Ok so as that special time of year is coming where the optimal wood is on the trees I thought I would give a basic description of how to make Runes the traditional way.
1 Pick a tree, some trees are better than others and the most traditional tree is a "fruit bearing tree" but I have had a lot of success with non-fruit trees. Just try to find a tree that fits a few qualifications. A)the branch you select is at least 1 inch in diameter. B) the tree gives you permission C) the tree is budding but has not yet blossomed or bloomed(the closer to the blossoming the better so watch the tree carefully) the reason for this is you want the wood you use to be full of life energy. Because of this you may need to let it dry out a bit before it will be workable.
2 Cut a branch off(preferably using a tool that has been cleansed ) and cut this branch into disks by chopping small sections off the branch one by one, leaving you with 24-25(depending on if you would like a blank rune which is accepted normally but not traditional) and maybe a few for mess ups. Just in case.
3 Find a description of all the runes and their meanings.
I strongly suggest the book " The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum" for this but you can find them online in less detail if you must.
4 Place each of your disks in a bag that you cannot see into.
5 Read the first rune meaning and holding the meaning and symbol in your mind place your hand in the bag, running your hands through the disks in a circular(clockwise) motion until one of them seems to stay with your finger.
6 Pull out this disk and carve(with again a cleansed tool) the symbol into the disk, keeping its meaning in mind. Many choose to chant the name of the rune, or if you know it the galdr of this rune.
7 Place this rune to the side and repeat 5-6 until all the symbols have been assigned to disks.
8 this part is controversial but I am giving you the traditional way so... Cut your sending hand, and use the blood to dye the symbol, still keeping the symbol in mind. Some people choose to use only a small finger prick to drop into red paint, others use no blood at all. I personally find that blood alone is a bad paint so I go back over mine with clear finish to water seal the mark.
Re: Rune Making Time!!! By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 2 Mar 04, 2013
The book by Ralph Blum is not very well thought of by most Rune Masters that I know of. In particular Blum's "blank rune" has no basis in traditional rune lore and is something that he just made up.
A better book, in my opinion is "Taking Up the Runes" by Diana Paxson. I would also recommend "At the Well of Wyrd: A Handbook of Runic Divination" by Edred Thorsson and "Power and Principles of the Runes" by Freya Aswynn
While I agree with that, His descriptions of other runes tends to be quite well written. As I said in my description the blank rune isn't traditional, but accepted amongst many runecasters. But in the end it is only one book suggested by one man. And as the description was an attempt to have an easy to read and get to know each rune, I feel Blum does a good job at that.
I will also mention that I have only read Freya Aswynn's work off the list you gave, and she does a good job too, so I can only assume all the books suggested would do as well. *nods head out of respect*
Oh boy, Ralph Blum. He's an odd character in my opinion. A lot of people, including myself give him credit for sparking a big interest in runes in the United States. Blum was not entirely worthless as many rune workers will say. His interpretations of the runes and his basic info he supplied was a good start for people to build on. The main blunder he did was to try and change the system and try to go against the tradition. He added a blank rune, essentially for the fun of it. Ralph's book is good if you take a sharpie and hunt through the book and eradicate the blank rune sections lol.
Books I suggest are:
The Runic Workbook by Tony Willis
Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Divination by Jonathan Dee
The Runes Workbook by Leon D. Wild
Elements of the Runes by Bernard King
Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism by Edred Thorsson
Something I'd like to add to this post, if you don't mind, is that some good woods that I have worked with are apple which is associated with Idunn, oak which is related to Thor, yew which is related to Freyr, and ash which is connected to Odin.
Also a good cloth to cast runes on is a simple white bandana. You can get them at Wal-mart either in men's clothing or the fabric's section. A good pouch is made from organic materials as that shows a connection with the Earth. I would go with cotton.
I'd just like to add before we all go running out to make a nice new set of runes to take a little care when cutting branches from trees.
I'm sure many here know much about care for trees but cutting in the wrong place can leave the tree open to infection. When cutting look for a few things.
1. Look for a natural collar at the base of the branch. This will allow the tree to heal and close the wound. It looks a little like a bulge coming from the main trunk / branch just before the branch growth.
2. Make your first cut about 30cm (12") away from the main trunk / branch this is to stop any damage to the tree if the cut should splinter or rip the bark.
3. Once you have the branch cut from the tree go back and make a neat cut close to the top of the collar. Without the branch weight it shouldn't splinter damaging the main branch. pare off any frayed edges if there are any.
Most trees will not need more care than that but if taking from a tree that is prone to infection such as most fruit bearing tree a light brushing to seal the area with bees wax will help.
With good care are leafy friends will be gifting generations to come with bounty a plenty.
Thank you so much for adding this detail. I forgot that others may not understand how to care for the tree in this moment. I would also add that you MUST ask the tree first and that if the tree says no then find another tree as It is a rude gesture and bad idea to rape a tree of its limb. The runes will not work and you will have negative karma on your hands.
You just know. Usually you either pick up a warm welcoming vibe, or a cold and unwanting feeling. Just open up a bit and wait for the sign. If no sign comes than assume it's a no and wait til another day or find a different tree.
