Magical Tools: The Wand

The wand, in many Pagan practices, services as a tool of energy direction. Many Witches and Wiccans use them in circle castings to form a circle around them and the area they are working, either for protection, or to seal off an area dedicated to just them and their deities.

Generally a wand is long stick uniquely decorated and consecrated for use by the practitioner.

To make one really depends on the individual, however many people don't know how to make one or what goes on one. Here, I will provide a possibility on how to make your own wand.

Gather a stick of some kind. Most people prefer this stick be natural in some way, either gathering it from a live tree or finding one on the ground. I feel one on the ground would be better, as it's not damaging to the tree (breaking or cutting a tree branch is like cutting yourself. You introduce bacteria and dirt into the tree and could cause serious disease or problems to form in the tree). Still some others (usually those who live in the city or other place that doesn't have an abundance of tree life) will go to a hardware store or department store and obtain a length of dowel rod (a smooth, rounded stick) or even a copper pipe.

Take your stick, wrap the ends in yarn, ribbon, or cord in a color you deem appropriate for what you want to use your wand for (i.e. white/silver for generalized energy direction). You can also add a quartz point to the end to increase and focalize the energy direction extending from you then the wand.

A wand shouldn't be something that's difficult to make. Certainly one may make it as elaborately as they wish, by adding beads and feathers to it, but a wand may be as simple as just a simple stick, consecrated for use.