Clear Glass Balls (Christmas ornaments)
Reflective Silver Paint
Red or Black String
Protection Herbs
A Nice Ribbon
Glue

Before I tell you how to make a Witch ball, perhaps I should tell you what they are, and give you a little history behind them. Witch balls have been used since the Middle-Ages, and are still being used by modern Witches.They are little reflective balls with a "web" of string inside that are hung in windows to catch negative energies and bad spirits. (But the irony is that in the Middle Ages, they were also used to ward off Witches!!) It's said that the malevolent spirit or energy was very attracted to the beauty of the ball, and once near it, was sucked inside and trapped by the string, never to escape. So a Witch Ball, is a form of protection, and very useful to have in your home. Ok..now onto the instructions.

The first step is to cover your work area with old newspaper so you don't get paint everywhere. The next step is to take the little metal hanger off of the end of the ball, and place it aside. (You will use it again later.) Next, pour in some silver into the ball, and give it a good swirl. (If you can, buy some sort of shiny, metallic paint because it will look best. But if you can't find that, any silver paint will work.)

Now, lay the ball on it's open end to dry and allow the excess paint to drain out. Please give it at least a day for the drying process, if not the paint will peel off when you put the string in it. You need to make sure the paint is totally secure to the inside.

Once the ball is dry, stuff it full of string and any protection herb you like. If you have trouble getting the string/herbs inside, use a pencil to push it in.

The last step is to put the metal hanger back on the ball, but before you do, put a small amount of glue on it just to make sure it won't come lose while hanging in the window. (You don't want those bad energies escaping, do ya?) String the ribbon through the hanger, and tie the ends in a knot. Now you have a Witch Ball!! Cool!!

For added protection, hold the ball in your hands, and infuse it with protective energy. Say a protective chant, and run it through some protection incense. That will make it good and ready to protect your home. Hang it in your window, and it's done!!

25 flat, porous stones that are similar in size
1 fine point paint pen (white worked best for me)
A book or guide to look at while drawing runes
A pouch to store runes in afterwards

The first thing you need to do for this craft is find the stones you are going to use. This can be a great opportunity for a family outing. Pack a picnic and take the family to the nearest river or creek bed, and start looking for stones! Rivers and creeks produce some wonderful round stones that make awesome runes. But please don’t forget to thank the gnomes and water spirits for their sacrifice while you’re taking rocks from their home. And, just to let you know, my runes are made out of river stones that I found with my family when a girl. I held on to them for all these years, and now I know why. ~lol~ (Pic to the right.)

But...if you don’t live near a creek or don’t want to invest the time (shame-shame), go to the nearest home and garden store because they sell them. Don’t purchase lacquered or glass stones because the rune symbols you will be painting on them will eventually peel off. Look for natural, porous stones if you want the paint to last for years to come. (When I say porous, I don’t mean stones with humongous holes. I simply mean stones that have not been finished with a glossy coating.)

Now that you found your stones, take them home and wash any extra dirt from them if you got them from nature. While they are drying, take out your rune guide and practice drawing runes on a piece of paper. Please take this extra step to practice to ensure you will draw them correctly on the actual stones. Once you make a mistake, it’s very hard to cover.

Now that your stones are dry and practice time is over, take out your fine-point paint pen and carefully draw each rune symbol on each stone. (One symbol per stone, in other words.) Once you have each symbol drawn, you will notice you have an extra stone. Don’t worry, because this will be the Wyrd, or blank rune. This rune is not meant to have a symbol. It means "unknown fate".

Allow the paint to dry, which shouldn’t take too long, and place your runes in their pouch. I use a Crown Royal Whiskey pouch, but if you’re handy with a needle feel free to make your own. Cleanse and consecrate your new runes, and start doing some readings! Have fun!!