Anyone ever attempted to make runes?

[mol]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by mol on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

I started making some a little while back out of wood...but never finished. I dont know what happened. I didnt get discouraged, because actually the process was pretty easy...I think maybe I didnt feel the medium was right.

I have always seen runes made of stone..





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Rosabelle on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

i made my runes out of stone, but i thought that was wrong because i have read in 2 books that they should be made out of wood the exact same size. these are made out of stone and they are not the same size. oh yes and the stones are pollished. my mum does them. you get this liquidy stuff and connect it to a machine which spins them around (the stones and the weird liquid) for about 3 months then you get them out and they are all shiny.
Rosabelle





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by mol on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

Hmmm. Thats interesting. It all goes to the "Whatever is right for you..." addage. Because wood, to me, didnt feel right at all. Anyway, I think I am just not a rune guy. Heh. :)

Thanks Rosy..
(Sent you a personal message...grab it!)





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Litha on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

You can make runes out of the clay product that is readily available in most hobby shops. There are different kinds, some you have to bake and some that just dry naturally. I believe you can paint or stain them as well. Making the runs with your own hands would be just the way to attune them you your own frequency. Plus using the clay is less difficult than finding that perfect thickness of brnch and slicing discs out of it and then burning the form into each of them, although it sound like a fab project for the pagan spiial scouts to do.
I know someone that did not have the $ to purchase pre-made runes and wnet to the dollar store. She got one bag of popsicle sticks and drew the runes on with a black marker.
Sometime I wonder if this is why the universe brings slim pockets, to see about our ingenuity....





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Rosabelle on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

My sister made runes out of FIMO which is a type of molding clay, but easier to work witrh. they turned out really nice!!
Rosabelle





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by atlantis on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

or easier still you can buy runes even though it would be more personal if you made it





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Polaris on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

MM
i have a set of runes also made of stone. i was going to do wood but i thought it would be a bit tricky so i put marker pen on sum stones that i got from ros.i love the runes and i like casting them. they are probably one of my favourite parts of paganism.
MP
Polaris






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by mol on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote: from Polaris on 7:29 am on Feb. 6, 2001
MM
i have a set of runes also made of stone. i was going to do wood but i thought it would be a bit tricky so i put marker pen on sum stones that i got from ros.i love the runes and i like casting them. they are probably one of my favourite parts of paganism.
MP
Polaris

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Stones and a marker, eh? Simple and effective, I suppose. :)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Litha on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969

fab Polaris! use what you have on hand :)
Very often when doing anything there is always something else that can be used in as an substitute, one herb for another, one color for another, etc
I know at my house, my forte is making dinner with whatever is in the house...





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Posted by Rosabelle on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote: from mol on 1:36 pm on Feb. 6, 2001


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote: from Polaris on 7:29 am on Feb. 6, 2001
MM
i have a set of runes also made of stone. i was going to do wood but i thought it would be a bit tricky so i put marker pen on sum stones that i got from ros.i love the runes and i like casting them. they are probably one of my favourite parts of paganism.
MP
Polaris

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Stones and a marker, eh? Simple and effective, I suppose. :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


that was MY idea!!! to do it with black marker. you may think it is cheap but it ends up looking REALLY nice, especially on pollished stones which you can make or buy (but it is cheaper to make)(but it takes about 3 months)
Rosabelle

[Phrater]

I made my own runes... about 6 years ago. From a lightning struck branch of an apple tree. I hand carved them and finished the actual runic letters by filling in the carved letters with a combination of homemade natural dyes. I personally belive that it is not the value or perfection of the tool used... but the time and effort put into it's manufacturing that makes it powerful to the user. There is a certain bond built with the product after having spent weeks constructing them to the precise model you had pictured in your mind as "right". But as always this is only my correct answer. To others purchasing clay runes that come packaged with a set of "instructions" may also be sufficient.

[Yvonne Belisle]

I'm sorry to say I make Runes for sale. I go to the beach and gather as many shells as I can as they wash up near my feet. I start off by telling the Goddess what I need and why I get a lot of sand dollars that way. I'm trying to figure out what she wants me to do with them but I haven't figured it out yet. All of my guesses have felt wrong but the Runes are pretty when I'm done with them and they feel good. I have a set I'm doing on scallop shells now but I normally use very small clam shells. They are the little ones in pale pastel colors.

[Phrater]

Sea shells, sand dollars, popsicle sticks, bubble gum wrappers, cigarette butts... whatever works. If the runes work well for you that is really all what matters. It is only when they produce nothing that interprets well for you that you must reconsider your medium. Or when the answers are just blatantly wrong. I chose my intricate and painstaking method because it fit into my set of beliefs. Nothing given is ever earned and nothing purchased is truly owned. Of course I've received lots of criticism on this philosophy by those with baser minds that only look for the shallow meaning, and then those that argue "nothing is EVER owned as it all truly belongs to the earth..." nice thought but a little naive. Just make what feels right and proper to you and you will rarely go wrong.

[PaganBoyNC]

My boyfriend made a set of runes using stones we gathered together from a river. We looked for stones that were small enough to be grabbed easily but that had been flattened out enough to feel neutral and be easy to paint on. He used simple enamel paint to make the symbols.

I have also seen runes made by taking a tree branch that is about an inch in circumfrance, cutting it into chips, then carving and/or painting the figures onto that.

[mol]

Originally posted by PaganBoyNC

I have also seen runes made by taking a tree branch that is about an inch in circumfrance, cutting it into chips, then carving and/or painting the figures onto that.

I have thought about looking for some driftwood and hand carving some runes. I do have a set that I bought at a spirit fair on impulse, because their energy felt right.

And i have not touched them since...now I wonder why?

[mythril]

Greetings all

I havent found any reference in books to what i am about to ask but perhaps someone here knows!

I know that the apple tree is the most well known medium on which to carve runes but would an elder tree branch cut into pieces suffice?

(Im asking because i dont have an apple tree :(, but i have an elder.)

[Phrater]

I'm quite sure that Elder Wood Runes would be just as effective as long as feel a strong connection to it. My only concern would be the wood's consistency. I'm not sure if it is... very good for cutting into small pieces and then carving. But please let me know. I'd be curious to see how it works for you.

[Lilu]

My runes I made from river stones I collected back home. I painted the runes on to them. I tossed about the idea of applying gloss to them, but it didn't feel quite right.

My husband's first set of runes were made from a tree root that he found once. He was very attached to the runes, which he carved out of the root. They went "missing" one day when a "friend" was staying with us, and we think he stole them and sold them.

His second set he carved from a branch that had fallen off a tree. He carved them and sanded them down. They are very nice.

I think you should choose whatever medium works for you. My husband is a very grounded person and "earthy" so he finds things that have grown in the earth (roots, tree branches etc) to work well for him.

I am a water sign/person so the river stones really work for me because they remind me of the water. Those shell runes sound really interesting to me too Yvonne!

While I was in Australia I got into Shell Healing, which is similar to Crystal Vibrational Healing, and was thinking about creating shell "healing kits' but then I came to the US and haven't seen the ocean since, so that's sort of out of the question right now.

BB
lilu

[mythril]

Just for interest,
what kind of medium do u think a fire sign person might want to make runes out of? ;)

I guess i will try make mine out of elder, not going to be easy though cause elder wood is incredibly hard.

Took me about fifteen minutes trying to say off a branch of about three centimeters in diameter.

Not to worry ,i ask for the trees permission first

[atlantis]

I don't really understand why we have to ask the trees for permission, because it's not as if they answer us for all we know they could be not liking us taking it but not able to stop us

[Lilu]

Originally posted by atlantis
I don't really understand why we have to ask the trees for permission, because it's not as if they answer us for all we know they could be not liking us taking it but not able to stop us

I have to disagree on this one. I go by intuition if it's ok or not. My husband is VERY stern about asking permission and will sit with a tree for at least 5-10 minutes before even asking to gauge the health of the tree and it's energies.

I have asked a tree in the past for permission, and gotten a distinct impression that I wasn't to do it because it wasn't the right tree type for the wand I wanted to make, even though I thought it was.

Usually I get good impressions like they are telling me yes it is ok, and I think that most of the time they don't really mind. It's just basic respect to ask in my opinion. Maybe you're just not listening with your heart to the answer? Trust your intuition, it'll tell you.

lilu

[Shatav]

I'm actually planning on making a set of runes with alchemical symbolism sometime in the near future.

[mythril]

nature comunicates with us in a different way, by our intuition, so one would know if the tree spirit didnt wish for one to take a piece of it.

[Phrater]

I do not think it proper to simply ask the tree's permission to take of it. Additional measures should be made. I usually promise to plant and care for three more of it's kind from (when it can be done) it's own line. As in the case of my runes. I planted and grew 3 more apple trees from the seeds of it's own apples. I recommend this practice to all.

[mythril]

True,
i always leave an offering of some kind afterwards.
A quartz crystal or silver.

[Angel]

Well the way I made my Runes is completely different. There was a magazine article featuring them and I simple scanned it, printed it off, cut out all the runes and put them in a bag. Paper may not be the traditional material for making them, but it works for those who are on a VERY tight budget!!

[Rick]

According to the Lore, Runes should be made from the branch of a fruit-bearing tree, or of certain other trees sacred to certain Gods (Ash, Elm, & Yew for Odin, Oak & Rowan for Thor, Birch for Berchta, etc). The sigils should be carved (not burned or painted) into the wood; the act of carving a Rune while "singing" it's name is the act that "charges" the piece. Each Rune piece should then be stained ("blooded").
As a Rune magician, I believe it is probably OK to use other materials to fashion Runes. The Ancestors didn't have the synthetic materials we have today. Who's to say that, if Sculpy had been available 1000-1500 years ago, it wouldn't have been a "traditional" Rune material? Carving the sigils is still important to energize the Runes. Burning or etching might be similar. I'm not sure about drawing or painting. If I must draw a Runic sigil, Bind-Rune, or other Runic formula I always then stain it to ensure adequate charging.
Pre-cut pieces of wood are available at places like Hobby Lobby & Home Depot.
The term "Runestone" refers to the large, often monolithic-sized stones engraved with Runic inscriptions & found over most of Europe (& a few places in the U.S., i.e. Heavener, Oklahoma). This often leads to confusion, with people thinking Runes should be made of stone.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Note* The original method of Runecasting may have been as simple as taking 9 sticks of similar length & thickness, casting them, & looking for the Runic shapes in them.

Frith & Peace,

Rick Runesinger

[mythril]

Thanks for the insight rick

What about elder, do u think it is a suitable material to carve runes on?

[Rick]

I can't think of any reason not to use elder. The materials that are "traditional" are that because it's what the Ancestors had at hand. Using what you have makes perfect sense to me.
Note* Hard woods are great for carving in if you are using a power tool, such as a Dremel. I also like working with bone & antler (no grain to worry about "going against").

Rick Runesinger

[Lavender]

I think the right material will make itself known to you. Last summer, I was doing a walking meditation & came across a maple tree that someone had uprooted. It looked like it was torn right out of the ground. The poor tree was not very big as far as maples go. It was really ugly. I felt so bad for it. I kept thinking about the poor tree & had to go back to that house & ask the guy if the tree was diseased or something. He said he didn't want it in the front yard anymore. I asked if I could have a branch. In some way, using the maple branch to make my runes soften the violence done to that tree. Strange this may sound, I felt the tree wanted me to make my runes with it's branches. Everytime I take out my runes, I could feel the tree deva in them.

-Wildchild

[Ellegon]

When it comes to crafting ones own runes and searching for the correct material, it is my belief that whatever feels right, do it. The main thing we seek is the energy within and also if one 'feels' the material 'speaking' to that person. I, like Rick, crafted mine from the anicent traditional method~however, mine was an oak tree. To borrow a slogan from a major manufacturer of sports clothing...'If it feels right, do it.'

Elle )0(

[Litha]

Ingredients: 4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water
food coloring of your choice
a cuticle stick

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Mix flour and salt together.
Add the water and mix well.
Separate the dough so that you can color it.
Color the separated dough with coloring, mix the coloring well for a uniform color, or not for a marbled look.
Roll the dough out to the desired thickness (1/2 - 1 inch). Cut the dough with something that will give you the shape you want
(knife/shot glass).
With the cuticle stick, carve the runic symbols into your shaped runes. Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour.

[Dagda Moon~Lily]

Wow! Thanks! I'll have to give that a try!

:D

shopping list....cuticle stick and food coloring....;)

[Litha]

velcome, dahlink!
just be cautious with the food dye; if you have a pourous counter, it may stain.

Store bought food coloring is a quick choice but almost any natural ingredient that you can think of (that has a vibrant color that will release in hot water) will work perfectly.
When using natural dyes, it is a good idea to use distilled water (or water filtered of chlorine).
Chlorine and other chemicals are commonly put into tap water to keep it safe to drink, but the chlorine will also work against the dye, making it less intense.

Different Shades of Red: beets, raspberries, cranberries, grape skins, or red onions

Different Shades of Yellow: Yellow onion skins, orange peels, lemon peels, shredded carrot, celery seed, ground cumin or ground turmeric

Pale green: Spinach leaves

Golden: Yellow Golden Delicious Apple peels

Light Blue: frozen blueberries, thawed

Light brown: Strong brewed coffee

Water, not too much, add 1 teaspoon vinegar and the desired natural dye ingredient to the water.

Bring the water to a boil; reduce heat and simmer down until you have a natural dye. Use of beet juice, grape juice is another quick idea.

[cydira]

Black walnut works for a dark brown dye, but becareful with it because it will stain. You get the dye from pressing the husks of the walnut. :) It will stain because of the iodine in the husks... but that's why it makes such a good dye too...

Just thought that y'all would like another option. :)

[Vinga]

I have made several sets of runes. I'm actually working on one right now. The one I'm working on is from a fallen tree branch I found while walking my dog the other day. I've also used various mediums like sheet metal and clay and I have seen many rune sets made of those little glass ovals you can buy by the bag at the craft store.
I agree that the medium that feels right is probably right, rather than what certain books tells us. 1000 years ago they most commonly used wood, bone and antlers. I think stone was primarily used for bigger projects and not so much for divination sets, which is probably why there haven't been very many (if any?) old rune sets found in archeological excavations. If they were made of wood etc they would be long gone by now, while if they were made of stone you'd think they would have at least found a few.
But that's not saying that stone isn't a good medium to use today. The softer mediums were probably prefered back then because they didn't have Dremel and other power tools. :)

[Vinga]

Oh this brings back childhood memories :D, we used that type of 'clay' a lot when I was a kid. Just never let your runes near water, because even after they are baked they will melt if they come in contact with water. So it's probably a good idea to have the dye added into the doe rather than trying to stain it after.

[Rick]

Sounds great! How do they taste? ;)

Rick Runesinger

[Selenia]

:D I think they might be a bit bland and very crunchy!!
(coloring sets fine as long as one follows the directions as Litha has clearly set out above)

[Dragonette]

Originally posted by Wildchild
I think the right material will make itself known to you. Last summer, I was doing a walking meditation & came across a maple tree that someone had uprooted. It looked like it was torn right out of the ground. The poor tree was not very big as far as maples go. It was really ugly. I felt so bad for it. I kept thinking about the poor tree & had to go back to that house & ask the guy if the tree was diseased or something. He said he didn't want it in the front yard anymore. I asked if I could have a branch. In some way, using the maple branch to make my runes soften the violence done to that tree. Strange this may sound, I felt the tree wanted me to make my runes with it's branches. Everytime I take out my runes, I could feel the tree deva in them.

-Wildchild
I know I have told this story before- A woman cut sown a cherry tree in her backyard, and stacked the wood in the ally for the trash men. I saw that beautiful burgundy satiny bark, and pulled up and started loading it all into my stationwagon. She came out and started yelling at me that she would call the cops because I was taking the trash- I just kept loading- with my head hunched down between my shoulders, LOL- and got about half of it in.
The next day the trash truch was in the alley, and I pulled up and said "Hey, Is it okay if I take that wood? "Sure! You an artist? We get lots of great materials, all the time!" They helped me load it into my car instead of the trash truck, while the old biddy stood there and glared at us! I promised that tree that it's wood would not go to waste, and I have been making it into wands, Athame handles, and dollhouse furniture ever since. I never thought about doing this, but I might throw a tiny (So she won't find it) quartz crystal over the wall into her yard.
Another time I noticed a corckscrew Willow tree that was badly diseased. I walked up to the door of the house, clippers in hand and said "HI, I'm a neighborhood artist, and your tree is in bad shape. Is it okay if I prune off the damaged branches? " They were so surprised! "Okay!" and I did, and told them that the tree needed a lot of water and if they threw a bucket's worth on it before going to work it would do much better. I think the are doing that- it looked pretty good to me when I last walked by it.

[Dragonette]

I just realized- I am posting under my daughter's name!!! Thie is DRAGONMOM posting, here- not Dragonette!
i'll be baaack....

[Dragonmother]

It's like being in the wrong skin.... Itchy. ;)

[Lavender]

Sorry, the tree wasn't ugly...just the bad job they did in uprooting the tree. A lot of the branches were broken & the tree looked like it was snapped in half.

BTW, I love my runes & I use them all the time. I even carry them around in a knitted silk bag.

Dragonmother, isn't it terrible that some people are so anal? That is so childish!

I was driving home one night & saw a cherry tree that was just pruned. The branches were lying next to it. A few days later, when I passed the tree, there was a lady pruning the tree again. I pulled over & asked her if I could have a branch. She said yes & asked me if there was any particular branch I was looking for. I said yes, I'll know it when I see it. She looked at me & asked me if I was making a wand. Wow! That blew me away! I just said yes without missing a beat. Together we found the perfect branch. :) I thanked her & the tree & drove off with my branch. Never did ask how she knew.

[Lavender]

Originally posted by Rick
Sounds great! How do they taste? ;)

Rick Runesinger

Hey! Here's a great idea....cookie runes...with chocolate chips outlining the runes...yummy!

[mythril]

Thats a experience to remember ;)

[Nightwind]

Originally posted by Lilu
I think you should choose whatever medium works for you. My husband is a very grounded person and "earthy" so he finds things that have grown in the earth (roots, tree branches etc) to work well for him.

I am a water sign/person so the river stones really work for me because they remind me of the water. Those shell runes sound really interesting to me too Yvonne!


I use a set of runes made out of naturally dropped moose-antler (naturally dropped meaning the antlers were found on the ground). They work excellently for me, and I couldn't be happier. I feel very connected with them and the spirit of the animal they came from. It's earthy enough for me.

[Rick]

Freya Aswynn suggests to make cupcakes or muffins with the Runic sigils cut into them. Consuming them helps one to "ken" (know, understand) the Runes. Choco-chip Runes sound good to me!

I do much the same with crackers & the cheese that comes in the little "spray" cans.

Happy Rune Consuming!

Rick Runesinger

[Ellegon]

Originally posted by Nightwind


I use a set of runes made out of naturally dropped moose-antler (naturally dropped meaning the antlers were found on the ground). They work excellently for me, and I couldn't be happier. I feel very connected with them and the spirit of the animal they came from. It's earthy enough for me.

Antlers make for an excellent set of runes..Very nice indeed!!

Elle )0(

[DragonTamer]

And I bet they're beautiful, too! I wish i could see them.

Mine are made of kiln-fired clay, since my artistic skills tend towards the hands-on-from-scratch variety. I made little tiles out of white clay, then cut the runes in with a white-handled clay knife i had, telling each tile what it would be. The first half-set was stollen, but the second came through whole, and now i have a full set of bisque fired (unglazed, fired once) runestones. I like the idea of wood, and i respect the traditional method of burning the runes into wood, but wood always seemed too light to me. The ceramic ones have a nice heft and make beautiful earthy clinking sounds when i shuffle them around. I even made a bag to keep them in and a cloth to cast them on!

DragonTamer

[mythril]

nice Dragontamer,
i am probably also going to make mine out of clay, probably modddeling clay.

[Rick]

When I make mine from Sculpy, I usually take two contrasting colors & swirl them together (you have to experiment. Some of the darker colers will bleed onto some of the lighter colors as you work it). It gives them a kinda tiger-stripe look, but not exactly. My favorites are red & black, & bright blue & white, but it's all good. Also, if your oven is too hot, it will "singe" some of the lighter colors.

Rick Runesinger

PS to Mythril: Where did you get that kickin' hat? :D

[mythril]

Rick:

U like, i won it in a battle yesterday , maybe you could join me next time and get one for yourself, you being a viking and all :)

[Rick]

I got your back, Bro! :bigredgri

[Rick]

Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit with my old pal & mentor, Russ the Runester. He reminded me about the Norse story of the creation of First Man & First Woman. The three Gods, Ve, Vili, & Odin created First Man from an ash tree (Aska) & First Woman from an elm (Embla). Ve (or Vili, I forget) gave Shape & Form, Vili (or Ve) gave Life Fluid (in the story, it's spit, but it's symbolic of blood, or maybe semen), & Odin breathed Sacred Breath (principle of kundalini) into them.

How, you ask, does this relate to making Runes?

Russ says that when we make Runes, we are re-enacting this creation story. Carving the Runes gives them Shape & Form, "staining" the Runes is done with Life Fluid, & singing/chanting/speaking the Rune's name fills it with Sacred Breath, energizing the pieces (this is called Galdr).

Thought the words of the Runemaster were worth sharing.

[Ellegon]

Rick,

Thanks for sharing 'our' story of creation...rock-on bro!

Elle )0(

[Vinga]

Originally posted by Rick
Russ says that when we make Runes, we are re-enacting this creation story. Carving the Runes gives them Shape & Form, "staining" the Runes is done with Life Fluid, & singing/chanting/speaking the Rune's name fills it with Sacred Breath, energizing the pieces (this is called Galdr).


Thanx for sharing! Never thought of it that way before, very interesting....although I think I'd rather spit on my runes if I absolutely have to, before any of the other options *yuck* :p.

Btw the first man was Ask, if you put an -a on the end (Aska) the word becomes female (like Embla).

[Rick]

Actually, we have used spit before, when making a charm that we were going to place in the bonfire at a blot, & it was impractical to do anything else.

[Rick]

:D

[Lavender]

*bump*

[lucidfire]

Actually my first project in magick was to make runes, and I did it with stone and some type of charcoal thing, and it was the only work I did where I used my own blood (not a lot, just a drop or so on each rune).

[ShadowCat]

Ouch.. didn't that hurt?! I don't think I could bring myself to use blood in magick, however interesting it sounds!!

[ShadowCat]

Hiya!! I have decided that I would like to design a set of runes on gemstones.. but I can only get hold of polished ones. Could anybody recommend a cheap but effective way of drawing / painting on them? Thanq!!

[Lavender]

Silver Venus did a great set. There's a pic in one of the old rune threads. They looked fabulous. I think she painted them with nail polish but I'm not sure.

[ShadowCat]

Yeh.. it is nice.. I found it here

http://www.mysticwicks.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=51164

If anyones interested!! :) Well done Silver Venus!

[The Mad Vitiki]

Originally posted by Rick
Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit with my old pal & mentor, Russ the Runester. He reminded me about the Norse story of the creation of First Man & First Woman. The three Gods, Ve, Vili, & Odin created First Man from an ash tree (Aska) & First Woman from an elm (Embla). Ve (or Vili, I forget) gave Shape & Form, Vili (or Ve) gave Life Fluid (in the story, it's spit, but it's symbolic of blood, or maybe semen), & Odin breathed Sacred Breath (principle of kundalini) into them.

How, you ask, does this relate to making Runes?

Russ says that when we make Runes, we are re-enacting this creation story. Carving the Runes gives them Shape & Form, "staining" the Runes is done with Life Fluid, & singing/chanting/speaking the Rune's name fills it with Sacred Breath, energizing the pieces (this is called Galdr).

Thought the words of the Runemaster were worth sharing.
i have to clear this up i never said any thing about kundalini
but Iam glade you made this point so I dont have to thaks ol buddy
this is the retual I use when I make my runes

russ the runesterAKA mad vitiki

[ANUR36]

this is the ritual I used also, passed down from My very special Mentor to me......
I used Rose Quartz crystals for mine....
I didnt use Galdr in chanting though.... just the actual Rune names....

[WynnJera]

I make runes out of what ever I can get my hands on ~ lol ~ I have made them from ....

Rocks I find ( thanked the goddess for letting me use them )

Clay

Glass beads some might use in fish tanks

I REALLY WANT SOME DEER ANTLER ( think a set of rubes made from that would be really great )

if you can dream it you can make it ~ Runes IMHO are very simple to make and as long as you charge them and consecrate them you are on your way ~ BB ~ WynnJera ~

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by The Mad Vitiki

i have to clear this up i never said any thing about kundalini
but Iam glade you made this point so I dont have to thaks ol buddy
this is the retual I use when I make my runes

russ the runesterAKA mad vitiki

Sound Advice!! Next time I take it upon myself to make another set I will chant, bleed and mark! :)
Last time I never even thought about a ritual but I guess I did my own simple one ;) I just painted on acrylic then clear varnish, then cleasned them passing them through sage, with yellow candles lit and finally kissed them all saying each of there new names and meanings.

[Silver Venus]

bump.. with this good link about making your own runes
http://www.angelfire.com/on/wicca/Rune.html

[Flar's Freyja]

I also made mine out of Sculpey clay. I meditated on each one as I carved them, fired them in the oven and then went back and painted each one. It was a good way to become more connected with them. A friend of mine painted some on glass snowflakes that we used in a full moon ritual. The stores had both the snowflakes and stars around Yule, and I plan to paint some of my own eventually. I've also painted some on river rocks.

[Flaire]

Originally posted by WynnJera

Glass beads some might use in fish tanks


That's what I made mine out of. :) Are a nice yellow colour with teal painted symbols on them...and they work wonderfully..so far (I'm still learning) :)

[Jeleia]

I love the glass bead idea. I've been planning on making my own runes, and I was going to go with river rocks, but I like that a lot more.

Whats the best sort of paint to use on glass beads?

[Flaire]

I used bisque ceramic paint, because I don't have much else, except water colour. I think acrylic would work just as good. :)

[Demeter]

I have made many sets of runestones for sale and gifts, out of colored glass stones -- I get them at stained glass supply stores and sometimes find them in craft stores and home decorating stores. The stones are oval in shape and curved on one side and flat on the other. I use a dremel engraver to carve the runes on the curved side and then fill in the runes with enamel (colored or metallic, to contrast with the color of the stone). I put them in little velvet bags with a brief pamphlet I printed up to explain how to use them.

My husband made himself two sets from Sculpey. The first set, of purple Sculpey, looked great, but did not feel "heavy" enough for him, so he made a second set out of blue Sculpey with gold glitter flecks in it to resemble lapis lazuli -- he wrapped the Sculpey around a glass stone to give it some weight.

My current set actually has no runes anywhere on the stones. Each stone is different, carefully selected to represent a concept: past, present, future, male, female, aggression, love, happiness, technology, nature, and many other things. I continually add new things to it and take out stones which no longer "fit". This kind of set is much harder to put together, but the readings I get from it are incredible!

[materra]

I have made sets of stone for myself and friends. Funny thing tho...I have ended up with a more sacred set and an everyday set...
I found the rocks for my work set in the pea gravel of the parking lot of one of my jobs. LOL They are tiny and lovely and fit in my desk nicely. I also have one set made of Florida sea shells, tiny little angel wings of soft white and purple. I found the shells in 1955 or 56 and managed to hang on to them in my box of "treasures" all this time. And now they are runes. IMO Paint pens are great for stone runes as are perminent fine point markers. I always figured it was the dedication and invocation of use, not how the marks got there. Of course I am a kitchen witch from the poor side of town. Intent, not just materials was what I was taught.

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by materra
I also have one set made of Florida sea shells, tiny little angel wings of soft white and purple. I found the shells in 1955 or 56 and managed to hang on to them in my box of "treasures" all this time. And now they are runes.

Wow! The other week Freyja and I were talking about doing just this!! Ive been painting shells, one every new and full moon with symbol pictures to make up my own oracle, so far Ive painted a heart picture for love and a tree/garden picture for the path of life. I plan to make a whole set , of I dont know how many, and cast them in the bath so some float and some sink.. then I read from the floating ones :)

Yours sound really pretty Materra :)

[materra]

From prior notes here Yvonne Thomas makes shell runes too, I think she may have lots of info on how she does her's...if I recall correctly.

I like the floating pick....never tried that.. hmmm?
:)

[Flar's Freyja]

**makes mental note to PM Yvonne and ask her to post about that here and in the shell scrying thread, or has she already done that and I need to do a search?**

[Flaire]

Using sea shells sounds fabulous, since we get *tons* around here.. Hmm..will have to try that next time! ;)

[Rick]

Bump

[Flar's Freyja]

Merging and bumping

[Nina]

Mine are made from transluscent stones I found around a house I used to live in. I painted the runes on with acrylic paint, and varnished them so they don't chip - amazing the uses you can find for clear nail varnish!! - and I had a go at singing each rune as I did it.

I tend to go to my runes for advice on 'big' issues, because they cut straight to the point. I must get a picture posted at some point....

[Flar's Freyja]

They do, don't they? I resonate with my runes much more clearly than with Tarot.

[Nina]

Me too. But the Tarot was my first love... and I do a New Moon reading for myself each month. I go to my Runes when I've got a "Help! I don't know what's happening!" moment!!!

[kcrys]

A while back I decided I wanted to get into Runes and learn more about them. I felt that buying a ready made set or ones that have all the materials wasn't for me. While reading one night (something so off topic too! *laugh*) I got the idea of using Citrine. I went to my fav shop, the Witches Brew, here in town and went through her pile of stones. I picked out ones that were more flat on one side. I painted them with acrylic black paint.

I didn't just start painting. I put the citrine in a little bag and concentrated on one rune at a time before moving on to the next one. I would place my hand in the bag and think on the meaning of the rune and the symbol while feeling around in the bag. After a while a stone would come into my hand and it would stay there no matter how many times I put it down and felt around in the bag again. I did this for each and every rune symbol. As it turned out the stones look at if they were made for certain symbols.

I made them a few months ago, and still have yet to play around with them more. My intent was to keep one rune with me each week to get to know it. And keep doing that until I feel I know them pretty well. Also do some random readings for myself.

....just wanted to share my experience...

Kcrys

[materra]

Kcrys, this sounds like a wonderful set, and I also think your idea for "getting to know" the runes is excellent as well. Really nice plans. BB

[ANUR36]

Just got my bloodstone (my birthstone) that i bought off of ebay (yeaaah for ebay!). I will make another set in between the new and the full moon.. only thing is how will I paint them... ill be preggers for quit some time still....

[Flar's Freyja]

Ooooh! I've used bloodstone for healing.....

Bumping for a new member.

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by ANUR36
Just got my bloodstone (my birthstone) that i bought off of ebay (yeaaah for ebay!). I will make another set in between the new and the full moon.. only thing is how will I paint them... ill be preggers for quit some time still....

Bloodstone, oo that set sounds as though its going to be really something!

& congrats on your great news too! :boing:

[Élistariel]

I feel cheap, mine are made of those fake clear rocks you put in vases and fish tanks. The dollar store kind. You know the ones that have tiny air bubbles, and are a bit iridescent. Gold acrylic paint, which is still drying. I'll have to test them soon. Lol. I'd make stone ones, but I don't have enough of those, and I live in an apartment, so wood is out of the question.

[Scarlettvixen]

I am wondering home many runes in a set? and what the symbols are............hmm im going to have to go do a search arnt i! lol

[~*Ginger*~]

I'm gonna take the graphics that I printed from the other thread and decopage them to card board and then finish them with acrylic.

It'll be a nice starting set...

[Skrette]

I have used different materials and techniques to craft runes; wood, bone , thoot, antler, handcarving, power carving, scrimshaw, marker etc. but the most interesting, enjoyable and magic so far was done with a group during a one week rune course last summer.


I "invented" this, inspiered by my other world teachers and known techniques to allow for the members of the group to make their own runeset within a reasonable timeframe.

Preperations:
One of the first days of the course the participants made the runes out of simple blue clay, (i am told that chamott clay or blue clay mixed with sand works even better), on the flip side of the runes each participant put a symbol of their choice or mere ornamental patterns to be able to tell which runes where their own after the burning.. The runes where left in a shaded room to air dry for some days.

the group cleaned and "polished" a large iron cauldron



The burning of the runes:
we started out by preparing a open air fire place, The circle was opened and the fireplace was initiated, and a fire was bulit and maintained for about one hour, the pourpuse of this was to warm and bake the ground.

While the fire was burning the cauldron was lined on the inside with straw (this layer of straw should be rather thick, at the very least 3-4 inches. then the runes where put in the cauldron alternating with layers of straw, and the cauldron was topped of withstraw.

After one hour of tending the fire, the fireplace was swept in such a way that the baked earth was exposed and the live embers formed a full circle along the edge of the fire place.

The cauldron was turned upside down in the middle of the fire place, one heavy male pagan (namely me) jumped and stamped on top of the cauldron to press the rim and the ears into the backed earh and dry wood was stacked covering it totaly.

The elements at play was called, the power and body of each rune was called and our intent and hopes for the process was voice. A sequence of personal dedications and offerings to the gods, teachers, elements and soforth would be good here i think.

The live embers saw to that the wood ingnited and a big fire covering the whole cauldron was maintained for 2,5 hours, during the last 30 minutes the fire was allowed to die slowly down.

the burning wood, embers and coal left was swept into a ring circeling the edge and sides of the cauldron and it was left to cool for some hours.

The opening of the oven-cauldron was pure magic :-)

Some runes had cracked, some had even exploded into dust, the set placed at the bottom had alltogether vanished, teaching us the necessity of a thick layer of straw and maybe even a layer of "dummy" clay peices to act as a protective screen. All In all this project was a great success, the runes came out with a wonderful patina, some with intruging patterns one them, some pitch black others almost straw colored.

A fascinating, rewarding and magic project and rite for any group, coven or even pagan crafter, makeing several sets for others.

This technique of burning smaller pieces of pottery/ceramic objects have been used in scandinavia for ages, i think a almost similar technique is called raku in japanese and info on that ought to be avilable on the web.

i would be happy to try to answer any questions on this but bear in mind that I'm not a potter, I'm just a crafty pagan and dedicated shamanic teacher :-)

[Rae ShadowWolf]

That is just too cool. :)

[Skrette]

:-) it was a a wonderful project and rite and the group was all "afire" by the time we got to opening the "oven" :-) a marvelous ending of a week of runestudies:-)

[Rick]

I recently purchased a set of runic leather die stamps from Tandy Leather Co. ( http://www.tandyleather.com/ , about $30.00 US + S&H). Don't have a clue how to do leather, but they work great for stamping clay, or as ink stamps.

[Kalika]

:) I made some tonight!!! They were having this sale at the craft store... river rocks was one of the things on sale, so I bought some... cleansed them, and inscribed the runes... can't wait to try them out. :)

I still want to make some out of wood... but I think I'll wait until I'm in the land of plentiful trees... lol.

Blessings,

Kalika

[Seamus MacNemi]

The Runes can be made out of any workable substance, anything clean is acceptable. The reason that so many were made out of wood is that was often the most available material. What is really important is the attitude of the maker and the clear understanding of precisely what it is you are doing and why.
In the old days, most magic was of the home grown variety. There was little of any formal training available to most people so the rule was to improvise with the right attitude. That was the way it was amongst my own folk. What little of history was available to us was often corrupted by
the ambitions of those who wanted to make something big out of themselves.. In truth, there is little room for the power hungry in the old ways.
:reading:

[G.H.O.S.T]

I scratched runes into the sheath of a sword that I have with a knife. Theres no need to get fancy when the simplest of tools will do.

[Aine of the Fae]

I feel cheap, mine are made of those fake clear rocks you put in vases and fish tanks. The dollar store kind. You know the ones that have tiny air bubbles, and are a bit iridescent. Gold acrylic paint, which is still drying. I'll have to test them soon. Lol. I'd make stone ones, but I don't have enough of those, and I live in an apartment, so wood is out of the question.

I use those! They are basically marbles with a flat side. I have an engraver and I engrave the Runes into them. They work quite well and I've made many for friends. They aren't too big and they aren't too small.

[~RavenHardt~]

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 teasthingy alum....can be found in the spice section.
1 and a half cups of water
food coloring....optional

Mix all ingreients in a large mixing bowl. If it is too dry, add a tablesthingy of water. Work into dough with your hands. If you want to color the dough, divide into parts, and add food coloring to each section and knead.
Roll out dough with a rolling pin on a slightly floured surface. Cut dough into squares. Use a toothpick to carve the rune into the tile.
Place the rune tiles gently onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes in 250 degree oven.
Turn and bake another hour and a half, until hard and dry.

Let cool completely. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper. Spray with clear shellac or acrylic spray.

[Linjaman]

We've got a tree in our garden that makes beautifully straight branches of perfect width for making runes. When a branch falls I break off a piece of decent size, then go into the garage. I use sandpaper to take off the bark and to create a nice smooth feel. Then I use a fine saw to cut the wood into small pieces rouch a centimetre thick. Then I paint the runes onto them. I either paint them on with paint or ink. I get great results.

-Linjaman

[aluokaloo]

Here is an easy make recipe that works very nicely, or at least it did when my ex made his rhunes.



Homemade Clay Recipes
Baked Craft Clay
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Food coloring
1 egg, beaten
Mix together and knead until smooth. Separate into parts and add a few drops of different colors of food coloring. Make shapes and brush egg over the top. Put shapes on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 300F degrees for about one hour until the clay is golden.

[Spiritcalf]

Tal and I made my set. We used a thick branch and cut it into slivers. I then sanded them all down, it what seemed like forever. I then drew on the runes and later burned them in with a wood burner. I used them up till 2 days ago. Now I use runes Tal gave me. They are burned on to seeds.

[Shanti]

Gosh and I made rune out of natural wood from branches that I cut, sanded, and wood burned!:)

[Flamelily]

i'd like to try making my own runes out of stones, but not sure how to go about doing it. collected the rocks i'd like to use but i want to engrave them instead of paint, where can i get an engraver?

[mothwench]

i don't know about getting an engraver. you could try and get some soapstone, that's a really soft kind of stone that you can carve like wood.
:smile:

[Flamelily]

ooo that sounds good, think i'll try! thanx moth!