Sunday, April 20, 2014

So you want to make a wand?

Recently, I read and replied to a google+ post on the subject of making a wand, and I decided to write an entry on the subject. The absolute very first consideration though, is this: do you want a wand because you wish to seriously explore the world of Wicca, or because you absolutely adore the Harry Potter universe? If you answer the latter, this is not the article for you, and you should be able to find many wands to your liking on eBay or Amazon. If however, you have thoroughly considered and answer the former, then let's move on. 

Make, don't buy. As stated, there are many handsome offerings available on eBay and Amazon, but none of them will "hold a charge", so to speak. They are mass produced, cheap, and not made by wand makers, rather by merchants looking to make a buck off the recent surge of interest in Hollywood-style magic. There are no wand makers in the real world. There are people and companies that make wands, yes, but there are no wand makers. If you want a proper wand, suitable for actual Wiccan practices, you really need to make your own. 

Do you need a wand? All the above notwithstanding, you should ask yourself if you actually want a wand. If you plan to be working, you likely need a focus for your power. But it needn't necessarily be a wand.  Some of us use a staff or cane. Either way, make, don't buy. 

So we've decided? Whether you've decided on a wand, staff, or cane, the following will apply universally. 

Choose your wood. The selection of wood will depend on a great many factors. There are several websites which can tell you which species of wood is best for which type of magic, and some will even tell you which is best for certain types of people. Not all will be available in your geographic region though. Don't decide on a species just yet though, because there are other things to consider. One of the first things to remember is Gaia's blessing, without which, your wand/staff/cane will be useless. It is preferable to use naturally felled wood, rather than cutting it yourself. If you must cut, seek the tree's permission first. Ask the tree to contribute. If you have any connection at all to nature, you'll feel the answer. Preferable though, is to find naturally felled wood, and a great time to do this is immediately following a thunderstorm. This will enable you to obtain your wood without cutting, and will also provide you with wood that has been charged by nature. This wood will provide you with a more powerful starting point than a cut piece. 

Dry that sucker out. Now that you have your wood, bring it home, and let it dry for a few days. Usually three will suffice. During this period, try to hold it a lot. Holding it and meditating, or even holding it while you do completely unrelated things around the house will allow the wood to tell you what it wants to be, how it wants to be shaped. As Mr. Olivander said, the wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. This, of course, is not a fully crafted wand in a pretty box just waiting to be held. But it is a wand, under all that extraneous wood, and you will not be the one deciding how it will look. The wand knows how it wants to look, you must open your mind and listen. 

Gather supplies. Once you start to have an idea how your wand wants to look (or staff or cane), you will need to gather your supplies. You will need tools, such as a knife for whittling, possibly carving knives, (wood carving, not veggie ;) ) you may need a saw, a drill, possibly even a lathe, depending on your access to tools, and extent that you wish to go with this work. You may also need materials such as gemstones, copper wire, feather(s), etc. Hopefully, you will have learned by now how to listen to your wand enough that you'll know what materials you need. 

Look to luna. Some practitioners will say that you should perform the construction during and near the time of the full moon. Others will tell you this isn't important, so long as you perform a consecration rite under a full moon once the wand is completed. I happen to fall into the latter camp, as I realize that many of us may be too busy to complete the project in less than a few weeks, or even more. That makes it kinda hard to do it all under a full moon. Just don't forget to consecrate your wand under the full moon when it's done. 

Don't glue it! You may wish to attach items of power to your wand, such as a gemstone or feather or other such item. By all means, do so. But don't use glue to attach them. Gems can be attached using copper wire, which is an excellent conductor of magic, and gives a nice decorative look to the wand as well. And by wire, I don't mean hair-thin electrical wire. I mean 1/16th wire, similar to solder, or even 1/8th. You can wrap this around your gem, and around the wand, or through a hole you might drill in the wand. A feather can be attached using thin strips of leather. Deer leather can be purchased from native arts and crafts stores at reasonable prices, and is excellent for this use, natural, and usually humanely hunted, not farmed like cattle. 

Further to the issue about not using glue, I also recommend avoidance of modern fasteners such as nails or screws. This will likely not be an issue for a wand, but might be for a cane. If you need to join pieces, particularly at angles and such, I recommend that you research carpenter joinery techniques, rather than using anything as crude as nails or screws in your creation. 

Seal with more than a kiss. Be sure to use a good varnish or shellac on your wand, especially in any drilled holes, to protect it from wear and water. 

Be creative. Make your wand yours. The more you personalize it, the more of your own power you're putting into it. Aside from gems and feathers, another thing you may wish do to is to burn runes into your wand. Or carve them in. 

I hope this may be helpful for wiccans, especially those new to the craft, who are seeking that perfect wand or other such focus, and when I get a chance, I'll even post a picture of my own staff.

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