Magic Wand working theory

A treatise by Cedar Stevens

The wand. The Magic Wand! People may mock the Broom,
misinterpret the Knife or accidentally use the Cauldron as an
ashtray, but the Wand, even before Harry Potter, can only be
understood as a magical tool.
I make and even sometimes use wands. It is something of a
specialty for me, and here I will share my understandings with you.
I learned these things by reading them in books, listening to trees,
interpreting the growth of vines, and by working directly with the
god Mercury.
The Wand is a tool of Air. The Wand is a tool of Fire. Which
tradition do you subscribe to? The confusion between the use of
knife and wand for fire or air is a problem for many practitioners,
especially if their tradition calls the wand an air elemental and they
read Tarot cards, which calls the wand a fire element! I made my
acquaintance with wands before I did with Tarot, so it was easy for
me: Wands are Air. Branches waving in the Wind. Wind, Wand,
possibly even cognates. Words and Will Winding through the
Wand. Thoughts and ideas directed to make manifest. The
teacher's pointing stick, the conductor's wand. Of course, the wood
burns! And many other arguments, but my main point must be: the
elemental association of fire/air wand/knife is mutable and the
practical applications of the tools partake of either or both
elements. Nuff said!
Wands are usually made of metal or wood, and often topped and
sometimes bottomed with stones. The wood or metal conducts the
magical energy, and the stone point is to direct or radiate the
energy. If a bottom stone is used, it is to absorb or ground energy
in the hand before it is transmitted up into the wand itself. Although
the wand is primarily used to transmit energy, words, or will from
the practitioner towards the goal to manifested, sometimes the
wand can be used to receive or summon energy or deities, and in
this case a grounding stone is especially functional, and top stones
can be selected to enhance this capacity.
The energy transmitted from a wand can be of two natures:
directional or radiating. The type of wood or metal influences the
propensity to direct or radiate, but the top stone and the will of the
practitioner is more important. Directional energy travels very far
and is used primarily for directing will into the universe. Radiant
energy is more localized in effect, resembling the glow around a
candle flame, and is used primarily for healing (the caduceus) or
altering the energetic natures of objects, as in blessing and
empowering a crystal ball or talisman.
If you read a magic book it will tell you that you must make your
own wand. If you are a good craftsperson, this is probably true. If
you are not a craftsperson, this is probably false.
If you follow the instructions from a magic book for making your
own wand, there are some things they tell you to do which will
hamper or impede the usefulness of your wand. First, many will tell
you to be sure to harvest your wand at the proper pruning times of
the year, so that you don't hurt the tree. While as an avid
environmentalist I agree with not hurting trees, harvesting at any
time of the year hurts just a little bit whether you call it pruning or
not. For the best energy potential, especially directional energy
transmission, harvest your wood during the active growing phase
of the tree or bush and the branch you are harvesting. You want to
maximize the upward/outward motion in your wand, and that is
happening most during the active growing seasons in your area.
Some books will tell you to gather virgin wood, of one year or less
growth, but I don't always find this new wood big enough to
harvest, nor do I find older wood less conductive. They also say
that your wand should be as big around as your middle finger and
measure from the tip of your middle finger to your elbow, but I use
this as just an old guideline, preferring to harvest the wood at
lengths that maximize the transmission of energy (e.g., between
joints or taking advantage of knots where energy can be gathered
from the hand, etc.).
Wood for wands is harvested during the waxing phase of the moon
on Wednesdays. I only harvest on the first Wednesday of the new
moon, to maximize that fresh, upwardly oriented energy.
Fashioning the wands is done on either the first or second
Wednesday. Why Wednesdays? Wednesday is ruled by the planet
and god Mercury (Hermes), the messenger god who is a god of the
air element. Mercury rules the creation of magical tools in general,
and the wand especially, since his symbol is the caduceus, the
healing wand. Mercury favors creative disciplines of words and the
intelligent and exalted execution of will power, obviously
corresponding to the functions of the wand. Because of Mercury's
benevolent influence, Wednesdays in the waxing moon have
become "Wandsdays" to this wand worker. I recently found
corroboration with this tradition in the Key of Solomon, although
there is no explanation of the correspondence between wands and
Wednesdays.
The ceremony of harvesting is to in some way ask permission from
the tree or bush or vine, to in some way cast a circle about the tree,
to explain to the tree what your intention is, to knock three times on
the branch selected (to advise the tree or deva or hamadryad to
vacate said branch), to cut as quickly and cleanly as possible, and
to give thanks and some offering. It is traditional to gift the tree
with some of your saliva applied to the cut, so as to offer some of
your own vital energy in exchange for the wood, and if the tree is
especially rare or sacred, a blood offering is appropriate. I also
often leave a dime, especially if there are elves or faery presences
in the vicinity. Everyone gets a cut!
The magic books will tell you to peel or shave the bark from your
wand. Lots of people do this, especially if they want to carve, burn,
or paint and polish their wand. I prefer to leave the bark on,
because the tissue in a branch which has the most directional
energy, the most conductivity, is the phloem and xylem, just under
the bark. This is the sugar, nutrient and water transport tissue, and
if you peel off the bark of your wand, you have peeled off this very
conductive tissue. I also like the wilder look of a wand with the bark
still on, and it helps me remember what species of tree I received
the wood from.
Once harvested, the wand wood needs to dry out for at least one
month before fashioning. During this period I try to not let the wood
touch the Earth, so as to preserve the upward energy in the wood
and not "ground" it out. I also take care to store it in such a way
that I will remember which end of the wood was "up" so I don't
make an upside-down wand!
I use only copper or silver wire to attach stones to a wand. I
developed this technique in order to avoid using glue. At first this
was just an aesthetic choice. Glue just seemed all wrong, it felt
tacky, cheap, and like it was cheating, shortcutting. Now I know
that the metaphysical properties of glue are also antithesis to the
function of the wand. Glue is by its nature unstructured,
nondirectional stuff. It is sticky and attaches, all properties you
want to avoid in a tool used for directing and releasing organized
energy! So I use wire to "cage" my crystals, and coils of wire attach
the stones to the wood by dynamic tension alone. Dynamic tension
holds and transmits energy while adding to its structure and
integrity. Mercury told me so!
Whatever your construction or finishing technique, if you use
spirals of wire, or carved or painted spirals to decorate it, and I
highly recommend doing so, your spirals should always spiral up
in a clockwise direction! Again, at first this was aesthetic; it just
seemed right, but just recently I noticed corroboration in nature:
vines that spiral almost always spiral up clockwise, and even many
trees spiral like this to give themselves spring-like strength and
flexibility in their trunks and branches. Counterclockwise is a
downward spiral (water going down the drain) and is used for
receiving and absorbing. So the clockwise up and out spiral on the
wand helps energy flow in either direction. I am writing from the
northern hemisphere. My guess is that for wood and wands in the
southern hemisphere you would go counterclockwise up, but look
to the vines and trees to make sure.
The next discussion needed regards selection of species of wood
and stones. There are many good references for this information,
like Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Melody's Love
Is In the Earth, and Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Gems, Mineral
and Metals. I use all three of these references, but for native trees
not in reference books I must use my own knowledge of their
natural and metaphysical properties. For example, while Willow,
Mulberry and Ash all grow in my bioregion and are known to be
excellent wand woods, Rowan is often mentioned as a favored
wood, but it does not grow here. What is the native analog? I have
several tests for good wand species. First, fruiting and nut-bearing
species are excellent candidates, especially if favored by wildlife
for food. These plants have chosen livelihoods of giving to make
their way in the world, and they give of their wood and energy
freely, without resentment or attachment. In general, denser woods
conduct better. In general, species that produce naked seeds or
pods without fruits are poor wand woods. This includes almost all
legumes and conifers, which actually conduct too much energy to
be good wands.
There are of course exceptions to these rules, and the different tree
species favor different people, so the final test is what I call energy
twiddling. Using your strong hand (right if your are right-handed),
point the wand or stick into the palm of your receiving hand, and
twiddle the wand tip at the center of your palm, about two inches
away. There is a very sensitive energy organ right in the center of
your palm which transmits and receives energy, and if your wand
works well, you will feel a tingling or tickling sensation coming
from the wand tip. Practice this one - it has many non-wand
applications.
Copper (and silver, if you can afford it) are also often used for
wands. I like to use copper tubing, in which case I sand the copper
to resemble wood grains, stroking from bottom to top either
straight or spiraling upwards.
The bottomstone (which I consider an optional feature) of a wand
absorbs energy and will from the practitioner before it is passed
into the wood or copper. In general, darker stones are best for this.
Avoid metallic stones which gather but do not release energy
readily, such as hematite. I find that bloodstone, black glass,
obsidian, onyx, or brown jaspers are good bottomstones.
Sedimentary stones like sandstone or limestone mute energy and
are poor choices for bottomstones or topstones.
Topstones gather and organize energy before directing or radiating
it into the environment. Many people use natural quartz crystals,
but I usually use tumbled polished stones. Glass (or natural
glasses like obsidian) must be cut, have broken edges, or be
knapped into shape or it can only radiate gently. In general, natural
crystals or faceted cut chipped stones, clear or translucent stones
or those with striations or chatoyancy or cat's-eye or tiger's-eye
patterns direct well, and rounded, tumbled, opaque, blue, green or
iridescent stones radiate, but these properties can usually be
modulated by the will of the practitioner.
Here is a great way of choosing ready-made wands or the materials
for constructing them: Sheer aesthetic! Does it look cool, go with
the clothes you wear or match the color you dye your hair? I highly
recommend this technique. Magical properties are strongly
corroborated to beauty and aesthetics, and if you dye your hair red
or bleach it blond, or wear blue all the time, there is a magical
power that you are choosing for a reason whether you know it or
not.
For consecration of a wand I recommend against using the Earth or
Water elements, and in favor of any ritual that reinforces the
upward, outward and spiraling directions. Do it on a Wednesday in
the waxing moon, preferably just before the full moon. It is helpful
to use a gravitational body, as in the sun or moon, to help draw
energy up and out, through you and your wand as a part of your
consecration, which is your first use of your wand. Be well
grounded and allow the energy to be pulled up from the center of
the Earth, move through your body, spiral clockwise up through
and around you wand, and pausing momentarily in the topstone,
then releasing upward, being drawn out naturally.
As you perform this potentiating ritual, you can say, "An it harm
none, may this Wand well work my Will. So mote it be." From here
on out this would be the binding and enabling command for your
wand.
The more energy you run through your wand, the clearer it stays,
and the more energy it can run. A wand that has been resting for a
while can always benefit from a potentiation "tune-up" before being
applied to a magical task.
May Mercury bless and guide you, your wand, your words, your will
and your way.