Dedicating a Staff ...............

[Robb Hawklord]

Zimran, the crown/hand just happens to be the identicla size to my own hand, so made the 'fingers' the same length as mine too, pity I couldnt make one a bit thicker.

[Petrichor]

Was the hand concept something you were looking for when you sought the Staff , or did the whole thing happen by chance ?

Z

[Wolfwalker]

Robb, let me know if the holly ever asks for a nice chunk of quartz from the seacliffs to hold. It will be done.
bb, Peter

[Robb Hawklord]

Will do Peter, and thanks

[Claer]

Hi all,
The piece of ash wood I made my wand out of, I feel chose me. I was driving in a heavy storm a branch fell on my car bonnet. I stopped and picked it up and it has been with me ever since. I removed the bark, but otherwise it is undecorated. I just feel it prefers it that way.
I have recently been working on an beech and ivy staff. It is two joined pieces, the ivy curling around the beech. I came across this when the beech the ivy was on was felled because it was unsafe. I had walked passed this tree many times on walks and was disappointed to find it had been chopped up. This bit I took from the wood pile left, as well as some cuttings from the felled beech and ivy. The cuttings came on well during the summer, and I am hoping to plant them near where the original tree once was.
I have attached a large moss agate to it, drawn a pryography labryinth on it and ivy leaves. Hoping to put an Awen symbol on to.
BB
Claer

[Piastra]

claer,

the twining vine on a piece of wood is called a dragon. smile. is that not awesome? i have several wand length pieces that came from a ten foot length that i cut into 20" lengths. it is not ivy that entwines it, i think it is honeysuckle. the wood itself is only an inch wide, so it is fine for a wand. not too fat. i also have a few wand lengths that were actually wee tiny saplings that had somehow entwined themselves around a thicker sapling. that one had been uprooted and the wood rotted away. when i picked it up, all the bad wood fell out of it, and what was left was a beautiful spiral shaped wand (or dragon). there is so much beauty and magik in nature...

carragh

[Flying Swan]

I just wanted to join your celebration of staffs.
i purchased a hazel staff some years ago. It has a quartz crystal at the top and the runic symbol of protection in copper is attached to it. It has a lovely feeling to it and was gathered locally on the lay lines near Glastonbury. It is quite a dramatic looking staff and I feel it is perfect for my Storytelling, especially when I have an audience of children.
Last year I had been back to Wales to visit my son and something prompted me to pull off the road and visit Castell Coch, a folly castle built in the 1700s to resemble a mediaeval castle.
The castle was closed to the public but that didn't matter, I simply wanted to take a walk around the grounds.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I went to touch a tree which was calling to me from some little distance. It was a large oak. I held my hand against it for a while, just sharing some time with the dryad and then walked around it. Just behind it was a beautiful piece of a fallen branch, about 6 ft tall. I picked it up and held it in my hand. there was one part which fitted my hand perfectly.
I was thrilled and thanked the tree for the gift, for that is what I truly felt it was.
I have cleaned off any bark which remained, oiled and sanded and trimmed it alittle and I love it dearly. It is unadorned at present. I almost feel it is too beautiful to tamper with. I always take it when I walk in the countryside. I have great faith in its strength.
I have really enjoyed reading this thread. thankyou everyone. I have learned such a lot as always.
Blessings,
Annie

[Petrichor]

Some incredible & very inspiring stories here folks ..........

Claer - Pyrography is another great way of placing symbals / marks onto your Staff / Wand .

Have you had any difficulties with the method ?
Do you find it wears off at all & needs to be re-done - especially where you might grip the wood ?
Does oiling cause any problems following the process ?

Sorry for so many questions , but Pyrography is something I've been meaning to look into .......... ( glad you brought it up ) .

Many Blessings ,
Zimran .

[Claer]

Hi Zimran,
I am new to pyrography, so I'm not the best person to answer your questions. So far I've had no problem with oiling and waxing my staff afterwards (have used beeswax). As I have only done this in the past two months the design is still very fresh and no problems. I've seen others with much older staffs and the pyrography on them still looks fine; I doubt it would wear off easily.
My only difficulties stem from not being very practiced at this - I used lots of spare pieces of wood to practice on before going near the staff as I didn't wish to ruin it with my efforts.
Have fun trying it out.
BB
Claer

[Claer]

Hi carragh,
Thanks for letting me know about the dragons (My, that sounds a bit like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!!!) - I never knew twining vine on a piece of wood was called that.
Anyone here give their staffs a name - someone asked me if I had named mine awhile ago and I hadn't thought of that before....
BB
Claer

(PS love the Absinthe quotes - tried it for the first time at a Samhain celebration - after the ritual of course!)

[Piastra]

greetings,

i am not sure what pyography is exactly, but i think it might be what some of us billies here in the states call woodburning (i like pyography better, if that is the case). if so, as a crafter, i have been doing it for years. not on wands, though i plan to soon, but on boxes that i buy from craft stores.i have some very crude attemps that i made as a child - 40 years ago - still set with pride beneath my auntie's yule tree. she has resanded and stained it, oiled it, and still it wears throughout time. i don't think you have anything to worry about.

as for the "dragon", i think i read that in DRUID MAGIK by maya sutton/nicholas mann, but i am not sure. it was a long time ago. i read it in another source as well, but i can't remember that one. i will try to look it up.

for care and incidentals, you might refer to alferian's site which is a day's exploration in itself:

http://bardwood.com/index.htm

and he suggests an english scented beeswax, chaphams, or even your own hand oils. i have used american beeswax on my boxes susccessfully. old english furniture polish, too.

some of my wands whispered their own names to me in ritual, and others i just gifted them. they have never complained. however, i made sure their names were spoken through all the elements of the consecration ritual. another thing, i never consecrated more than one wand at a time. that is like throwing one birthday party for several kids at once. after raising 16 myself, i know how heartbreaking it can be to some of those involved. never getting their one wee moment.

besides, each wand has it's own energy and issues. you need to be concentrating on just that one during the consecration. too risky otherwise. others, such as fitheach, keep their wands in a basket together. i cannot do that, however, as my wands are too briggady and do not play well with others. i cannot let them touch. still, whether i am actually working with them or not, i have to take them out and handle them, so they are used to me, and we are bonded. the spirits within want to know me, and i need to know them. how else can we work together?

"of course"? "Of Course?" "OF COURSE?" you waited until after ritual to partake of absinthe? but WHY???? grin. personally, i love floating on oceans of time looking for someone, in ritual, or not...

sipping pipes,
carragh