Making Clay Runes Workshop - Maiden Mother Crone Festival

raidoreikiwellness
Jul 9
4 min read

Welcome, wise ones and wanderers! I am happy to host you here and give you insight into how we can use rune crafting to connect to our inner archetypes. I developed this workshop as an offering to the Pagan Association of Nova Scotia at their Maiden Mother Crone Festival in July of 2025, and wanted to make a space for those participants to access the contents. I am also welcoming my site visitors a glimpse into what we worked on. If you have any questions, or would like a similar workshop at your event, please email raidoreikiwellness@gmail.com.

Welcome to the Rune Workshop at Maiden Mother Crone

At this year’s Maiden Mother Crone Festival, we gathered to reconnect with something ancient, intuitive, and powerful: the runes. In this hands-on workshop, we didn't just make clay charms—we created tools for reflection, ritual, and transformation. Whether you joined us around the crafting table or are discovering this later at home, this blog is your guide and companion.

Below, you’ll find a gentle introduction to rune magic, step-by-step clay tips, and suggestions for symbols that align with the cycles of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. It’s designed to help you deepen your practice—while keeping things accessible, meaningful, and a little bit magical.

What Are Runes? A Brief Introduction

Runes are more than just symbols—they're an ancient alphabet rooted in the Norse and Germanic traditions, most commonly seen in the Elder Futhark, a system of 24 characters carved into stone, bone, wood, or metal. Originally used for writing and inscriptions, runes also held spiritual and magical significance, often used for divination, protection, and connecting with the unseen.

Each rune holds its own vibration, story, and meaning, offering insight into our inner world and the rhythms of nature. Some represent forces of chaos and transformation; others bring clarity, harvest, or healing. Today, many people use runes to reflect during meditation, mark sacred spaces, or craft charms aligned with personal intentions.

Working with runes is a way of listening inward—of honoring intuition, ancestral memory, and the cycles we move through. Whether you are a Maiden starting something new, a Mother in full bloom, or a Crone holding deep wisdom, there’s a rune that speaks to your path.

Workshop Highlight: Crafting Runes with Feminine Archetypes

During the Maiden Mother Crone Festival, we gathered to shape more than just clay—we shaped intention.

In this workshop, participants created their own set of rune tokens using air-dry clay, each carved with a symbol aligned to one of the three archetypes: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. We began with a grounding visualization to center ourselves, calling on the energies of earth, breath, and the sacred cycles we move through in our lives.

From there, we molded small pieces of clay into rounded discs or natural forms and gently carved rune symbols into them using toothpicks or wooden tools. Some participants focused on one archetype, while others made a full mini set to explore all three. This process wasn’t about perfection—it was about embodiment, energy, and expression.

We closed with a collective blessing, offering our creations to the elements and infusing them with purpose. These rune tokens can now be used in personal ritual, carried as talismans, or placed on an altar as reminders of the energy you’re working with.

Rune Suggestions for Each Archetype

🌸 Maiden

Keywords: emergence, potential, curiosity, freedom

Berkana (ᛒ) – new beginnings, becoming, fertility of all kinds
Wunjo (ᚹ) – joy, harmony, belonging
Ehwaz (ᛖ) – movement, change, trust
Kenaz (ᚲ) – the spark, creativity, learning
Raidho (ᚱ) – journey, rhythm, self-direction

🌕 Mother

Keywords: growth, nurturing, responsibility, strength

Jera (ᛃ) – harvest, reward for effort, natural cycles
Sowilo (ᛋ) – success, vitality, personal power
Laguz (ᛚ) – emotional depth, intuition, flowing with change
Gebo (ᚷ) – partnership, reciprocity, sacred exchange
Perthro (ᛈ) – mystery, womb space, sacred chance

🌑 Crone

Keywords: wisdom, endings, inner vision, transformation

Hagalaz (ᚺ) – disruption, storm, necessary change
Isa (ᛁ) – stillness, reflection, surrender
Ansuz (ᚨ) – insight, divine messages, ancestral voice
Eiwaz (ᛇ) – death and rebirth, spiritual strength
Thurisaz (ᚦ) – boundaries, power, fierce protection

Working with Air-Dry Clay: Tips for Crafting and Aftercare

Whether you’re crafting runes at the festival or trying this at home, here are a few helpful tips to make your clay process smooth, sturdy, and sacred.

During the Workshop or While Crafting:

Use small pieces of clay — about the size of a grape or walnut. Roll into a ball, then flatten slightly to make a disc.
Dampen your fingers with a little water if the clay cracks while shaping. Avoid using too much water—it will make the clay too soft.
Carve runes gently with a toothpick, bamboo skewer, or similar pointed tool. Shallow lines work best and are less likely to crumble.
Smooth edges with a wet fingertip or cloth for a polished finish, or leave them rough for a more natural look.
Infuse intention while working—breathe into each piece, speak its name, or visualize its energy.

Aftercare at Home:

Drying: Lay your runes on a parchment- or wax-lined tray and let them air dry in a cool, dry place for 24–48 hours. Flip them once during drying if needed.
Decorating: Once fully dry, you can leave them natural or:
- Paint with acrylics or watercolors
- Seal with Mod Podge or natural beeswax to protect from moisture
- Add a dab of essential oil for energy work (lavender for calm, rosemary for clarity, etc.)
Storing: Keep them in a fabric pouch, a rune box, or place them on your altar between uses.
Charging: Leave them in moonlight or near crystals to cleanse and charge them between readings or rituals.

🌕 Optional tip: Try pulling a rune each morning and placing it somewhere visible to guide your day.

Closing: Rune Work as a Living Practice

Thank you for being part of this shared magic at the Maiden Mother Crone Festival—whether in body or spirit. The runes you made are more than just tokens—they are tools for intuition, healing, and reclamation.

May your Maiden runes inspire curiosity.

May your Mother runes ground you in strength.

May your Crone runes light the path of wisdom.

Use them in the ways that feel most authentic to you—during rituals, in journaling, in moments of decision or doubt. And know that every time you reach for one, you’re also reaching back—into your own lineage, your own becoming.

🌀 To download a printable rune guide, click below.