Lara Veleda Vesta - Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine

In recent times, runes seem to have been relegated to the realm of the masculine with many considering Galdr, the practice of rune song, to be a skill used by men. However, these mysteries are open and available to anyone of any gender or cultural background. As evidence of this, Lara Veleda Vesta deftlyreclaims the feminine power of the runes by inviting you to delve into these ancient concepts in your own way through self-inquiry and personal exploration, while keeping one foot firmly rooted in Old Norse wisdom. A recommended read for those seeking the ancient wisdom of runes while exploring their own path of spiritual growth. Kaedrich Olsen, author of Runes for Transformation

Within Wild Soul Runes you will find a thirty-threeweek course that embeds your consciousness in the realm of the Runes by immersing you in a rune a week. You are going under the cloak to gain a greater understanding of where these symbols come from, including historical context and no less than four translations per rune. Vesta has created the perfect blending of scholarship and personal gnosis to form a complete picture of that rune's teaching and bring the reader wholly into each rune's realm. Amy Blackthorn, author of Blackthorn's Botanical Brews

In her book Wild Soul Runes, Lara Veleda Vesta presents a concise history of the runic alphabet and a powerful workbook for listening to, learning from, and intimately knowing the runes. In this work, the runes emerge as individuals, as beings, that, taken together, create a community that imparts transformative wisdom. Jesse Bransford, clinical associate professor of art, NYU Steinhardt and author of A Book of Staves

Take a walk on the wild side of the runes with Lara Veleda Vesta, as she leads readers on a unique journey Wild Soul Runes moves between the subconscious layers of the web of Wyrd to connect to the ancestors by inward journey and meditation, as well as tapping into the mysteries with the aid of the Norns and Gullveig. The weekly rune exercises and ancestor work offer readers a deep and introspective spiritual growth opportunity. John Hijatt, runester and host of the Gifts of the Wyrd podcast

Although I have worked with the ancestors most of my life, Wild Soul Runes gave me even more ideas to add to my ancestral toolkit. At the author's suggestion, I took time to write with the ancestors each morning, then paused, giving them time to write back. This advice, alone, was priceless. In addition, the way the author allowed the runes to ask their own questions challenged me to peer into the intersection of where seemingly contradictory energies meet. The questions and the subsequent journaling made the runes far more personal to me than I'd ever felt before. Nancy Hendrickson, author of Ancestral Tarot

Wild Soul Runes is both a well-needed breath of fresh air and an important contribution to contemporary rune knowledge and understanding. It is empowering, comprehensive, and unapologetically free of the patriarchal dogma ever present in so many other rune books. Lara Veleda Vesta takes us on a journey through what is known historically about the runes and then gently encourages and guides us into the unknown, taking the runes back to their feminine source. From crafting your own runes, creating ceremonies and ancestor altars to calling on our Motherline Ancestors to heal generational wounds, Wild Soul Runes is at once poetic, thorough, and brilliantly clear. It is now among my top recommended, go-to books for those seeking to begin their rune studies with the runes, as well as those who truly wish to engage with them deeply, developing a relationship and welcoming them into their lives. Gaabriel Tamaya, author of White Stones & Little Bones

In Wild Soul Runes, Lara Veleda Vesta beautifully demonstrates a deep knowledge of the runes and explains their connection to the Divine Feminine. Vesta has created a wonderful practice to deepen your personal journey with the runes. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or a new beginner, this book will deepen your comprehension. We thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning from these pages and know that you will, too. Amanda Keith and TJ Vancil, owners of 3 Crows Conjure and Occult Master Class

It is always a good day when a book surprises and delights the reader. Lara Veleda Vesta's wonderful Wild Soul Runes is such a book. She has taken the received wisdom on this old system and given it a freshness that I found intriguing. Vesta's work opens this system to those like me who are curious about the runes. I recommend her unorthodox and appealing interpretation. H. Byron Ballard, priestess and author of Roots, Branches & Spirits

This edition first published in 2021 by Weiser Books, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

65 Parker Street, Suite 7

Newburyport, MA 01950

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2021 by Lara Veleda Vesta

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-739-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover and text design by Kathryn Sky-Peck

Cover art and interior illlustrations Lara Veleda Vesta

Typeset in Aller Light

Printed in the United States of America

IBI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

To the Nornir and the Dsir, to my ancestors and descendants,
and to the web of support (human and nonhuman) that makes possible
this work. By this and every effort may the balance be regained. ALU

First, to my family: Eric, Xavier, Grace, and Rhea. Thank you for supporting and celebrating my wyrdness. You are always the heart and root of all I do. To my parents, grandparents, my brother, and cousins and their families, and the great extended web of relatives who have raised me and nurtured my connection to ancestry and place through love, I could not be more grateful. All I create is in the service of our connection.

To the friends who have stuck with me through turbulence and the circles who have contributed to my growth and practice, especially those including Margrethe, Kristina, Darlene, Raina, and the steadfast members of the first rune study live gnosis group, Rebecca, Sarah, and Megan, this offering holds your imprint everywhere and your belief in me through it all is transforming.

To Dr. Alka Arora and Dr. Mara Keller at the California Institute of Integral Studies where several parts of this book began as papers in the WSE PhD program, thank you for your compassionate teaching, for giving academic substance to my felt sense, and for enriching my cultural and historical awareness.

To the magical Judika Illes, who first called me on the summer solstice and whose belief in this project made it become, I am so grateful to you and the team at Red Wheel/Weiser for your compassionate support of this work.

To my patrons on Patreon, especially the Dark Goddess Creativity Group, Coven Invisible, and Ancestral Weavers: this book would not have been made without your very physical and essential support, and I am so incredibly grateful to have such a community with me on this journey.