Just a like a sword is the extension of a warriors arm, the wand or staff serves as an extension of the wielders will. It focuses and or empowers the intent that is sent through it.

In this article you will find pointers on varying types of wands, their composition, history and application. But first and most important things first;

What makes a wand work

The short, short version of how wands in general works... everything is connected. Reality is a local phenomenon, a personal experience shaped by individual consciousness tied together. Where consciousness goes, energy flows. Symbols are keys for the conscious mind with which you open the doors between levels of reality and doing so, draw in energies that allow for magical manifestation. "Magic is imposing one’s will on their environment."

Any ritual has the purpose of focusing the mind so that it can bring about the intention by using those symbolic keys. The wand is an extremely powerful tool in this process, primarily because of it abilities to aid focus. Wave a wand around and your eyes will automatically travel to the tip.

Making and using wands

In essence, wands are magical tools. Every wand has its specific application, and you can have many, all with a single purpose. Wands can be used for healing, summoning/banishing, reality creation/manifestation etc.

A wand can be charged/loaded or harmonized to a specific energy. The material is not of great consequence, unless it relates specifically to the purpose that the wand will be charged for. A wooden wand would be suitable for an application relating to nature, animals, people or manifestation in general. A crystal wand would be suitable for work with astral energies, dream magic, spirit guides or other non-physical personalities. A wand with feathers would be good for house blessing/smudging. Metals are good for the electric and magnetic energies and also suitable for any type of psychic work like telekinesis or telepathy. Metal (in swords especially) is used for forging portals/cutting through the veil, and (mostly in case of a hammer) for setting up an area of protection.

Franz Bardon - Practice of magical invocation:
"The common magic wands are made or carved from wood. The wood chosen for the wand must serve the particular purpose. Hazelnut and willow are used for divining rods (a divining rod is a variation of the magic wand). A wand that is made from the wood of the ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) can be used for all magical operations. However, for ritual magic the magician prefers to charge this kind of wand only for the treatment of ailments. A magic wand that is made from elder wood (Sambucus nigra) is analogous to Saturn and as such is especially effective to summon, name or invoke spirits from the elements and to summon demons. Magic wands made from willow rods can be used for any purpose and for any magical operation, since willow is an excellent fluid condencser."

For more in depth information about which wood to choose you can pick up the book Tree Wisdom, by Jacquekine Memory Patterson. It is a wonderfully put together collection of myth, lore and tradition concerning trees.

Jacquekine Memory Patterson - Tree Wisdom ; the definite guidebook
"When used positively, a wand or staff is a great healing implement, able to transform illness to health and sadness to joy. In Celtic tales a touch from a wand or a blow from a staff caused great transformations, especially when delivered by a druid, shaman or magician. Many are the examples in Irish literature of the beneficent uses of such implements, such as the power of the gods being transformed to those in need or the mood of a crowd being elevated from the realms of despair to that of creativity."

A magician can use his or her pointed finger instead of a wand as a focal point, but with a wand, the magic act will be easier to execute and pack more oomph.

In crystal healing, a crystal like quartz is held over a person while the healers projects healing energy through it. There are three things that are different between holding a crystal yourself, or holding a wand with a crystal at the tip. Firstly, the wood or metal of which the wand is made acts like a transformer. Just like a transformer near electricity plants transforms low voltage current into high voltage current; the shaft of the wand will transform the healing energy between you and the crystal to a more efficient "voltage".

Secondly, the wand will be charged, just like a battery when you use it often. It will become very useful during healing sessions, because time after time of use, it becomes more of a specialized healing tool. It will take less effort from you to get greater results.

Creating a wand, you should make the process as ritualistic as possible. The stronger the crafter's intentions are during the creation of the wand, the stronger the charge on the wand will be. Remember, any rituals purpose it to strengthen your focus. But the ritual also creates an atmosphere that is charged in an unordinary way. The atmosphere transcends the physical reality and activates the energies you are drawing in. Just carving a piece of wood will result in a casual carved piece of wood.

You can consider creating the wand on an astrologically beneficial day or time of the day. The time may also correspond to a deity or sphere with or within which you wish to work with the wand. You can used specialized tools for creating the wand. Face towards one of the four corners if the purpose of the wand will be linked with working with the elements.

Planetary Hours of the Day
Hour	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel
2	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel
3	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael
4	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael
5	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel
6	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael
7	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel
8	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel
9	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel
10	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael
11	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael
12	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel

 

Planetary Hours of the Night
Hours	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael
2	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel
3	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel
4	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel
5	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael
6	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael
7	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel
8	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael
9	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel
10	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel
11	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel
12	Mercury / Raphael	Jupiter / Sachiel	Venus / Uriel	Saturn / Cassiel	Sun / Michael	Moon / Gabriel	Mars / Camael

*source and more reading about planetary hours here.

Classical wands

Typically, these wands are connected to stage magic, tricks and performances rather then the real purposes from which they were inspired. Remember the topical white tipped black wands used by stage magicians?

There is a reason for that coloration. Each end of the wand represents one polarity, one positive and one negative. The wand itself may be a magnet with a plus and minus pole, as a physical reflection of the finer energies. It is charged by drawing in the corresponding universal fluids into either end of the wand, the middle remains neutral.

This wand's balancing qualities make it a perfect magical healing power tool.

An alternate version could represent any aspect of polarity. The wand could be charge with the electric element (red) and magnetic (blue).

The star on the end of the classical fantasy wand represents the energetic charge on one tip. It also represent the power of the universe being manifested on earth. The five pointed star also stands for manifestation.

A wand like this can be applied for working with the five senses or the five elements. The Chinese five elements are wood, metal, water, fire and air. The hermetic five elements are earth, water, fire, air and spirit, also explained as solid, fluid, vibration, gas and plasma.

A variation on the theme is a silver wand with a moon on the tip. This type of staff would work well with all things feminine and also with planetary / lunar magic.

Druid staff

A staff connects the earth and heavens channeling the energies of father sky and mother earth like a conduit.

The Celts saw in the tree the most perfect of all living things. It was in full contact with the earth, its roots deep in the ground, and it was in full contact with the sky, its leaves reaching high upwards and stretching towards the sun.

A druid wand was therefore charged with either the will of its maker, the essence of a god, or the nature of the tree from which it was carved. Here again, Tree Wisdom is a great source for learning about the trees that you may be using for creating a wand or staff from.

Jacquekine Memory Patterson - Tree Wisdom ; the definite guidebook:
"In The Magic Arts of Celtic Britain, Lewis Spence tells us that druids in ancient Ireland made their magical wands and staffs from yew, hawthorn and rowan, not out of oak, as did the druids of Gaul."
...
"...wands in particular were used by women in the casting of spells, doubtless because of their size as compared to a heavy staff."

Moses, although not a druid, is a fine example of the type of nature magic that can be performed with the use of a staff.

Possibly, his staff still remains today. Estimated to be 3500 years old, a staff in the Birmingham Museum is possibly the actual staff of moses.

In Christianity, many saints - including Jesus -are depicted carrying staffs. Although they are said to be simply symbols for authority, we can find their wielders are able to perform many magical feats like bringing water from a stone or resurrecting dry bodies, and off course a wand comes in handy for turning water into wine.

Caduceus
At its core, the caduceus is a symbol for where we came from before incarnation. It depicts the fall and the rising of the soul though the astral and the physical planes. The globe always remains above all else, representing the sun seed of spirit. The wings are the dualistic energies which set everything in motion. The snakes coil upwards in perfect symmetry, in a journey of balanced evolution.

John Bonner - Qabalah A Magical Primer:
"Hermes carried the caduceus, a great and intricate wand that has become an important Qabalistic symbol representing the creative force of the Hermes/Mercury figure. The Caduceus itself is a rod surmounted by the winged solar disk of the Egyptian mysteries. Around the stem are entwined two snakes whose bodies cross at Yesod, Tiphareth and Daath, when the wand is applied to the Holy tree. The heads face each other from the position of the second and third Supernals, while Kether is described by the solar center of the winged disk".

The caduceus also represents the kundalini energy. This is a force that is coiled like a rattle snake in the root of the spine of every human. As it becomes active during intense spiritual activities, it rises up along energy pathways called nadis. The nadis are for energy what arteries are for blood or what the nerves are for the electric impulses.

The main nadis channels consist of two opposite poles and run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. As they intersect along the spine, the energy merges and creates a third (three=manifestation) energy type in the form of chakras in the finer bodies and the major organs in the physical body. During spiritual initiations, the kundalini flows up from the root chakra up to the crown. A nice graphic depicting this is the hearthealingcenter logo.

Along the way it comes across energetic blocks which consist of issues and lessons. The blocks are located at the according chakra; security in root, adaptableness in sacral, self esteem in solar plexus, trust in heart, creativity in throat, mental in brow, and spiritual in the crown chakra. It takes lifetimes for the path to be clear so that the kundalini may flow up and merge with the crown chakra. There, the worldly energy of the root chakra and the spiritual energy of the crown meet and unify. The initiate becomes a master.

Snakes represent healing or health, due to the medical applications of snake venom. They also are symbols for wisdom and power, but also temptation and destruction.

Further symbolism includes the DNA strand, the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, the self devouring Ouroboros, Chinese dragons, the rainbow serpent, the biblical snake and many more.

Wand of Toth

The wand of Toth/Hermes is a stem with three letters engraved on its side. These letters are sometimes depicted on the caduceus, which is known as Toth/Hermes' wand as well. I feel that it deserves a separate notion however.

John Bonner - Qabalah A Magical Primer:
"From the disk, these letters are Shin, fire and spirit; Aleph, primordial motion; and Mem, the great waters, which together describe the abbreviated formula of the descent of power from spirit to manifestation."

Ankh

The Ankh originally meant "mirror" but its most common meaning is (eternal)life. As a mirror it can serve the purpose of a portal during OBE. As a symbol of life and healing it can be held by the loop, pointing the tip to a person who would receive healing from it, or held in each hand with the arms crossed to soak in healing energies for yourself.

Earlyne Chaney - Initiation in the great pyramid:

"Pointed in the desired direction and properly manipulated in the hands of a highly charged initiate, the rays could heal, levitate small inanimate objects, or produce a flow of vital energy powerful enough to kill, which is why only Melchizedeks were permitted to wear them... [ ] ...the ankh was known to the initiates as the Magic staff 00 a staff of life. To the uninitiated, the upright bar of the ankh represented the phallic symbol of the male positive polarity. The circle atop the crossbar represented the female-negative polarity, the yoni. But to the initiate it was far more.

...The circled handle or ansa, as an attribute to Isis, was a mundane circle actually symbolizing eternality, immorality, the creative womb of nature, self-creating and self-resurrecting principle, the moon seed of cosmic fertility. The vertical bar was the fructifying male principle in nature, the sun seed in Mother Earth and in man., Both were creative principles of spirit in matter. Together they formed the basic structures of both the nature of earth and the cosmic akasha."

The gold of the spacial ankhs was not merely inert matter. It was a living element, alchemically charged by the highest initiate alchemist -- a magnetized celibate."

Nefertari receiving the breath of life from Isis

Was sceptre

Most male Egyptian gods are depicted carrying this staff, and some pharaohs are too. It most commonly represents status, rule, power, dominion etc.

The scepter is connected to seth, a dark god of chaos and destruction depicted as a jackal with a forked tail. At least, we'll assume jackal here, however aardvark, antelope, ass, camel, fennec, giraffe, greyhound, jerboa, long-snouted mouse, okapi, oryx and pig could be it too. We really don't have a clue. Charged with the energy of seth, the scepter can be used in overcoming character traits like greed, jealousy, hate, etc.

As a jackal shape, the head of the scepter is also linked to the jackal god Anubis. Charged with the energy of Anubis, the scepter can be applied as a transformation tool with the final goal being the mastery of thought. Gods and pharaohs are sometimes depicted carrying the was scepter, the flail and the hook. Here the items represent the mastery of thought, body and emotions.

With either gods, if you were to create a scepter yourself, be sure to read up on Egyptian mythology to really get a feel for what energies you are working with.

Usually the was scepter is held in one hand and an ankh is held in the other. Since the ankh represents life, the was scepter could easily be interpreted as representing death. Therefore the holder of both symbols would have power over life and un-life, birth and death, initiation and ordination etc.

Alternately, the animal head represents the bennu (phoenix). Therefore, the was scepter is a rejuvenation, reincarnation or immortality tool. There is no text or clear indication just what the head really is supposed to be, so as in most things magical, here too it applies that your guess is as good as any. In creating this staff, choose that which holds most power for you.

The lower part stands for water. Charged with these energies, the staff could be used to draw rain for from the clouds (the scepter is often depicted as a pillar holding up the sky) , charge water, dowse for water, or working with the water element in general. The shape perhaps indicate the shape of irrigation channels dug from the Nile to water the farmlands. One that controlled such knowledge certainly would be a person of great importance.

Djed

With the Ankh and the Was, these three symbols were some of the most occurring in Egyptian art. The Djed is a staff with four cylinders at the top. Similar to the Ankh and Was, it's not known for certain what the Djed stands for. Possible symbologies are; the spine, four pillars one behind the other or a leafless tree.

More then a wand, the Djed is a pillar or column. It represents stability and foundation.

Power rods - Rods of Ra

Every living cell holds an electric charge. The Rods of Ra work on the principle of balancing the human energy field by the use of zinc (left - feminine) and copper (right - masculine). These metals, having a charge of their own, interact with the human energy field.

The rods can have different types of cores, like quartz, amethyst or other minerals or fluids.

More information can be found on the rods of ra website.

Dowsing rod/chakra wand (dowsing)

A dowsing rod is essentially a wand. Made out of willow wood (which contains a lot water and has a feminine energy) the rod could be used to find water reservoirs. The purpose doesn't have to be that specific however. You can program a wand for finding "stuff" like lost items for instance.

To do that, you would hold the wand loosely in your hand pointed for ward. While holding it, you concentrate on the item that you lost and on finding it. Or more exactly, on the sensation that you'll have once you have found it. The trick here is not to go down a checklist in your mind of possible locations where the list item may be. You want the answer to come to you from the subconscious mind, through the wand.

When the thinking mind is pushed aside, the subconscious mind will speak to you by nudging the wand in the right direction. This shouldn't be too hard to do for anyone who meditates often and can connect with his/her subconscious without too much effort.

In a similar fashion, the wand can be programmed to "measure" energy.

This wand you can make yourself real easy; you'll need a grip for the wand, an iron clothing hanger and a crystal. For the grip you can use the leg of a stool. Twist the iron from the clothing hanger around the grip to shape it into a coil. Then, stick one end of the coil into the grip and to the other end, you attach the crystal with the use of a rubber band.

Now you have a very flexible wand, with which you can measure energy vortexes. Point the wand at a person for instance to determine the energy flowing through her chakras.

For more information on dowsing, visit Sig Lonegrens website.

Chakra wand

A wand can also be fitted with crystals corresponding to the chakra system. A possible stone layout could be: sodalite for root, bloodstone for sacral, citrine for solar plexus, malachite or rose quartz for heart, sodalite for throat, amethyst for brow and quartz for crown. Apart from these stones, there are many more that correspond to each chakra. The ones mentioned here however are most commonly used.

Rune wand

Edred Thorsson - A Handbook in Rune Magic:
"The magic wand is known by many names in the technical language of Nordic magic; however, gandr is the most generic and expresses the powerful nature of this talismanic object."

In his book, Thorsson gives an example of one magic formula that could be carved on a wand. The rune count is 24, magically representing the entire futhark. The formula reads: EC VITKI RIST RUNAR(Z) AAAAAAAA. Which translates to: I, The magician carved the runes AAAAAAAA.

"...The formula ek vitki is a potent magical statement that declares the power of the vitki and loads the object with his or her force. The numerical value of this part of the formula is 78 or 6*13. The eight A-runes invoke the power of Odin out of all eight corners of heaven."

The futhark is an alphabet of mystery, every rune represents one. A rune wand is extremely suitable for working with the forces of the subconscious mind, introspection, inner manifestation but outward manifestation as well.

The cross

Throughout history, the Christian cross has been used for banishing evil forces or keeping them at bay. It is a powerful symbol for protection and can be used for any operation involving drawing in of light and repelling darkness.

It also offers a means to connect to the divine, and use that energy for reality creation. As a wand, the cross would be used actively to cleanse, protect or banish evil. As a pendant, ornament or pure symbol, it would be used for those means passively: keep clean, keep safe and keep evil at bay.

Another protective cross is the Tau cross, or T-cross, Egyptian cross, crux commissa. A variation of the cross of St. Anthony. The Egyptian hermit, St. Anthony, is believed to have chased away a pack of demons with a cross of this type.

Final Notes

While doing some research for this article, I stumbled across another wands article that contains many helpful charts of items, materials and symbols that can be of help for wand creation.

Also, apart from creating a wand, you could just as well purchase one. There is always the limit of carpenter skills, and if you want a really amazing wand, there are some impressive pieces of spiritual art out there.

(by Orpheriël)