About Us

The Home Studio

This studio is nestled within the quiet embrace of my home in Richmond, VA. It is not a factory, not a sterile workshop, but a living, breathing space infused with the energy of daily life and the focused intention of creative practice. Here, the scent of simmering natural dyes mingles with the subtle fragrance of candles curing. Here, the rhythmic click of needles or the hum of a sewing machine accompanies the quiet contemplation of symbolism.

It is a place where the veil between the mundane and the meaningful feels thin, where the simple act of making becomes a form of embodied meditation, a way to ground intention into tangible form. Being a home studio means every piece, every offering, is infused with a personal touch, born from a space that holds my own life, my own practice, my own connection to the cyclical nature of existence. It allows for a level of intimacy and intention that feels essential to the heart of Rune Root.

I am Mac

The founder and the sole weaver of this practice. My journey here has been one of seeking – seeking meaning in a world that often feels disconnected, seeking authenticity amidst societal noise, seeking a way to live and create that honors the deeper rhythms of life. I don't adhere to traditional spiritual or religious beliefs; I am an atheist, grounded in the observable world, fascinated by science, and deeply reverent of the undeniable power of nature and the human psyche. Yet, I have found profound wisdom and guidance in the timeless language of story, symbolism, and ritual.

For me, to be a weaver of ritual and cyclical embrace is to consciously choose a way of being in the world. It is to recognize that ritual is not about dogma, but about intention – about imbuing everyday actions with presence and purpose, creating moments of focus that anchor us and guide us. It is about finding the sacred not in external deities, but in the inherent beauty and intelligence of the natural world and the intricate workings of our own bodies and minds. It is about acknowledging that life, like nature, like our own physiology, is cyclical. It moves in phases – seasons of high energy and outward expression, times of quiet introspection and rest, moments of shedding and renewal. To embrace this cyclical nature is to cease fighting the natural flow and learn to dance with it, finding strength and wisdom in every turn of the wheel.

Our Offerings: Pathways to Connection

Through Rune Root, I weave these threads together using different mediums, each offering a unique pathway to connection and embodiment:

Ritual Candles

These are not simply scented candles; they are tangible anchors for intention, infused with the potent energy of symbols from nature and mythology. Crafted with care using natural, sustainable coconut soy wax blend, each candle carries a whisper of ancient stories and the grounding energy of the earth. They are tools for creating sacred space, for focusing your will, for connecting with archetypal energies not as objects of worship, but as powerful metaphors for aspects of the human experience. Lighting a Rune Root candle is an invitation to ritual, a simple yet profound act of presence and intention. They are designed to help you weave your own rituals, find your own meaning in symbols, and connect with the power of focused intention, regardless of your beliefs.

Earth Dyed Wear

My naturally dyed and eco-printed clothing is a direct conversation with the earth, a wearable piece of the Virginia landscape. Using plant-based dyes sourced with care – often local, sometimes foraged with respect – I transform vintage and secondhand garments, giving them new life and imbuing them with the colors and stories of nature. This practice is a ritual in itself – from the mindful collection of plant material to the patient coaxing of color from fiber, it is a process steeped in intention and connection. Wearing Earth Dyed Wear is an invitation to adorn yourself with the beauty of the natural world, to connect with the story of the plants and the land, and to make a conscious choice for sustainability and mindful consumption. Each piece is unique, bearing the beautiful imperfections that are inherent in nature's own artistry, a reflection of the Wabi Sabi philosophy that finds beauty in the authentic and the impermanent.

Menstrual Health Coaching

This practice is deeply rooted in the understanding of cyclical living and the power of body literacy. As a coach, I work with women to help them reconnect with their bodies, understand the subtle language of their menstrual cycles, and reclaim their inherent feminine power. This is not about diagnosing or treating disease (as I am not a licensed physician), but about cultivating deep body awareness, understanding hormonal fluctuations, and embracing the wisdom that resides within the cyclical body. It is a journey of coming home to oneself, particularly potent for those transitioning off hormonal birth control or navigating the sacred passages of preconception and postpartum. My coaching provides a space for deep listening, education, and guidance, empowering women to become the experts of their own cyclical health and to live in greater alignment with their natural rhythms.

Rune Root is my offering to the world, a space to share these practices and the tools that facilitate them. It is born from a belief that meaning is not something handed down, but something we actively create through our intentions, our actions, and our connections. It is a call to slow down, to listen to the whispers of nature and our own bodies, to find beauty in the authentic and the imperfect, and to weave a life that is rich with ritual, attuned to cycles, and deeply connected to the earth.

Thank you for being here, for exploring what Rune Root is about. I invite you to explore the offerings, to connect with the pieces that resonate with you, and to perhaps find a thread of meaning, of connection, of ritual that you can weave into your own life.

About The Runes

A Deeper Look at the Symbolism We Engage With

At the heart of Rune Root, particularly within our ritual candle offerings, lies the ancient language of the runes. These aren't just markings carved into stone or wood; they are a system of potent symbols, each vibrating with layers of meaning, each a doorway into understanding the world and ourselves in deeper ways. Originating with the Norse and Germanic peoples, the Elder Futhark runes are a rich source of wisdom, archetype, and reflective power. They speak of the fundamental forces of nature, the spectrum of human experience, and the potential for growth and transformation that lies within and around us.

For centuries, the story of how the runes were gained by Odin, the Norse god associated with wisdom, magic, poetry, and war, has been a foundational myth. While I approach mythology not as literal history or religious truth, but as powerful metaphorical narratives that hold profound psychological and cultural insights, this story of Odin and the runes resonates deeply with the journey of seeking, sacrifice, and self-discovery that is so central to ritual practice. It is a dramatic, compelling account of the price of deep knowledge, a metaphor for the trials we must sometimes undergo to gain true wisdom and insight.

The passage from the Hávamál, an Old Norse poem presented as the words of Odin, offers a vivid glimpse into this arduous quest:

I know that I hung on a windswept tree
nine long nights,
wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no man knows
from where its roots run

With no bread did they refresh me nor a drink from a horn,
downwards I peered;
I took up the runes, screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there.

Nine mighty spells I learnt from the famous son
of Bolthor, Bestla's father,
and I got a drink of the precious mead,
I, soaked from Odrerir.

Then I began to quicken and be wise,
and to grow and to prosper;
one word from another word found a word for me,
one deed from another deed found a deed for me.

The runes you must find and meaningful letters,
very great letters,
very stiff letters,
which the mighty sage coloured
and the huge powers made
and the runemaster of the gods carved out.

Odin among the Æsir, and Dain among the elves,
Dvalin among the dwarfs,
Asvid among the giants,
I myself carved out some.

Do you know how to carve, do you know how to interpret,
do you know how to colour, do you know how to question,
do you know how to ask, do you know how to sacrifice,
do you know how to dispatch, do you know how to slaughter?

This isn't a call to worship Odin; it's an invitation to contemplate the profound truths embedded in this story. The nine nights of hanging, wounded and alone, symbolize a journey into the depths of the unknown, a willingness to endure hardship and surrender to a process of profound transformation. It speaks to the understanding that true wisdom often requires sacrifice – perhaps sacrificing old ways of thinking, comfortable certainties, or the fear of the unknown. The act of "taking up the runes" is an active, conscious choice to grasp knowledge, to pull wisdom from the void through intense focus and will.

"One word from another word found a word for me, one deed from another deed found a deed for me." This line, in particular, resonates with the practice of intentional craft and cyclical living. It speaks to wisdom gained not just through passive reception, but through active engagement – through the interplay of contemplation ("word") and action ("deed"). It highlights how understanding deepens as we apply our insights in the tangible world, how our actions inform our understanding, and how each piece of knowledge leads to the next, in an unfolding, cyclical process.

The description of the runes as "very great letters, very stiff letters" points to their complexity and depth. They are not simplistic answers, but multifaceted symbols that require contemplation, intuition, and personal interpretation. They are "coloured" and "made" by powers both mythological and, in a metaphorical sense, by the very forces of nature and human experience. The question "Do you know how to carve, do you know how to interpret...?" feels like a direct challenge, not from Odin, but from the runes themselves, and from the practice of engaging with deep symbolism. It asks: Are you willing to actively engage with this wisdom? Are you willing to put in the work to understand, to create, to question?

Through the rune candles at Rune Root, I offer a tangible way to engage with this ancient, potent symbolism. Each candle, named for a specific rune or mythology figure, serves as an anchor for the qualities and wisdom that symbol represents. They are tools for your own journey of self-discovery, for crafting your own intentional rituals, for contemplating the "great and stiff letters" in your own life. They invite you to ask the questions, to interpret the meanings that arise within you, and to weave these ancient threads of wisdom into your modern, secular practice of personal growth and cyclical living. The power is not in worshipping the source of the story, but in the story's ability to illuminate the power within you.