If you are new to an alternative spiritual path, and along the way, you’ve done a brief bit of research on some things your friends told you about, such as crystals, divination tools and so on, you might have come across a combination of the following: Norse runes (aka ‘Elder Futhark’) carved into pieces of amethyst.
Amethyst runes, essentially. ‘How lovely!’ you might be thinking. ‘But what’s the purpose of this combination, other than the fact that the purple tone is pretty, and these odd-looking letters are fascinating?’
This is an excellent question, and the information given will help you understand more.
About Amethyst
Let’s start with the stone itself. If you haven’t looked much into crystals, amethyst is one of the best ones to start with, as it is one of the best-known, next to clear quartz.
Amethyst has long been celebrated as a stone that’s associated with the third eye chakra, the one situated between—and just slightly above—your physical eyes. The third eye is often the seat of clairvoyance and other ‘mind’s-eye’ activities, such as dreaming. Amethyst aids in clearing and using the third-eye chakra and aids in using other intuitive gifts that include the ability to use divination tools, such as the Norse runes.
There are other stones associated with the third eye, but amethyst is, essentially the ‘star’ of the ‘show’ as it were. Long ago, in ancient Greece, it was also associated with sobriety (not being drunk or otherwise inebriated), but that usage has often been set aside in favour of its prime association with intuition.
About the Norse Runes
The Norse runes have been around for millenia, as the earliest runic-style writings in caves date back to the late Bronze Age: around 1300 BC. This said, no one really truly knows how old they actually are, as it’s been suggested that what we know as the runes were likely used as divinatory tools long before being used as an alphabetic system.
Norse/Teutonic mythology tells the story of how the runes came into being. Odin (aka Wodin/Woden/Wotan) is a Norse god who will do anything to gain more knowledge and wisdom. He envied the Norns their power to shape destiny with the runes, and thus he sought their wisdom. For those who are just coming to know the various mythologies beyond any classroom, the Norns are three women that might be considered the Scandinavian equivalent to the Greek Fates.
In the quest for the runic knowledge wielded by the Norns, Odin pierced himself, and hung upside down on the World Tree, known as Yggdrasil. He told no one to give him any kind of help, not even a drink of water, until he got the knowledge he sought. Finally, after nine days and nights, he was finally shown the powers of the runes, as they accepted his sacrifice. He was then able to do many things with this knowledge, including healing bodily and emotional wounds, binding enemies and making their weapons useless, and much more.
The Combination of the Runes with Amethyst
Now that you know the power of amethyst and the mystical essence of the runes, you can see why someone would have the insight to carve them into amethyst, and combine their energies. The amethyst heightens your intuitive knowledge, and you are using the runes that Odin himself learned while hanging on the World Tree, a very shamanic act, variations of which are echoed throughout many other stories, practises and rituals intended to bring about knowledge from Spirit.
Using amethyst runes, found in the Zen Spiritual shop, can bring an added dose of Otherworldly knowledge to your day in beautiful ways you might not expect. Simply be respectful of the knowledge you’re given, as well as the stones themselves. Cleanse them, consecrate them as you see fit, and it’s advisable not to let just anyone handle them.
Also, to create the proper energetic atmosphere for divination, make sure you’re not going to be interrupted by phone calls, etc. It’s also often suggested that you meditate beforehand, and you can create as simple or as elaborate a ceremony as you see fit, based on time, needs, etc.
While they’re not the only divinatory tool in the world, the amethyst runes are a beautiful way to receive guidance for your life, as well as a way to help others, if you feel called to do so.