Runes are actually nothing more than the symbols of an ancient Germanic alphabet, called Futhark. There two knowns versions; I work with the Elder Futhark, which consists of 24 symbols or letters.

​

Just like with any oracle, it’s true magic resides in the non-coincidental coincidence (also known as synchronicity) created when you ask a question and get answers you’d think were impossible to get from a pile of stones or a deck of cards. The oracles themselves, be it rune stones or tarot cards or whatever else, merely offer imagery so we can decipher messages from the Universe or our Higher Selves more easily. 

​

In the case of Runes, we need to take into account the culture that created them. Specifically their view of fate, time, and free will. Germanic people viewed time, especially within their mythology, as circular. If we take the image of Yggdrasil, the tree of life which sustains all worlds, we find beneath it the well of Urd (often considered as Fate) which feeds the tree. This water travels through the roots, up along the trunk of Yggdrasil until it falls back into the well in the form of dewdrops from its leaves. It ends at its beginning. 
Therefor, we could say that as the past clearly influences the presence, your present view of a situation can “change” the past as you understand it differently than you did when it happened.
When it comes to fate and free will, I feel like mythology often points to a more or less set destiny, but that it’s up to you how you fulfill it.

 

Whatever an oracle shows you, is never set in stone and that is important to remember. It merely shows you where you’re at, and what the most likely (or most prosperous) path is for you at that point in time. You have the power to change this. Especially when it points to necessary changes: it’s most likely indicating something you already know, but how you go through those changes is entirely up to you.