I mean, why not? Why wouldn't I try developing my own spreads? What's it matter?
I'm just having fun. Usually, when I want to reflect on what's going on around me, I'll do the basic three-rune spread, where you lay down the Present, set down the Past to the left of it, then place the third rune to the right of both, representing the Future. The reading is just as simple: the Present is where you are now, the Past is a particular moment that shapes this Present, and the Future is one likely outcome to work toward or avoid or just to think about.
The runes aren't meant to divine the future; they're mostly for looking at where you are from outside of yourself — reminding yourself of things you've forgotten, things that might be useful to bear in mind.
Really, they were just symbols to mark objects, saying “this is a government document” or “this implement belongs to so-and-so,” and then they were carved into huge stones saying things like “King Such-and-Such was here.” But they looked so cool that they got blown up into a mystical phenomenon. That's just how people are, always gotta make things more than they are.
Tonight I have the apartment to myself. Last night I gathered all my notes and scraps and updated my rúnskrá with the prayers I say, some of my rituals, and as many instances of synchronicity as I could record.
It's important to record your dreams to understand yourself and for creativity, and it's important to document moments of synchronicity when developing your spirituality. One sign you're on the right path is your personal entropy slipping in small, innocuous ways — or else this is just making a big thing out of nothing, once again.
I've got the place to myself, so tonight I thought I'd develop some rune spreads. This is probably naive of me, but again, it really doesn't matter.
The Norns Spread
The Norns Spread is easiest to explain: divide your mat into thirds.
The first section is Urðr and it represents your unchangeable fate. No matter what you do, this is something you're born into and you can't do anything about it except bear it in mind moving forward.
The second section is Verðandi, the wyrd you're actively weaving in this life, this month, this hour. These are things you have some control over, to strengthen or abolish if you act wisely.
The third section is Skuld and it describes what may be forming in the distance for you — one likely outcome for your actions, or perhaps something coming for you regardless.
This runecasting is simplicity itself: grab a handful of runes and sprinkle them over the three sections. Arrange them where they fall, turn them face-up, and begin interpreting.
The Four-Layered Wyrd Spread
The Four-Layered Wyrd Spread is more complex and is used to discern your:
- Orlæg: inherited fate and ancestral conditions
- Hamingja: personal power, luck, and capacity
- Wyrd: the present weaving of events
- Skuld: consequences, debts, and likely outcomes
The final rune, the Coda, is a small kiss from the Divine Feminine — a closing insight from the Giantess, the Norns, or your higher self.
What I really need is a close, personal relationship with each rune, so I recognize its meaning on sight. Until then, I’ll keep wearing my reference sheet thin and trust that repetition is part of the wyrd.