What are the runes and why queer them?
The runes are an Old Norse system of divination that utilizes the Germanic/Nordic system of letters. They can be used as letters, as a system of divination, and as magical allies.
To be queer is to exist in a liminal space, both outside of and a part of society. Runes defy easy boundaries, moving fluidly from occult and common usage.
The mythic context that we get the runes from is also explicitly queer by today's standards: we have shapeshifting Gods who move fluidly between genders, genderbent grave goods, and explicitly bisexual gods.
Journey to the heart of the Nordic oracle, and journey deep into yourself.
Have you ever been curious about Norse runes - but unsure if you would be welcomed by runecasters? Are you interested in tapping into the Web of Wyrd and learning more about fate and seership from a Norse perspective? Are you queer as hell and not interested in learning from someone who won't recognize your identity?
This is the rune course for you!
By the end of this course, you should be comfortable working with the runes in a variety of divination situations and you should feel comfortable working with runes to create bindrunes for magical purposes.
The course features:
- One full audio lecture + transcript for each of the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark
- Context Clues, aka background material about Runic History, Nordic Culture, and other aspects of Heathenry
- Worksheets and journal prompts to develop your own relationship with the runes
- Expanded rune magic information, including Galdr and Seidr techniques, bindrunes, working runes into sigilcraft, and more
- Guided meditations to connect you deeper to the material
- An introduction to the queer gods and other figures of Norse mythos
This course is also a hybrid self-paced course! Throughout the first three months after the material becomes available, there will be online meet-ups to get to know other students, Q&A sessions, and office hours. There will also be a dedicated area of Siri's discord server for students of the course.
Testimonial: GnosticSkald
"Siri is a much needed force in the Heathen and Occult communities. Compassionate, radical, and real. They aren't a persona, Siri is a multitude of things constantly revealing themselves to you. Their work helped redefine my path and engaging with them still takes me ever deeper."
Testimonial: Lex Hesperus
"Siri takes the academic rigor of a scholar and puts it all into words that are practical and effective for your everyday witch. More than just that, they use their academic rigor to expand the boundaries of convention to create space for queer magic!" - Lex Hesperus
Testimonial: Alyx
"In addition to being deeply knowledgeable and passionate about the runes, Siri makes the material incredibly accessible. Their teaching style is engaging and conversational, and they do a great job of breaking down each concept into ideas that are easier to understand. I left Siri's class feeling like I finally had a starting point for my own exploration of the runes - their instruction gave me some firm footing from which to continue!" - Alyx
Course Curriculum:
Context Clues:
- Reading Medieval Literature
- What is it to be queer?
- Sexuality in Pre-Christian Nordic Culture
- Gender in Pre-Christian Nordic Culture
- The Rune Poems
The Runes: Elder Futhark
- A full lecture on each rune of the elder futhark, including worksheets, journal prompts, and meditations
Getting Started with Divination:
- What is divination?
- Norse concepts of fate
- Simple rune pulls and interpretation
- Rune casting on a cloth
Rune Magic for Queer Witches
- The rune as symbol, sigil, signifier and signified
- Galdr
- Bindrunes
- Seidr
- Queer Norse deities, characters, and heroes
Meet Your Teacher
Siri Vincent Plouff is an author, Nordic witch, writer, and teacher. They are the author of "Queering the Runes," which came out in November of 2024.
Their first book was co-authored with Cassandra Snow and it is called "Lessons from the Empress: a tarot workbook for self-care and creative growth."
They are a professional rune and tarot reader, and are the host of the Heathen's Journey Podcast. Their podcast is dedicated to creating space to learn about heathenry from an antiracist, queer perspective. Siri also teaches a wide variety of classes frequently - classes about witchcraft, runes, and tarot.
