A wand was carried by those who were of a specific office. Not everyone was allowed to carry a wand. In traditional modern paganism, the same thing goes. Only once you reach a certain level would the apprentice be bestowed a wand. The wand becomes a symbol of their power. The same thing goes for a ceremonial mace, a sceptre or a staff. The wand was also translated as 'the rod'. All show a different office or position. The wand is seen as a masculine energy as it is phallic shaped. In some modern Wiccan traditions they see it fit into an element - either fire or air. Celtic practitoners use it in a very different sense.
Wands are very unique to the Celtic culture. There are others who say the priests of Zoroastrian religion but theirs is very thick and involve many twigs to make a thick branch. There is more lore dealing with wands with the Celts than any other culture. According to Peter Ellis, Mannanàn Mac Lir carried a wand of apple. Apples in Celtic myths are always on an isle surrounded by water so this would make sense. Since this God is the Isle of Man.
Looking at some other cultures in literature, like in the Key of Solomon Book 2, "The staff should be of elderwood or cane, and the wand of hazel or nut tree, in all cases the wood being virgin, which means no more than one year's growth. To me this means the ancients were very careful not to have the wand absorbing too much energies so that the owner can imbue it with his or her own energies. Imagine how powerful a wand would be when it was passed on to the successor from a powerful magick user. It was written that the wand had to be cut from the tree in a single stroke, on a Wednesday, at sunrise. The characters shown should be written or engraved thereon in the day and hour of the planet Mercury."
Most modern day people, including the play acting witches don't really believe in magic. The only difference is the untrained book witches want to believe it works. The ancients were nearer to knowing the truth about Science than those who called themselves Scientists today. Science has taught us much But there are still mysteries, and beneath them even more.
The wand on top of being a tool to show hierarchy, it was also used to hold, draw or direct energy. The wand itself cannot perform the magic, it is the power from person behind it. Those who do not practice, and instead are all talk or study instead of hands on, are not powerful people. The wand also holds the metaphysical properties of the material it made from and as everything in nature holds a spirit. It is believed it has life within. To the Druid, the tree had a life force called the dryad, thus it was very important to name your tool. When the wand was cut from the tree, this spirit was asked to stay in the wand as well.
Because most wands were made of wood, very few have been found and dated, but many were written about all through the myths, as said especially in Northern cultures. In Egypt, wands were found made of hippopotamus ivory.and were shaped in a semi-circle with many symbols and drawings carved on them. Many with specific animals. The Wands of Horus are hollow cylinders filled with a variety of special stones for healing. In this culture as well, different roles possessed different wands depicting certain levels of training, some taking many years to acquire.
Because most wands were made of wood, very few have been found and dated, but many were written about all through the myths, as said especially in Northern cultures. In Egypt, wands were found made of hippopotamus ivory.and were shaped in a semi-circle with many symbols and drawings carved on them. Many with specific animals. The Wands of Horus are hollow cylinders filled with a variety of special stones for healing. In this culture as well, different roles possessed different wands depicting certain levels of training, some taking many years to acquire.
The Harry Potter type wands we use today are in the style of the Northern tribes, like the Celtic and Scandinavian tribes. The Druids and Godi were the shamanic priests of the Celts & Scandinavians. In many cultures where Tribes consisted of many different clans, the leaders, druids and/or healer would carry a decorated staff or wand so that others would know how to identify these positions. The Celts are the same as the Canada Indian tribes, when it comes to a customs of taking the head of a fallen enemy to be placed on a staff and displayed outside the village. This was to capture the power of the enemy and to honor the valor of the enemy as well. Now some wands are pronged, like the ancient caduceus (in its most ancient form) appears as a forked or cross rod forming a loop. To the alchemists of the time, the person holding the caduceus meant that he learned “that which poisons can also heal”. For the Norse, Völvas means "wand carriers".
Rods are just another version of the wand but longer. A person who carried a rod that had been charged during a storm of both thunder and lightening, had the power to settle all disputes. Thus giving that person judge and mediation authority. If it was empowered under the full moon of Samhuinn, it gave the carrier great authority over spirits of heaven and earth. Other rods were purposely charged for individual events like childbirth. To sum up this essay, you can learn alot about the gods by the wands they carry.
Brahva Cwmevos
(Laurie Lee Mills)
Copyright January 2011