My relationship with the runes began long before they became a major part of my work.

Growing up in northern Sweden, I was naturally surrounded by stories, history, and traditions connected to the Norse world. As a young woman I acquired my first rune set, carved from birch wood. At the time I used the runes occasionally for guidance and reflection, but I always felt there was something deeper hidden within them.

Unlike Tarot, which quickly became a central focus in my life, the runes appeared and disappeared in cycles. Whenever I thought I had moved on to other interests, they would return and quietly ask for my attention once again.

Over the years I studied different rune traditions, but I often felt that something was missing. The symbols themselves seemed alive, carrying wisdom and energy beyond what could be found in books. I sensed that the runes wanted to be experienced rather than simply memorized.

After publishing my first Tarot books, I wrote a small book about runes and rune divination. At the time I still viewed them primarily as a symbolic oracle system. That perspective changed dramatically as my personal experiences with the runes deepened.

At one stage in my life I felt guided to have specific runes tattooed on my body. The first rune was Uhr, placed on my left wrist. What began as an unusual idea soon became a profound experience. For me, the runes stopped being historical symbols and became living energetic patterns.

Many people know runes as the ancient symbols of the Nordic peoples, often associated with Viking-age inscriptions and the earliest forms of writing in Scandinavia. To me, however, each rune is far more than a letter. Every rune contains a process, a force, a lesson, and a unique energetic signature.

My understanding of rune magic deepened through initiatory experiences, personal study, meditation, and years of working directly with the symbols. Along the way I met teachers, practitioners, and fellow rune enthusiasts who helped expand my perspective.

One particularly meaningful experience took place while I was participating in a television program in Ukraine. There I met another rune practitioner. Despite speaking different languages, we found ourselves communicating through the shared language of the runes. Those encounters inspired new ideas and eventually contributed to my book on rune magic and bindrunes.

In 2019 I moved to Spain and envisioned creating a rune garden—a sacred space where each rune could be experienced physically and energetically. Around the same time, students began asking me to teach runes. I agreed, expecting a small experiment. Instead, the course became one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my life.

The enthusiasm of my students inspired me to continue writing and teaching. One course became several. Lessons on rune meanings expanded into studies of bindrunes, rune magic, and personal transformation. What had once been a private passion became something I shared openly with others.

Eventually the runes inspired me to write something completely different from anything I had written before—a novel. The result was Uhrstafen, a story centered around Uhr, the first rune magician. While the book contains elements of fiction, it is also deeply inspired by my experiences with the runes, symbolism, energy work, and personal transformation.

Today I work with the runes as symbols of energy, growth, and possibility. I see every rune as a living pattern that reflects both inner and outer experiences. Reading runes is much like reading a symbolic puzzle. Each symbol contributes a piece of a larger story, revealing the energies, opportunities, and lessons present in a situation.

More than anything, I love helping others discover their own relationship with the runes. Whether through readings, books, courses, rune magic, or personal exploration, my goal is to help people experience the wisdom that these ancient symbols continue to offer.

The runes have walked beside me for most of my life. I suspect they always will.

— Ylva Trollstierna