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| | | | | | | | Editor's Note | | | | | | | It's funny how the universe works sometimes. I came across Touch of Mystic Wands quite by accident while sending out an email to local groups asking for content for our Calendar of Events. My wife, Caria, has a wand that I am absolutely intrigued with because I think it is one of the most beautiful items that she has in her posession, and that is saying alot considering how many magickal tools Caria has accumulated over the years. Anyway, I decided to check out their website... Upon checking out their website, I discovered some of the most beautiful handcrafted wands that I have ever seen. And to think that we have a local artisan creating such beautiful magickal tools right here under our noses, and I hadn't even known it! I just had to contact the artisan, and so our email exchanges with expert wand maker James McDonald began, and eventually accumulated into our decision to commission James to make a wand for us to give away in honor of the Imbolc Sabbat. I asked James if he could document the process for us with photos and comments, as I thought it would make for an interesting article. Well, James obliged, and we present to you here today the making of a Touch of Mystic wand... thank you, James! Enjoy! · Code Monkey |
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| | | | | | | | The Making of a Touch Of Mystic wand | | | | | | | Contributing author: James McDonald, artisan and expert wand maker for Touch of Mystic Wands
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The Making of a Touch Of Mystic Wand
James McDonald is the expert wand maker and artisan for Touch Of Mystic Wands, located in Apache Junction, Arizona. DesertMoonCircle.com has commissioned James to create a wand for our Imbolc giveaway, and was asked to infuse it with incense intended to help bring its winner prosperity and safe harbor from financial stress during these trying economic times. We also asked James if he could document the progress, as it isn't every day that you come across a wand maker, and our interest was piqued. What follows is the steps that James takes while crafting an otherwise everyday piece of wood into a magickal masterpiece.
The best part is that this is the same wand that we are giving away to a lucky registered user on DesertMoonCircle.com to help celebrate this Imbolc Sabbat! Not only do you get to find out how this beautiful work of art is created, but you could very well become the proud owner of this magickal tool! Be sure to tell your friends to register on DesertMoonCircle.com if they haven't already, because only registered users are eligible for the giveaway! If you can't wait for the giveaway, or would like to contact James about making a wand for you, you can go to James' website at www.TouchOfMysticWands.com!
So, without further delay, let's follow James on his journey of molding and honing an otherwise ordinary piece of wood into a beautiful wand...
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First Step:
I begin by learning about the person requesting the wand, about their path, and what it is that they are looking for in a magical tool like a wand. In this case, the request was for a Prosperity Wand to be used for an Imbolc giveaway on DesertMoonCircle.com. |
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 Step Two:
I select the type of wood that the wand will be made from. I usually don't keep any specific or pre-determined type of wood on hand. Instead, the wood has a tendency to call out to me after I have come to it with a purpose; because of this, I typically do not let the customer choose the type of wood the wand is to be made from. I am not bound to the properties of the wood because I am about to transform the wood and give it an entirely new intent as I create the wand. This particular wand called forth from my stock of cedar. |
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 Step Three:
Once the wood for the wand is chosen, I then decide which part is to be the handle and which part is to be the body. |
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  Step Four:
I cut the pieces to an appropriate size for a wand. |
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 Step Five:
I hollow out both the handle and the body of the wand, so that the incense of choice can packed inside of the wand. This is the beginning of the intent for the wand, and also provides a means to put the handle and the body together. |
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   Step Six:
The incense is then chosen and then carefully packed inside both the body and the handle of the wand. |
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 Step Seven:
A dowel is then affixed inside the body of the wand and secured with glue, afterwards the handle is then attached to the body. |
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  Step Eight:
Let the carving begin! |
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  Step Nine:
The shaping and sanding of the wand begins. Although I am using a power tool, the wand never leaves my hand during its creation. |
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  Step Ten:
Sanding... and sanding... and more sanding, all by hand. Starting with a course grit sandpaper, I incrementally work downward to a finer grit sandpaper for a nice, smooth feel. |
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  Step Eleven:
Carefully making the seam where the handle meets the body virtually disappear. |
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 Step Twelve:
Have I mentioned sanding? Even more sanding at this point as I try to smooth out as many remaining imperfections as I can. I try to remove things like dips in the wood from carving too deep, or any cracks that may compromise the wands durability. This is a tedious, gradual process and requires continually going back and forth between the different grits of paper as I smooth and form the wand. |
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  Step Thirteen:
I seal the wand with Tung Oil in order to protect it from normal elemental damage. Tung Oil is about as “natural” as I can get for a nice seal without covering the wand in an artificial coating, and still allows the wood be itself and breath. The application of the oil also prepares the wood for the incense oil. |
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 The Final Step:
I anoint the wand with an incensed oil that has the same properties as the powdered incense that lies within the wand itself. |
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  The Finished Wand:
A Wand of Prosperity and Money Draw! |
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