How to Make Magic Runes

Many Wiccans find that it’s difficult to practice magic without something to channel their magical energy. Magic runes are one option for channeling that energy. Rune stones have the most meaning, and magical potential, when you make them for yourself. So how do you go about making magical, Wiccan runes?

Magic runes can be made from a variety of material, such as clay, stone or even pottery clay. I’m going to cover how to make the most basic magic runes using only sculpting clay, which can be fired in a regular oven.

Step 1: Using sculpting clay, such as Sculpey, form oval-shaped balls. They should fit into the palm of your hand well, filling the palm but not overflowing it. It might look like a slightly miniature egg.

Step 2: Use a carving tool, such as a toothpick, a twig (fruit tree twigs can be very symbolic) or even an object tattoo gun, to carve the runes of your choice into the clay. Most prefer to use the Norse (or Viking) runes, but you can also use Celtic runes for the same effect. For ease of following this tutorial I’m going to assume you’re using the Viking runes.

Step 3: (Optional) Place herbs inside of the clay eggs you made. You can dig a hole into the backside of the clay using a twig or toothpick. Each of the rune stones should have a different herb that correlates to the meaning of the rune. For example, the Eihwaz symbol is a symbol of protection. A piece of cedar or cedar shavings, which are purifying and protective, can be placed inside of the Eihwaz rune to strengthen its magical properties.

Step 4: Fire the clay according to the directions that accompany it.

Step 5: (Optional) Paint the runes once they are done baking. The colors should correlate to the symbol on the rune stones. For example, Jera could be painted green to amplify the fertility and future prospect meanings of the rune.

Step 6: When not in use, keep your magic runes in a white or black bag/cloth to protect the energies they each possess. No one except the practitioner should touch them directly. If someone does need to pick them up or handle them, they should do so only through black or white cloth.

Information about rune stones:

In the old days, fruit tree twigs were used to read the future, the weather and various other things. They were the runes of the time. This is why using a fruit tree twig to carve the Viking runes can be so meaningful.

Rune stones draw off the spiritual and magical energy of the caster, so any disruption of this energy, such as by introducing a new energy through someone else touching them, can nullify their casting ability.

How to Make an Electric Toothbrush Tattoo Gun

For fun, I decided to make an electric toothbrush tattoo gun at home. Obviously any homemade tattoo guns are too dangerous for use in tattooing a human, but once it was made I had a brilliant idea. I had just finished crafting a fresh mortar and pestle out of clay and was thinking of proper ways to decorate and empower it. It came to me then. I could use the electric toothbrush tattoo gun and paint mixed with essential oil on the freshly baked clay.

From time-to-time now, I may mention the use of a homemade tattoo gun in my witchcraft spells. I will try to make these parts optional, but you may want to try your hand at tattoo machine building. It’s really very simple and a lot of fun to use.

Tattoo machine building tools:
New mechanical pencil with unused eraser (should be a .7 lead)
Electric toothbrush
11 gauge guitar string
Nail
Duct Tape

Step 1: Using the eraser from a mechanical pencil, cut it in half going the short way. This will create two short circles, not two long half-circles.

Step 2: Push a nail through the center of the eraser. If you are looking down at the eraser so that you see the circle the hole will be right in the middle of the circle.

Step 3: Cut a 3 inch long piece of 11 gauge guitar string. This will serve as your needle when you are done making the electric toothbrush tattoo gun.

Step 4: Get a battery-powered electric toothbrush. This should be one of those cheap ones, such as an Oral-B Spinbrush Pro toothbrush. Remove the toothbrush head and discard somehow; it’s not needed for tattoo gun building, but you may find another use for it like a portable toothbrush.

Step 5: Bend a 90 degree angle at the very top of the 3 inches of guitar string.

Step 6: Put the guitar string through the hole in the middle of the eraser. The 90 degree angle will be flat against the eraser when it is all the way through.

Step 7: Put the eraser into the plastic shaft that the toothbrush head was sitting on top of. The guitar string should be pointing up from the electric toothbrush body. Push the eraser down firmly. You can use a q-tip or anything that will fit into the shaft to push on it. The eraser should completely fill the plastic shaft.

Step 8: Put a drop of olive oil on top of the eraser and turn on the electric toothbrush. The eraser should pulse up and down. Leave it on for a few seconds to allow the olive oil to spread and lubricate well. The easier it moves the better because this is the part that drives the tattooing of an electric toothbrush tattoo gun.

Step 9: Twist the tip off a mechanical pencil. By tip I mean the part that the lead usually comes out through. It should screw off.

Step 10: Place the mechanical pencil tip over the guitar string. The string should fit through the hole in the tip. Center the mechanical pencil tip is centered; if you don’t center it properly the entire tattoo machine building will need to be redone because it will bend or even break the guitar string when turned on.

Step 11: Use duct tape to hold the mechanical pencil tip in place. Get the duct tape all the way down the shaft of the toothbrush as well to get the strongest hold.

Step 12: Cut the guitar string at a slight angle so that it’s sharp. The string should be cut as close to the mechanical pencil tip as possible. When you turn the electric toothbrush on the guitar string should pop in and out of the tip fairly quickly.

To use, just dip the tip in ink, paint or other colored liquid, turn the electric toothbrush tattoo gun on and draw on something inanimate and slightly soft. The guitar string may dull rather quickly if being used on cooked clay or other hardened surfaces. Just untape the tip and pull up the eraser. Put in a fresh piece of guitar string and put it back together as directed above for a fresh tip.

Note: If you decide to use this electric toothbrush tattoo gun on yourself or another living person you do so at your own risk. Using a homemade tattoo gun on a person can result in serious infection. Because you probably won’t be using appropriate ink either you will be putting yourself at risk for poisoning. Plus, the tattoo just won’t look good when done with a homemade tattoo gun like this one.

As I experiment I may add more sturdy homemade tattoo machine gun directions to this blog so keep an eye out if you don't like this particular one.