Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine

by Lara Veleda Vesta

Overview

Highlights the feminine origin of the runes in the context of an immersive course in rune practice.

Using inquiry and original translations alongside traditional rune poems and sacred art, Wild Soul Runes invites readers to develop their own wisdom connection with the runes through practice. The book is based on the premise that all of us possess the ability to receive divine information through rune practice. Rather than telling the reader what the runes mean, author Lara Veleda Vesta shares an interactive practice for readers to discover the unique ways the runes speak to them.

The book covers the history of the runes, both in myth and through the connection with Old European archaeological findings. This history offers evidence for the idea that the runes have a feminine origin, coming from the well of the Norns, the female triple giantesses who represent the fates in Norse myth.

It introduces the concept of the runes as beings rather than simply an alphabet or magical tools. The purpose of Wild Soul Runes is to create a relationship with these beings through ancestral connection, personal gnosis, and ritual practice.

Readers will learn how to:

• Make a rune altar
• Develop a daily ritual practice with the runes
• Honor the Germanic/Anglo Saxon wheel of the year
• Craft a rune set and rune ceremonies for divination

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578637393
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	05/01/2021
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	1,138,533
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Lara Veleda Vesta is an artist, author, storyteller and educator transforming chronic illness into a path of healing and reclaiming. She is the author of The Moon Divas Guidebook, and The Moon Divas Oracle, illustrator of The Moon Divas Oracle Cards and is currently working toward her PhD in Philosophy and Religion while exploring ancestral connection and disability as initiation. She shares her path of myth, folk magic, ancestor lore and ritual practice with her Patreon community and through classes at the Wild Soul School.

Table of Contents

Acknowledments vii

Beginning the Work, 1

The Runes and Your Fate or "Wyrd," 2

Preparation Week-or Weeks, 13

Your Rune Practice, 21

A Guide to the Weekly Work, 21

The Rune Poems, 22

Making Your Rune Set, 28

The Runes, 41

The Elder Futhark, 43

The Anglo-Northumbrian or Jotun Runes, 123

How to End and Begin Again: My Runic Journey, 157

Runes and Ceremonial Divination, 179

Rune Webs and Reading the Wyrd, 182

Closing the Practice: Sharing Your Gnosis, 186

Appendix A Timeline of the Runes, 188

Appendix B Rune Resources, 190

Notes, 198

Editorial Reviews

03/15/2021

Artist Vesta (The Moon Divas Oracle) suggests in this colorful guide ways to build a “source wisdom partnership” with runes from the Elder Futhark and Anglo-Northumbrian alphabets. Vesta grounds readers with a brief overview of Northern European history, particularly the culture of Norse and Anglo-Saxon peoples and their spiritual connection to their ancestors. She explains the runes’ power through the concept of wyrd—a universal “fabric” containing “the essence of all creation... life force, energy, gestation, birth, destruction”—and explores the origins of the runes, tying them to the Norns (“triple goddesses” of Norse mythology) and concluding that “the runes are sacred feminine magic, held in the trust-memory of prehistoric, Old European civilizations.” She recommends beginning with a ritual to connect with one’s female ancestral lineage, offering tools for the contemplation of each rune, among them a simple circular pattern, a series of questions to ask the rune, and one or more rune poems. The poems are delivered first in a popular 19th-century translation, and then in Vesta’s often awkward translation: “River’s mouth is made perfect bragging.” Vesta also includes black-and-white illustrations of rune patterns to aid readers in creating their own at home. Anyone interested in European mythology will find Vesta’s philosophy and method refreshing. (May)

Publishers Weekly

It is always a good day when a book surprises and delights the reader. Lara Veleda Vesta's wonderful Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine 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 people like me who are curious about the runes. I recommend her unorthodox and appealing interpretation.” 

H. Byron Ballard

"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 deftly reclaims the feminine power of the runes by inviting you to explore 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

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

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

Wild Soul Runes is now one of my top recommended, go-to books for those who wish to begin their studies with the runes and who truly wish to engage with them deeply, developing a relationship with them and welcoming them into their lives." 

Gæbriel Ta¨ma¨ya

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

Within the pages of Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine, you will find a 33-week 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 bringing the reader wholly into each rune’s realm.

Amy Blackthorn

"In her book Wild Soul Runes, Lara 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

Wild Soul Runes is now one of my top recommended, go-to books for those who wish to begin their studies with the runes and who truly wish to engage with them deeply, developing a relationship with them and welcoming them into their lives." 

Gæbriel Ta¨ma¨ya