The care and feeding of Wands.

Dear Reader,

Perhaps the most iconic tool of witchcraft and magic is the wand. They have been a part of popular tradition since antiquity and with good reason. Just like ritual knives (such as the athame) and ritual swords, the wand is a magical tool that is excellent for directing spiritual energy and focusing said energy. Unlike ritual knives and swords, a wand does not need especial care in handling beyond what is simply practical.

At its simplest, a wand is a stick for pointing. They may be adorned with crystals, gems, and feathers. They may be fashioned from exotic woods, metal, or some combination thereof. Generally, wands are held in the practitioner's dominant hand as this is the hand that most people naturally project their spiritual energy from. Some practitioners may be ambidexterous or project naturally from their off hand. It doesn't change the function of the wand as long as you are holding it comfortably. Even if you are using a wand with your receptive hand, you can still project energy through it. It is a bit like teaching yourself how to write with your off hand, it's a little messy in the beginning but it gets easier with practice.

It is my habit to store my wands on a high shelf so that my children don't play with them. Because they are not generally sharp and pointy, wands don't require things such as scabbards to safely store them. Depending on the length of your wand and how many you have, you can keep them in a roll up knitting needle organizer, a zippered crochet hook case, or even a pencil case. There are some who say that wands must be as long as the user's forearm. It is my experience that the size of the wand does not matter as much as the ability of the user to focus their energy through it.

Wands allow for precise direction of spiritual energy. It is the difference between using a fire hose to fill a bucket and using a garden hose. With practice and care, it is possible to direct energy without tools, but tools make it easier to get more control over that flow of energy. Wands are very good for finely detailed magical energy work, such as drawing sigils as part of a ritual. (Some enterprising practitioners have pencils they use as wands and have them do double duty in a ritual.)

There is some debate as to which style of wand is best for use. One that incorporates metal in its composition could be argued to resonate more readily with the user on the basis that metal is a natural conductor of energy. Crystals are useful to act as an enhancer for the energy that the user is putting through the wand, adding their own energetic signature to the working. Crystals are also useful as magical lenses to focus energy as well. For this reason, they are often included in modern wand making.

In the end, the user's comfort holding and using the wand is the first principle to consider. It is possible to have a beautifully crafted tool that is just too uncomfortable to handle on the basis of its construction. I have given wands away as gifts because of this. After the factors of comfort are taken into consideration, the user's aesthetic preferences and the planned work for the wand should be considered next. A wand that is intended for spell casting by way of moving it through the air will have different traits than a wand that is intended for spell casting by way of moving it through food that is to be consumed. (As a kitchen witch, I have a special wooden spoon just for this purpose.) They may be similar or identical to the uninitiated, but each wand will have different qualities that sensitive users will note.