Carving Stones

I uncovered a project in process during the recent studio rearrangement which I was really happy to find. These are the runestones that I was making for myself a few years ago. I love using the tarot and other deck systems, but I wanted to have a go at using a tactile, stone based system.

The normal runes have never really done much for me, the symbols don't speak to me, and I usually don't like the stones or plastic faux stones that they're sold as these days.

So I decided to make my own. Using symbols that are personally meaningful and are instantly available for me to interpret. Yes, that is a smiley face on one of them!

These are all stones that I chose on a special trip to a local beach, with this project in mind. I carved each stone using my Dremel Motor Tool with a diamond point. It was easier on some of the stones that others as there are sandstone and granite (the two extremes in hardness!). But mostly it went pretty smoothly.

I then used a Zig Painty gold pen to fill in the mark to make the symbols easier to read.

I made a fabric liner for a small but sturdy basket and have them in there for now. I may make a reinforced, lined velvet bag for them at some point. So far they have been very useful for me and I'm glad that I came across them again.