And finally, here's the last part of my 13 Witches Runes posts! We only have one rune to cover - the Eye rune - which is a pretty complex symbol in itself, so it has a longer explanation. And then some extra information on Astrology and the runes!
Again, I cannot stress enough that the best resource on these runes is Susan Sheppard's book A Witch's Runes. If you liked my posts, I recommend that you buy it to enhance your practice, it's really a great book!
The eye has always been a powerful symbol for different cultures. Some believe that the soul resides in them, while others think it's possible to curse a person merely by looking at them. Through our eyes we connect and express emotions and thoughts. Thus, this is one of the most powerful runes in the set, emphasizing the importance of any rune close to it.
The Eye symbol is also related to "vision" is all senses, including the physical. This rune can represent our eyes and optic nerves. It can also represent activities such as research, analysis, photography and creative visualization. When it appears, there's an urge to observe, to explore, to understand deeply what is before you.
This rune is usually related to sudden realizations. Not necessarily a 'shock' (unless some violent rune is close it, like the Scythe and the Man), but more related to the lifting of veils. Your eyes are suddenly open, and you see things that were unknown to you before. A change of perception and focus in life is to be expected when this rune appears... whatever the situation is, the way you see it will be transformed.
The Eye rune also says that now it's time for you to go after what you want. Your focus is powerful right now, and everything you concentrate on can become successful. This rune often represents a lonely journey towards a goal... it suggests a calling and a connection to something bigger, a sense of purpose. Your path is clear to you now; you know which way to go, even if you don't know where exactly it'll take you.
In a spiritual level, This rune can represent a development of one's psychic skills, or an advancement in one's spiritual path. As you connect yourself to a deeper source, and learn to trust, you gain wisdom and your eyes see far. A higher power seems to be guiding you in times when the Eye appears.
Like the Sun rune, this rune can mean that right now all eyes are on you. But unlike the former symbol, when the Eye appears there's some discomfort related to such attention. It may be excessive and even unwelcome. In fact, this is one of this rune's most negative facets: it may show an invasion of privacy, when someone (or even you) pry into another's life and scrutinize their every move. Beware of flatterers and stalkers. The Eye cautions against obsession and the tendency to spy on other people's affairs.
In a relationship reading, the Eye can symbolize a predestined bond to another person. Note that this does not promise a happy ending, but simply says that this connection is powerful and will be very important in your life. In fact, because the Eye rune is a solitary one, it is possible that the people in the relationship cannot be together due to difficult circumstances. Still, your bond that person will transform you. In a negative way, this rune can cautions against invading your partner's personal space or stalking them.
Astrology & the Witches Runes
In her book, Susan Sheppard explains how each rune is connected to the astrological planets and zodiac signs. While this knowledge is not necessary to use the runes, it may be useful to those who like Astrology and enjoy using it with divination. Knowing the ruling planet of each rune helps to enhance its meaning.
For those who enjoy using elemental dignities in their card-reading practice, I am also giving in the table below the element of each rune. Elements are a wonderful way for determining the 'atmosphere' of a reading.
RUNE: PLANET -- ZODIAC -- ELEMENT
Moon: Moon -- Cancer -- Water
Flight: Mercury -- Gemini -- Air
Rings: Chiron (or Mercury) -- Virgo -- Earth
Romance: Mars & Venus -- Aries & Libra -- Fire & Air
Woman: Venus -- Taurus -- Earth
Man: Mars -- Aries -- Fire
Harvest: Jupiter -- Sagittarius -- Fire
Crossroads: Saturn -- Capricorn -- Earth
Star: Uranus -- Aquarius -- Air
Waves: Neptune - Pisces -- Water
Scythe: Pluto -- Scoprio -- Water
Eye: None -- Your Sign -- All elements
So... I hope you have enjoyed this series of posts about the 13 Witches Runes! I'll post some readings with it here in the blog, so you can see them in action! I hope this inspires you to buy the book and make (or buy) your own runes! Despite their apparent simplicity, they are a wonderful oracle, and they can also be used for making charms and casting spells (Susan Shappard teaches how to do that in the book).
The possibilities are endless! :-)
Return to The 13 Witches Runes ~ Part III
The symbols of the runes were taken from Susan Sheppard's A Witch's Runes © Kesington Publishing Corp. No copyright infringement intended.
I have the book, on your recommendation! I just need to get my stones and make my runes. :) xx
ReplyDeleteI am happy you decided to buy it, and I hope it's an interesting read even if you don't make the runes your main oracle. They are very nice, I recommend giving them a try though. :)
DeleteDear Saturness:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the meaning of 13 Witches Runes, although it's originally came from the book you mention about, but this article still helps a lot.
So I'd like to ask about the use of this article, because I'm reader from Taiwan, and have seen the witches runes before- but not take it seriously till I read this article here. I wonder, may I translate this article into Traditional Chinese, and use it in my blog? and I will show the resource link to here in my article too.
It will be very kind if you can let me post it, and if you like I can give you the file that has been translate.
Thank you again anyway.
Hello Salixmoon!
DeleteI apologize for my delay in answering. I honestly have no problem with you translating and sharing the article in Traditional Chinese, as long as you share it for free and provide credit back to my blog. I advise that you also provide a link to a store where the book can be purchased (like Amazon), and give credit to the original author (Susan Sheppard) and the Publisher (Citadel Press, 2000), because the original material is theirs, not mine.
The only thing that I request that you do not include in your translation is the images, please.
Hope this helps you!