Many of the instructions I’ve found for making the runes in a rune set are complicated to the point of being silly. Some say it has to be disks from a fruit tree, some say you have to do a whole ritual around making them, and some say you have to colour them with your own blood. I don’t agree with those people.
I’ve been making rune sets for myself for 19 years, and for other people for over ten years, and I’ve never made a blooded set or made a big ritual around making them. The runes are a tool for your intuition, how they look and what they’re made of has little or no effect on the outcome of your reading or magic.
But there are a few things you need to think about:
- Don’t mix the futharks. If you choose to use the Elder Futhark, make sure you use the right symbols.
- Make them last, unless you’re making an emergency set on paper. The best ones I’ve had were wooden with the symbols burnt into the wood.
- And whatever you do, don’t use a blank rune. There’s really no need for one unless you want a spare
Yes, you read it right, it’s possible to use pieces of paper marked with a pen or sharpie, and still get good results. Wood seems to be what most people prefer, as do I. You can also use stone, but it’s a little harder to carve stone. I did make one once, from stones I collected in a river.
I don’t recommend buying your first set, primarily because the painted crystal sets out there mess with the energy and are overpriced. Why pay if you can make it for free?
The rune set (or rune lots) I use right now, was made from twigs off our apple tree. Not because it’s a fruit tree, but because it was available. My first rune set was made with a sharpie on wooden disks. It worked great and still does 15 years later. I also have a set of rune dice, made by Arn Tillman on Popsicle sticks, and it works great.
So go ahead, make your own! If you’ve made rune sets before, what material, marking method and futhark did you use?
