal. Outside influences can do one of two things for us. First, they may support us and help us on our way to achieving the results we are looking for. This can come in any number of ways. If our goal is to be financially secure in our later years support may come from family and friends who help us out in troubled times, or even help us to find a different job that pays more and helps to secure our financial goal. Secondly, outside forces can be negative and can try to hinder us as we strive towards our objective. Again if our goal was to be financially secure in our later years a negative influence may be shown to us in the runes. We may see that our spending habits or generosity with our friends is not letting us put away the money we may need at a later time. The runes will show us what we should keep an eye on.

Group 4 – Runes 10, 11 and 12 – Egil’s Results
Egil is the master of the runes. Despite the wrongly carved runes, their results and even the concerns of Thorfinn, Egil manages to make things right again. It is only through his masterful rune skills that this is possible. He can shave the runes off the whalebone, carve new runes, and make things right for us once again. While we aren’t dealing with carved whalebone we are dealing with a rune layout. We shouldn’t have to cast the runes again to make sure we get the desired results we are looking for, we should only have to look at this group of runes to help guide us. Despite the previous groups and what they have been telling us, this last set of three runes lets us know how we can overcome all that we have been told and still achieve our goal. This does not mean that we can disregard the previous groups and just follow this last group and have everything work out fine. This last group just lets us know how we are able to reach our goal while keeping in mind the possible difficulties of the first three groups.

Things to be aware of for this cast

Since this rune layout isn’t a typical layout it may be a little difficult to do the first few times. You may become a bit confused as to what the runes are saying to you. In other layouts reading each rune individually isn’t a difficult thing to master. However, with this layout you need to read a group of three runes as if they were one. Until you become familiar with your rune set you may find that you’re not seeing the “whole picture” and that this reading isn’t always as exact as other layouts may be. If this is the case don’t give up. With practice you’ll soon see that this is a powerful layout that can give you great insight into just about any topic you ask the runes.

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Egil’s Whalebone Layout rune cast.

[download id=”11″ format=”1″]

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″]

Odin’s Nine Layout

We see in the story the Havamal1 that the God Odin hung on a tree (possibly Yggdrasil – the World Tree) for nine days and nights. The first six represent the God himself and the last three make up his spear, Gungnir. The set up looks like so:

Odin's Nine Layout

Odin's Nine Layout

The layout image isn’t much the way it looks here. Numbers 1 and 5 are suppose to be Odin’s legs and feet, numbers 2 and 6 are his arms and hands, number 3 is his body and number 4 is his head. The spear is standing up at Odin’s side and consists on numbers 7, 8 and 9. If you use a great deal of imagination you may start to see how the picture is suppose to look. To read this layout follow this guide.

The column with numbers 1 and 2 represent the past factors that have acted on the question you have asked.

The column with numbers 3 and 4 represent the present forces on the question.

The column with the number 5 and 6 represent the outcome of the question.

The last column that shows Odin’s spear represents the powers you have or need to deal with each of the previous three columns.

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Odin’s Nine Layout rune cast.

[download id=”9″ format=”1″]

Grid of Nine Layout

This is more often referred to as The Grid of Nine and is slightly adapted from Nigel Pennick’s book The Complete Illustrated Guide to Runes. You cast out your runes and pick up nine runes placing them in a grid as follows:

Grid Of Nine Layout

Grid Of Nine Layout

If you add up the numbers from any row or column or even diagonally, they add up to the number 15. In order to read this you should do the following:

Read the lowest horizontal line first – it represents the past factors that have acted on the matter at hand. The runes go as follows…

Read the middle row next – it represents the present forces on the question. The runes in this row are read as follows…

Finally read the top row – it represents the outcome of the question. Read its runes as follows…

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Grid of Nine Layout rune cast.

[download id=”8″ format=”1″]

Bifrost Layout

Here again we have a rune cast that makes use of Norse Mythology. According to Norse Mythology, Bifröst is the bridge that connects two worlds together, the world of the gods and the world of the humans. Since Bifröst acts as a connection between the humans and the gods we get a sense with this layout that our answers and the help the runes give us are coming straight from the gods themselves.

The order for this layout is again a simple one. Bifröst is often said to be a rainbow bridge between two worlds so we make use of the basic colors of the rainbow for the position. You may have seen the “Roy G. Biv” trick taught to children to help them remember the colors of the rainbow. This is where we come up with the positions and names for this layout.

Bifrost Layout

Bifrost Layout


  1. Red: Attitude of the past
  2. Orange: Effects of the past
  3. Yellow: Attitude of the present
  4. Green: Effects of the present
  5. Blue: Attitude of the future
  6. Indigo: Effects of the future
  7. Violet: Overall outcome

Things to be aware of for this cast

This cast is pretty straightforward and there’s not too much you need to be aware of. You just want to make sure that you’re reading the correct runes for the position you place them in. It’s basically a “Past, Present, Future” layout with a few exceptions. More often than not in a “Past, Present, Future” layout we are only dealing with the effects of each and not the attitudes of those positions. The attitude portions of this cast help to give us insight into why the effects have taken place, are taking place or may take place. If you’re not sure what I mean by this let’s look at a simple example.

We’ll pretend that you’ve cast this layout to find out about a possible promotion at work. When you start to read your runes for this cast the first rune you select will be for the “Attitude of the past” – meaning your attitude about past promotions you may or may not have received. In the past, if you had been a hard worker with a positive outlook and have received a promotion, the runes may be able to let you know that it was, in fact, your outlook and work efforts that helped you get the promotion.

One other thing you need to be aware of is the last rune for this cast, “Violet: Overall Outcome.” For most “Past, Present, Future” rune readings you won’t have an overall outcome because the “future” position will usually represent the outcome. For this rune layout the overall outcome position is there to help provide a more in-depth look at the outcome. We still need to make sure that we look at the overall meaning to the cast by taking all the other runes into consideration, but we must not forget that there is also a rune to show us the overall outcome. Such a rune can be very helpful to us at times so we should not take it too lightly.

Recording Sheet

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

[download id=”7″ format=”1″]

Casting layouts and spreads

Rune layouts and spreads help us to figure out what the runes are saying to us. Where as the runes themselves tell us what they mean, we need to know what and where those meanings come to play in our lives and the questions we ask of them. The layouts and spreads provide us with such a structure as well as that information.

You may be asking yourself, “What’s the different between a layout and a spread?” Well to be honest there isn’t much. While reading and finding out more about different rune layouts I have come to find the similarities between rune layouts and tarot card spreads. Some authors even adapt tarot card spreads to use with the runes. I find nothing wrong with this but choose to call such casting structures “spreads” instead of “layouts” so that I can remember that these “spreads” where not created specifically for rune casting.

Choosing a layout or spread will not be a difficult thing to do. If you have a question that’s going to need some in-depth information you will want to pick a layout/spread that uses more tiles. This way you’ll get a more specific reading and better guidance. On the other hand if you have a question that is more general then you can get by with a smaller layout/spread.

Rune Casting Layouts and Spreads

Midgard Serpent Layout

As you can tell I like to create my rune spreads around figures and objects from Norse Mythology, and this spread is no different. The Midgard Serpent is a beast that is said to live in the ocean that surrounds the world and is so long that he is able to bite his own tail. In this layout we use the fact that the serpent is able to bite his own tail and it’s important in the reading that we are aware that if we’re not careful the results of this layout can pass us by.

Midgard Serpent Layout

Midgard Serpent Layout

You do not need to worry about placing the runes in the “flowing” pattern of the image above. The purpose of line in the image is to give you a feel that we are placing the runes to create a serpent. However the line also helps us to better understand the positions and their meanings. We pretend that we start at position one (the tail) and we “walk” along the line until we reach the head of the serpent at position seven. As we “walk” along the serpent we must make “uphill journeys” which represent obstacles or situations that we may need to overcome. The “downhill journeys,” for example moving from position two to position three, are times after we have conquered or overcome an obstacle. These are periods when we can relax a little and once again prepare ourselves for future hurdles that may come our way.

Now let’s take a look at the rune positions and their meanings.


1
– Represents our feelings in the distant past in relation to the situation we are asking the runes for help with.

2 – Represents the struggles with this situation as a result of our feelings from position one. Also the “hump” symbolizes the obstacles we may have overcome and we should be aware of how we handled the situation in the past because it may once again come back to us in the present time (position four).

3 – This point concerns our feelings about the situation during the present time. Physically it is the closest rune to us as we lay the runes down so it not only represents the present time, but also the close connection to our heart or feelings.

4 – Position four is when we start the journey towards our outcome. The obstacles we may have had in the past (at position two) may come back into play for us here. We also see that the “hump” here is a little steeper, which may mean that the obstacle is even more difficult to overcome. However, we do have our past experiences with this matter to help guide us along our path.

5 – At position five we reach the peek of our journey and we can see our goal clearly. This rune will tell us about our feelings and how they can begin to control us once we think we can achieve our goal. We cannot let our feelings get the better of us, rather we must learn to understand that we need these feelings to gain our goal but at the same time not let them control us.

6 – Position six reminds us that we still have to work towards our goal if we want to achieve it. Take this rune to heart. If it is telling you that you need hard work to get to your goal then you’ll need to listen. If it’s a rune about power and control, you may need to be strong and control your emotions in order to get to the goal.

7 – This spot represents the Midgard Serpent’s head. Most of the time this is our goal. However, according to Norse Mythology, the serpent is so large that is able to bite its own tail. If we are not watching what the other runes are saying to us so we can reach our goal we may find ourselves passing by our goal and beginning once again on the tail of the serpent.

Things to be aware of for this cast

This rune layout represents a sort of “timeline” to reach our goal. Position one starts us off at the tail of the serpent and we must work our way towards the serpent’s head at position seven. We must be aware that time, like the Midgard Serpent, can often be seen as a cycle. Time continues to move from one day to the next as the sun and moon rise and fall letting us know that a new day has come and gone. This cycle continues unbroken in our mind unless we form “breaking points” to split up this constantly moving cycle. With time we use “breaking points” like weekends or holidays to give us a rest from the busy workweek, which can have a monotony of it’s own. The “breaking point” for this layout can be seen as our goal for the situation we are asking the runes about. If we’re not careful we may pass up our goal because of our feelings of excitement to break this cycle. If that happens we may find that we may, in fact, not have reached our goal at all and instead have restarted our journey at the tail of the Midgard Serpent. Because of this we must learn to understand, control and make good use of our feelings as we try to achieve our goal.

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Midgard Serpent Layout rune cast.

[download id=”6″ format=”1″]

Five Rune Cross Layout

With this reading you will form a “plus” sign with the 5 runes you pick after you cast the on the cloth. The first will be the bottom of the cross and represents the basic influences that underlie the question. The second one is placed to the left of the center position and represents the obstacle to overcome. The third rune is at the top and represents beneficial processes. The fourth is to the right of center and represents the outcome of the question. The last rune is placed at the center and shows all the future influences. Layout looks like the following:

Five Rune Cross Layout

Five Rune Cross Layout


1
– Represents the basic influences that underlie the question.

2 – Represents any obstacles to overcome.

3 – Represents beneficial processes.

4 – Represents the possible outcome.

5 – Shows all future influences on the outcome.

Recording Sheet

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

[download id=”5″ format=”1″]

Four Directions Layout

Since the runes have a solid base in Norse Mythology the names for each of these positions is named after each of the dwarfs that are said to hold up the sky, which (according to Snorri Sturluson) was the skull of the giant Ymir.

Four Directions Layout

Four Directions Layout

The idea for this layout is simple, just a North, South, East and West pattern to place your runes in. The meaning for each position is just as simple…

  1. Nordri (North): The past – Influences that have had an effect on the past in relation to the topic of the cast.
  2. Vestri (West): The present – things presently happening that have an effect on the present in relation to the topic of the cast.
  3. Austri (East): The future – possible obstacles to watch for that may hinder the outcome or goal you have set.
  4. Sudri (South): The possible outcome of the rune cast.

Things to be aware of for this cast

This cast is very similar to a three-rune layout because we have the past, present and future involved with it. However, be aware that the third rune (Austri) is not the one that “predicts” the future for you. Its mission is to try to make sure you’re aware of any obstacles that may come your way as you try to reach your goal. The last position (Sudri) takes on the role of the usual “future position” for a three-rune layout.

Another thing you should be aware of is that the outcome position is only one possible outcome. You may end up with a rune here that, by itself, makes little or no sense in relation to your topic. If this is the case you need to make sure that you look at the reading as a whole and see what it is the runes are trying to tell you.

Recording Sheet

If you wish to record your rune casts I’ve created a a printable recording sheet for the Four Directions Layout rune cast.

[download id=”4″ format=”1″]