5 Things to Do with a Wand

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Alferian Gwydion MacLir, author of Wandlore and the new Witch’s Wand.

In my first wand book, Wandlore, I wrote at length about the process of making magic wands. My forthcoming book, The Witch’s Wand, focuses on that question people often ask me: How do I use my wand? Well, here are five ideas.

1. Meditate Holding Your Wand.
   The dryad spirit of the tree from which your wand branch came and the spirit of your wand is a living thing. Like a familiar spirit, your wand is a helper, guide, and counselor. Sit with your legs crossed on a pillow or mat, or however is comfortable. Hold your wand in your dominant hand and rest the point in the palm of your other hand. Then meditate, clear your mind, and engage in conversation with your wand. Open yourself fully, because it communicates like a tree—in non-verbal ways, direct to your mind. Just listen.
2. Take a Trip with Your Wand.
   Next time you go astral traveling, keep your wand in your hands, resting on your breast. It will spiritually go where you go and can be used on other planes of existence just as you would on the material plane. Keep a spell of protection in mind and ready at hand for any entities who might wish to harm or mislead you.
3. Cast a Circle.
   Depending on your ritual tradition, you may cast your circles with a sword, a staff, or an athame. Try using your wand. Visualize from it the kindling ray of blue fire that illuminates a circle of protection and peace around you in preparation for other work. See if using the instrument of your will feels differently from using another tool. Once done, sit in the middle, light some incense, and contemplate that circle of blue fire for awhile without engaging in any other work.
4. Cast a Spell.
   Spell casting maybe doesn’t even need to be mentioned. That’s the main thing a wand is for, right? True, but how do you do it? Assemble the material elements of your spell, consider what runes or sigils you will use to set the intention of the spell into these components. Then when you are ready, use your wand to point at the components of the spell and to draw the sigils etherically in the air.
5. Salute the Sun.
   This is really two things, because you can also make the same observances to the Moon. Stand in a prepared circle with your wand in your dominant hand, placed across your breast. Cross this with your other arm. Then as the Sun rises, sets, or reaches its zenith, uncross your arms, uplift your face (without blinding yourself), and say, “Hail unto thee, Source of all Light and Life. Shine upon me this day and fill me with thy love and strength. Hail unto Thee, Sun. Hail unto Thee.” (Or use words of your own devising.)

Our thanks to Alferian for his guest post! For more from Alferian Gwydion MacLir, read his article, “The Witch and the Wand: Dryads and Gesture in Magic.”