THE BOOK OF RUNES. A HANDBOOK FOR THE USE OF AN ANCIENT ORACLE: THE VIKING RUNES.

by Ralph H. Blum

You are holding something very a part of the ancient past and, perhaps, a part of your future.Based on a tradition over one thousand years old, this contemporary Oracle has established itself as a remarkable aid in practical decision making. When first published in 1983, R. Buckminster Fuller "What a wonderful thing to have done-midwife the rebirth of an ancient oracle." A huge success with over 700,000 copies sold, The Book of Runes has proved itself to be a modern classic. For this, the tenth anniversary of the work, Ralph H. Blum has expanded and refined the runic system, making the Runes the most profoundly useful self-help tool of our era.

Genres: Nonfiction, Occult, Divination, Reference, Spirituality, Witchcraft, Paganism

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Ralph Blum (5/1932-) is a writer and cultural anthropologist who has been working with the Runes as a tool for self-counselling since 1977.

One of three children born to silent film star, Carmel Myers, during her second marriage to husband Ralph Henriques Blum, Sr. (1893-1950) (Her first marriage was to Isidore Kornblum, which ended in divorce in 1923). Ralph Blum (Jr.), was also the nephew of Hollywood writer and director, Zion Myers, Carmel's older brother.

Blum studied at Harvard University (1950-1957). During this time, he also spent a period of time in Italy as a Fulbright Scholar, returned to Harvard, where he did graduate work in anthropology with grants from the National Science Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and finally earning a BA in Russian Studies and Anthropology, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

He later studied Soviet Cinema at Leningrad University from 1961-1963. His reporting from the Soviet Union, the first of its kind for The New Yorker (1961-1965), included two three-part series on Russian cultural life.

In 1982, the modern usage of the runes for answering life's questions was apparently originated by Ralph Blum in his divination book The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle, which was marketed with a small bag of round tiles with runes stamped on them. This book has remained in print since its first publication. The sources for Blum's divinatory interpretations, as he explained in The Book of Runes itself, drew heavily on then-current books describing the ancient I Ching divination system of China.

Each of Blum's seven books on runic divination deals with a specialized area of life or a varied technique for reading runes:
The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes (1982); revised 10th Anniversary Edition (1992); revised 25th Anniversary Edition (2007).
The Rune Cards: Sacred Play for Self Discovery (1989); reissued as The Rune Cards: Ancient Wisdom For the New Millennium (1997). Rather than rune stones, this book uses images of the runes printed on card stock, much like a set of trading cards or tarot cards.
The Healing Runes with co-author Susan Loughan (1995) teaches methods for using runic divination in the context of health and personal integration.
Rune Play: A Method of Self Counseling and a Year-Round Rune Casting Recordbook (1996)
The Serenity Runes: Five Keys to the Serenity Prayer with co-author Susan Loughan (1998); reissued as The Serenity Runes: Five Keys to Spiritual Recovery (2005) utilizes runic divination as a method for assisting self-help and recovery from addictions; the title is a reference to the well-known serenity prayer widely used in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Ralph H. Blum's Little Book of Runic Wisdom (2002).
The Relationship Runes: A Compass for the Heart with co-author Bronwyn Jones (2003) shows how to use runic divination in matters of love and friendship.

Blum has also written books on the Tao Te Ching, Zen Buddhism, and UFOs. His work has also been published in Readers Digest, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Saturday Evening Post, and Western Horseman. Blum also published three novels: The Simultaneous Man (1970), Old Glory and the Real-Time Freaks (1972), and The Foreigner. Both The Simultaneous Man and Old Glory... reflect his involvement in early drug research.

Recently, Blum won the Nautilus Book Award Medal for Investigative Reporting for his latest book, written in collaboration with oncologist Mark Scholz, MD, Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers. He has been living with prostate cancer, without radical intervention, for twenty years.

Ralph Blum currently resides in Los Angeles, CA and on Ikaria Island, Greece with his wife Jeanne Elizabeth Blum, an author in her own right, best known for her book Woman

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! It isn't a historical look at Runes but rather a medium for your egoic "self" to converse with your higher "Self" (as Blum puts it) to understand (not predict) a circumstance. If that sentence read as gibberish, then this book is not for you. But if you are looking for a very easy to digest way to explore spirituality, I found this a breath of fresh air. I had no idea about Norse mythology, runes, or using runes as a way of esoteric art- but loved the very non-occult approach Blum took with this. Read the intro guys- all the negative reviews here were clearly laid out by Blum himself in the introduction to the book. I read this book without any expectations- just being attracted to the cover- and was happily surprised. One of my new favorites!

[Marna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I read it back in the early 80s ... in fact, I did a reading that really perplexed me when things weren't going so well with my then-husband. So I wrote Ralph a letter. He actually called me, and we had a chat about it. Ralph really added a lot of magic to the world with his book.

[genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep my book of runes by my bedside. Each night, I pull one rune from the bag and read about it in the book. I would recommend it to anyone open to trying something new and potentially introspective. You'll be amazed at the connection between the rune you pulled and how it relates to your life at that moment (most importantly to those things plaguing your thoughts at the time you pulled it from the bag).

Without fail, the runes provide you with insight into your actions and thoughts, piece of mind before falling asleep, and perspective regarding the immense space filled by the little things in your life. The book of runes will bring you a sense of tranquility;

[Roxie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book gets regularly blasted in online pagan/heathen communities for being incredibly inaccurate and misleading. Blum admits that he had no idea how to use the runes originally; instead of consulting the various Eddas and other historical sources, he used the I-Ching to come up with basically his own system of rune reading. Which I suppose is fine; learning to read divination systems your own way can lead to new understanding and insight. But from what I understand from my heathen friends, none of Blum's interpretations are accurate to how the runes were historically read. Blum doesn't use the ordering system of the Elder Futhark (or any other historical rune system), he added in a blank rune (never used in antiquity), and he changes the meanings of the runes so they all contribute to one overarching progression.

So yeah, this book is widely regarded as being absolutely useless for accurate information regarding the runes as a divination system.

[David]

Read enough about the runes and you'll be told this guy has basically invented all of this symbolism. My own studies make believe this is likely true. But if you believe in any form of divination, then you'll likely agree an internally consistent system can work without being connected to some historically accurate formula. That being said, I still found his interpretations fairly useless. But that rune set and drawstring bag is pretty swanky.

[Ilana Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to the runes, read when I was fifteen. I love the author's gentle, informative tone, and the way he personalizes how to use runes on your spiritual journey. Also love the font of the 1993 edition!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came upon this book while walking home from the store one day. I saw that our local library was still open late in the day, so I went in on a whim. Almost immediately, I saw this book on a cart of books for sale for $1 each. I'd been curious about runes since I watched a rune reading about a month ago, so that definitely piqued my interest!
It was an easy, short read. Some background is given on the runes and how hundreds of years ago, people used them almost like how people (still) commonly use tarot cards now. There's also info on how to conduct multiple style readings with the runes and even a reading that involves a past life and future life for you. How awesome, right?
Mr. Blum also gives his interpretations of the runes themselves, since there's no recorded meaning for each from those centuries ago when they were most often used. As a student of the art of tarot divination, I honestly appreciated his applied meanings. He also gets into how he sees the runes working together with their meanings -- how they flow, in a way. Exciting stuff!
Unfortunately, since I bought this book from a library, it didn't come with a bag of runes like it was said in the book that it would. I'll buy a bag for myself one of these days, or maybe even make them myself, since he gives info on how to do that, too!

[Pete daPixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A King he was on a carven throne,
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.

When Herodotus traveled around the Black Sea, he encountered descendants of Scythian tribesmen who crawled under blankets, smoked themselves into a stupor, and then cast stones in the air and read them when they fell.
Runes, from the Gothic runa, meaning 'a secret thing, a mystery'. The Rune Masters of the Teutons and Vikings wore startling garb that made them easily recognizable. Honoured, welcomed, feared, these shamans were familiar figures in tribal circles. There is evidence that a fair number of runic practitioners were women.
The traditional Germanic futhark is comprised of twenty four runes. These were divided into three families of eight runes.
Leonard Cohen is quoted at the end of this book, 'God is alive, magic is afoot'.

[Josh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Other reviewers have already raised my points, and raised them well, so I won't go into much detail. Suffice it to say that if you want a deeper look at the esoteric meanings behind the runes, both for general knowledge and for the reasons of divination (that is to say, analysis of one's situation via the tools of symbology as a means to think about something in a different way), this might not be the book for you.

I was let down when I learned the interpretation contained within was something crafted by the author himself via trial and error and his own feelings, essentially. Again, that might be just what you need, and if so this is a cheap introduction to that world. As for me, I'm going to continue to search for valid documents and materials that highlight the historical meanings as well as what little is known about the original uses of the runes beyond the existing inscriptions.

[David Melbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first encounter with the Viking Runes was in 1985, about two years after this book was first published. I remember feeling the power in the glyphs, the way those little ceramic tiles felt as you sifted through the bag (and yes, a Crown Royal bag is my favorite). I was hooked.

And, because of the bad etching on my rose quartz set which made it hard to use as Viking Runes, I had been promising myself a new set. I think that Micah has my original set.

So, armed with a brand new set of Viking Runes, I am prepared to do battle in the war of self-change. --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.

[Jaime · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blum doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't even have the Aetts in the right order. He just makes things up as he goes along.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not about the historical or academic view of Germanic/Nordic runes. Rather, this book is a contemporary oracle medium that utilizes the runes. That may offend or upset some rune casters who get their undies twisted in a knot. If you can put your biases aside and see this book along with the clay rune tiles it comes with, as a divination oracle then you may have a better time.

Being of Nordic and Germanic descent myself, I know the history of the runes and the importance they played culturally and spiritually speaking. I don't believe Mr. Blum was attempting to be disrespectful of such a rich and colourful history. I read the book in it's entirety numerous times throughout the years. I found the symbolism and meanings presented to be intriguing and enlightening. If you are looking for a beginner's introduction to rune casting, this book and rune stone set will suffice. I've used this set of runes for over 23 years with great success. You can use the simple 1 rune spread, Odin's Rune, or a 3 rune spread (past, present, future) or invent your own! I use runes in numerous spreads, such as the Celtic Cross, the Horseshoe spread etc. I've also combined runes and tarot card readings. Really, there is no limit to how you can incorporate the runes into your divination practice.

[Ross Harty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please read the disclaimer on page 24 of this book before purchasing. This book is important because it was the first book on runes as an oracle. We have learned a lot since this book was published, and this book desperately needs to be updated. This book has good merits, and huge gaping flaws, it was written in a time before the ease of even knowing what material was available on the internet. I personally feel that the runes are best learned in a F-U-Th-A-R-K ætr order. I also believe that the rune poems are my preferred way of discovering the secrets of the runes as opposed to the I-Ching. The blank rune is not necessary for most rune work, but makes a handy replacement for lost or broken runes.

[N · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blank rune is a joke. It was a Jewish invention of Ralph Blum. Don't bother with it. You generally get the blank rune if you buy Runes from Wicca/New Age shops. Please read the below...

http://www.odinist.com/othala/archive...

http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/blank_r...
May 22, 2012

For more on how bad this book is, read the 1 star reviews. Reviews of anything more than 1 star must be by people that are Wiccans/New Agers or people that have absolutely no knowledge of Runes, and reading this book and liking it means they still don't.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Monumentally inaccurate.

A majority of the authors' definitions and interpretations of the runes is based on personal meditation and guess work with little to no historical research what so ever.

The Rune rows are incorrectly arranged. the individual runes are based in part on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Dwarf Runes" which are, for the most part, fictitious.

The ONLY beneficial side is that this book usually includes a set of clay runes.

[Janice]

Daily Word from the Runes

"I no longer try to change outer things. They are simply a reflection. I change my inner perception and the outer reveals the beauty so long obscured by my own attitude. I concentrate on my inner vision and find my outer view transformed. I find myself attuned to the grandeur of life and in unison with the perfect order of the universe".

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. I had decided I wanted to learn a new alphabet (in addition to Hebrew and Greek) and was thinking--Russian--when runes kept coming up in various ways. Thus, The Book of Runes. I guess it's just the year of my Viking heritage. Now back to memorizing runes and learning how to use them for self-knowledge, which Blum does an excellent job of explaining.

[Jacqueline Cioffa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Runes never lie. Self-discovery at its highest form. You may not get the answer you were looking for, but you get the one that is necessary. Willingness and openness are highly recommended when purchasing this book.

[Colleen]

so much wisdom. reading it over and over; these lessons last a lifetime. i do notice he paraphrases quotes from kahlil gibran without citing and i'm guessing others --- but still, whatever, take in the wisdom. <3

[Sarah Fairbairn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - Now to have a play.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is simply a modern translation of how to interpret runes. It is not historical, but for those that need help with self introspection, this method might help.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a good start into my introduction to Runes and their workings. With this foundation I would certainly delve into the Old workings. But I do find this a good start.

[Shane · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this book had been written by a uni student and I had to mark it, Ralph Blum would get an F. That’s one reason why I was never tempted to teach: tutors aren’t allowed to fail students who pay fat fees and turn up at a class occasionally. But a lot of new-age guidebooks I’ve seen read like half-baked student theses. And this one was knocked up in a hurry, without enough research. Then, to add insult to injury, Blum knocked off whole chunks from a well-known text, published four years earlier, that deals with a different subject – as if he’d made the assumption that his readers would never suspect, whether due to not reading deeply or widely or simply not remembering.

The thing is, when someone uses an interpretive guide, they tend to consult it over and over again, until the key concepts are etched into their brain. By the time I picked up Relating by Liz Greene and found it studded with familiar phrases, I hadn’t opened Blum’s handbook for ages. Who plagiarised whom? If it wasn’t glaringly obvious that Greene’s knowledge of her subject, astrology, is far more advanced than Blum’s rudimentary grasp of rune lore, one could always compare the respective dates of publication.

The following list of examples of Blum’s lack of originality is not exhaustive. But it should be sufficient to call into question his powers of intuition.

In mythology, a strange, androgynous figure, keeper of the keys to knowledge, Mercury carried messages between the gods and between gods and humanity. This rune symbolizes the urge to integrate unconscious motive with conscious recognition (Blum, pp. 61–62).

… in mythology a strange and androgynous figure who possesses the keys to knowledge and who carries messages to and fro between the gods and between gods and men. Mercury […] is primarily the symbol of the urge to understand, to integrate unconscious motive with conscious recognition (Greene, pp. 36–37).


… the life you have been living has outgrown its form, which must die so that life energy can be released in a new birth, a new form (Blum, p. 65).

… life, because it is ceaselessly changing, inevitably outgrows every form, which in turn must die so that life can be released into a new birth, and into a new form (Greene, p. 48).


Prepare, then, for opportunity disguised as loss. It could involve the loss of someone or something to which there is an intense emotional bond, and through which you are living a part of your life, a part that must be retrieved so you can live it out for yourself. Now, in some way, that bond is being severed, a relationship radically changed, a death experienced. Seek among the ashes and discover a new perspective and a new birth (Blum, pp. 65–66).

There is always rebirth after death, and the new form is always greater than the old; but when put to the test, the majority of individuals do not believe this, and feel they have irretrievably lost something. Usually it is some thing (or someone) to whom there is an intense emotional bond, and through which, in some way, the individual is living a part of his life – a part that should be retrieved so that he can live it out for himself. In some way the bond is lost, the relationship changed, and there is the experience of a death. And if one seeks, among these ashes he will find a new perspective and a new birth (Greene, p. 49).


… Nauthiz is the great teacher disguised as the bringer of pain and limitation. It has been said that only at the point of greatest darkness do we become aware of the Light within us by which we come to recognize the true creative power of the Self (Blum, p. 70).

… Saturn is the great teacher, disguised as the bringer of pain and limitation, for it is only at the point of darkness and decay – which the alchemists called the nigredo or the Caput Mortuum, The Dead Head, the first stage of the alchemical work – that we become aware of the Other within us, the true creative power of the Self (Greene, p. 42).


Laguz fulfills our need to immerse ourselves in the experience of living without having to evaluate or understand. It speaks to the desire for comfort and the satisfaction of emotional needs, to the lunar side of our nature. For while the sun strives for differentiation, the moon draws us toward unity and merging (Blum, p. 91).

The moon portrays the urge to sink oneself into the experience of living, without having to evaluate or understand the experience; it also symbolises the urge for comfort, and for the satisfaction of emotional needs. While the sun strives for differentiation, the moon strives for relationship and merging of identity (Greene, pp. 33–34).


… Laguz signifies what alchemists called the conjunctio, or sacred marriage. In fairy tales, it is the end where the hero and heroine live happily ever after (Blum, p. 91).

It is the harmonious integration of these two symbols which the alchemists described in their coniunctio or sacred marriage, and which in fairy tales is the end of the story, the hero and his beloved living happily ever after (Greene, p. 36).


Change, freedom, invention and liberation are all attributes of this Rune. Drawing it indicates a pressing need within the psyche to break free from constricting identification with material reality and to experience the world of archetypal mind. […] the onset of power may be such as to rip away the fabric of what you previously knew as your reality (Blum, p. 93)...

In the individual chart, Uranus, the first god of the heavens and the spirit, seems to personify the need within the psyche to break free of identification with material reality and to experience the world of archetypal mind. So in traditional astrology Uranus is said to symbolise the urge for change, for freedom, for invention and liberation […] It appears to come back to the individual as a sudden event emanating from “without” which rips away the fabric of what he has previously identified as his reality (Greene, p. 43)...


You may find yourself entangled in a situation to whose implications you are, in effect, blind. You may be powerless to do anything except submit, surrender, even sacrifice some long-cherished desire (Blum, p. 102).

Neptunian “events” are generally those that entangle the individual in a situation to whose implications he is in some way blind. In consequence, he finds himself powerless at a certain point to do anything except sacrifice some long-cherished desire (Greene, p. 47).

Nowhere in Blum’s book is Greene (or Relating) cited. And in a later edition that I was able to access online, her book is cited under the heading of ‘GUIDES TO THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS’ but still omitted from the bibliography.

Though Greene’s seminal work needs no endorsement from Blum, this exercise in taking some words out of context and reshuffling them just goes to show that meaning is in the mind of the querent; meaning is made, not inherent.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magical little book. I have had this for three years. And last year, at an exhibit of Viking artifacts, I had a rune reading, and bought a set of runes. But still, I wasn't ready.
How fortuitous that I should read this on the same day that I have finished Beowulf! Coincidence? I think not. I am ready now.
I was surprised to learn of the Jung connection, because I don't really know much about him. But I guess I shall learn. There is a whole bibliography in the back of this book which calls to me.
But first, to learn the runes. It is time. I have two other books by this author and I'll get to them. But I want a good foundation. And that's exactly what this little book is. How wonderful.
Now to make some flashcards and at least get the names down. The whole final third of this book is the interpretation of the runes, and I'll get to that. It is a book for study. I'm so excited to begin.

[Jacob]

Bought this book from a woman on Whidbey Island along with her hand carved rune stones. I don’t particularly love the rune meditations, but they’re better than the other manual I’ve seen. I LOVE my rune stones though!

[Sadie Pitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3 Self vs. self. Messages from Odin. A forever guide. Thank you. <3

[Jessica Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es una especie de guía para conocer las runas vikingas, su historia, el tipo de lecturas y el significado de cada una de ellas.

Creo que fue un buen libro para comenzar en el mundo de este sistema de escritura antigua, pero que también se utilizan como un oráculo de adivinación. Este último es el motivo por qué decidí empezar a leer libros sobre las runas por qué el año pasado mi mamá me regaló un juego hecho de madera, y quiero aprender a utilizarlas.

A mí parecer el libro viene con la información primordial, sin duda si cumple su propósito y se desea saber más sobre ellas es conveniente buscar más libros, ya que la información presentada en este libro es simple.

El único detalle para mí es que menciona mucho a Dios (el católico) cuando en las runas están relacionadas con los dioses nórdicos. (Se que camino espiritual puede llevarse de manera personal y a como mejor se acomode uno, pero a mí me pareció un poco ilógico) (Es mi opinión, por favor no Hater)

[Danielle Brusco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book.

On one hand, The book is very clear that the meaning of the runes are just Blum's invention and that they are meant to understood through subconscious reflection when using them. But it seems wrong to take historic/culturally charged runes and not try and find the historical ties and meanings they belong to. It just seems disrespectiful.

On the other hand, Blum is honest about what he's doing and that the form of divination he's invented is one that's based on intuition. He's not misguiding anyone or trying to say that he's way is accurate. He's just sharing the method that has worked for him. Taken as an indiviual's spiritual journey, it's an enjoyable read.

The only comparison I can make is to tarot cards. You can read and divine with them based on the well studied meanings and historical interpretations, or you throw the book out the window and find your own meanings when using them.

So I'll give it three stars. I'd rather learn about the runes actual meanings, but at the end of the day that wasn't the intent of this book.

[Aaron Krivanek · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is so much wrong with this book. First of all it reads more like a college thesis than an actual book. There may be some good advice in here but it’s hard to find. If you are a pagan on or starting your path don’t pick this up. It’s not historical and relies on other oracular systems that the author used to come up with his own way of interpreting the tunes that he admits to learning through trial and error rather than actual research into Norse paganism. It relies on the I Ching and the author’s own made up interpretations of the runes. The good part is it typically comes with a set of runes and it does provide accurate pronunciations of the runes both otherwise it’s almost worthless. The author ties so much back to Christianity, something the heathens of old would never do, and there are so many Christian prayers and quotes that it’s painfully obvious that this is completely divorced from true Norse paganism.

[Paola Paz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy fácil de leer pero de analisis. Te explica la historia del autor del cómo se inició en el mundo de las runas y empieza a explicar distintas formas de "leerlas", posteriormente pasa al significado de cada runa.

El libro se puede leer rápido, pero el significado de cada runa, nunca acaba.
Lei en varios sitios de internet que no es una fuente confiable, que la información no es verídica, por lo que me hizo dudar. Recientemente me inicié en el mundo de las runas por lo que no supe saber si las palabras arrojadas en el libro eran verídicas.
El estudio de las runas es tan complejo que es necesario poseer mas de un libro.