Invoking the God and the Goddess

Stand in the centre of the circle, facing the altar. Raise the wand above your head using your dominant arm. Look at the tip of the wand. Say:

“Goddess, Gracious Lady of Love and Light. I invite Thee to bless this Rite by being present here tonight.” Visualize a Silver Light streaming through the tip of the wand, thus entering the circle. Lower the Wand and say: “I thank Thee for Thy presence”.

“God, Gallant Lord of the Beast and Sun. I invite Thee to bless this Rite by being present here tonight.” Visualize a Golden Light streaming through the tip of the wand, thus entering the circle. Lower the Wand and say: “I thank Thee for Thy presence”.

Directing Energy

During spell work, a cone of power is raised. The Witch will stand with her wand raised and “draw” the power into the wand. Once the wand is saturated and the power reaches a crescendo, she will lower the wand, pointing it at the object to be charged with her Magickal intent. She will then release this concentrated power on the object.

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In Wicca, the Wand is generally associated with the element of Air. In Ceremonial Magick, it represents the element of Fire. Wands in the Tarot, is also representative of the Fire element.

The length of the Wand should be from the elbow to tip of the forefinger. How the Wand is obtained also varies from tradition to tradition. In some, a branch is cut by using a golden sickle (Kerfan). In others, only fallen branches are used and then cut to length.

Most traditions concur that the Wand should be made of wood. Different types of woods confer different powers on a wand. So, during a witch’s lifetime he or she may collect quite an array of wands made of different types of would to suit diverse occasions. Here are some examples:

Apple – Love, healing and immortality
Ash – Protection, prosperity, health and the sea
Birch – Protection, banishing and purification
Cherry – Divination and love
Chestnut – Love, strength, money and healing
Elder – Prosperity, sleep, protection and banishing
Elm – Love
Hawthorn – Fertility and love
Maple – Love, money and longevity
Oak – All purpose (Many “standard” staffs are made from Oak or Rowan)
Poplar – Money, success and personal riches
Walnut – Health, mental powers and riches
Willow – Divination, love, protection and healing

With the continually increasing New Age consciousness, the Wand is receiving some renewed attention. As a result some really beautifully hand-made wands are available today. I personally have a wand roughly made hewn from a length of Rowan with a clear quartz crystal fitted to the tip, which I tend to use most of the time. My other wands are made of Birch, Cherry and Maple.

The secret to choosing a wand is to pick it up and to ‘feel’ if you are comfortable with it. If you are, it will quickly be infused with energy and power. Remember to offer a gift to the tree should you opt to make your own wand. On a more practical level and in addition to the gift, use tree seal on the area where you cut the branch to ensure that the tree will not suffer later on. Even better, look for a fallen branch, instead. That really works just as well.

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