Yo u r C o m p l e t e G u i d e t o The the Wo r l d o f M ag i c Wa n d s The wand is arguably the most iconic tool of the witch, and its powers are both legendary and practical, both symbolic and vital. The wand is the pen with which a witch writes her magic. And yet many witches, both young and old, don’t know how or where to fnd the specifc wands they need (or allow the wands to fnd them!) for the magical jobs at hand. As high priestes and author Gypsey Teague says, “You can’t sucesfuly Witch’s perform a vast array of spells with a single wand any more than you can cook and serve an entire feast with a single butter knife. You must have more than one.” This book shows you how to create a whole toolkit of wands for use in your magical work. YOU WILL LEARN • how to construct a wand and understand its fundamental anatomy Guide • the names, spirits, and attributes of the many woods (and other materials) from which wands can be made • how to craft and nurture a powerful partnership with your wands to • how to choose which wand to use for diferent magical purposes Rooted in Teague’s extensive knowledge of plant science and ethnobotany, as well as her years of magical practice, the book examines the uses and benefts of each wand compo- nent (primarily woods, shrubs, grasses, vines, and some metals). It details each material’s asociations to various gods Wands and goddesses, relationships to specifc types of magic, and the results a practitioner can expect to achieve from each. You will fnd tips and resources for fnding materials and hand- crafting, as well as correspondence charts for easy reference. A Complete Botanical, Magical, and “Finally, the work of the wand is receiving the attention it deserves z Elemental Guide to Making, z as a tool in the ma gic of the witch!” – Orion Foxwood, author of The Flame in the Cauldron Choosing, and Using the Right Wand www.redwheelweiser.com ISBN: 978-1-57863-570-2 U.S. $19.95 G y p s e y E l a i n e Te ag u e Foreword by Orion Foxwood Te ag u e The Witch’s Guide to Wands The Witch’s Guide to Wands WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 1 3/27/15 5:55 PM WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 2 3/27/15 5:55 PM The Witch’s Guide to Wands A Complete Botanical, Magical, and  Elemental Guide to Making,  Choosing, and Using the Right Wand G y p s e y e l a i n e T e a G u e WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 3 3/27/15 5:55 PM This edition frst published in 2015 by Weiser Books Red Wheel/Weiser, llc With offces at: 665 Third Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94107 www.redwheelweiser.com Copyright © 2015 by Gypsey Elaine Teague All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record- ing, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. ISBN: 978-1-57863-570-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on request. Cover design by Jim Warner Interior by Deborah Dutton Typeset in Goudy Oldstyle and Goudy Text Printed in the United States of America EBM 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 4 3/27/15 5:55 PM Contents Foreword by orion Foxwood vii introduction 1 Purpose 3 Wand Basics 5 Preparing Your Workspace 9 Part one: organic wands—woods 13 Deciduous Trees 21 Deciduous Shrubs, Vines, Grasses, and Roots 127 Broadleaf Evergreens 141 Coniferous Trees 151 Special Materials and Uses 169 WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 5 3/27/15 5:55 PM Part two: inorganic wands—Metals 177 Royal Metals 181 Noble Metals 185 Base Metals 189 Part three: the wands oF J. K. rowling 197 conclusion 205 acKnowledgMents 207 aPPendixes 209 Wands Listed by Use 211 Gods and Goddesses 215 Sexual Energy 221 Elements 225 Celtic Oghams 229 index 231 vi The Witch’s Guide to Wands WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 6 3/27/15 5:55 PM Foreword I am a longtime witch, seer, and root worker of more than thirty years. So, I am no newcomer to spiritual, magical, and mystical work. As such, every now and again I will meet a teacher, experience a ritual, encounter a tradition, or review a book that contributes to witchcraft and magic in a way that has depth, wisdom, power, and practicality. When this happens, I do a “happy dance,” and I get increased enthusiasm for where witchery is moving and its usefulness to the world. The book you hold in your hands is inspiring such a hopeful response in me. So, this is not a mere “foreword”; it is a declaration of usefulness to the work therein. It is a call to action for the spirit of the tool we call “wand”—its uses and the working of woods in its magic. Gypsey Elaine Teague shows us the ways to work metals too, but woods are her focus, since they have occupied a place in magic far before the advent of fre and metallurgy. A wood wand is a means to encounter the roots, trunk, and branches of a magic tree that grows from the earth prior to human hands. It is a means to manipulate the forces of magic through an ally (the tree and its woods) that have been shaping the forces of heaven (sun, stars, planets, and moon) and ancestry (human and other) through the unifying forces of the tree for millions of years. Who is better at bringing the powers of above, below, and the horizon than the tree? WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 7 3/27/15 5:55 PM So, this foreword is more than a recommendation. It is an invitation. Read this book and work its contents; pass it on to others who seek to work the ways of the wand in witchery. Finally, through the agency of this book, the work of the wand is receiving the attention it deserves as a specifc tool in the magic of the witch! I am hopeful that readers will see the power and application of the wand as a magical tool the way our ancestors did, and will seek and secure the potent powers of the woods of the wand for the ways of witchery and make good magic happen in the world! As a witch with more than thirty years of experience practicing and teaching the craft, this book will be on my recommended reading list. Why, you might ask? Well, for the following reasons. This book: • Gives wands the attention they deserve as a special item in the witch’s toolbox. • Gives an introduction to the names, spirits, and attributes of the woods for the wand in a way that has not been done in the past. • Profles the full anatomy of a wand and its applications to ac- cessing, shaping, and channeling magical forces to a forecasted, projected, and desired outcome. • Demonstrates an admirable love and commitment to the wand, wood, and their power like I have never witnessed in previous books and teachings. viii The Witch’s Guide to Wands WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 8 3/27/15 5:55 PM We have all heard of magic wands in the books, movies, and teach- ings of our media, magical practices, and traditions. But they are often overgeneralized or embedded in a cadre of implements without attention and honor given to them as the powerful tool they are. Teague treats the subject of wands as a specifc magical practice and tradition. This approach is fresh, respectful, and useful. After all, if wands are only a side note, why should we respect and use them? Teague demonstrates that these tools and their spiritual powers should have their unique and specifc place on the magical stage. Wands have captured our attention in movies, lore, and practices. But, have they had their place in our attention in a way that shows their anato- my and application? No, I doubt they have! In the book you hold, Teague seduces us into the allure of wands while informing us of their usefulness. She brings our attention to the wisdom of “there is a partnership between the witch and the wand.” This relationship can only be discovered and cultivated through intimate partnership. So, to enhance this, she gives a structure to the formal introduction between the witch and the wood for the wand—the order, family, genus, and species, as well as the Janka hardness scale, energy, elements, Celtic ogham (where applicable), and Gods and Goddesses represented—as a means for the human magic worker to meet the spirit of the wood on a dancing foor of conscious change and mediation of magical infuence. She does this using the feel of a family member introducing you to fellow family at a reunion. She also does this as a craftswoman welcoming you to her craft and her group. Invite the wand to your altar. Work its power for magical infuence. Seek and fnd its mysteries. Find the ways of the witch in the working of the wand. —Orion Foxwood Foreword ix WitchesGuideWand_forthpages.indd 9 3/27/15 5:55 PM