How to make a wand
by Dawn Gribble
First appeared in www.pagan-magic.co.uk/
Pagans often use wands for their magical workings. You can buy beautiful wands online, but it's a good experience to choose the wood and designs and make one on your own. The more energy you put into your wand, the more powerful it will become...
The magickal way of life encourages everyone to live in harmony with nature. When we need a tool or item for our magickal workings, our first instinct is to run to the store to look for it and to buy it. Instead, why not contemplate the possibility of making it yourself, using your own magickal energies?
For centuries, the wand has been associated with magickal workings. Although it is easy to buy a wand from the store or order it online, it is also a good experience to make one on your own. You not only learn will learn how to make a wand, you will also be able to experience how the ancient cultures practiced magick and lived in tune with nature's rhythms. The more eager you are to make the wand and use it for benevolent purposes, the more powerful your wand will become.
To make a wand, you will need a branch with the length and width of the wand that you wish to have. The first thing you may think about is getting a sharp knife and cutting a branch off a tree. Wait! All you need is a branch that is as long as the length from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger. You may find branches or twigs lying under the trees in the neighborhood. If you have a lot of choices, pick up the branch that somehow gets your attention. By the way, any type of wood is good for wands. Traditionally, however, the wood from trees like Cedar, Apple, Oak, Birch or Ivy is used. If you are in doubt, it may be better to use wood that is traditionally used to make furniture. That would tell us if the wood is stable or falls apart after some time.
The best time to start work on the wand is Wednesday at sunset. Choose a day when you can find some time to search your neighborhood park for the best wand that will help you. Prepare the wand by cutting off the branches that you do not need with a sharp knife. Allow the wand to dry undisturbed for 3 to 7 days.
When the wood is dry, sand it smoothly using sandpaper. Carve designs runes, symbols, your mantra, etc on it with a sharp knife. Buff with a soft cloth after coating the wand with mineral oil. Allow the wand to dry for a day or two so that the oil seeps into the wood and makes it less brittle. Make little shallow depressions on the wand and decorate the tip or the entire wand with wooden beads, rhinestones, crystals, etc. You may use hot glue gun or Elmer's glue to make them permanent. Always choose only the decorations that feel magickal to you. Again, try not to buy them but rather find them outside already "manufactured with love" from nature!
You may also add a wire loop to add additional charms and talismans to the wand. It is also wonderful to add bits of nature, such as shells, moss, dried flowers, leaves, seeds, nuts, etc. All things in nature have magickal energy. The wand you make will always help you in very special ways.
More pagan magic articles at www.pagan-magic.co.uk/
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