Runes are the mighty magical sigils of the North, won by Óðinn in the dawn-time through His self-imposed hanging sacrifice on the world tree Yggdrasil. They represent all the forces of creation, and are used for magic, divination, and meditation. Study and use of the runes over time is an ancient Heathen method for connecting to the primal forces of nature, and with the deepest levels of your Self. Great wisdom can be won in the process of such studies.

If you want to make a set of runes in the traditional way, you must first learn the runes. You must meditate on them and study all the Historic Rune Poems. Delve into the Eddas and Norse Sagas and discover the clues hidden there that indicate how runes were made and used. Draw or scratch the runes on something, (paper sheets, the ground, snow, etc.) and stare at one rune at a time until you get a vision or strong impression. These temporary runes should be unmade after you use them: burn them, or wipe them out when you are finished. This also can be practised without props, and it is good to be able to see and hold the form of a rune in your mind's eye without getting distracted. It is helpful to develop a way of saying the entire FUTHARK to yourself, in a song of some kind, so that you can remember their order and names. Chanting this rune-row to yourself while walking is a very good way to ingrain the runes in your psyche. This can (and should) take some time. However, the runes do speak to our minds and souls directly, and to the dedicated and worthy student they will reveal their nature. While concentrating on a rune, you might find yourself "entering into it" or travelling into a sort of runic landscape or world. If this happens, take careful note of what you see and perceive with all your senses. You may also have insights into a rune that just "pop" into your head. Write down all your impressions in a notebook. Over time, this will grow into your own personal runic key. The insights into the runes gained in meditation and shamanic journeying are why reading a modern book is not only unnecessary to learning the runes, it can sometimes be deleterious. Some authors of rune books have made up their own system, and some put forward bad research and personal speculation as the definitive rune meanings. The runes will reveal themselves to you in a unique way that suits you as an individual. Beware those books that claim to have the "be all and end all" runic answers, or that promote rigid or costly training programs to gain runic knowledge. These are pure bunk. Even though there is some information of value in a few rune books, the runes are a mystery that you must work to discover. There are no short-cuts to runic wisdom, and you must of necessity blaze your own trail into the runic worlds.

One need not purchase ready-made runes either, and I know of no serious rune vitki who uses anything but runes they have made themselves. If you choose to use wood, a fruit tree is traditional. A tree that appeals to you especially is good. Make an offering to the tree, and ask it for some wood for your runes, telling the tree the purpose for which you will use the wood . An appropriate offering is mead, beer, bread, or whole milk. A good tree fertiliser is also a nice gift to the tree. You are asking the tree to give a bit of its life-force in the branch that will be cut off, so you should show gratitude to the tree-spirit by offering something of good quality. You should only cut the tree if you really feel that it agrees to give you a branch. You might want to cut a branch bending to the North, or perhaps another direction that appeals to you. When you cut the limb, you should do this in a sacred manner, with a special knife, if you have one. It is, after all, a very holy thing to make runes out of the limb. I usually rub saliva on the cut I make on any plant I'm harvesting for ritual use. It aids in the healing of the cut, and again, is an offering of a bit of myself for the gift the plant has given me. It is also appropriate to use a drop of your own blood as an offering to the plant, which will bleed sap for your runes. (I would like to say that it is not appropriate to use anyone else's blood for these rituals--animal or human).

Once you have your limb, you cut disks out of it, all of uniform size. Use a vice to hold the limb steady. Mark the limb with evenly spaced lines before you cut. A hacksaw works well for this. You can sand the resulting lots if you want, or remove the bark or not. Then you prepare to cut the runes. Be in a quite, safe place where you will not be disturbed. Use your altar, if you have one, as a table for your work. You should call on Odin, God of the Runes to aid you, and on any other Deities you want to help you. Thor is good to call on for protection while you work. Freya, Frigg, and Jörd, are Goddesses who can be helpful also. It is good to have a candle lit, and to have a horn of mead to offer the Gods and Goddesses, either at the beginning or the end of the work. Making runes takes a lot of energy. It is best to start and finish your set of runes all at once, to retain focus and intensity. Start with Fehu and proceed in order through the whole FUTHARK. You should sing each rune's name as you firmly cut the rune into the flat face of the disks of wood. There are special blessed knives for this cutting (risting or carving) called Seax knives. Any knife you use, however, should be cleansed and blessed first. You breathe your breath and life-force into the wood as you cut and as you sing. Then you blood the rune, continuing to sing the rune's name and sound. Using your own blood to colour the runes is the most powerful way to imbue them with might, as well as the best way to bond them to you. Your blood is literally a part of your self, freely offered to sanctify the runes. I use a yew-twig to apply the blood, and you must do so quickly, before the fluid coagulates. A wedge shaped stylus, quill, or knife blade works just as well for colouring. Obviously, care should be taken in drawing the blood. An extremely sharp knife drawn across the ring finger of the left hand is my usual method. As I said, I use a yew twig to dip into the blood, which is contained in a dished-out stone. Then I lay the blood into the cut lines of the rune with the yew twig, singing its name/sound all the while. Also, you must hold in your mind an image of the rune, glowing with might, and all of its meanings and associations. You must try to feel the specific rune on all its levels as you carve it. Strive to both connect with each rune's central mystery and to pour your own energy into it as you colour the stave. When you finish making your runes, you might lay them out in order, in a circle in the sun (or moon) to dry. Be sure to thank the Deities for helping.

Your set of runes is a living thing, with life force and spirit of its own, and should always be treated with great respect. Most vitkar have a special bag that contains their runes. Pure silk or linen especially are good choices for this bag. I would say black, white, red or cobalt blue are good colours for the pouch. Sometimes a symbol such as the valknot is embroidered onto the rune bag for protection. This bag may then be placed within an outer bag made of something tougher, such as leather.

I do not let other people touch my runes. If I read for them, I alone handle the runes. This seems to work best for me. If you colour your runes with blood not letting others touch your runes is something you should definitely consider. On porous wood blood soaks in and stains. However, on stone runes the blood does eventually flake off a bit. Because of this I periodically restain my runes. It empowers them more every time I do it. I gathered the rune stones I have used for the past fifteen years from the foam of the surf on a glacial island in the Atlantic, during waxing moon phase only. It took me three months to find enough flat oval stones of the same size. These stones have always suited me, and if you work with Jörd (Goddess of Earth) you might bond well with stones also. I like the way a stone rune feels, as it both Earth and Mind/Spirit (the stone and the rune carved onto it, or Jörd and Odin). I pray to both Earth Goddess and Allfather when I prepare to cast the runes, asking for guidance.Since the object of using runes for divination is to reveal objective truth, and to transcend the limits of normal human perception, one does well to ask for the Gods to help interpret the staves aright.

It is true that the more research, effort, thought, and intensity of emotion you put into the making of a magical tool, the more powerful it will be. This is not merely a matter of belief, but of awakening yourself to a recognition of the inherent power in the object, the energy you have poured into it, and to your soul connection to it. The aim is to align yourself with your runes and the cosmic forces they represent, and with the Gods , Who teach us understanding. Care and impeccability in making the runes is a good technique for achieving this goal. The subconscious mind will respond to a work of art made to the best of one's knowledge and ability more so than to an impersonal, mass-produced item acquired with little effort. The offering of one's time, energy, thought, and even one's own blood is the gift that truly brings the runes -- or any magical tool -- to life. Taking the time and energy to find and make your own rune stones or staves is not only worth the effort, it is a process that in itself is transformative.

Runes are used for divination; they are an oracle, and in the hands of an adept seer act as a template that reveals hidden patterns of Wyrd. Working with runes daily can help you develop latent psychic abilities. Although this is the runes' best known function, they have many other uses: carved onto objects they are employed in the making of talismans, amulets, and charms. Runes are useful in faring forth (spirit travel) and psychic protection. Certainly, the staves lend themselves to all kinds of magical work--including the bending of Wyrd. It is wise to remember, however, that we do not escape the consequences of our actions, whether in Midgard or the runic realms, and what goes around comes around. True runecraft, like any ethical magical art, has at its core the work of transforming and perfecting one's Self in the pursuit of wisdom. Although the runes are keys to the deepest layers of our psyches and the vast mysteries of universe, they are impersonal forces and will propagate through the worlds just as they are sent forth. This means that if you put out blessings, you draw blessings to you, and if you put out curses, you draw curses to you--in abundance. You should take great care when using the runes, lest by accident you cause harm to yourself or others. This is why it is best to educate yourself as deeply as possible, and ask the Gods' guidance, before undertaking rune magic.


(The above rune-making ritual is for those who are very serious about using the runes, and who have already studied them for a while. I would not suggest a dabbler attempt it).

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