Runes are another form of divination like tarot cards. It's based on the ancient alphabet of the Norse and are another way to try to get answers or advice for life or problems from another source. I first learned about runes from my friends who were into more pagan practices. My heritage goes back to the Norse so I felt connected in that way also. You can always go and buy runes from a store or online but I felt that making my own runes would make me feel more connected to them. And that brings us to my instructable!

Step 1: Materials

This is everything you will need to make your own custom runes:

-Stones (of your choosing, preferably tumbled)
-Marker or paint pen
-Dremel with cutting tool or engraving tool
-Waterproof Paint
-Safety Glasses
-Gloves

Step 2: Research Your Materials

For this step you need to do a bit of research to figure out what kind of runes that you want to use. For my set I used the Elder Futhark because when I first learned about runes this is the system I saw used the most often. To find different sets of runes, just hit the internet. There is a wealth of information describing all different sorts of rune sets that you might like.

After you figure out what runes you want to put on your stones the next hard part is to figure out what kind of stones to use. You want to choose stones with a meaning and that you like and will want to use. I chose Sodalite because it has power, healing, and luck properties and I just liked the color and the stone. It's better to try to find tumbled stones to use because they have a smooth surface to work with and they have a smooth sleek look afterwards. Usually your local rock shop will carry many varieties of tumbled stones or you can tumble them yourself. You want to try to use the same type of stone for the entire set. When choosing which separate rocks to use for each rune stone the best is going to be a stone with a flat surface so its easier to draw the rune onto it and cut on the surface.

Step 3: Prepare Your Stones

After getting your stones and deciding what runes to put on them it's time to get the stones ready to cut. The easiest way to get your stones ready is to get out the rune alphabet you want to use and draw a rune on each of your stones. If your stones are dark you probably want to use a light colored paint pen, if they are a lighter color a black sharpie will work. If you mess up drawing any of the runes just use some rubbing alcohol to wipe off the ink/paint, dry it off, and start over.

Step 4: Carve the Runes Into Your Stones

Finally, time to get out the trusty ol' dremmel. So bring your stones to wherever you can safely cut them at, put on your safety gear (safety glasses, heavy gloves, and something to cover your mouth and nose), and get to cutting! To cut the rune into your stone you will want a cutting wheel or an engraving bit. I am using a diamond coated cutting wheel. And then all you need to do is make shallow cuts along the pattern. You don't need to make the cuts too deep just deep enough for them to stand out and not get worn off from continual use.

Step 5: Optional: Paint Your Runes

This step is optional depending on how your runes turned out after cutting them. If you used a black rock (like obsidian or jet) or dark green and the lines from cutting them show up well you might not need to paint them. The paint just helps in being able to read the runes and makes them look cool. If you end up getting outside of the cuts a little bit with the paint some rubbing alcohol should clean them up. Just use a cotton swab with a little rubbing alcohol on the end.

Step 6: Using You Runes

So now you have a rune set all made up, what do you do with them? Well you had to research a little bit to make them in the first place, so now just a little more research and your on your way! This instructable is very helpful to learn how to read runes: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Read-Runes/ . Otherwise you can read up by finding books at the library or your local book store to find out more.