Wand Selection

[zayin]

Use to select your wand(s), other tools, burn in candle spells, or add chips in spells/charms etc.

Alder - water magic, strength, foundations
Apple - live, spirit food, unicorns, beauty, regeneration, eternity
Ash - study, health, enhance magic, peace, rebirth, awakening
Aspen - overcoming obstacles, intuition, Otherworld communications.
Birch - purification, blessing, health, beginnings, vitality
Blackthorn - control, stimulus, chaos energy, obstacles, friction, challenges, coercion.
Elder - cleansing, offering, Fairies, changes, evolution {DO NOT BURN}
Fir/Pine - properity, birth/rebirth, power, nobilty, discretion, objectivity.
Gorse - opportunity, wisdom, interaction.
Hawthorn - purity, protection, Fairies, pleasurs, stimulation, misfortune.
Hazel - wisdom, creativity, enhance perspectiveness, Witchcraft skills.
Heather - success, prosperity, gateway.
Holly - enhances magic, balance, challenges, testing.
Ivy - fertility, love, persistence, development, tenacity.
Linden (Basswood) - immortality, protection, good fortune, sleep, love.
Mountain Ash (Rowan) - protection, enhances magic, insight, cleansing.
Oak - fertility, power, balance, protection, success, truth, strength, courage, endurance.
Poplar - success, recognition, fame.
Red Oak - inner transformation, harmony.
Vine (Grape or Berry) - happiness, introspection, rebirth/renewal, transistions, ancestry.
Willow - Moon magic, psychic power, spirits, death passage, intuition, flexibility, Crone energy.
Yew - transformation, psychic awareness, spirits, death passage, immortality {DO NOT BURN}.

Grimoire for the Green Witch- Ann Moura

[zayin]

The traditional length of the wand is about 18 inches, or elbow to forefinger.

To Cut or Not to Cut?
Look for a healthy tree. Preferably one that you have a relationship with. eg. One that you water, and have grown. Look for a fallen branch, or a dangling brach. This is being offered to you. Talk to the tree, and ask it if you may use it's wood. Leave silence so that you may recieve an answer. Feel the energy of the tree. You can also use divination eg. wooden runes, or even flipping a coin. Possibly ask the presiding spirit of the tree to answer you in your dreams.
Cut swiftly and painlessly as possible. Offer the tree gifts, water is a must, but also even, honey, tobacco, wine, crystals and gems are common. Take the wood and carve your want, embellish with runes if you like. Continue the relationship with the tree. Only find a fallen branch of a Hawthorn, do not cut this tree. Lightning stricken wood is considered packed with energy.

Charge your Wand
Lay your wand at the base of the tree, and it's roots. Keep your wand beside you as much as possible so to absorb your energy and desires. Some sleep with there wands beside them on a table.

Specialize your wand.
Wands can be tipped with gems and crystals, or attached throughout the wand.
eg.
Seduction- copper topped with a rose quartz.
Lunar wand- Moonstone topped for moon, love, and fertility magic.
Mermaids wand- driftwood with pearls or shells for love, moon, fertility, and money as well as rituals by the sea.
Protective wand- copper wrapped around iron, and with hematite, and black tourmalines.
All-purpose wand-Quartz crystal
Romantic wand- Rose Quartz.
Amethysts for spiritual quests, and cleansings.
Blk. tourmaline, smokey quartz, and Herkimir diamonds for protection in rituals.

When not in use:
Wrap your wand in leather, red silk, or other magickal fabric. Store in a box if you like, but wrap it first. But for the most power keep it near you as much as possible.

[Anise]

So I guess my question was answered before I even asked lol. I have been planning on making a wand out of willow. I have a willow tree in my backyard and have been attracted to willow trees for as long as I can remember. The thing is, I believe the tree is dying. It only had a very very few leaves on it this year. Meaning only one branch produced only a handful of leaves. So I guess it won't be good to use wood from this particular tree. That is the only one I know of and have had some sort of connection with.

[zayin]

Leaf drop on a salix (willow) usually indicates a drought. Willows are usually growing naturally on river banks, or streams. However if there is alot of dead wood in the tree, it is probably rotten on the inside, and if it is old and rotted it will be on its way out. But if you can save it by offering water, and food, I can't think of a better way to form a bond with it.

[Anise]

Well it's primarily the leaves missing that makes me worry. Quite a few year back they had to replace the sewage line that runs along our yard. And in the process they had to cut through a lot of roots of 3 trees along that path. An Elder tree (I believe) the willow and a maple tree. The maple tree has some nasty looking knots on it. And one large on in particular that emcompases the whole tree. But getting back to the willow, there are a couple dead limbs on the side they cut the roots on. The thing is, that tree is right up against the house and my bedroom is right under it. The tree leans towards the house as well. My husband and mother-in-law are afraid that if it is dead then it might break and land on the house causing damage.

[zayin]

It most definately will fall towards the house as it no roots outstreched on that side, plus it's leaning. 90% of a trees roots extend outward from the tree in the top 12" of soil for support. So against the house side, it has no support. And the sewage line would have killed the roots on the other side, also causing decay and then rot inside the tree. And if the sewage line was cut a few years ago, then it probably has no heartwood for support. So most likely the tree is dead/dieing, and will start to fall apart or even fall. I would cut the tree down...Sorry.

[Anise]

Yeah I know we need to cut it down. Thanks for all the ideas and help. I really do appreciate it.

[hestia]

My wand is made of a branch that came to me while I was walking, and it works beautifully. I have no idea what wood it is, and it was dead before I got it.