City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

Crafting Runes
20th-Century Runes

To use your runes as a full system of divination and magick, you must actually create a rune set. Rune making is a fun form of magical craftsmanship. Traditionally, runes are made from wood and painted, most often in red ochre. Find a fairly uniform wooden branch and peel it, sand it, and cut it into even discs. Upon the surface of each disk, paint a rune, or carve one before outlining it in paint. Usually, a vertical line is placed on the other side of the disc, so the rune reader knows how the circular rune should be aligned when doing a divination. This vertical line allows the reader to flip over the disc, and reveal the rune upright or reversed, avoiding the difficult and vague interpretations of slightly sideways runes. To avoid this problem completely, some practitioners create runes from rectangular blocks of wood.

Modern rune makers can replace the branch with a wooden dowel, making more uniform runes. Craft stores sell wooden discs, squares, and rectangles that can be used for this purpose and for all manner of amulets and talismans. For more specific instruction in crafting traditional wooden runes, refer to A Practical Guide to the Runes, by Lisa Peschel (Llewellyn).

Although wood is traditional, I have made rune sets out of flat beach stones and acrylic paint. Although red is favored in the Norse runes, I used black outlined with silver for mine. Any color works. Some use purple for increasing psychic powers. Again, look back on your responses to Exercise 2 (see page 20) to see what colors work for you.

Flat glass beads are an excellent resource. They can be found in many import stores and in pet stores, as they are used to line the bottoms of aquariums. Clay is another medium you can use to customize your magical symbols. I have seen commercial rune sets in clay, plays-tic, glass, and semiprecious stones like amethyst and rose quartz. Small, inch-long bathroom tiles can be used as well. Whatever substance and style you choose, make sure it resonates with you. Many have strong rules against using plastic, glass, or clay, but if the medium speaks to you, use it. If it fails to produce results, try another medium.

When crafting your runes, make them as ritualistic as you can. Be mindful of your purpose, your intent. Reflect on each rune before making it. Meditate on each symbol before attempting to make the representation of this energy. You may want to reserve a special paintbrush as your magical paintbrush or marker, and use it only to make magical tools.

Once all the pieces are complete and dry, the final step is to obtain some container for them. Traditionalists use a pouch, usually leather or cloth. Urban mages can use a jar or box as a container. Now consecrate your rune set for use with ritual and intention.

EXERCISE 21—RUNECONSECRATION

Start by casting a magick circle, as outlined in chapter 2. Make sure you have your rune set with you in the circle.

Call upon the energy of your city itself, including any urban archetypes or totem animals.

Take each rune, one by one, and hold it in your hand. Feel your energy mingle with it. Reflect not only on the meaning given in this chapter, but on its meaning to you. Let one idea forge a link to the next associated idea, until you fill the rune with your personal energy and interpretation. Each link helps create a magical chain of associations for the symbol.

Complete the ritual by placing the runes in their container. Thank the powers who have joined you and release the circle.