Divination Offering - Rune or Ogham Reading Through the End of the Year

[jprussell]

This offering is now closed for new questions, but if you have something pressing before I offer another, reach out by DM here on dreamwidth or through my email (linked at my webstead: https://jpowellrussell.com). Those of you who have already asked and not yet gotten an answer, I'm on it and will have those shared in the next couple of days. Otherwise, see you next time!

It's been a while since I've done this, so I figured I'd offer to do a divination reading on whatever questions you think I might be able to help with from now (Sunday, December 22nd) through the end of the year. Just post your question here or send me a dreamwidth message or an email if it's private. Just one question per person, please, but follow-ups should be fine, unless I get way more folks asking than I expect.

A few things on how I tend to approach this, though we can make adjustments on a case-by-case basis, if needed:

1) The two divination systems I'm comfortable with are the Runes and the Ogham. If you have a preference, let me know, but generally speaking, I prefer the Ogham for more magical/spiritual/psychological questions (unless they're specifically Heathen), and the Runes for most practical stuff or anything directly involving the Germanic Gods and Their worship. Not that they can't both answer a full range of questions, I just tend to find them easier to interpret that way in those situations.

2) For most questions, I find some variation of a three card/stave spread in the shape of (roughly) "Past/Present/Future" or "Situation/Action/Outcome" to be most helpful. Sometimes specific questions might call for something a bit different, but when in doubt, that's what I'll go with.

3) As a slight addition to the above, when cards or Runestaves draw attention to themselves in ways I didn't intend (popping out of the deck while shuffling, two cards drawn when I meant to get one, one of the lots bouncing out of the tray I drop them in, that kind of thing), I tend to interpret that as "you need this extra information, pay attention."

4) I'll do my best to convey both the specific cards/staves I got in what positions, and what their "generic" meanings are (at least to me), but then also to synthesize everything into a whole picture. This last bit is largely intuitive, and often is more precise at the risk of being less accurate (example of what I mean: "it will rain tomorrow" is less precise than "it will rain between noon and 1:00 pm tomorrow," but if it rains at 5:00 pm, the former was more accurate because it was less precise), which is why I give the choppier/less synthesized pieces as well as how I think they fit together.

5) I'll be doing family stuff for the holidays, including a bit of travel, so please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond with an estimate on when I'll answer your question. I anticipate being able to do the reading for most within 24-48 hours of posting, but again, if way more folks take me up on this than I expect, that might change.

At any rate, ask away, and a blessed (late) Solstice, merry (early) Christmas, and happy (early) New Year!

Jeff

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JPRussell, please delete my previous comment and respond to this comment. Thank you.

- Psychedelic_Raccoon

Greetings JPRussell. I have two questions I’m hoping to receive divinations on, but I cannot decide between the two. One question I feel a sensation in the gut to ask about, the other comes from maybe a more practical place. Perhaps you can coin flip and see which question to address. Since I don’t believe anything in this universe is random, which question you answer may be instructive.

1. A divination on what I should do or know this year with regards to working on myself as a human being such that I can find a suitable partner. I have followed advice from my parents and Ecosophians on what to do to make yourself into someone that attracts the right sort of partner. I have mixed intuition as to whether such a meeting of souls will happen this year, but I think focusing on the process is healthier than the outcome.

So to rephrase my question: “what should I be working on this year towards my goal of finding a loving partner?”

2. I’d like to enquire as to what sort of creative or recreational pursuit I should focus my time on in the new year. Indications seem to promote gardening or a similar grounding activity, but I am also picking up writing and learning a new language again.

Feel free to address or modify the question you answer in whatever way you think works best. Thank you so much, and a Happy New Year to you and your family.

- Psychedelic_Raccoon

[jprussell]

Hi Psychedelic_Raccoon,

Sorry for being a bit slow to get back to you. Taking your advice, I flipped for it and ended up with the first one regarding a suitable partner.

I'd propose asking the Runes "What does Psychedelic_Raccoon most need to work on this year toward finding a loving partner?" with the spread "Setting (what's going on around you and in your life relevant to the question), Work (whatever you actively do toward the goal), and Outcome(s) (what's most likely to come about if you work in the way indicated by the reading)."

If this works for you, I'll ask in the next couple of days and share the interpretation soon thereafter.

Thanks for the kind wishes, and a happy New Year to you and yours as well!
Jeff

[(Anonymous)]

That looks very reasonable to me, thank you!

[jprussell]

Runes
Asking - "What does Psychedelic_Raccoon most need to work on this year toward finding a loving partner?"
Draw
Setting: Othala
Work: Isa (Murky)
Outcome(s): Gebo

My Take on It

Alrighty, to do this reading, I opened a sacred space, called upon the Wyrds (Norns) and concentrated on your question while shaking the Runestaves vigorously. I then dropped them in a dice tray, said a prayer to the Gods who help me with divination, and then drew three staves without looking, using the spread "Setting (what's going on around you and in your life relevant to the question), Work (whatever you actively do toward the goal), and Outcome(s) (what's most likely to come about if you work in the way indicated by the reading)." If I drew the stave right side up, it is "bright," and if I drew it face down it is "murky," which is roughly equivalent to drawing a card reversed in systems like Tarot. In the system of interpretation I use, "murky" means either that the forces represented by the Rune are manifesting in an unhelpful or harmful way, or else that they are somehow "blocked" - not manifesting fully or at all.

For this reading, "Setting" came up Othala, which means "Homeland" (either the homestead or the wider land of your folk) and stands for the wealth, stability, and prosperity that comes from being embedded within a social and physical context. For "Work," we got Isa (Murky), which means "Ice," and so stands for fixedness (good or bad), and by being the "I" sound, for the ego bit of the self (again, for good and ill). For "Outcome(s)," we have Gebo, which means "Gift" and stands for everything wrapped up in mutual gift-exchange culture - hospitality, reciprocity, and the interchange of power/wealth.

To put these together, this seems like a fairly positive reading (for once this go-round, huzzah!). It seems you are embedded within a supportive context of some kind - the obvious reading would be a literal community of friends and family, but maybe something more symbolic. In any event, this seems to imply you don't need to go off to a far land to find someone. It doesn't necessarily mean your loving partner will come from within your community, as one aspect of this is how you can more productively interact with the "outside" when your "inside" is well-ordered and properly functioning. The "Work" part is a bit harder - it says that what you most need to work on is yourself. Something about yourself, and specifically the (self-)conscious part of that self, your own conception of who you are and what you're about, is out of whack from where it should be. Murkstaves can mean either a blockage/lack, or else an unhelpful expression, so in this case, it might mean either that you're too wrapped up in yourself and need to "check your ego," or it might mean that you aren't giving proper attention to yourself and may be overly swayed by others - I suspect you have a feeling of which is more likely, but if not, journaling and/or meditation might help. Either way, your goal should be to recognize and respect your self and your independence, but not at the expense of others. Combined with Othala for setting, it might indicate that you should aim to be a recognized and valuable member of whatever community/communities you count on for strength. Lastly, Gebo for "Outcome(s)" strikes me as very positive in this reading, as one of its many connotations is the "exchange" of sexual relationships, especially the energetic side of that. The precise interpretation of this likely will depend on the nature of what you most need to do for Isa (Murky) - if what you face is a lack of clear self-definition, Gebo may indicate that you get a "gift" of recognition or power, whereas if you are overly focused on yourself as is, Gebo may indicate that you will find strength and honor in giving, rather than receiving. Either way, both Gebo and Othala speak to a wider context of give-and-take, but Isa (Murky) implies you need to better understand your place in it as an individual.

Please let me know if you have any follow up questions, and if you're willing, I'd very much appreciate hearing whether this struck a chord or felt off, and if so, in what ways.

Cheers,
Jeff