Wands are such a wonderful symbol of magic. You can see them in any fantasy book, they are mentioned in pretty much every book detailing magic. Always they are a way to project power, either power or energy stored up inside the wand itself or as a focus for our own power. Coming in all shapes and sizes they are infinite in their variations and their style.
For many of people wands can become something more then just a tool evolving nearly to the level of a symbol of their faith. These people have shelves of them that they have collected and made over the years. Often they are displayed proudly on the shelves each with a story of their own that they are only to happy to share with those who might take to close of a look. Do you have a collection, a favorite wand, maybe a story and photo you’d like to share about one of your wands. Jump in and share, take this time to brag about your finds and its history.
For other people wands are just tools something to be used or not when working magic depending on your needs. Neither way is better than the other it is just a matter preference. In my own case I’ve been both ways and now rarely used wands at all. I started off working with wands and other projection tools, but now find it just as comfortable to project my energy out through my hand directly. Where do you fall in the spectrum? Do you use wands as a tool or are they more of a collection? Why have you did you choose to work one way over the other?
I love to look at wands, but never use them. I am an eclectic witch, so I use whatever I fancy at the moment, maybe oneday it will be a wand.
Wands are not used in afro-caribbean religions – the only similar items we use is the “Palo Del Muerto” (the Dead Man’s Stick), which is a big stick decorated with ribbons, bells and all kind of decorations that is used to call the Ancestors during rituals, by hitting the floor with it. Since we don’t cast circles, wands have no real use for us – but still I love them and have crafted a couple of them :).
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.-= Carolina Gonzalez´s last blog ..Fiber Love
I never had a desire for a wand until I was given one as a gift by my former dance teacher. It is hand made from wood and has a very sharp end and an intricate handle, it almost looks like a sceptor. I use my wand mostly in solitary practice when I am forming a protective circle, but a former Coven member used it once to form a circle as well. I also associate my wand/sceptor with my patron Goddess, Inanna and will often have it on Her altar as well. It is a very special part of my magical toolbox.
I definitely fall into camp two. In private practice, if I happen to have a wand present that is “geared” towards the magical working, then I will use it. If it’s not handy, then I don’t. I see it, like most tools, completely optional.
In any setting other than private practice I don’t use them at all. With the size of working space I am normally in, with even just a couple of others present, someone using/gesturing with a cubit-long object simply is not practical.
M