Richard Lister - Runes Made Easy: Harness the Magic of the Ancient Northern Oracle

The Akashic Records

Ancestral Healing

Animal Communication

Astrology

Chakras

Connecting with the Angels

Connecting with the Fairies

Crystals

Discovering Your Past Lives

Energy Healing

Feng Shui

Goddess Wisdom

Lucid Dreaming

Meditation

Mediumship

Mindfulness

NLP

Numerology

Qabalah

Reiki

Self-Hypnosis

Shamanism

Tantra

The Tarot

Published in the United Kingdom by:

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Text Richard Lister, 2021

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the readers discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made, the failure to take medical advice or for any material on third-party websites.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-78817-642-2

E-book ISBN: 978-1-78817-646-0

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-78817-643-9

Interior illustrations: pages Jaanus Jagomgi/Unsplash; all other images Richard Lister.

This book is dedicated to the God of Kings, The Wanderer, The Furious One, Mr Wednesday, Odin.

To Leanne and Sarah for their encouragement and passion.

And to my radiant wife, Lisa, without whose constant support and guidance, these words would not see reality.

As you sit in your safe home,

surrounded by peace, comfort,

and the trappings of civilization,

do you, reader, remember the energies of old,

the memories once filled with passion and power?

Even now, after hundreds of years,

do they remain glowing, radiant with the glitter of the midnight sun

Or do they then darken, like bloodstains on the annals of history?

Can your mind, slow with sleep and delirium,

direct your soul back to the joys and pain of the past

Then follow me,

I will lead you down that path.

Though

Your heart will guide you better than I.

Upon that I rely, and so we begin.

Z. TOPELIUS, THE SURGEONS STORIES, 1836
TRANSLATED BY RICHARD LISTER

From the outset, I want to make it clear that this book is guidance based on my own study, practice and experience. Take what I say and work with it, grow with it in a way that feels good to you. Fill the void with your own experience and power.

What I want for you to get from this book is a relationship with the runes that will let you use them the runes that have been used for thousands of years to communicate, divine and heal. Use them as a modality to access your power, creativity and joy. Use them to realize that its simply social conditioning that leads us to behave in certain ways, and that you are completely allowed, in fact, actively encouraged, to bend and form the rules and empower yourself to be the awesome and sovereign human being you were born to be.

First, Id like you to know me, where my bias is, what has led me here and why you would benefit from putting your trust and energy into what I have to say in this book.

Im a man, born and raised in Kent in England. Im 6 feet 7 inches and big. I have a beard and have spent a lot of the last 15 years dressed as a Viking. Vikingness literally runs in my blood and bones. My ancestry goes back to the Normans and then further back still to the Norwegian Vikings of Gngu-Hrlfr.

I discovered Heathen paganism at university, and it felt good a remembrance, as it were. This led me to the runes.

One night I was at a pagan camp in a field in the middle of an ancient forest. Most people had gone to sleep and the diehards were the only ones left around the fireside.

This next bit is going to sound weird, but its true. So, shush.

I had a vision, a full-blown deity-standing-in-the-fire vision, telling me to go and learn ancestral medicine and healing techniques, so I could serve better. The deity had one eye and a spear: Odin, Nordic king of the gods, god of war and shamanic healing.

I was shaken to the core. I stood staring into the fire for what felt like hours before taking myself off to my tent.

This was to be the first of many visits from Odin, and since that first vision, two crows, Huginn and Muninn, have often made themselves known to me as well, to make sure Im heeding the call.

Lets be clear: when Odin speaks, I listen.

So, over the last decade and a half, I have dedicated myself to healing. In all its forms: Ive worked in a hospital Accident and Emergency Department, trained as a nurse, trained as a yoga teacher, learned the ancient practices of Ayurveda and massage, and studied NLP, psychology and trauma, and throughout that time, Ive worked with the runes and their guidance, wisdom, medicine and magic daily, in both my personal practice and my work with clients.

Why?

Because they hold medicine for these times.

The runes arent fortune-tellers, theyre way-showers, and in a world where we are feeling stripped of our power, they give it back to us; the power to look into the mists of the future, to support and heal ourselves, and/or have the self-insight to seek the right direction/people/help.

So, you could say that Odin made me do it. Odin made me write this rune book to support you so that you too will remember, in the same way that I did, the magic and medicine and personal power held in the runes.

Thanks, Odin.