I've interviewed artist, witch and rune expert Laura Daligan about her new book, continuing the popular interview series with authors that I've run over the past few year
Q: You've just had a book published, what's the title and what’s it about?
A: My new, and very first, book is called A Guide to Reading the Runes: Harness the wisdom and power of the ancient Norse symbols. The book is a journey through the myth, magic, and divinatory practices of the Elder Futhark runes. A Guide to Reading the Runes stemmed from my personal journey with the runes, alongside my love of magic and my master’s degree in Viking Studies, in which I specialised in the mythology and ritual practices of the Viking Age.
I have been fascinated with the runes for over 20 years, but my early attempts at understanding them left me feeling a little confused and disheartened. I’d even bought a beautiful Anglo-Saxon Rune deck, but the box had refused to open for me! It was only later when I dedicated a huge portion of my life to the runes and the Nordic gods, that they all began to speak, sing and share their wisdom with me. One year at a Viking festival in York, I had an impromptu vision of Freyja in which she said to me, whilst looking around the room, ‘go to the roots,’ and so I did what any mildly obsessive witch would do, and I did various courses which led me to my master’s degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands. I went to the roots, I studied the source texts and archaeological evidence, I deep dived into journeying with the runes, and I came out a few years later with this book. The whole process has been a huge initiatory journey that continually teaches, inspires and heals me.
Unlike Tarot, which can give the reader some big clues to the card’s meanings via the illustrations and title, the runes don’t give us much to visually go on when we are learning to work with them. One of the keys to reading the runes is that they are experiential; they are gateways to be journeyed into, their names are to be sung and chanted, they can be drawn upon our bodies and onto the land. We feel them in our bodies and meet them in the land. Although nowadays we mainly consider the runes to be tools for divination, they have many other healing, magical and practical purposes, which I explore within the book. As well as journeying with the runes, I share mediations, spell work, healing practices and craft projects to inspire a deeper and grounded connection with the runes.
My hope is that I have created an easy-to-understand and accessible guide which is suitable for beginners but also challenges and inspires those with previous knowledge of the runes.
Q: Tell me a bit more about yourself and your background in paganism or witchcraft, and any other books you've written or contributed to.
A: Paganism and witchcraft have been a huge part of my world for pretty much my whole adult life. Whilst at art college in Cornwall, I fell in love with the wild magic of the land, and when I moved to London, I became involved with pagan groups and meet-ups, which led to my joining a coven. I have worked and appeared on TV shows showcasing divination, magic and paganism and have written articles for various magical and mainstream magazines. As an artist, I love to create pieces inspired by my magical path, by the gods, the land and the animals that I encounter. I have illustrated various books over the years, including three books about runes and Nordic paganism and mythology, published by Avalonia. One of my biggest highlights was being asked to be a pagan consultant for two major exhibitions at the British Museum, one with your very good self, Lucya!
Q: What plans do you have for the future?
I have some more writing schemes and plans simmering in the cauldron and I would like to turn my master’s dissertation on shapeshifting into a book. My plans for the future are to paint and create as much wild magic as I can.
I currently reside in Somerset, where I paint, write and hold magical workshops, courses and retreats. Over the autumn and winter, I will be holding runic courses and tarot workshops alongside book events and signings.
I also run online retreats which create sacred spaces for us to slow down, connect to the land, the season and to remember our own wild magic I have been running the annual Winter Mothers Retreat for several years now, which is a deep and beautiful healing space between the worlds, connecting us with the ancient mothers, the land and the animals of winter.
Thank you for talking with me!
Laura x
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