You'll hear quite a bit about cutting a wand from a certain kind of tree on the night of a such-and-such moon with your athame, but I have found all of my staves and wands simply walking through the forest. To me, it feels like a gift to come upon the perfect piece of wood already seperated from its tree, just waiting for a gently hand to unfold its power. I first strip most of the bark from the stick. If the wood is damp at all, I let it dry for at least a couple of weeks so that it doesn't warp unexpectedly. (This is not really something to worry about with something as small as a wand, though :) Collect some sandpaper and smooth it as much as you desire after cutting off any smaller offshoot branches. This can take a few hours, and I have spent a few days smoothing a piece just right. After that, it is ready for decoration.

You can make the decorating a ceremony in itself; cast a circle, call the quarters and all that,and name each symbol as you inscribe it. I like to do the dedicating after it is completely finished, though. Carving symbols in wood is much more difficult than I had imagined. My father has given me his woodburner, though, which is perfect...as long as you don't accidentally touch the hot part. Whew, that'll leave a scar! Permenant inks work well; you can buy a pot of India ink and a quill, or probably use food coloring. I have experimented with natural dyes made from berries, but they seem to fade significantly in a short period of time...anyone with suggestions about natural dyes is welcome to chime in here. I have also used plain old craft paint.

Attatch anything you like to the end...a crystal point, acorn, pine cone, whatever. Make sure that it feels comfortable when you grasp it in your hand...wands that are heavy on one end are a real pain! I have given in and used a glue gun after elaborate experiments with natural adhesives left me a sticky mess with crystals and such still not attatched. :P

Wrap the part you will hold in leather, if you like. Really, it is all about personal preference. We are such an ecclectic mix that your tradition has much to do with the process of making magickal tools. I have plently of experience with the woodworking part because I make them for friends quite a bit... however, I leave it them to formally charge them, of course. The more love and attention you put into such an important piece of wiccan equipment is key, IMNSHO.

Blessed Be!
Ciera RowanOake

From: May Terry <mterry@snet.net>

It depends on how fancy you want to get, but I made mine out of wood. One is from an oak dowel, and two are branches, one beech and one maple. I guess it's advisable to peel the bark off if you're using branches, because bugs can be living under it and chew up the wood, or with some woods the bark will peel eventually anyway. Drill a hole in the smaller end; put a little white glue in, and stick a quartz crystal in. You can carve, wrap, or otherwise decorate the wood as you desire, or you can make some with other crystals (I have one with an amethyst). Have fun! May

One neat way to make a wand that is very popular is to get a piece of copper tubing and a crystal that fits in the end of it or even one for both ends of it. Then you can decorate the tube in various ways. SOME people solder small chips of gemstones on it, while others wrap it in black leather (crazy glue keeps this on the pipe!) and then braid various colors of embroidery thread about this or attach feathers to it or whatever. You can fill the tubes with herbs sacred to your purpose/goal in life too.

Some folks have more than one of these wands for various purposes in their lives.

You can solder the crystal/s in the end/s or you can fashion prongs out of the end of the tubing and stick it in in much the same way a jeweler sets a diamond in a ring. Again, if you do this, you may find a touch of crazy glue keeps it in better.

Of course a wand doesn't have to be this complicated. Another nice wand is the ceremonial Magick - type "lotus wand" that some witches have adopted as their own. Take a branch from a tree that is fairly straight and the right length for a wand. Preferably this should be one you find, but it can also be taken from a living tree if you psychically "ask the tree's permission" - if you get a strong feeling this is wrong and that you shouldn't cut that tree, don't do it. THIS SHOULD BE DONE ON THE WAXING MOON. All ritual tools you make should be made and/or consecrated ONLY on the Waxing moon. The waxing moon is the time from one day after the new moon up to and including the night of the full - moon.

Either way, leave an offering of thanks afterwards. If you are into the Native American traditions, a ounce or so of tobacco (PURE - the kind used in the sacred pipe) or cornmeal is appropriate. If you are in Wicca / NeoPaganims, a libation of apple juice is most fitting - as is some home-baked cakes (unfrosted plain cupcakes, some corn muffins, oatmeals or cornmeal cookies or cornbread, a loaf of home-made or all-natural whole wheat bread, etc - NATURAL stuff, please NO TWINKIES AND JUNKFOOD) or even a few small charged crystals can be implanted in the ground for the trees growth. In Santeria it was traditional when taking anything from nature to leave a specific number of copper coins, perhaps with specific foods, depending upon the Deities/Orishas or other entities being invoked according to a very strict tradition of what Beings ruled what places. (for example, 5 is the number of a river or fresh water, 7 is the number for the ocean, 4 or 6 for a mountain, 2 for the forest, etc.)

Then you strip the bark, sand it down, mark it in 7 segments and paint them each in these colors of the rainbow from top to bottom. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

Some celtic traditions put a steel rod through the middle of any wooden wand - a tricky business, but effective to make it a channel of the energy. To do this you MUST be sure your branch is of a certain thickness or it will split as you try to do this. This channels the energy in a simillar way to the copper tubing in the crystal wand. They also wrap a coil of thick steel wire around it's handle, like a snake, for 4-5 times which makes a grip and is also said to contribute to the energy flow.

Another way to paint a wooden wand is half black and half white or half gold and half silver, to express the balance of the polarities. If you are into Kabbalah, some folks also use Red and Blue as these are the colors usually associated with Chesed and Geburah in magick which are the central spheres on the masculine and feminine pillars of the tree of life, respectively.

And some people leave the wooden rod plain, allowing the natural beauty of the wood to come through.

ALSO, some people make their wands out of a wooden dowel rod bought at a local lumber supply house.

I do, however, suggest that if at all possible, you still go into nature and make a small offering to mother earth for the materials used. Even a purchased dowel or a crystal bought from a rock shop or a copper tubes are all gifts from Mother Earth and Father Sky and it is important to show our gratitude for what they have given us.

Ultimately, you should make the wand be what you FEEL. a simple stick wrapped with embroidery thread that has some feathers tied to the ends of the thread works well for one friend of mine in MASS.