Make a set
of Runestones
We here at the Garden of the Midnight Moonchild are fortunate to live on the shores of one of the largest freshwater lakes in the United States. This great big beautiful "Inland Sea" is the source of our hand-picked supply of naturally hewn granite composite stones.
Once selected, the stones are hand carved, and cleansed with pure running water, and the influence of the Full Moon. There is quite a bit of effort that goes into this process, but we feel it can be most rewarding for the serious student of Runemal.
Of course, you can do this same thing for yourself, wherever you are. And it is actually our belief that you will be FAR better served to create your own tools for divination rather than purchasing them from another... even another as wonderful as us. This is why we spent so much time and effort in giving you all the information you need to create your own Runestones.
Once you have collected your stones, be they from a lakeshore, a quarry, or the driveway, you will want to clean them, allow the surfaces to dry, and select the right place to begin carving the Runes. It will probably be best if you select a part of the stone that is fairly flat and featureless for increased ease in carving.
The tool you choose for carving can be entirely up to you also. We use a small rotating engraving scribe called a "Dremel" which allows you to select different attachments. You may need to experiment with the different "bits" available to you before you find the one you are most comfortable with. This means it might be a good idea to have a couple of "practice" stones at the ready...
Once you have selected your preferred tool, you will want to inscribe your stones in a specific order known as the Aettir. Each Rune stands for a letter and a phonetic sound and as a discrete grouping they represent an entire alphabet known as the "Futhark". Within this alphabet, or Futhark, there are three divisions known as Aettir consisting of eight letters each in numerical order. Therefore the first Aett will be comprised of runes 1 - 8, the second Aett will be comprised of runes 9 - 16, and the final Aett is comprised of runes 17 - 24.
This means that you will be carving your runes adhering to the following process by sets of Aettir, so you will not begin any work on the 9th rune until after you have carved, reddened, and sung all of the stones in the first Aettir. This is so that you don't get tired, and tempted to shortcut the process by skipping over some things, because this is a process best not rushed.
First you will be carving or cutting the runes into the wood, bone or stone.
Second, while cutting or carving the runes you will be speaking or singing the names of the runes to empower them while they are being carved. You should be singing slowly and with reverence so that you have intoned every vibration of the rune's name with each stroke you engrave.
Third, you will be colouring ("reddening") the runes with either red paint, stain, ink, or your own blood (this is said to connect the runes magically to the person carving them) and it is advised that you allow your runes to bathe fully in the reddening process for a full day and night. We would ask that you use your head where this step is concerned, there isn't any need to do much more than introduce a drop of your DNA into whatever mixture you will be using for this process. If your carved sigils are deep enough so that you can clearly see them without any additional inking, then you may not need to do much more than introduce a drop of DNA into a bowl of fresh rainwater and let the stones bathe there. If you feel that the symbols will be better seen if the engraving is also inked, then you should be able to introduce a drop of DNA into your "ink", either way you will effectively accomplish the bond this step is designed to establish between you and your tools.
Finally, when all the work of carving your runes is done you will be making an offering (a "blot") of thanks to the Gods, usually of mead or ale.
You can elaborate on this simple ritual as much as you like. You may use whatever materials suit your purpose also. There are many substances that can be marked with rune symbols, you don't need stone... there are many fine tools made from wood, bone, or other material. Sometimes the symbols are carved, sometimes they are burned, sometimes they are inked. The method is yours to choose and we would urge to use whatever works best for you... after all... these are your tools.
