In 1972, British Traditional Witch Dana Corby was gifted a system of sortilege-based divination by her teacher, Sara Cunningham. Ever since, Corby has been working with and evolving that system, which she calls the Witches’ Runes.

These are not the runes familiar to many as the Elder, Younger or Anglo-Saxon Futhark (although they are somewhat inspired by them). Norse reconstructionists and purists won’t find what they’re looking for here. Some may disagree (will likely disagree, given that we Neopagans are an opinionated lot) with Corby’s history and understanding of the traditional runic system(s). Best to understand from the beginning what is being offered in this slim, practical DIY volume (you make the stones yourself, easily and cheaply, Corby’s book is not tied to a “buy your consecrated set of stones here” product pitch, although she does make and sell sets, along with other magical objects).

Privately printed and shared largely by word of mouth for a quarter of a century, The Witches’ Runes: A Traditional Divination System is available again after an absence of many years. It is the very simple, clear and accessible creation of the author. You can begin using the system within a few hours of reading the book, honestly, and quickly assess whether or not it will work for you.

By “simple and clear” I mean 14 runic symbols, named as and representing unambiguous concepts like Family, Money, Disordered Thoughts, and Death.

A caveat, though: If you think “simple” means “simplistic”… think again. When your intuition meets the right tool, baroque or minimalist, the same key turns in the same door, and the wisdom that is available flows from the same source. If this is the tool (or one of them) that opens that door for you, use it without concern that there are not enough arcane flourishes in Corby’s system to please those with a more gothic aesthetic.

This book, actually, has a long-established following. Yes, it was originally made available in a time when such things were not generally available – many “old school” witches remember it fondly as their introduction to the use of runes for divination. But the fact that the book remains in demand and the system continues to be used and praised indicates that even in the present electronic climate of information over-saturation, this straightforward approach is getting real and useful results for those who practice it.

You can find Dana, her handiwork, and her book (also available from Amazon and elsewhere) on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/danacorbywitchesrunes/

And you can read her column, The Rantin’ Raven, on Patheos.com’s Agora Pagan channel:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/author/dcorby/

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