“So Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh, and they performed the miracle just as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh called in his wise men and magicians, and they did the same thing with their secret arts. Their staffs became snakes, too!”
Exodus 7:10-12
I’ve had a life-long fascination with herbs and spices, gardening, growing my own food and the old wives’ tales associated with certain plants. This interest has spilled over into some of my freelance writing projects. This blog post is an update of my article “Magic Wands and Wizards Staffs” which was originally published in Llewellyn’s 2007 Magical Almanac. I have updated, rewritten and added quite a bit of additional content to this post on The Creative Cottage on the history and folklore of magic wands.
Magic Wands and Wizards Staffs
According to folklorists and authors Ernst and Johanna Lehner, the use of magic wands can be traced back to the bible: “In the Dark and Middle Ages, when the professional sorcerers usurped every bit of mythological belief and religious legend of miracles for their own use, they choose the rod of Aaron as the symbol of the magician’s efficacy. The rod became the magic wand for magicians of all times and all people.”
Whether or not Moses’ staff was the same one used by Aaron is up for theological debate, but both are ascribed with miraculous powers. Moses used his staff to part the Red Sea and another time he used it to bring forth water from a rock. Aaron’s rod turns into a serpent when cast down, and devours the power of all other serpents/rods cast down around it. This powerful rod was also responsible for initiating the plagues of Egypt and is supposedly kept safe in front of or inside the Ark of the Covenant.
Folklore of Wands and Staffs
“To the hill I wended, deep into the wood, a magic wand to find, a magic wand found I.”
-The Lay of Skirnur
Wands, staffs and rods are special tools used in certain magical rituals. Although certain traditions assign the wand and staff to either the element air or the element fire, most practitioners use these tools as a general aid to their magic rituals. Wands are often made from a fallen tree branch, and finding such a tree branch should be thought of as a gift from nature. If you are going to cut a branch to use for your magic wand, ask for permission from the tree spirits before cutting the branch.
My favorite wand is one that was given to me by my daughter when she was just a young girl. She went camping one weekend and returned with a small pine branch, which has two small pine cones attached at the very top. I like to display this special wand alongside a basket of large magnolia seedpods. I’m the only person that knows it is actually a magic wand, as it just looks like part of a decorative display.
Magic wands and wizards staffs help to concentrate and direct your own personal power. They are used to collect, store, direct and finally release energy to and from a certain point. Ancient healers would often use a wand-like tool such as a twig or small branch to help them cast out evil spirits from the bodies of their patients. These evil spirits were thought to be the cause of disease. Once the evil spirits were cast out, the healer could continue to heal their patients with a variety of herbal remedies.
Some practitioners may own only one wand or staff for conducting their magic while others may have a collection of wands and staffs, one for each type of magic ritual they perform. Although wood is traditionally used, wands and staffs may also be created from a variety of materials including glass, clay, gemstone, metal, or bone. With the exception of the apotropaic wand made from ivory, this article primarily deals with wands and staffs made of wood.
Apotropaic Wand
The apotropaic wand was an Egyptian magical tool, typically carved from a hippopotamus tusk that was split in half. It was shaped like a curved throwing stick, similar in form to a boomerang. This ivory wand was heavily carved with various real and mythological creatures including lions, scarabs, snakes, crocodiles and frogs.
Apotropaic wands acted as a protective amulet and were used to repel evil spirits, especially those thought to attack pregnant women and their children. The wands may have also been used to draw a magic circle around the mother for protection during childbirth. One such apotropaic wand in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) is carved on the front with the inscriptions “protector of day” and “protector of night.”
Blasting Rods
Another version of the magic wand and staff was the blasting-rod. This was a magical tool used to cast protection spells, ward off harmful magic and to cast out and destroy evil spirits. Blasting rods were referenced in certain ancient grimoires such as The Key of Solomon the King, translated by S. L. MacGreggor Mathers in 1888, and The Book of Ceremonial Magic, written by A. E. White in 1913. A grimoire is a book containing symbols, spells, charms and instructions for using them in various magical rituals. Both MacGreggor’s and White’s publications were based on earlier medieval grimoires.
Blackthorn, with its sharp thorns, was a common material put to use to create blasting rods. The thorns were thought to provide additional protection against negative influences such as demons and other malicious spirits. The blasting rod, or wand, was to be cut from a branch from a virgin tree, or a tree of less than one year’s growth. The branch was to be cut on the day of Mercury (Wednesday) at sunrise, with the finished length being approximately nineteen inches long. Certain magical symbols and sigils were to be carved upon the rod.
The blasting rod or staff could be used either to invoke the aid of spirits or to send a summoned spirit back to the underworld after the magician was done questioning it. Due to the invocation of powerful magic, the tips of these rods were sometimes capped with iron for added protection. The blasting rod later came to be associated with a wand or staff made of any material that was hard enough to make an effective weapon.
Heralds’ Staff
Heralds were messengers of the gods. They often carried a staff with them, which was also called a kerykeion. It was a short staff, or rod, encircled by two snakes. The Herald’s staff was sometimes topped by wings and later evolved into the Caduceus of Hermes. The kerykeion is also a symbol of alchemy and used to represent both the element mercury and the planet Mercury.
This staff was associated with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and the written word. Thoth was said to be the scribe of the Underworld and author of the Book of the Dead. Thoth had the head of an ibis and is credited with inventing science, religion, philosophy, magic, medicine, botany and astrology. Thoth became Hermes in Greek mythology.
Caduceus of Hermes
The caduceus, a symbol of the Greek messenger god Hermes, is a wand or rod, often made from a short branch from a hazel tree with a pair of snakes entwined around it and topped by a pair of wings. The caduceus is a powerful symbol: the snakes represent immortality and wisdom, the wings represent spirituality and imagination and the rod represents power and authority.
Hermes, who was known as Mercury in Roman mythology, used his magic wand to conduct the souls of the dead to the underworld. Hermes rod could wake the sleeping, send those awake to sleep and bring the dead back to life. You can read more about Hermes in the ancient Greek poem The Iliad by Homer.
The caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol of modern medicine by certain organizations. For example, in 1902, the US Army Medical Corps adopted the symbol as part of their official logo.
Dowsing Rods
Rhabdomancy refers to divination, or fortune-telling, using rods or wands. Dowsers, or water witches, use a dowsing rod to find water or minerals. Divining rods can also be used to locate hidden objects or buried treasure using occult powers. The rods varied in form from two straight hazel twigs, a forked branch or two L-shaped metal rods. Besides hazel, ash, willow or almond were used to make divining rods. The dowser held the rods, or ends of the forked branch, loosely in their hands while walking over an area thought to contain water or buried treasure
The rods would move in the water witches hand letting them know when they were near a source of water. Water witching is a rather imprecise science as there is no way to know how deep you have to drill to find the water or how far down you have to dig to find the missing object. Water witching is still used today and many homesteaders enlist the help of a dowser, in conjunction with a well drilling company, to help decide the best site to drill for water on their property.
Rod of Asclepius
Asclepius, a Greek god of medicine renowned for his great healing powers, was knowledgeable in the use of medicinal herbs. He also knew various magical incantations and had the power to bring the dead back to life. One of his symbols, which is known as Asclepius’ rod, was a long staff made from a rough-hewn cedar branch with a single snake entwined around it. The serpent, which periodically sheds its skin to renew itself, is a symbol of immortality and renewed life.
The Cult of Asclepius still has ties to the modern-day with most doctors pledging their alliance to the ancient healing gods. The first sentence of the Hippocratic Oath reads: “I swear by Apollo the physician and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses as my witnesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this covenant…”
There is much debate as to whether the caduceus of Hermes or the rod of Asclepius should be used as an official symbol of medicine. A quick search on the Internet shows over 40 health organizations using the rod of Asclepius as part of their official logo including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, MedicAlert and Yale University School of Medicine.
Magic wand recommendations from The Creative Cottage
Rod of Ningishzida
Ningishzida was a Babylonia (Mesopotamian) god of healing, fertility and the underworld, lord of the world tree and the patron saint of medicine. His symbol (or her symbol depending on which version of Sumerian mythology you believe) is two serpents wrapped around the world tree.
The first snake represented health and wellness, while the second snake represented sickness and death. The rod of Ningishzida is thought to predate the Caduceus of Hermes, the Rod of Asclepius and the Staff of Moses by at least 1,000 years.
Stangs
Stangs are a long staff that is used as a tool of ritual, and usually represent the horned god. If the stang is tall enough, it can double as a walking stick while you are hiking outdoors. This magical tool can be stuck in the ground when working outdoors, or placed in a pot of dirt when working indoors, and used as a makeshift altar.
Stangs can be made from any material including metal, although wood such as rowan, mountain ash or yew is more common. Stangs typically have two or three forks at the top and can be made from a naturally branching tree limb, or a single limb, which has some type of animal antlers attached to the top. A variety of objects, including feathers, stones, shells or bones, can be tied onto or hung from the stang.
Thyrsus
A thyrsus was a ceremonial staff carried by, the God of wine, who was called Bacchus in Roman mythology and Dionysus is Greek mythology and his female devotees the Maenads. He was the god of the grape harvest associated with religious ecstasy and ritual madness and his enchanted staff symbolized fertility and prosperity.
The thyrsus was seen as a symbol of authority, or badge of office and was made from the stalk of either giant fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) or thistle artichoke. This staff, which most often resembled a large walking stick, was entwined with ivy or grape leaves, giving it the look of a pinecone at the top.
Finding Wood for Magic Wands
“A walking stick or staff of blackthorn wood was considered a badge of witchcraft and was sometimes burnt with the malefactor in the 17th century.”
-Stephen Pollington
Magicians and wizards were often seen traveling with a long rod or staff, which could double as a walking stick, to aid them on their journeys. These staffs, which were usually crafted to be the same height as the user, also doubled as an effective weapon against potential thieves. The wood from which a wand or staff is made represents the power and energy associated with the type of tree from which they are created. The branches of the blackthorn tree (Prunus spinosa) were one type of wood used to create walking sticks. The folklore surrounding blackthorn included the ability to protect the bearer from being attacked by evil witches and their malicious spells.
Magical wands made from wood are often cut to the length of the healer’s forearm either as measured from the inner elbow to the end of the fingertips or from the inner elbow to the base of the palm. Some traditions use a predetermined length of 21 inches for all magical wands. Modern-day wands, made popular by the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling, are typically ten to fourteen inches long. Wizard’s staffs, which can also double as walking staffs, are commonly made between 50 and 60 inches tall. Since wizards’ staffs double as walking sticks, the length is determined by the height of the wizard using it.
Magical Properties of Trees
These magical wands and staffs can be made from a variety of materials including wood, stone, bone, or metal. In addition to blackthorn, a variety of other trees are traditionally used to make magic wands and staffs. I have listed the magical properties of only a few trees in this article. See Lily Gardner’s article “The Nine Sacred Trees” in Llewellyn’s 2006 Magical Almanac for the magical properties associated with birch, rowan, ash, alder, willow, hawthorn, oak, hazel and holly. You may want to choose one of these woods as the basis for your own magic wand or wizard’s staff.
Almond (Prunus communis)
The almond, like all nut trees, is associated with fertility and prosperity. It is a great wand material to use for divination magic while also offering protection against the evil eye. This is the tree from which Aaron cut his staff, making the almond a good choice when making your own wizard’s staff.
Apple (Pyrus malus)
This tree is associated with eternal youth, fertility magic, love spells, ancient knowledge, strength, healing and wisdom. The apple tree is also known as the fruit of the underworld. The goddess Freya is associated with this tree, making an apple wand a good choice to use for goddess-based magic.
Ash (Fraxinus spp.)
Ash wands were thought to be capable of warding off attacks of harmful magic.
Cedar (Cedrus libani)
The magical properties associated with cedar include consecration, immortality, prophecy, prosperity, protection and purification. Use a staff made of cedar to help you with any magical workings on the astral plane and in any dream-based magic. Cedar was the tree used to create Asclepius’s rod.
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
The elder tree was supposed to provide protection from witches in addition to granting great healing powers to whoever possessed it. Wands made from this material could also be used to summon up storms, as it was believed that lightning would never strike an elder tree.
Elder is also a tree of regeneration and fulfillment. Fairies are said to have a fondness for this wood. Old English folklore says you must as the spirit of the elder tree for permission before cutting down any of its wood:
- Old woman, old woman
- Give me some of your wood
- And I will give you some of mine
- When I grow into a tree
Elm (Ulmus spp.)
The wood from this tree was supposedly the material of choice of medieval magicians for making their wands. Elm is a tree of strength, intuition and meditation and is another wood that offers protection from lightning. Elm is also a good wood to use when working any kind of love spell or charm.
Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Hazel wands are good to use for nature-based magical workings and are thought to offer protection against witchcraft.
Maple (Acer spp.)
Maple is a tree of love, harmony, peace and prosperity. Maple will help to bring balance and harmony to yin-yang energies. It is a popular wand material and helps to awaken one’s intuition and creativity.
Oak (Quercus robur)
Wands made from oak are thought to be good to use for god based magical workings. Thor, a thunder god, was associated with the oak tree. Magic wands and staffs constructed with this wood gives one protection from lightning.
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
AKA mountain ash, the wood of this tree was associated with a variety of protective properties including the ability to keep evil spirits at bay.
Walnut (Juglans regia)
Walnut is a tree of fertility, prosperity and wisdom. Use wands and staffs made of walnut to help awaken your inner wisdom. This is also a good material to use for initiation rituals.
Willow (Salix alba)
Willow was another good material to use for magic dedicated to the goddess. This material could also be used as a magical amulet and provided protection against disease and thunder.
Yew (Taxus baccata)
Yew is a powerful magical material, which had associations with both life and death. This is another tree that can be used in magic rituals that focus on honoring one’s ancestors and recently deceased loved ones.
Creating Magic Wands
Making your own wands and staffs, or any magical tool for that matter will give you a greater understanding of that tool while attuning yourself to your own natural powers and abilities. Naturally fallen branches and tree limbs can be used to create your own magic wand or walking staff. Take a walk in the woods, especially after a storm, to look for fallen tree branches or look for trees with dead treelimbs which can easily be cut to size.
The tree spirits, sometimes called devas, may become resentful if you cut down a living branch. If you must cut down a branch from a living tree, first make sure the tree is growing on your own property or that you have the permission of the landowner. Then visit the tree and meditate on how you are going to shape the limb into a wand or staff for use in your magical work. Then ask permission of the tree spirits and thank them for their gift.
A variety of decorations can be incorporated into your wands to imbue them with extra magical energy. Copper wire is often wrapped around a wand, as this metal is an excellent conductor of energy. A variety of decorative items can be added to the copper wire before it is wrapped around the wand such as beads, buttons, features and small gemstones. In addition, silver wire can be used to represent goddess energy, while gold wire can be used to represent god energy.
A special stone or crystal can be added to one of both ends of the wand if desired. Embellishing the top of the wand with a crystal is thought to represent male and god energy. Embellishing the bottom of the wand by carving a hole, or cutting a slit in it is thought to represent female and goddess energy.
Ritual Tool Dedication Ceremony
Before you use your wand or staff for the first time, you can perform a simple dedication ceremony to fill your ritual tool with personal energy and positive intentions. Raise your wand or staff to the sky to collect the energy from the sun or the moon depending on the time of day you are conducting your magic work.
Moon Power Dedication Charm
The moon’s energy can be collected at any time at night while the moon is visible. Midnight is a particularly potent time to collect the moon’s energy. The power of the moon can also be captured during certain phases of the moon depending on the type of magic you wish to perform. New moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter are all powerful times during which to collect the moon’s energy. Moon magic also corresponds to goddess energy, creativity, psychic powers, fertility and the element of water.
Recite this charm three times while holding your wand in your healing hand. Your healing hand, which is also referred to as your power hand, is the hand you use when writing.
- Magical wand of mine,
- I dedicate you to the magic of the moon,
- May the goddesses aid and protect me,
- While performing my rituals, spells and charms.
Sun Power Dedication Charm
The sun’s energy can be collected any time during the day when the sun is visible. Sunrise, noon and the few moments just before sunset are particularly potent times to harvest the sun’s energy. Sun magic also corresponds to god energy, spontaneity, power, vitality and the element of fire.
Recite this charm three times while holding your wand in your healing hand.
- Magical wand of mine,
- I dedicate you to the magic of the sun,
- May the gods aid and protect me,
- While performing my rituals, spells and charms
A Final Note – Suit of Wands
In tarot cards, the suit of wands (or staves, rods or batons), represents creative energy, passion, charisma, spirituality and ambition. Use the suit of wands when working with tarot cards to help you tap into your magical and creative spirit from within. In modern playing card decks the suit of staves has become the suit of clubs.
Let’s Keep in Touch
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net and I just might feature your story in a future blog post.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe
Founder and Chief Blogger
The Creative Cottage
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