Hi, I intend to make myself a set of runes. My question is regarding the material used. Would there be a problem if I used somewhat slippery white stones I took from a grave many years ago for this same purpose, but didn’t get around to it? I ask because I hear people traditionally use wood, specifically from a fruit-bearing tree. I actually have three fruit-bearing trees in my yard, two lemon and one fig. They don’t have very thick branches for me to remove though, nor do I really have any woodworking tools with which to refine the branch that I would remove.
Would there really be a problem with using stones for runes? They’re white, flat, and somewhat smooth, I intend on carving the runes into them, and then using some of my blood and a brush so as to paint some of my blood over the runes. This a bad idea? I’m about to start working on Stephen Flowers’ three books of runes.
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Runes are often advised to use wood or stone, however in a lot of cases blooding the runes after is a good thing also.
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The material itself is fine, but that they came from a grave could give them an entirely different outcome, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. Just something to keep in mind.
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What do you mean by this? Please elaborate.
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So the painting of stones with my blood should be fine? And using the white stones instead of wood would not be problematic? Thank you for your counsel.
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It’s fine yes. I have wood runes and stone runes. I blooded mine with blood on the back of them but your idea is more interesting lol.
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So would you say I should paint on the back, or over the runes? Thank you very much for your guidance.
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From what I’ve noticed (and I could be wrong), cemeteries and graveyards are natural doorways, crossover points. Dense materials like metal, stone, and wood are excellent at absorbing and storing energy, especially of a spiritual nature, so when you find a stone that has been over the grave of the dead in one of these crossover points (possibly for many years), it is full of that death-current. If you were building a set of runes specifically for necromantic purposes, you could hardly do better. I’m guessing though, that the set you want will be more for general divinatory purposes, so it bears keeping in mind that the materials you have may skew the outcomes somewhat. They may give answers that are more macro, than micro, so to speak.
EDIT: For what it’s worth, I would keep them as a set, but make another set of wood (even an oak dowel from a hardware store), so that you can feel the difference for yourself, and find which of the two you prefer.
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That’s a very interesting observation. I’ve had these stones for about 8 years now, and it’s never given me a vibe. I get vibes all the time though which is why I’m finally returning to practice, but I assume this is from King Paimon.
Secondly, why would the answers be more macro than micro as you say? Should I thus find some other material in your opinion, if my intention is to first learn divination, and eventually delve into necromancy? Thank you for your reply and consideration.
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That’s a great question, and again, I could be wrong, but I’ve worked with cemetery materials for years, and they always have a big picture feel to them. The image that always comes to mind is a world with two skies. A set of normal runes would give answers to this world, while gravestones answer for other worlds too. I hope that makes sense.
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Thank you to both of your replies, I think I’ll follow your advice and use both for now. It does make sense, it the stone ones might be more tied to the underworld (Greek cosmological perception). Is there any ideal shape for the wooden runes? Can they be cubes? Should the be rectangular?
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I’ve never heard of the shape being a factor. I would guess that you already know what shape they should be in for you, so that would be the one to go with. I hope you keep us updated on your results, this is a great endeavor.
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I thank you for your counsel kind sir. Pleasant evening to you.
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I will do just that. I don’t have any woodworking tools, so I could either buy some plain wood cubes or long rectangular, my ideal idea is actually rectangular, with a smooth finish, and not long, like the ones I could get, which are basically like those you use in that building block games. I think I should go for the cubes. Thank you for your kindness sir, good evening to you.
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Is Cedar a good material?
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Any material should work just fine, provided you’ve paid for it properly. That is, left an offering for the tree you cut a branch from, or the land you gathered the stones off of. Ash, Oak, or Yew wood are highly traditional, though bone or stone are just fine.
The only consideration I’d add is that while you should certainly blood your runes as part of the act of consecrating and defining them as a divinatory tool, blood alone makes a poor paint since it lacks any sort of binder. You might consider adding blood to a pre-existing paint, acquired specifically for this purpose. Oil, acrylic, whatever. It’s the energy you put in there alongside your sacrifice of blood that really matters.
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I actually finished my runes this weekend, also coated them with clear coat, three of them not exactly perfectly, but the paint area is coated, so for now it’ll do, and I can always make new ones from scratch when they finally wear down. I used acrylic paint mixed with my blood. Thanks for the advice though.
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Ah, excellent! I’m glad they turned out well, then. 
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