It’s so funny that you ask me this, as I was rough drafting a little article about this very subject since I had collected some wand wood earlier in the month, and am currently making some natural bees wax polish for my wands!
Now, everyone will tell you differently about how to craft a wand, so i am just going to tell you my way.
To start, you must find a suitable tree. Different species of trees have various magical virtues in folklore and correspondences. Is there a certain tree to which you are drawn? Has there been Aspen shaking outside your window every night, lulling you to sleep? Perhaps you are drawn to slender Hazel and her soft leaves? Or are you attracted to Rowan’s bright, red, bitter berries? Are you brave enough to approach Grandmother Elder and claim one of her limbs?
Traditionally wand is crafted from Hazel wood when her nuts are just about to pop. Hazel is a strong wood, easy to carve, and grows in lovely straight lengths so it is easy to cut a good rod. The rod should be, traditionally, cut on a full moon on the day Mercury at midnight. According to traditional texts, the rod should be of a year’s growth, and a length approximately from the crook of the elbow to the longest finger of the dominant hand. Though, I have also read that the length should be from the tip of your nose to the longest finger! Use what is comfortable, I think. Though, of course, if you are following the procedure for a specific working, the author may have a reason for the length! For a general wand for general witchcraft, elbow to fingertip is a fine length of wood. Remember, it’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use—
…Sorry…
Anyway! So, now you have your rough wand. Now what you want to do is strip the bark off. Some people like to leave part of the bark on for a handle, others like to strip it entirely bare, and that is up to you. Then you should leave it in a dry place to cure. It should take about a month per inch of thickness, I believe is the general rule. While this is happening, I like to sketch out what I plan to carve into the wand. In traditional texts, you’ll find names of god, runes, Hebrew letters, and so on. Modern wands have various designs carved into them, such as serpents, stars, swirls, leaves, animals, birds, plants, et cetera. If you are not a skilled wood carver, that’s okay! I’ve seen many beautiful simple wands that work just fine. And! If you can practice with some other dry pieces laying about, then you won’t have to worry about ruining your wand. Also, woodburning can take so much of the struggle off.
Traditionally in witchcraft, the tip of the wand is carved into a phallic shape, or at least is pointed. Sometimes a pine cone is carved onto the tip. This is to represent the male principle in witchcraft, as the wand is the phallic instrument of directing energy in its more gentle aspect (as opposed to the dagger which is more aggressive). However, if gender polarity is not your thing, you don’t have to attribute any gender symbolism to this at all! I like to think of the wand as a rod of command, and don’t attribute any gender associates with the wand. (Though, I have seen a wand which is basically a giant wooden penis, and it is just my absolute favorite). I am not much of a woodcarver, so I keep the tips of my wands unadorned and just go a nice tapered point. Or you can go the more modern route and affix a crystal or sacred stone to the tip.
The butt of the wand, or the heel (the end that faces you) can be carved into a hoof if you like, or a ball, or you can even embed a hole in the butt of the wand to place scrolls, magical powders, oils, et cetera depending on the spell you are using. Some writers add that you can seal up your blood and hair to personalize the wand. Or it can be left unadorned. Remember, this is your wand, and you can carve it however way you like.
When you’re done with the carving and decorating, and sanding to smooth it down, you’ll need to polish it to keep the wood free from dust and to keep it preserved. There are many different polishes out there. Gemma Gary recommends using either boiled linseed oil, or bees wax polish. I’m opting for the latter because I like to make my own stuff. She says if you’re using bees wax polish: Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year for life. This way your wand will be nicely preserved and the wood won’t crack.
When you get to the polishing stage, you can consecrate the wand. There are many ways to consecrate magical instruments from the very elaborate consecrations given in the grimoires, to the simple. From what I have read, the wand should be laid out in ritual space, exorcised of all phantasms contrary to the working, and then a blessing is said over the wand to dedicate it to the service of witchcraft. Then, a bit of blood or spittle is crossed three times upon the surface. The instrument is then slept with for three nights as a consummation of the instrument’s baptism. After this, it should be used immediately in a magical working. Traditionally, the wand, as with all instruments of the Art, should be kept wrapped in black silk and kept out of the way until it is used.
This was a really quick blurb, and I hope to go into more detail about the wand in a later post. I just need to gather my research materials! There are many ways to craft wands, and there are different wands for specific purposes (such as blasting rods!), and different consecration techniques. You should also be mindful about the proper way to harvest wood for a wand (I gave a small insight into this in an article here).
Of the diverse powers of the witch, control of the weather is one of the most mysterious, and feared, perhaps, by the Christian masses. It is claimed by the Christian theology that their god gave the power of the elements unto Satan; indeed, this is why he is called “Lord of the World”. It was believed that witches, who were in league with the Devil, could control the rains, the winds, and the seas with their magic.
Sailors would purchase knotted cords from witches. When the knots were untied, the wind would pick up. The more knots one untied, the more wind there would be.
This can still be applied today using either ones own breath, or the wind itself.
On a windy day, take yourself to a high place where the wind blows more strongly. Take with you a red cord to be knotted in three places. Breathe in the wind. Become the wind. Be in all places at once. One and Separate by the Mystery.
Tie the wind into the knots. The first knot should be closest to the left end, the second knot closest to the right, and the third knot to be in the middle of the cord. Accompany your actions with a charm such as:
“Each knot I make And then untie Will stir the wind To fill the sky.“
Return to your home, and keep the knotted cord in a high place within your home. When you need to change the wind, take the cord outside and untie the knots in reverse order.
“This knot is untied, So the cord is free. As the cord if freed, The wind shall be.“
For a strong gale untie all three knots.
If there is no wind to tie into the cord, simply use the breath. Whistle three times for a wind, and give a blast of air into the first knot. Into the second knot, give a slightly smaller stream. And into the final knot, give merely a breeze of your personal wind.
In the next series of articles, I will be focusing on the subject of lesser known tools of the craft. I’ll even talk about items that potentially could have been used based from folklore and record account.
PART 1: The Moon Rake, Scourge, and Bull-roarer
The (Moon) Rake
I’ve spoken about this tool briefly before, but I feel it deserves a bit more attention. I’ll also include regular rakes as well, since they were also used in folklore.
A moon rake is described as a 6 foot wooden pole with a large horse shoe attached to the end. Described in two different rites, it is used to coax items into the light of the full moon, as it is being reflected upon a large body of water (such as a lake or pond). It is also described as being used to gather the power of the moon, which is done by raking the reflection in the water.
Both normal looking rakes and the one described above were used in water magic, specifically relating around the moon.
Then his mother went in quest of him; she questioned the trees, she questioned the pathway, she questioned the golden moon in the sky. But the trees, the pathway, the golden moon in the sky, all had their own troubles, and they would take no trouble for any woman’s son. She questioned the sun in the heavens, and the sun told her that her son was in Tuonela’s River.
Then to the smith Ilmarinen went Lemminkainen’s mother. For her Ilmarinen fashioned a rake, a rake with a copper handle and with teeth of steel–a hundred fathoms was the length of the teeth, five hundred fathoms was the length of the handle. To Tuonela’s River she went: there she chanted a Magic Song.
She prayed the sun to shine with such strength that the watchers in Manala would sleep and that the powers of Tuonela would be worn out. And the sun stooped upon a crooked birch-tree and shone in his strength so that the watchers of Manala were worn out–the young men slept upon their sword-hilts; the old men slept resting upon their staffs; the middle-aged men, the spearmen, slept resting upon the hafts of their spears. Then Lemminkainen’s mother took her rake; she raked the river against the current; once she raked it, and she raked it again. The third time she raked the river she brought up the hat and stockings of her son Lemminkainen. She went into the river, and she waded in its deepest water. She drew up the body with her rake of iron.
The rake tended to be used for healing based rites. As described by Cecil Williamson and Gemma Gary, it was used to to push a copper bowl of urine into the water, so that the light of the full moon could purify it.
Though, it could also potentially be a tool used to raise the dead and call upon spirits by the power of water and the moon. The tale above depicts a mother going out on the night of the full moon and using a rake to gather up her dead son from the river.
The same could potentially be done in rights of necromancy and raising the spirits from the waters, essentially dragging them from the underworld across the river Styx.
It could also be used to drag the waters of the moon’s reflection for such rituals as “Drawing down the moon” or various purification rites.
The materials that make the rakes vary. Specifically, the Moon rake was made with an iron horseshoe, though other rakes could be made of various materials like copper, steel, wood, and even bronze. The specific materials being dependent upon what the rake is being used for.
The Scourge
A Scourge is a whip like item multi-thong whip. It is best known for its use in Gardnerian Wicca, though it also has uses in various other neopagan religions and witchcraft practices.
It has a number of different uses. In the Gardnerian 2nd degree initiation, it is quoted as such…
Priestess or Magus: “To attain to this sublime Degree it is necessary to suffer and be purified. Art willing to suffer to learn?”
Initiate: “I am.”
Priestess or Magus: “I purify thee to take this great oath rightly”.
Strike three strokes upon the bell. Scourge 3, 7, 9, 21. “I now give thee a new name: …” [kiss]
Like above, it is used in rites of purification stating to “purify the soul.” Besides this, it is used in a number of other uses. It can be used to raise up spirits from the land, cleanse the ground for ritual work, be used like an aspergillum, chase spirits out from a possessed item/creature/person, raise the fetch, and so on.
A scourge can be made from a number of different things, though usually has the whip’s thongs be made of leather and the holder made of wood. It can also be made of horse hair. Below is an example of such use in Gemma Gary’s “The Devil’s Dozen”.
From reading folklore, the scourge could even be used to whip a person’s soul out for spirit flight. In “The Witches’ Reel”, the whips the one lagging behind. The scourge could easily be used in a similar way to assist with spirit flight during the Witches’ Sabbat.
Bull-Roarer
A rather simple item. A bull-roarer is an oval or rectangular shaped piece of wood tied to a long cord. It is twirled around to make a sound. As it is twirled, it vibrates and makes a uniquely roaring type sound.
Bull-roarers come in a variety of shapes a, sizes, and colors.
Compared to the other tools, it has been around a lot longer. Some are dated back to 17,000 BC.
Today, it is used in rituals for calling up spirits. It could also potentially be used to magically charge a space or to place spirit wards upon ritual areas (in order to keep them hidden).
*swirls on in* Yooo can anyone give me some GREAT traditional/folk magic book recommendations? That are somewhat easily accessible?
fair--y backup 
