A year-long initiation into the Norse mysteries

REweaving ancient mysticism for modern spirit workers

registration OPEN NOW until Dec 20!

SIGN UP FOR RUNE SCHOOL  here 

Welcome to Rune School

“Seek not the paths of the ancients; seek that which the ancients sought.” -Matsuo Basho

The twenty-four runes of the Elder Futhark are an ancient alphabet, a magical transmission, and a mystic pathway of exploring the divine. For centuries, these symbols have been worked with for divination and ritual, and I believe, as a tool of expansion into the deeper mysteries of reality.

The runes themselves are not the destination but rather the path toward something ineffable, mystical, and expansive. It is through the journey of the runes that we come into contact with stories about creation, destruction, and Source. It is through this journey that you are challenged to build strong foundations rooted in body, land, and heart…and then practice the art of surrender in order to deepen into your spiritual gifts.

SPEAKING WITH THE SPIRITS

By engaging these energies as living transmissions, we respect the wisdom of what is ancient as well as understanding that these forces are also emergent. We are not seeking to reconstruct the past, but rather gather the threads that we can from those old ways, and reweave them into a living tapestry that is present & relevant to our times.

Magic must be responsive to time, our craft and our healing must answer the call of both the distant past as well as the needs of the present.

QUEER MYSTICISM ROOTED IN LOVE & LIBERATION

The Northern Mysteries Rune School grounds this exploration of the runes in an explicitly anti-oppressive, anti-white supremacist, and radiantly queer cosmology. We honor the queer & transcestors who are stewards of this work. We hold space for the need to create conversation, recognition, and accountability around the ways the runes and this tradition have been used for violence & hate. We hold the totality of the Truth as best we can so we can remember well and choose differently than those who came before.

This work is for all people. This path is open to all who seek it.

WHAT IS RUNE SCHOOL?

Rune School is a series of 25 zoom classes: We begin with an introduction to the cosmology of the runes & meeting the spirits of the Norse tradition. The following classes will consist of delving into each of the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark; how the previous rune’s energy has been moving through your life, ways to integrate that energy, themes of personal healing & magical study, and engaging the history, cosmology, and energetic frequency of each rune in the alphabet as well as exploring the transmissions of each of the rune families (Aetts) and the deities & spirits of the tradition.

Each class is an opportunity to directly experience the energy of the rune and find your way into connection with it. We bring the runes into the modern age by examining how they speak directly to our lives and process as humans in the Anthropocene, amidst climate chaos, amidst deep unrest and spiritual discontent. We hold the pain, the beauty, and the process of holding onto hope together through the guidance of these wise forces.

GROUP CLASS

The group class for Rune School is open for registration Nov 20-Dec 21, 2024. Registration is open once a year and welcomes a cohort of folks to join together and meet to experience the energy of each rune being. Each of us has a unique and lovely way of perceiving the rune energies, and the group class offers the chance to share together about what arises for us—creating a space of beautiful community support as you navigate the pathway these ancient energies provide.

Classes take place on alternating Tuesdays from 6pm-8pm PST beginning Jan 7, 2025. Classes are recorded and sent the following day, but live attendance is encouraged. All students will also meet 1:1 with Espen once per quarter to check in, ask questions, and get support. Once registered, you will receive an email about booking your first 1:!

Participants will have access to a group Discord chat to share thoughts and experiences, and is where the class recordings will be posted.

Group class cost is available as a payment plan of $125/month for 12 months, or pay in full $1200 for the year (a 20% discount!) This includes all group classes and four 1:1 sessions.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to espen@tendingthemystery.com

To sign up, click here!

1:1 MENTORSHIP

This is an individually tailored path that includes personal healing work, a deeper apprenticeship into spirit work practices. We follow the runes and their wisdom, and have space to weave in your personal healing, deepened conversation and exploration of your desires & skills within spirituality, and can create more room for developing a deeply intimate relationship with the rune beings through one on one guidance. This structure can be helpful for those who are really seeking to delve into and more actively work with the runes in a personal initiatory journey.

You will have access to a private scheduling link, and all classes will be scheduled by you to fit your scheduling needs. They will be live 1.5 hour classes, meeting twice per month for one year.

At the end of the year, you will have the opportunity to come to an in-person initiation retreat in the PNW. These retreats are usually 3-4 days long and take place in a space where we can connect with the land and participate in ritual with the others who have walked the 1:1 mentorship pathway.

1:1 Mentorship is on a sliding scale and costs $200-250 (USD) per month for one year. If you would like to pay in full for the year, you receive a 10% discount.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to espen@tendingthemystery.com

In order to see if this is a good fit, we will meet for a brief zoom consult to ask questions and get a sense if this structure is what would best serve your process at this time. To email to apply and set up a consult, click here!

Second Year

After completing Year One, you will have the option to continue onto Second Year. In Second Year, we will dive headfirst into the work of Seidr; the ritual art of the Norse. This year is focused on building techniques in spirit work and actively practicing these traditions. Over the course of the year we will explore: Galdr (spoken spells & incantations, sound healing), Spadom (divination and ritual diagnosing of energetic ailments), Berserking & The Fylgia (shapeshifting, animal spirit work, warrior magic/magical activism), The High Seat (channeling and mediumship in the style of the Old Norse) and more. Seidr is a powerful and enigmatic tradition, and we will use the foundations built in Year One to craft a meaningful exploration of this ancient practice.

What’s Included:

2 live virtual classes per month for 12 months

Four 1:1 sessions for the year for group participants

Ongoing support through email/text/Voxer if needed for 1:1, Discord chat for group class

A physical copy of my signature Rune Ritual workbook filled with journal prompts and ritual ideas (if you live outside the U.S you’ll receive a virtual copy)

A 50% discount on readings or folk healing services from me for the entire time you’re in Rune School

25% off additional classes I teach outside of Rune School (while you’re in the program)

Meet your teacher:

I’m Espen Artio. They/them. Queer priestess, witch, Runic practitioner, folk herbalist, always seeking to come into deeper relationship with myself and the world around me. I am a CSA survivor, CPTSD babe, and overall sensitive & tender creature. This informs all the work I do, rooting into a heart-centered space where we can work with magic in a way that is kind & gentle, yet fierce & honest.

It is my hope that I can support you as you connect to your inner magic, offering a container that is grounded yet expansive. I seek to create liberatory spiritual practices by centering the queer mystic origins of ancient traditions, and reclaim ancestral earth honoring work from highly binaried and often appropriative spiritual cultures, in order to root these powerfully transcendent ideas into the living heart of the Earth. 

The Runes originate in Scandinavia where my family of origin is from. I grew up learning about the myths, and have spent many years studying Norse mysticism and folk magic. I have been initiated into the tradition of High Seat Seidr, am an initiated Priestexx of Odinn, have sat the High Seat for community, and have been reading the Runes for myself and others for over a decade. I created Rune School as a modern initiation into an ancient tradition that honors the integrity of the craft while shedding light on its history in an expansive and honest way.

Rune School is the culmination of many years spent in devoted study, ritual, and contemplation. It’s my heart’s mission to support more brave and sensitive humans to rise to the challenges of our times in ways that express and honor their sacred magic.

SIGN UP FOR RUNE SCHOOL HERE OR EMAIL ME FOR 1:1!