From: cjohnson@slonet.org (cjohnson)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: opinions/experince on making a wand??
Date: 18 Feb 1995 05:36:06 GMT

Magickal considerations aside, I would suggest you make your wand of 
either white cedar or holly. White cedar is easy to find and work and 
strips and finished beautifully, without any varnish. I have a 4 footer 
that I made about 20 years ago and it just gets better as it gets older.

Holly is a fine dense wood, white, carves like soap. Better for tricky 
handwork than cedar. Stains very easily, tho, and if you want it to stay 
white you'll have to varnish it. They make piano keys from it sometimes 
(the black keys, because it stains so well). I have a six footer made of 
holly, and it is about 10 years old. Still looks good, but I have to 
clean it every now n then.

I don't recommend oak. It is noce wood but very tough to work and tends 
to split if stressed. (I use my wands to walk with sometimes when I 
hike).

Enjoy it, tho. Nothing better than a fine hand carved staff, specially if 
you did your own carving.

Regards & BB,
Chris J.
===

From: Melissa and Jeff <melissa@wkar.msu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: opinions/experince on making a wand??
Date: 18 Feb 1995 06:59:19 GMT

Lisa Krakowka, hck1@cornell.edu writes:
> I would like to keep the branch as natural looking as possible (as
> in I don't want a dowel that used to be a branch--I want to go out
> into my woods and find one) but I know that mounting the crystals
> will take it's toll. I am also thinking that I would like to use a
> fallen branch and not cut one (I don't like to hurt trees) but maybe
> a dead branch would be too brittle...I don't know.

Well, I broke "rule #1 of wands" by getting a not-straight piece of wood.
  It just came to me--after a major windstorm, the willow trees back
of my apartment had shed a considerable amount of twig/branch
material.  I just sort of grabbed whatever branch looked best,
stripped the bark, and looked at it for a while until I decided what
decoration I wanted.  I ended up buying some gold wire from a "do your
own bead jewelry" store, twisted it around the wood (incidentally,
willow is nice because you can put holes in it with a needle to stuff
the wire ends into), and drew signs on it with gold and silver marker.

I know it's unorthodox, but the point is, windfall wood can be very
nice, and you don't have to hurt the tree to get it.  My second choice
would have been Lake Michigan driftwood...also, for your purposes,
willow is soft and will split if you want to mount a crystal.  The
willow was not at all brittle after being on the ground for several
days (then again, it was autumn and not too hot).

Good luck,
===

From: rbowman@reed.edu (Rain)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: opinions/experince on making a wand??
Date: 21 Feb 1995 03:17:26 GMT

I believe that the old grimoire _Key of Solomon_ recommends the wand
be made of a hazel or nut switch, within the first year's growth and
cut at dawn on Mercury's day (Wednesday?).

Since I associate the wand with invitation, persuasion and spring,
I cut it at dawn on the Equinox from hazel, nut or fruit tree.  I then
cut it down to match the inside length of my arm from elbow to middle
finger and leave it natural, the potentiality of its virgin wood and
bud still untapped.

Because I have access to many trees which need pruning, this is no
problem.  I believe, however, that the Key of Solomon has marks to
make upon the wand (darn grimoires!).

The Farrars mention this tradition in _The Witches' Way,_ I believe,
in a section on magical tools for those interested in the Gardnerian/
Alexandrian tradition.

Wands as gifts are also nice, but I've no use for metal doodads and 
crystals.  Many folks I know just use a feather, also indicative of
spring and air.
                             - Rain, rbowman@reed.edu

--
*****************************************************************************
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////