Making A Gandr (Runic Wand)

1) Select a wood with the qualities you desire.

Here are some suggested woods and their
corresponding magical qualities.

Alder-The "battle witch" of trees,

it represents truth, as in purification
by fire.

Ash-The "guardian tree," dispenser

of justice. The first man was an ash.
The world tree, Yggdrasil-synonymous
with the yew-is commonly referred to
as an evergreen ash. Ash bark is deadly
to snakes.

Beech-Tree of the Three Norns, its

bark is also deadly to snakes. Runes
were written on thin beech boards.

Birch-Called the "birth-tree," and

associated with the Mother Goddess,
it has been used in healing and for
magical besom brooms. It also
symbolizes the return of spring.
Traditionally you consecrate it to
Thor. The birch protects you against
lightning.

Elder-The "thirteenth tree," represents

the Great Goddess and is associated
with Berkana.

Elm-In the Northern Tradition, the first

woman was shaped from an elm. This
tree also is associated with the
Mother Goddess, the light elves,
and healing.

Hazel-The tree of wisdom, the hazel cuts

away impurities to see the self
honestly.

Laurel-The oracle tree of Delphi, this tree

represents victory and honor.

Oak-The "Forest King" of endurance, tree of

the Norse god Frey, and the primary wood of
the sacred fire of the Goddess, the oak is
associated with fertility, ancestry, and
love. Its fruit, the acorn, is a symbol of
the Goddess.

Pine-Representing the cycle of life and rebirth,

the pine is called "Tree of the Manifest,"
the sun. Pinecones are its fruits and
symbolize the Goddess.

Rowan-Called "Tree of Runes" and "Wood

of the Sorcerer," the rowan's pliability is
thought to aid in magic. The tree branches
are tied with red thread to protect your
home or property from enemies.

Silver Fir-The fir is associated with the

Moon, representing feminine rebirth.

Willow-The traditional tree that wands are

fashioned from, the willow is flexible and
excellent to use for magic and enchantment.
This tree draws its power from water.

Yarrow-Also called Milfoil, this is a popular

wood for divining wands. It is also a healing
herb called "the medicine of life."

Yew-Yew is a poplar wood for runic talismans

and wands. It is also a tree of death and
rebirth and is associated with Yggdrasil,
Odin, Ymir, Uller, and the Valkyries.

2) After choosing the type of wood to use, locate

a living tree from which to cut your wand.

3) When you find the tree, communicate with it. Sit

under the tree and feel its bark supporting you.
Touch the tree with the palms of your hands. Look
up at the canopy and notice how the branches weave
out from the trunk.

4) Walk around the tree three times sunwise (clockwise),

asking if you may have a branch from its body. You
will receive some sort of feeling at this point,
whether or not to proceed with cutting the wand.
If it is positive, the tree will help you select the
best branch. if you feel a negative response, find
another tree and repeat the procedure.

5) Dig a small hole in the ground at the base of the tree

and make an offering such as mead and bread or plant
food, and then thank the tree. Say to the guardian,
or "wight," of the tree:

Hail to thee, wight of (insert tree name),

I pray to thee give this branch of your body!
Into it send thy speed,
To it bind the might of the bright runes.
(insert the names of the runes to be used on your wand)

Then cut your wand, while chanting ot toning the

runes, preferably on a day of the new moon or during
the waning moon. Timing the cutting in this manner
will ensure the proper amount of time-an entire moon
cycle-for "curing" the wand. Traditionally, wands
were snapped off the tree, not cut with metal blades.
Staffs are larger and are usually cut. If you are
going to cut the branch with a metal blade, use your
magical knife or sword, and take appropriate safety
precautions as you proceed. Protect the tree by
painting the cut area on its trunk or branch with
a small amount of bituminous paint or seal it in
another way.

6) Once the wand or staff is cut, thank the

tree wight for its magical gift by saying:

Wight if (insert treename), accept my thanks.

Henceforth may your might be in this branch!
Magically bound to the bright runes (insert rune names),
Working my will with speed and wisdom.

7)Begin to shape the branch's personality. Use your

knife to strip off the bark, collecting and keeping
the bark shavings on a cloth or piece of newspaper.
Sometime during the next 28 days (a moon phase), go
back and sprinkle the bark shavings around the base
of the tree in a sunwise (clockwise) circle. While
doing this, touch the tree with the palms of your
hands and thank it again. Create a simple blessing
song or chant for the tree, and sing it as you walk
around the base of the tree three times sunwise.

8) Leave the stripped wand in the sunlight and moonlight

for an entire moon cycle, while working with it each
day to perfect its shape.
9) After the wands skin has dried, you can paint, write,
or burn runes into the surface, but ideally cut them
into the wand. When carved into the wand, the runes
infuse the tool with supernatural and divine strength.
The "ristir," meaning "cut," is an extremely sharp wood
carving tool customarily used for the cutting of runes.
You could also use a knife. The cutting of the runes into
different materials is an act of magic, one requiring your
full attention. Call in the appropriate divine energies as
you work, making an effort to sense the rune before you cut
it. State the purpose of the rune and sense the direction
of the energies. This will help you decide where to start
the cutting. When in doubt, use your intuition. Chant the
runes or the corresponding Galdr song with each rune that
you cut into the wood. If the wand has a magical name, carve
it on the shaft. Besides cutting runes on your wand, you can
also use consecrated oil or the ashes of burned runes to trace
the symbols.
Take time to think carefully before marking the tool irrevocably
with the runes. Be sure the runes match the tool's intended use.
The purpose of putting runes on the tool is essentially to bless
and dedicate it to a specific task. The runes make the tool's at-
tributes purer, stronger, and more reliable.

10) After carving them, the next step is to redden the runes.
Traditionally,
"Tiver" extracted from the madder plant, is used. As an
interesting
side note, the word tiver means "magic," and the color red
symbolizes
magic and active energy. Red runes stimulate the circulation of
the
blood and the senses. You can also use red ocher, minium (red
lead),
dragon's-blood resin, or another reddening substance. These
reddening
pigments are ground with linseed oil, in a sacred manner, while
you
are chanting, "Laukaz, Laukaz, Laukaz," before you begin. Laukaz
invokes the fertility of nature. To apply the red dye to the runes,
a special tool called a "galdrstaf" is customarily used. Inscribed
with the appropriate runes, it is a small veneer-thin piece of
wood
cut into the shape of an isosceles triangle that can easily be held
in your hand. Chant or sing the runes as you redden them.

11) Use consecrated oil or beeswax to seal your wand. Match the
magical
qualities of the oil to the intended purpose of your wand. For
example,
a wand sealed with honeysuckle oil would give it qualities of
protection,
abundance, and strength.

12) Complete your runic wand with natural materials like silk
ribbon, feathers,
and shells, or mount a quartz crystal in the tip. The hinder
(bottom)
end of the gandr is rounded or blunted.
Wand or Staff-Called a gandr in the Northern Tradition,
the magical wand or staff is considered the most ancient
of tools. It is used to move energy from one place to a-
nother, to create magical states of consciousness, and to
set up sacred areas. It also bridges energies, tying them
together in specific patterns.
The wand or staff is painted or carved with all 24 runes
or with specific runic formulas. Often made from wood of
a fruit-bearing tree, the gandr can also be made from yew
or ash. Associated with Odin, the earth element, and the
north direction, staffs measure about as tall as you are,
and are larger in diameter than wands. Wands are usually
no longer than the length of your arm (fingertip to elbow),
and represent the powers of the mind. Because you make them
from wood that still contains the vital essence of the tree,
gandrs are excellent for use in magic, healing, protection,
and power over the elements. They are used to draw runes in
the air.