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While some may say that there isn't a great focus on magic in Heathenism, it depends on the individual. It is truer to say that magic is NOT necessary to believe and practice Heathenism/Asatru but there are those that do practice it and when they do, it becomes a very important part of the religion and themselves.
While I am no expert on the subject, there are two basic types of magical working: Sadr craft and glade craft. Divination, from what I've read, is probably where you are asking about carving them, usually on twigs and colored with blood. Unlike fortune telling, divination uses the runes to answer questions your subconscious or even Daisie (female guardians) know the answers to. There are different casting methods, usually dependent on ones personal beliefs and what feels right. From what I've read, there are not many ancient sources available that describe how our ancestors practiced divination in detail. But basically, one casts the runes, then reads them to answer the question. Like casting, there are different methods of reading runes.
Seidr craft is a type of shamanism in which users go into trances and the runes are used as visual tools. Galdr craft is more of a verbal magic with the runes being chanted. Of course, this is a simplified explanation and like I said, I am by no mean an expert (but I'm working on it :-) )!!
I really suggest you look at this site: http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/
It has sections about divination, Sadr and glade craft and many, many other essays regarding runes and any possible questions you may have. This is a great starting point!!
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