Today's Runes for Faith Hill

The Diamond spread reveals the dynamic forces at work in a situation. It is the spread of choice for understanding a hidden conflict. Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control.

The bottom rune represents the foundation that forms the basis of the issue. Nyd is frequently seen as a powerfully negative rune. You have drawn the rune reversed, which will lessen some of its effects. Generally Nyd represents loss, sorrow, and a hard journey with lessons learned. Nyd reversed here might be cautioning that the lessons might go unheeded representing repeated mistakes. The rune here might also be representing a minor loss or a nearly avoided catastrophe. Be careful, things are tricky and require strong attentiveness.

The left rune represents one of the forces acting on the issue at hand. Gebo means gift, and like many gifts, the rune may be understood on many levels. Gifts are generally positive things, for both the giver and the recipient. In many cultures however, gifts and favors carry with them an obligation to respond in kind. It is for this reason that gifts, and hence the rune Gebo, are frequently symbolic of friendships, marriages, alliances, mergers, and other bonds between people or organizations. Gebo is a strong rune and the unions represented are strong as well. Moreover, Gebo is not reversible, as true friendships are not easily undone.

The right rune represents another of the forces acting on the issue at hand. Sowelu is a strong symbol, for it represents the sun. Unlike equatorial cultures who may see the sun as a harsh and imperial force capable of causing droughts, in the cold north the sun is a purely feminine force that gives life and allows crops to grow. In dark times, this rune represents clarity of sight and the victory of good over evil. Sowelu is irreversible, as the cycles of the sun and seasons are perpetual.

The top rune represents the conclusion to which your strivings can carry you. Othila is the homeland. Unlike Fehu, this is the rune of immovable wealth. On a deeper level, this rune speaks to that which you inherit, be it material or genetic. Since Othila is seen reversed here, the obstacles you confront are among those things in your background that you take for granted and consider fairly stable. Problems from the "homeland", from familial inheritance, or from our own origins may be worked around, but they cannot be made to go away. Fortunately, for many problems, this is all that is required.