Cosmic Circle

WHAT ARE THEY??

The Runes are native to traditional northern European cultures.  They have deep resonances within the pagan Norse world of high gods and goddesses, elemental forces, giants, dwarfs, warriors and high wizards that inspired, among others, J.R.R. Tolkien in the writing of his fantasy fictions.  Ancient tales tell of their discovery by the magician-god Odin and their use in magic and divination.  -- Nordic Runes, Paul Rhys Mountfort

Odin is said to have discovered the oracle of the runes after voluntarily hanging himself from the World Tree, also known as Yggdrasil.  The Speech of the High One, taken from the Poetic Edda, recounts Odin's experience:

I know I hung on that windswept tree,

Swung there for nine long nights,

Wounded by my own blade,

Bloodied for Odin,

Myself an offering to myself:

Bound to the tree

That no man knows

Whither the roots of it run.

None gave me bread,

None gave me drink.

Down to the deepest depths I peered

Until I spied the Runes.

With a roaring cry I seized them up,

Then dizzy and fainting, I fell.

Well-being I won

And wisdom too.

I grew and took joy in my growth:

From a word to a word

I was led to a word,

From a deed to another deed.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

I was first introduced to the runes during my time as a student of the Master of Liberal Arts degree program that was offered at Naropa University's Oakland, California campus.  At first my fascination with the runes was stoked by the glyphs themselves; I have long been intrigued by alphabets and how markings arranged in certain groupings create letters, words and sentences, and from that provide the foundation for language itself. 

Eventually I began offering simple readings to friends and family members for the sheer pleasure of doing so.  As time passed I developed a very real affinity for daily use of the runes.  The complexity of questions I posed to the runes grew as did the issues brought to me by other people.  In time I began to feel I had a calling to bring the gift of the runes to a larger audience.

SESSIONS 

FOCUS: I offer rune sessions designed to answer your most significant and probing questions about your own career, relationships and health.  In addition, I recently began offering sessions on buildings and living spaces.  These sessions are meant to empower people to wisely and completely cleanse the energies from spaces they use or intend to use on a regular basis.

RATES: I charge $30 for a 30 minute session and $45 for an hour session.  In the event that you wish to have me offer a session on a particular space, it is possible for me to come visit the space if you so desire.  In that case, please inquire about my fee.  I also offer sessions over the phone.  You can therefore call me from the other side of the country (or the planet for that matter) and have a reading.

PREPARATION:  Sessions can be customized to focus on a particular subject of concern.  In this case, it is wise to spend some time in the day immediately before the session reflecting on the issue you wish to explore.  Journaling, meditation and prayer are means of honoring yourself and the growth you wish to achieve. 

Sessions can also be conducted in a spontaneous way.  In this instance you are welcome to ask a much broader question such as "Please provide me guidance on the direction of my life" or "What is coming into being in my life?," etc.  If you have no specific question in mind, you can draw runes and allow me to interpret them.  The runes will prompt me to ask certain questions.  Eventually we will discover a focus for the time together.

WHAT DO THE RUNES SIGNIFY?

Each of the runes represent a certain principle or what I like to call an energtic feature.  The theme each rune represents will be a matter of concern at some point in all of our lives.  On occasion, multiple themes will present themselves simultaneously.  Read below to discover the thematic energy for each rune.  The runes are listed in the same order as their images appear above (from left to right starting with the first row).  A keyword is provided at the beginning of each entry.  The book Nordic Runes by Paul Rhys Mountfort was used as a primary resource.

ALGIZ - Protection.  The rune Algiz is associated with protection.  When feeling threatened by destructive forces or events, invoke the power of Algiz.  Algiz is associated with the elk, and specifically with the armor of protection elk possess in their antlers.

Algiz may indicate a time of transition or significant new endeavors in which it is useful to be mindful of the appearance of new influences in your life.  New experiences almost always provoke a certain level of healthy anxiety.  As we walk out into especially new circumstances, it helps to be mindful of our own gifts and challenges.

What practices may I employ to ensure my own health and safety?

How do I respond to new people and places?  Do I find discovery exciting or threatening?

What can I do to ground myself when moving into new realities that challenge me?

ANSUZ - Breath.  One of two runes related to Odin, the All-Father god of the Norse pantheon, the appearance of Ansuz draws attention to the life force or spirit itself.  The power of the spoken word to evoke and create is this rune's main theme.  Odin is the creator god and gives life through breath.

Do I honor the power of my word by keeping the agreements I make?

Do I generally use my word to enhance, uplift and honor others, or do I use it for harm?

What am I giving my creative life force to?

BERKANO - Birth.  The rune Berkano is associated with the fir and birch trees.  The rune scholar Ralph Elliot writes of Berkano:

"...is undoubtedly to be connected with fertility cults, symbolizing the awakening of nature inspired in spring and the birth of new life generally.  To promote fruitfulness in men and beasts, birch saplings were placed in houses and stables, and young men were struck with birch twigs...Such traditions underline the symbolism of the birch and help to account for its choice as a rune-name."

Berkano, also aptly called a "birth rune," directs you to consider the reality of beginnings and endings.  Its appearance may indicate that important new relationships, projects and life events are entering your life.  It may further remind you of the need to have an open space for such new creations to enter.  When we have not adequately attended to releasing the past, the present and future can struggle to appear.  In short, Berkano invites you to prepare yourself for the new.  It may make especially timely appearances in your life after many elements have passed away.

What is coming into my life now that I need to create a place for?

What rituals and practices can I call upon to open myself to the new coming into my life?

How do I handle transition and change? 

DAGAZ - Light.  The rune Dagaz symbolizes light, both the literal light of the day and the illumination associated with higher consciousness often attained in mystical experiences.  Whereas the rune Sowelu refers to the source of earthly illumination, namely the Sun, Dagaz speaks to the light itself.

Dagaz is also associated with cycles.  In the wheel of day and night, it relates to the times of dawn and dusk when light and dark are trading places.  On a larger scale Dagaz may indicate the breakthrough of light after a long period of metaphorical darkness such as confusion, depression or even despair.

The appearance of this rune in a reading can indicate the long sought after or desired experience of enlightenment and relief from suffering.  Perhaps a broader perspective allows you to place significant life events into a more manageable context.  Whatever the particular circumstances, this rune is indicative of transformation, be it personal, communal or global.

Am I presently making effort to realize an important transformation in my life?  If so, what do I seek?

What is my relationship to suffering and confusion?  Can I tolerate these experiences and allow myself to feel all that I feel?  Do I recognize that darkness is a necessary part of the dark and light cycle?

What of my current life circumstances would I like to transform?

EHWAZ - Movement.  The rune Ehwaz literally signifies the horse as well as many attributes associated with this amazing creature.  The horse held a very sacred place in the cultures of many ancient peoples.  The horse offered a critical advantage of enhanced movement.  Thus Ehwaz stands for movement and momentum.

On a more metaphorical level Ehwaz can symbolize the means with which you are able to move about and prosper in the world.  Therefore Ehwaz may relate to your profession or career.  Whatever work you do, it is the means by which you enjoy prosperity.

Ehwaz can also represent the spirit of journey and wanderlust often associated with and made more possible by horses.  A yearning to voyage to realms far and wide may thus be indicated by this rune.

What is moving and progressing in my life?  Where do I currently experience a sense of momentum?  Where does it seem to be lacking?

Am I grounded in a firm sense of who I am?  Or am I unrooted and excessively mobile?

Do I desire to take a journey?

Is there some critical emotional, spiritual or career process underway in my life now?  What am I doing to enhance my development?

EIHWAZ - Transition.  The rune Eihwaz indicates a significant transition.  On occasion the transition may include a literal or metaphorical death that impacts you deeply.  Trees were held in great reverence by the ancient peoples of Europe; Eihwaz is related to the yew tree.  The yew tree is associated with death and immortality.  It is common to see them in old graveyards in Europe.  The yew tree was seen as the place where this ordinary world and the underworld meet.

Eihwaz speaks to the reality of the constant cycling and recycling of energies in life.  Nothing is truly static; everything is always changing and transforming.  The yew tree's power lies in our recognition that even in loss there can be gain if we see things in the proper light.

How do I handle transition?  Am I able to flow with the constant transformation of life, or do I resist and cling to outmoded habits and ways of thinking long after they have served their purpose?

What can I learn from the reality of the omnipresence of death?

FEHU - Abundance.  This rune is associated with real material wealth as well as nourishment in a more metaphorical sense.  Cattle is associated with this rune, as this was a measure of wealth in nomadic times.

How do I measure abundance?  Is it by monetary wealth?  Career success?  Devoted friends?  A loving, committed partner?  Contribution to the betterment of society?

What attitude do I have about prosperity?  Do I believe I am capable of it?

How well do I receive the generosity of others and the unexpected windfalls of life?

GEBO - Gift.  The rune Gebo speaks to the principle of giving and receiving.  It can signify many things including the act of gift giving, relationships in which love, wisdom and guidance are offered and the higher principle of non-attached generosity.

What are the gifts I have to offer to the world?  How do I offer them? Do I take joy in giving? 

Do I have a healthy sense of my value to the world?

Do I give with the expectation of receiving something in return?

HAGALAZ - Disruption.  Associated with the element of hail, Hagalaz symbolizes the unexpected and delays.  More generally, it may be associated with the dark and destructive powers of Mother Earth as they manifest in hailstorms, floods and larger scale natural disasters.  And yet there are countless stories of so called 'good' coming from misfortune.  Thus we can realize that what we experience is basically a product of our attitude about it.  Delays and disruption can prove beneficial.  The wisdom of the world is beyond all human knowing.

How do I respond to disruption?  Do I have patience and accept that which is, or do I resist and become upset?

Am I open to the possibility that the best lifepath for me may be other than I imagine?  Can I accept a wisdom operating beyond my own.

Can I take experiences of suffering and learn from them?  Can I treasure what I do have?

INGUZ - Sexuality.  A rune of rich associations, Inguz is related to fertility, sexuality, family and ancestral heritage.  This rune encourages meditation on the connection we have with the Cosmos around us, and how this connection is based in the power and vigor of sexuality and its associated energy.

Ing was an ancient fertility god and hero of the Scandanavian lands.  Norse mythology includes the tales of a ritual in which a fertility god appears traveling the countryside mounted on a wagon and dispensing blessings.  Such tradition makes it clear that Norse paganism held the enjoyment of sexuality in high regard.  Sexuality is seen as a gift to be honored and enjoyed.  The body is a true and beautiful blessing to have and delight in.

Closely related to sexuality is the matter of fertility.  The appearance of this rune may indicate the initiation of profitable and prosperous ventures.  Drawing Inguz can provide the impetus to confidently go forth and take actions to bring grand dreams to fruition.

What is my relationship to my sexuality?  How do I experience my sexual energy?  How was I taught to relate to it?

Do I give my body the care and nourishment it needs to function well?  What is my body concept?

Do I have a generous attitude about the world, behaving much like the farmer who sows seeds far and wide with the knowledge that growth is assured?  Or do I hold back and shy away from taking risks?  What is my relationship to risk?

ISA - Ice.  Another rune associated with a primordial element, Isa is symbolized by water in its frozen state.  Isa thus signifies an energy of stasis.  Given the long and dark winters of Scandanavia, Ice was an especially harsh element in Norse cosmology.  The persistence of an especially long winter could pose very real danger to human survival; thus Isa also can represent danger.

The appearance of Isa may indicate a standstill or freeze occurring in your life.  You may be experiencing a freeze in your emotional life, your finances or in your movement towards goals you have deemed important to accomplish.  In its most severe form, Isa may indicate a profound deprivation of love, incarceration, addiction and even psychosis.

And yet there is another aspect to Isa important to consider.  The opposite of Isa is, in one sense, excessive, never ending motion and activity.  It is flakiness, an inability to ground into reality, persistent avoidance and perpetual distraction.  All human beings need a balance between activity and idleness.  Excess activity can exhaust.  Stasis can disillusion and disempower.  Isa can therefore indicate a profound need to attain a greater stillness and calmness in life.

Am I overly active in my life?  Do I do things for the sake of doing?  Can I just be?  Do I need a period of rest and relaxation?  What ways can I provide myself down time?

Am I perpetually distracted?  If so, do I know what is distracting me?  Is there something I am trying to avoid?

Do I feel like a victim?  What actions and attitudes are reinforcing this?  Do I have resources I can call upon to emerge from this situation?

JERA - The Cycle.  Although some sources may associate Jera with the harvest, I feel 'cycle' is a better keyword.  Possessing a highly agricultural connotation, Jera speaks to the cycles of the earth and also to our own cycles.  It concerns the need to honor the rhythms of life as they are.  Thus Jera relates to patience.

Jera indicates the bounty that comes when dedication and effort are combined with faith and patience.  Any endeavor you commit significant time and energy to with the faith and trust in its eventual flowering will come to fruition.  Though there are truly few guarantees in life, Jera recognizes the faith and devotion of farmers and all those whose work has a long cycle of gestation.  When feeling unsure or overwhelmed by the efficacy of your actions, Jera offers consolation and a path: set an intention, plant the seed, nurture it and then wait and trust.

Do I trust that my efforts will bear the results I seek?

Do I have patience in the processes of life?  Can I sit still?  Can I find the balance between dreaming and doing?

KENAZ - Fire/Illumination.  A powerful and consoling rune, Kenaz symbolizes fire and its radiance and warmth.  The appearance of this rune may indicate the pleasurable warmth we feel in our hearts in the company of friends.  It may also indicate romantic love and spiritual growth or study.  The appearance of Kenaz with other runes may indicate a desire for or experience of illumination of some challenge in your present life.

What are the sources of warmth and love in my life?

How do I feed my fire of love?  What tangible actions do I take to nurture myself and others?

Do I respect and honor the love I am capable of giving and the love others offer me?  How can I grow in this practice?

LAGUZ - The Unconscious/Water.  The rune Lagaz is associated with the powerful element of water and with the equally powerful and complex human psyche.  Water has been revered by tribal peoples throughout the world for millenia.  The vast expanses of planet Earth covered by water also leads one to consider water as a metaphor for voyaging and travel.  Norse literature is filled with tales of the adventure and discovery inherent to the sea-faring way of life.

The waters of our world are dramatically influenced by the Moon as made evident in the phenomena of the tides that grace the world's shorelines.  Thus Laguz also relates to the lunar principle and the realm of feelings, emotions and intuition.  The appearance of this rune may ask an individual to consider the quality and nature of the inner, psychic life.

Mythology and psychology come together in the tales of the many denizens of the depths of the oceans.  These creatures are both literal and metaphorical.  They can be seen to represent the many forces at work in our psyches, the synthesis of which we experience as our inner world.

Water not only is an amazing element upon which humanity has set sail throughout the ages but is also quite the traveler itself.  Moving about in the oceans and the atmosphere, it encircles the globe ceaselessly transporting energy and stories of its own.  Therefore the rune Laguz can also lead us to consider our interconnectedness with the whole planet.  Everything is connected to everything else!  Everything is affected by the existence of everything else.  Such has it always been.

Do I truly experience the reality of my embeddedness in the earth realm?

What is the quality of my inner life?  Is my inner life active and nourished like a storm tossed ocean, or is it stale and starving like a stagnant pool?

What shadowy depths of the human experience have I personally known?  Have I explored my own shadow?

Where in my life do I seek to become more consciously aware?

MANNAZ - Humanity.  The rune Mannaz signifies the collective human race as well as our individual life purposes.  Norse cosmology held that each person had a unique and therefore special life journey to make and gifts to offer.  Our individual lives and fates were intimately interconnected in something known as the orlog.

The appearance of Mannaz recommends a person to reflect on the particular blessing that individual can be to the community at large.  You may take this rune as an invitation to consider what talents you have to share with the world.

Mannaz also teaches us to consider the truth that we humans are social creatures and therefore need one another.  We human beings are divine creatures truly radiating the beauty of divinity.  We experience this both in solitude and in the network of community we are an integral part of.  Family, friends and community are essential to our own well-being.  More broadly speaking, Mannaz can instruct you to meditate on what you offer to the entire human species and planet.

What are my gifts and talents?  Do I recognize them?  Do I offer them?

Do I have the nourishing support of family and a larger community to honor my gifts?

Do I have a healthy sense of my value?

How do I care for myself?

NAUTHIZ - Constraint.  When looking at the glyph for this rune I often see the Christian crucifix.  I believe it is an apt metaphor for the energy of Nauthiz, namely constraint and limitation.  We live in a finite world.  Though amazing things are possible in our human existence and imagination, we also confront the reality that we live in bodies, must eat and sleep and will one day die.  It is a sobering truth, especially for those who are just beginning to really relish the grandeur of life.

Nauthiz may indicate a time of life or a situation in which you feel trapped and unable to improve or escape an unpleasant reality.  Unhealthy human behavior, the personal shadow, obsessions, compulsions, depression and despair are all associated with this rune.

In health matters, Nauthiz is related to the organ of the heart.  Its appearance may indicate a closed or constricted heart.  When circumstances become difficult and life appears to be a burden, a typical human response can be to close up and shut yourself off from the world.  Yet in doing so the very conditions likely prompting this reaction will probably not disappear.

Another meaningful phrase to ponder is "unfulfilled potential."

How do I respond to the constraints of my life?  Where do I feel most constrained?

What patterns of behavior tend to bring me misfortune and undue suffering?  What may I do to recognize and overcome these patterns?  Do I still live according to the dictates of beliefs I no longer hold as healthful?

Am I throwing away my potential by living a life that makes little or no use of my abilities?

ODIN - The Void/Pure Potential.  The rune of Odin is the only one supposedly devoid of a glyph.  Indeed, its glyph is actually blankness, the nothingness from which all comes to be and all returns when it perishes.  Odin was the All-Father god of Norse tradition.  

Everything that exists in this created world, because it exists in time, has a beginning and end.  It has come to be from the void and will one day return to the void.  And yet there is something beyond all creation.  That which is beyond the endless stream of creations is the Source, the Creator of all.  This power has no beginning or end because it is beyond time!

Drawing the rune of Odin encourages consideration of the deepest human questions.  It is not uncommon for this rune to appear when an individual is experiencing major life events including career changes, new relationships, the death of loved ones, the loss of major elements of life (homes, self-concepts, careers, etc) or intense personal regeneration and healing.  When Odin appears in the runes, take note: there is much power at work!

What is my ultimate potential?

Whom do I consider to be my family?

If I were to simply dream and believe that all my desires were attainable, what would I allow myself to contemplate?  Just how big a world do I envision myself being a part of?

Do I believe in my creative power?  Do I believe I can be and do anything I want?

What is my relationship to the concept of limitation?  Have I lived a life of limitation and scarcity or one of generosity and abundance?  How can I shift my perspective?

OTHILA - Home/Inheritance.  A synthesis of the images of the runes Gebo and Inguz, Othila represents the multiple meanings of home.  It can most literally signify the dwelling place one knows as home.  Property and cultural traditions also fall under the umbrella of Othila's domain. 

It also can signify our social place or status in the world at large. 

Othila also relates to inheritance.  This can again be interpreted quite literally as money, possessions and other materials we receive as a benefit (or detriment!) of being a part of a family.  On an even more metaphorical level, this rune speaks to the notion of collective human inheritance.  Every human being, while incredibly unique, nonetheless has the following in common with every other person: a date and place of birth, a blood family line, an inheritance of mental, physical and psychic abilities, challenges and advantages, a purpose and an ultimate meeting with death.

The body, being home of the spirit during this earthly life, can thus also be considered an inheritance.  Our very DNA is the inheritance that comes to us from the very distant past.

When Othila appears in a reading it is wise to ponder who you are in your totality:

Who am I?  Where did I come from?  Who are my people?  Where do I belong?

What inheritance do I have?  What do I recognize and honor as my own?  Is there anything I have disowned?

What can I make of the inheritance I have?  Who can I be in the world?

PERTH - Play.  Perth is a mystery rune whose full essence is still difficult to decipher.  It is associated with the principle of games and pleasure.  Its appearance draws attention to the light hearted aspects of life that include celebration, play and laughter.

In a workaholic world common to the West, perth offers a timely lesson, namely the importance of play in living a balanced life.  An overly serious and dour perspective is an imbalanced one; we need play and the playfulness others offer to see and truly experience the wonder and beauty of the Cosmos around us.

What are the ways I honor my need for play and recreation?  Do I give myself sufficient time for such pursuits?

How do I respond to playfulness in others?  Can I be zany, silly and carefree, or am I always working, doing, thinking and so on?

RAIDO - Journey.  The rune Raido is often associated with the horse, another prominent creature of ancient times.  Second likely only to the cow, the horse proved an indispensable companion in the settling of Old Europe by the nomadic Kurgan pastoralists of the Asia steppe region.  The appearance of this rune may indicate you will soon undertake a significant journey whose consequences may include profound personal transformation.

More generally, Raido conveys the momentum often associated with riding a swift steed.  It may indicate positive progress in the direction of your goals and dreams.  The archetypal "hero's journey" may even by invoked with this rune.  Voyaging beyond the comfortable and immediate known world was highly valued by the Norse.

What progress am I making in my life?  Where do I feel stuck?

How do I experience a feeling of moving forward?

Do I desire to go on a journey or voyage of self-discovery?  What would such a journey look like?

SOWELU - The Source. The Sun.  The Rune Sowelu is an extremely positive and powerful rune.  Sowelu represents the sun and all the powers associated with our shining star.  The Sun is associated with unlimited light and energy, warmth and power.  The appearance of Sowelu can indicate personal growth, spiritual illumination, healing, divinity and the attainment of wholeness.

Norse cosmology reveals a deep reverence for the sun, and rightly so.  The sun is the bringer and cultivator of all life.  Its return in spring heralds the end of the long, dark winters of the far northern realms.  It melts away ice and snow and unlocks the earth's immense fertility.

What do I seek illumination of in my life?  What aspects of my life are in shadow and are calling for illumination and healing?

What are the ways I can and do honor the Cosmic Source of all life?  How do I honor this force in my life and in the whole Cosmos?

Do I recognize that this powerful force is a part of my very being?  Do I see the divinity within myself?  If not, what has distorted my awareness of my inner light?

THURISAZ - Giant.  Originally associated with the giants of Norse lore, Thurisaz may also relate to misfortune or pain.  It is easy to see the glyph as symbolizing a thorn.  Thorns almost always bring pain!  The appearance of this rune may indicate a time of suffering or strain in which large, impersonal forces seem to block or hinder your progress in life.  The blockage may appear in home matters, career or relationships.

What is my relationship to suffering?

Do I take a broad view of misfortune?  Or do I become overly absorbed in my own pain?

Can I have a sense of humor when I am suffering?  Do I take myself too seriously?

TIWAZ - The Warrior.  Also known as Tyr, the rune Tiwaz stands for a Norse god of the same name.  An ancient Scandanavian and Germanic war god, Tiwaz is associated with the principles of justice and the heroic ideal.

Tyr holds a very honored place in Norse mythology.  A section of the Prose Edda tells of a time when the gods worked together to bind the wolf Fenris with a fetter called Gleipnir.  It was believed that the Fenriswolf would break free from his fetter at the time of the Ragnarok, a time associated with the near total destruction of Earth.  Fenris was suspicious of the gods' motives.  While being bound, Fenris therefore asked one of the gods to place a hand in his mouth as an oath, an indication of good faith.  Tyr offered his own hand.  When Fenris discovered he had been tricked, he bit off Tyr's hand.  It is for this reason that Tyr is sometimes known as "the one-handed."

Tiwaz more generally stands for the warrior principle and its associated characteristics of discipline, courage and persistence.  It is a rune to ponder when considering an issue that calls for you to bring forth all the focus, power and bravery you can muster.

All of us possess the power of the warrior within.  It is this energy we use when we commit to a cause we hold dear, defend those who cannot defend themselves, confront wrongdoing and create from sheer nothingness.

How do I care for the warrior energy within?

What causes and issues am I passionate about?

How do I respond to injustice?

What are my forms of discipline?  Whom and what do I look to for guidance to cultivate my power?

URUZ - Challenge. This rune relates to challenges, rites of initiation and the strength needed to successfully confront such events in our lives.  It may indicate a present or future situation of adversity that must be confronted.

What are my strengths?  How can I cultivate my strength in my life?

What are the uses of adversity?  When I feel challenged, how can I consciously and responsibly respond?

What wisdom can I call upon to face challenges that arise in my life?

WUNJO - Joy.  The rune Wunjo symbolizes joy, both the simple happiness we may experience in small acts of self-care, kindness to others and relishing the beauty of the moment and the longer term fulfillment we take in being in alignment with our life purpose.  The appearance of Wunjo in a reading may indicate a period of joy in your life.  It may also draw your attention to reflect on how you can create or maintain a joyous life.

What gives me joy?  How do I express my joy?

Do I have a healthy sense of self and give myself time to experience the joy of life?

What simple actions may I take to cultivate a joyful life for myself and others?

TESTIMONIALS

"Bernd provided a rune reading that was extremely relevant to the issues surrounding my life.  He has a great ability to explore the inner realm and present the readings in an understandable fashion.  Not only does he suggest what the rune is saying, he presents questions that allows one to look deeper into the self in order to best understand the full meaning of the reading.  With a true sense of caring, Bernd is knowledgeable and sincere." - Heather R.

An Oracle does not give you instruction as to what to do next, nor does it predict future events.  An Oracle points your attention towards those hidden fears and motivations that will shape your future by their unfelt presence within each present moment.  Once seen and recognized, these elements become absorbed into the realm of choice.  Oracles do not absolve you of the responsibility for selecting your future, but rather direct your attention towards those inner choices that may be the most important elements in determining that future.  -- The Book of Runes, Ralph Blum