A Review of the Weird Weavings Runic Oracle: Threads of Feminine Wisdom
22Jul
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Red Feather (an imprint of Schiffer Publishing) sent over the Weird Weavings Runic Oracle created by Faina Lorah for me to review and share with you. This is a truly unique pairing of the 24 Elder Futhark runes with botanicals and Norse goddesses, mixing the wisdom of the divine feminine and the ancient wisdom found in the runes themselves. This concept modernizes these sacred symbols and gives them more complexity to help us see how this wisdom shows up in our modern world today.
The Weird Weavings Runic Oracle blends traditional rune meanings with powerful images of Norse mythology, animals, and plants and can serve as altar cards, tools for spells, daily draws, focal points for meditations, or in divinatory readings, of course.
The creator (Faina Lorah) shares that this deck was inspired by the Norns themselves, their power to weave fate, and their feminine energy to work the magic of the runes. The Norns are women who are wild, wise, and very weird. She says that with this deck as your guide, you’ll tap into the ancient wisdom encoded with each rune, revealing hidden truths and unlocking the mysteries of the universe.
During the creative process, she was led to capture the essence of a specific Norse goddess accompanied by their sacred animal companion for each rune, and the lore that binds their destiny together, weaving a narrative that helps us associate a meaningful story with each rune.
The creator says, “From the fierce warriors on the battlefield to the gentle healers of the Earth, each card weaves a story of empowerment, resilience, and wisdom.”
In Weird Weavings, the feminine divine takes center stage, woven seamlessly with the wisdom of the ages. “Whether used as a daily guide or a ritual tool, this oracle offers a path to deeper insight, mythic connection, and ancestral remembering.”
This is an indie deck that has been picked up by Red Feather for mass production, with upgrades including a gorgeous magnetic box, colored guidebook, and gold foil card edges. Everything about this deck is gorgeous from the hunter green and red decorative deck box to the teal, dark purple, and mauve card backs, to the stunning illustrations and color combinations that make up the card fronts as shown below. It’s a treat for the eyes! This allows each card to carry a different vibe and a unique story that evokes the essence of that particular runic theme.
Weird Weavings stands out as a unique reimagining of the runic system, linking the goddesses with each rune, and the artwork takes it to another level. Every card was painted by hand by artist Faina Lorah using the timeless tradition of oil on wood to breathe life into the realms of ancient mythology. I’ve included a link to a YouTube video under the about the artist section if you’d like to hear about the creation process she used to create each card.
Through each masterpiece, she weaves together a sacred narrative where there’s an intricate dance among divine entities, animals, and botanicals, imparting a message completely unique to this deck. Through her creativity, artistry, and her unique outlook, the creator’s signature is certainly felt throughout the deck.
The images on each rune/goddess card and the specific background colors of the cards can also serve as guides for creating themed altar spaces. Every visual aspect of each card was carefully considered to create a rich spiritual experience when working with the runes. This creative approach helps diviners to connect with each rune in a unique way. I’m all for anything that will help to make the runes more accessible and approachable. Sometimes the runes are hard to grasp, but this modern take on this ancient divinatory system helps to pair a story with each rune, which helps to differentiate one rune from the next. It’s much easier to remember them this way.
Runic systems aren’t the easiest to work with because it takes a lot of memorization without much to grab onto with just a symbol to jog the memory when working with this system for divining. Totally different from tarot, which has so much of the story told in the images on the cards. I found this runic deck easier to see the story reflected in the card presentation, which helped with retention of the message.
How this deck diverges from the traditional path: Each card focuses on a Norse goddess and channels divine feminine energy through each rune for a divinatory message, regardless of its order or orientation. This is particularly helpful for single card draws, during daily introspection, and spellcasting or talisman work with the use of one potent card. These cards are meant as a tool for spiritual insight and healing. Therefore, reversed rune meanings have been excluded in the guidebook since they often carry negative messages. The creator has opted to present a positive, uplifting message for each rune to illuminate our path and offer insight and guidance as we navigate the twist and turns of fate.
Rune decks sometimes feel intimidating, but this deck somehow makes them more accessible. I think it is this weaving of the stories throughout and the calming, grounding color combinations that made it a more comforting experience for me. I can see myself pulling one card at the end of the night to help me wind down and ground before bedtime.
Spreads in the Guidebook
The creator has provided a few different spreads in the guidebook for us. She starts with a 3-card Norn Spread, looking at past influences, present challenges, and future results. The 7-card Herringbone Spread that serves as an extension of the 3-card Norn Spread and takes a deeper look into that spread to give us more information on the best action to take given the topic asked about and gives a heads up for possible obstacles and potential future outcomes.
There’s also a 9-card Yggdrasil Spread ideal for deep inner work, inspired by the holy ash tree in the center of the cosmos, which is believed to house all nine realms of Norse mythology. This spread takes a look at our actualized self, our conscious and unconscious aspects, and our shadow self.
Guidebook Descriptions
The deck comes with a 128-page full-color guidebook included. In the guidebook, each rune card is presented along with three keywords and a 2-to-3-page description of the rune’s energy/essence and its associations with the themes and wise messages that come with the divinely channeled wisdom containing a narrative rich with the lore of both goddess and her animal companion that Faina has connected with each rune, along with suggestions on how to use these runes in spell work (such as using the Fehu rune in spells to attract success in career goals, to elevate social status, or to gain material goods).
The creator offers traditional meanings as well as modern takes for each rune interpretation for our readings in the modern world. This helps to bring this ancient form of divination into our everyday practice without feeling out of place. Faina also mentions how to work with each rune for healing or growth on our journeys where appropriate. In addition, she shows us through the narrative woven through each card how the goddess and her sacred animal companion can help usher in the themes of these runes and how they can help us deepen our connection to the meaning of the message offered by the rune in our readings.
Let’s put this deck to work, shall we?
I was guided to pull two cards for the collective and asked what message we most need to know at this time. I set the intention that this message would resonate with any person who encountered this blog post.
I pulled Perthro and Tiwaz for us
Perthro keywords: mystery, chance, and secrets
The guidebook says,“Perthro is a mysterious symbol linked to the cauldron and the secrets it harbors inside its dark well. Perthro embodies chance, with past actions shaping the present and future. It signifies birth, wisdom, and creative power. Embracing fate is crucial, ensuring success without unnecessary risks. It may also represent secrecy and hidden actions.
Spiders are linked to the Norns, the weavers of fate who spin the thread of fate at birth, marking the limits of one’s actions in life. Even the gods are bound by their laws and are subject to time.
Faina links Perthro to the nightshade family of plants (also known as black henbane) often associated with witchcraft, and its consumption, particularly in the form of stinging henbane tea, can lead to symptoms, such as increased aggression, unpredictability, and wild behavior. The magic and mystery of spiders and nightshade correlate with the themes of this rune. Together, they bind the world in a secret web of fate that only the Norns can’t untangle.”
Tiwaz keywords: balance, authority, and sacrifice
The guidebook says, “Tiwaz resembles an arrow or spear and represents order, justice, and fair treatment, reflecting hierarchy and societal rules. It empowers you to fight for your beliefs and goals, granting new strength and energy. This is the rune of order, and for balancing the scales and righting any wrongs. It’s an action rune, ready to aid the warrior who is brave enough to fight for a just cause.
Hlin, the Norse goddess of protection, aids those favored by Frigg in finding safety from enemies. She intervenes in times of woe, serving as a shield for Frigg’s chosen, keeping them from harm and providing refuge. Hlin is especially vigilant over fugitives and women in distress, guiding them to safety.
Wolves often symbolize sacrifice and authority. They embody the untamed essence of nature and the protective instincts of kinship, serving both as allies and adversaries to the divine figures. In some tales, they represent the sacrifices made for the greater good. While in others, they symbolize the authority and power of fate, such as the tale of Fenrir, the great wolf who breaks free of his chain during Ragnarok and kills Oden.
Both examples show the fierce power of the wolves and their ability to show authority. The ancient Norse revered the mighty oak as the king of trees, embodying strength, endurance, and the power of Thor, often called the Tree of Thunder. Seeking shelter beneath its branches was believed to offer protection under Thor’s sacred power. In Viking culture, the oak symbolized warrior strength and courage and was used in constructing powerful ships and homes, alongside weapons adorned with wolf imagery.
Hlin, the wolves, and the mighty oak are all associated with the power of Tiwaz, a rune of strength and justice.”
How I see these 2 runes weaving a message for us today:
Taken together in today’s political climate, I’m taking this combination of powerful runes as an encouraging message that during these heavy times WE are the weavers of fate. By being brave and stepping in as warriors and allies for just causes (for refugees, the unhoused, those seeking asylum, and those fighting for equal rights and for voting power to get a say in their representation), we are creating a world that is just and fair and that will be a place where all feel safe and supported. We can’t be silent in the face of cruelty, abuse of power, and injustice.
We have to lean into our strengths (as warriors) and fight for justice to be done! By doing so in the present moment, we are shaping our collective future/fate. Our fate lies in our hands. In each other we must trust to create a loving, compassionate world.
We must be like the wolves linked to the Tiwaz rune and gather in our pack to protect one another, especially those who are particularly vulnerable in this climate. Right now, the future might feel like a mystery, but if we trust that those who stand in integrity will be victorious, then together, we can successfully create the world we envision for ourselves. We’ve got to take a chance on one another (at least those of us that have proven trustworthy).
I’m a big believer in fate, but I also am of the mind that to a certain extent we do shape our destiny by the choices we make and by the manifestations we call into this world and into this life. Sure, there is some degree of our lives that are fated based on what the collective needs to heal at the moment and what the collective needs to birth into the world. But there is a certain extent of our futures that is ours to shape and mold according to our dreams and desires for what we want to accomplish, experience, or birth into existence.
This Perthro rune here is speaking to me about our role as weavers of that fate. And as a collective, we need to come together with a vision for this world that is aligned with our values and desires for what kind of life we want to live and in what kind of world we want to do that in. When talking about fate, there is a phrase I like to share, which basically says what is meant for you will not pass you by. You cannot miss what is fated for you.
To that extent, we can trust that even though we may exert our free will in order to live as closely to our dreams as possible, there is a greater soul plan in place to make sure we stay on track and learn the lessons we signed up to learn in this life. But where free will really comes into the picture is through how we choose to express ourselves and also to the extent we engage in fun/play/joy on this journey that we walk. That's the really fun part that helps keep this journey from becoming boring or too tedious that we just become disconnected from it along the way.
This Perthro rune (that signifies mystery) is speaking to me about the playfulness and the curiosity that comes with the mysteries surrounding fate and how fun it is to explore that mystery through divination and manifestation. It's also fun to experiment with the boundaries of our fate and how far we can bend our destinies with our free will without going too far out of the bounds of our soul plan. That's a topic I'm actively exploring in the new witchy novel I'm writing.
So, give some thought today to what kind of things you’d like to experiment with when it comes to fate versus free will and how you’d like to explore how much you’re able to shape your destiny and thus your future that we are creating at this current moment.
And with the Tiwaz rune, the message is once you have an idea of how you’d like to shape and mold the world according to the vision you’ve landed on, you must fight for that vision with everything you’ve got (just like the warrior goddesses that are found throughout this deck). Don’t let those in power try to force their will to override yours and don’t let them silence your voice because that’s how we vote at the cosmic level.
With our words, our thoughts, and our intentions, we each contribute to building the world around us, and when those in power silence us at that level, they’re cutting off our ability to weave the future and the fate that we have a birthright to. So, this is a call to take that power back and to shape our collective fate, while knowing that no one has the ability to steal our fate from us unless we give it over willingly.
We’re birthing a new world, we might as well make it a just one!
If you’d like to learn more about runes, I’d suggest also working with the Rune Learning cards (shown above), which act as flashcards with keywords. They’re helping me learn the messages as I go. Here's the link to the deck of learning cards I use.
I’d also recommend getting a small manual to help as you start wading into the waters of runes. Here's the link for the one I use.
Summary
There aren’t too many rune decks out there, so this one truly shines and stands out. This deck helps to ground us in the meanings of the runes while infusing more magic and whimsy into this ancient practice, bringing it to life in a way I’ve yet to encounter. I’ve found them easier to read with than just the stones themselves. This made for a richer experience when working with the runes.
Once you begin working with this deck, you realize how much thought and study went into the construction of each card, drawing from mythological lore, the natural world, and the animal kingdom. It’s quite an impressive creation and seems well researched and executed with exquisite beauty and artistry! Blending traditional practices and wisdom with a fresh new twist makes this deck a useful tool to elevate modern divination practices. It’s sure to grab the attention of diviners who haven’t yet been intrigued by this type of reading system.
If you have felt called to give this system (runes) a try, take a chance on this new iteration of working with them. If you’ve struggled to master them before, this version could help open up this new system for you.
Harness the power of the runes as you unlock the secrets of the cosmos. With this deck as your guide, you’ll tap into the ancient wisdom encoded within each rune, revealing hidden truths and unlocking the mysteries of the universe. ~ Faina
Where you can find the deck
Thanks to Red Feather for sending this Weird Weavings Runic Oracle over. It’s going to help me tackle this new system for sure. The deck is on sale now. Buy the deck using my affiliate link here for $19.99
About the Creator/Artist
Faina Lorah is an award-winning artist and author who blends traditional techniques with a modern, magical touch to create a world of whimsy. Deeply inspired by her Slavic heritage, she reimagines folk art with bold colors and intricate storytelling, bringing mythology and lore to life. She seeks to make divination cards both approachable and enchanting while weaving timeless tales through her oil paintings and watercolor art. Born in Russia and raised in the United States, the self-identified global citizen spends her time as a nomadic artist traveling Asia, Europe, and North America with her partner and dog. Her published works include Vasilisa's Russian Fairy Tales, Curious Creatures of Russian Folklore, and Krampus and Other Yuletide Tales.
YouTube link from the author about how the art was made – I always love to hear from the artists themselves about their creations process!
FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received the Weird Weavings Runic Oracle by Red Feather for prospective review. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion of this deck.
All links provided are my affiliate links and I receive a small commission. Thank you for helping to support my blog by using these links.
My Witchy Novels
Here There Be Witches - out now!
Book Blurb for Here There Be Witches
In 1645, at a time when England was gripped by superstition and an intense fear of the supernatural, the infamous Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, roamed the countryside on a mission to root out and cleanse the country of witches. Casting a shadow over the land, these hunts scarred generations of women for centuries, leaving many afraid to acknowledge or nurture their healing powers and intuitive gifts.
Caught amidst this frenzy, three sisters, Alexa, Iris, and Hattie Wardwell, fight to keep their coven intact to keep their knowledge of the old ways alive for future generations. Despite their vows to only wield their powers for good, these sisters find themselves ensnared in the deadly web of accusations and persecution that grips their village.
As whispers of witchcraft spread like wildfire, a rival witch with a vendetta that spans lifetimes aids the Witchfinder General in hunting Alexa and her sisters down. As the flames of paranoia rage, these sisters face heart-wrenching choices while weighing the value of their lives and those they’ve sworn to protect, knowing all can’t be saved.
Set against the backdrop of one of history’s darkest chapters, Here There Be Witches is a haunting reminder of the generational scars left by this unimaginable injustice and the enduring courage it took to defend one’s beliefs and rights to practice their craft in the midst of a wave of hysteria that spread throughout the nation, tragically wiping out generations of wise women and healers.
It’s a prequel of sorts but can stand alone because it chronicles one of the past witch lives of the main characters in The Divining Sisters Series. If you want to read all my novels, I would suggest reading them in the order I wrote them starting with Book 1 in The Divining Sisters Series – The Call of the Cards. I say that because I think it’s more fun and interesting to discover the past lives as the characters discover them on their awakening journey.
But if you aren’t sure if you want to commit to a series, you can read Here There Be Witches on its own. I wrote it to be able to be a stand alone novel for that reason.
Where you can find Here There Be Witches
Here There Be Witches is available in paperback on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and the eBook is on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Smash words, Kobo, Google Play & more. Purchase on Amazon here
Here is the universal link where you can order the book on your preferred platform.
The Divining Sisters Series
Books in The Divining Sisters Series
Book 1 - The Call of the Cards
Book 2 - We Divine Three
Book 3 - The Threads of Fate
Book 4 - The Unbinding
The Divining Sisters Series is a fictional divination book series (based on my own spiritual awakening) where tarot is the main feature in the storyline throughout all the books. I wrote the book series I wanted to read because I can never get enough of divination! It adds so much magic to the story of these sisters who share their love of mysticism across all their lifetimes. It’s a truly unique story, and it’s resonating with readers who are experiencing their own spiritual awakening just like the main character, Alexandra Steele. All the details on the books on author.heatherhardison.com
Healing Thru Tarot Podcast
I have a podcast called Healing Thru Tarot where I have episodes dedicated to learning the cards - the major arcana in a 2 part Fool’s Journey series, an episode apiece for exploring the court cards in all 4 tarot suits and an episode on the aces in the suits. All of these episodes should help you get started with learning how to read the cards.
I have 62 episodes ready for you to binge that cover using tarot as not just a predictive tool but also a therapeutic tool that can be used for mental health check ins, goal setting, guidance on your life path/purpose, shadow work, and more.
Healing Thru Tarot is available on apple podcasts, spotify, pandora, amazon music, audible, pocket casts, goodpods, and more. Check it out here 🎙️
Healing Thru Tarot's Spread Ebook Line
