Four tools, all made of wood, and all used in some way to direct magickal current, usually within the ritual circle.
Wand
Most of us think of a wand as being a straight stick, but some of the earliest wands, both in Egyptian50 and Teutonic51 (Norse) cultures, were fairly flat and shaped in a semicircle, carved with all manner of magickal symbols and mythical beasties. These wands, called “magic knives,” were used to turn back evil. The earliest known wands in the Egyptian culture were made out of hippopotamus ivory and date to around 2800 b.c. with points ending in exotic animal heads, like a panther or a jackal. Around 2100 b.c., the head was dropped in favor of the multitude of decorations. Archeologists and historians believe that the curved shape of the wand might have come from a type of throw stick used to kill birds and small animals. The curved stick moved from a practical application to a magickal one, symbolizing order over chaos. Personal wands even appeared as symbols and sigils painted on makeup pots, headrests, and other household ornaments.
Today’s wand measurement is elbow to wrist or elbow to thumb. The wood chosen is usually picked in association with the magickal correspondence of the tree type. Not all wands are made of wood. Some consist of copper tubes wrapped with leather and topped with a crystal, or constructed of hand-blown glass or glass crystal inset with copper, silver, precious, and semiprecious stones. The type, size, and shape of the wand that you use should ultimately please you, as this is your magickal tool.
Rod
Egyptians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Greeks, and Romans also carried rods and staffs as symbols of authority in daily life as well as in magickal practice. Some rods were made for specific purposes, such as protection for women during childbirth, and were consecrated to Bes. The rod is a particularly interesting magickal tool with symbolism linked to power, authority, and the World Tree (Tree of Life/Yggdrasil/Pole Star), and appears in stories of Egyptian, Greek, Jewish, and Islamic magick. If one carried a rod, he or she had the power to settle all disputes, especially if empowered during a storm that carries both thunder and lightening. In European lore, a rod empowered on the Halloween full moon carried great authority over the spirits of heaven and earth. Ancient civilizations believed that the rod was thought to command all types of spirits and send messages to god/dess. Its measurement is approximately three feet in length, or from shoulder to fingertips. Modern magickal rods are either painted in the color of a Wiccan tradition or group, or are carved or painted with magickal symbols and sigils of the magickal person’s choice. Long-handled wooden spoons (with a handle at least three feet long) can also be carved, painted, empowered, and used in the same manner as the magickal rod.
Stang
The stang is a straight branch with a fork or Y at one end, and is most used in ritual circle as a type of centerpiece representing the magick of the three52—the trinity—in the following ways: Earth, Sea, and Sky; Body, Mind, and Spirit; God, Goddess, and Unity; the three faces of the God; the three faces of the Goddess; and the crossroads of life. Stangs used today are normally five to six feet in height and are often decorated with ribbons and flowers that match the seasonal ritual. The stang also relates to the legend of the World Tree, and in some ritual groups it is the pole of libation, where gifts of food and liquid are arranged or poured by the base in honor of the gods. This is similar to the pole erected in the center of a Voodoo rite, dedicated to Damballah, called the Ponteau Mitan. The stang is normally placed at the north (the seat of all power) or directly behind the altar. A few groups, often with Druidic leanings, place the stang in the center of the circle.
Staff
Today’s staff is either chosen in accordance with your height, or by how it feels when used as a walking stick. Where some Witches prefer a shorter staff, others like the extended length. Of all the wooden tools, the staff is often seen as a symbol of honor and authority, and is normally decorated with magickal symbols, talismans, bells, amulets, and trinkets given as gifts to the bearer tied with leather strips or sturdy cord, and other unusual magickal bits that relate to its owner. In a group environment the staff of the high priest or high priestess may have symbols that relate to how many covens they have under their direction and how many members they have initiated. Like the wand and the rod, the staff is used to direct magickal current, often out-of-doors, but also used indoors if space permits. In more shamanic groups, the staff has replaced the sword. A staff carved with knobs and topped with a wooden replica of a human skull is specifically used at Samhain to honor the dead, or in other rituals where ancestors play a pivotal role: a duo derivation from Canadian Indian tribes and Haitian Voudon traditions, though ancient Celts did put the heads of their enemies on poles to capture their power and honor their valor. Obviously the Witches of today don’t carry reconstructionism that far.
Over time you may gather quite a collection of wands, rods, staffs, and stangs. Where some will be all-purpose, others may work well for one type of magick over another, depending upon how and when it was originally empowered and the type of wood chosen. On occasion a tool will come to you that is not meant for you, and you will know this by the way the tool feels to you. It is not uncommon in the magickal community for an individual to say to another, “I received this as a gift, but I know that I was just part of the journey; this tool was meant for you.” They may also say, “I have worked with this tool for many years, but now I know it is time for it to be a part of someone else’s life.” When the appropriate person comes along, they will be gifted with the tool. Recycling gifts in this way is not an insult; it means that the bearer understands the transient mechanics of the earth plane and acknowledges the value of sharing during the limited time in which we spend here. In the Craft community, to have something previously owned by a teacher, mentor, or close friend is the epitome of pride and honor. Such things are highly valued and treated with respect.
You can use the following list to choose what type of wood matches the intent of your work.
Magickal Woods
and Their Uses
Apple: Love, healing, immortality.
Apricot: Love.
Ash: Protection, prosperity, health, the sea.
Bamboo: Protection, luck, hex-breaking.
Birch: Protection, banishing, purification.
Cherry: Love, divination.
Chestnut: Love, strength, money, healing.
Cypress: Longevity, healing, comfort, protection.
Dogwood: Wishes, protection.
Elder: Banishing, protection, healing, wards off attackers, prosperity, sleep. Note: Some Wiccan traditions believe that the elder is sacred to the Goddess and therefore should not be cut or used; however, the leaves and berries are used in spells.
Elm: Love.
Fig: Divination, fertility, love.
Hawthorn: Fertility, happiness.
Hazel: Luck, protection, wishes, anti-lightning.
Hickory: Longevity, legal matters.
Holly: Protection, luck, dream magick.
Juniper: Protection, love, banishing, health, anti-theft.
Magnolia: Fidelity, enjoyment, riches.
Maple: Love, money, longevity.
Mesquite: Healing.
Mimosa: Protection, love, dreams, prophecy, purification.
Mulberry: Protection, magickal focus, strength.
Oak: All-purpose.
Orange: Love, money, luck, divination.
Peach: Love, fertility, wishes, banishment, longevity.
Pear: Love.
Pine: Healing, protection, banishment, money, anti-hunger.
Plum: Healing.
Poplar: Money, success, personal riches.
Rowan: All-purpose.
Walnut: Health, mental powers, wishes.
Willow: Divination, love, protection, healing.
Collecting and Preparing
a Magickal Wood
Most Witches prefer to use a fallen branch rather than cutting a limb from a tree, feeling that taking from the tree with a blade is disrespectful. Others believe that if you ask the tree and indicate your purpose, you can tell if the tree gives permission by laying your hand softly on the bark. If you feel unhappy, sad, or like you’re being brushed off, permission is not granted. If, however, you feel a warm, flowing sensation, then the tree has given its permission. An offering should always be left at the base of the tree if a branch is taken in this way.
The wood should be left in a warm, dry place and allowed to cure, if it was living when taken. Fallen branches may already be sufficiently dried. If in doubt, treat it as living wood. Some Witches prefer to leave the bark on the wood, where others peel away the bark with a pocket knife, then sand the surface with sandpaper until smooth to the touch. The soft surface takes paint and wood-burning techniques better than the bark. The choice is yours. As a final touch you may wish to wrap the handle portion with leather or other soft cloth. Some Witches add crystals and gems to the point that will direct the current, either gluing or wiring the stone into place with thin copper or silver wire.
Empowerment Ceremony for Wands, Rods, Staves, Stangs, and Brooms
timing: New moon (unless the item will be used to specifically to banish, then choose dark moon, or moon in Scorpio).
Supplies: One red candle; holy water or Florida Water (see recipe, page 414); salt; empowering oil; incense of your choice; a carving tool or wood-burning tool; a selection of magickal symbols; a pencil (to trace the designs before you carve or use the wood-burning tool); thirteen bricks or white stones; one cauldron.
pre-ritual preparation: Choose and carve the magickal symbols you desire on the piece. Build your circle with the bricks or stones. When you are finished, sprinkle both wooden tool and circle with holy water or Florida Water. Libation to the Gods.
the ritual: Cast your circle (see Circlecasting) around the stone circle, which will be in the center. Place the cauldron in the stone circle. Light the fire candle and place inside the cauldron. Call the quarters. Invoke deity. Place the wooden ritual piece inside the stone circle. Pass the four elements over the item (fire, incense, salt, and holy water). Stand over the circle, raise your arms to the heavens, and say:
Mistress (Master) of the Universe! I call thee forth to cleanse and consecrate this (name item).
Empower this (name item) in the name of universal perfection!
Outstretch both hands toward the item.
(Name item), I conjure thee in the name of the Mistress (Master) of the universe to work all forms of magick for me! Ye shall conjure, banish, empower, or cast aside negative energies as I so dictate. Ye shall overcome all obstacles in the
performance of these tasks. At my very touch ye shall awaken into life in preparation for any and all magicks and respond with perfection to my very will, and you shall retain your power in
fallow days when magick is not required. As I will, so shall it be!
Rub the item with the holy oil, then draw an equal-armed cross in the air over the item to seal your work. Complete the ritual by offering a libation to the gods. Thank deity. Close the quarters. Take up the circle with your finger and place the circle energy in the tool by directing your finger at the tool and envisioning the energy leaving your finger and entering the tool. Leave the item in the light of the following full moon for at least one hour.