Merry Meet, Young Wizard!

I would like to show you how to make your own magic wand. Yes, I know that Harry Potter bought his from Mr Ollivander, but that isn’t always necessary. Ron Weasley could have made himself a new wand- instead of trying to fix his broken one with magic cellotape!

The first part; The Quest For Your Wand.

For this part, you will need these magic ingredients; PATIENCE and AWARENESS.
Also bring a GIFT- a crystal, or a little stone that you like but don’t need anymore or a charm. A piece of Chocolate makes a good gift- Chocolate
is always a good gift! One pwrseon recently told me he gave an ice cube. Perhaps, in the heat of summer, that would be a perfect gift.

The Magic Principle;

You must thank Mother Nature for giving you your wand, just as you must pay a wandmaker for making one for you. All Magical tools MUST be paid for, one way or another.

Go for a walk outside. Look at the trees and bushes around you. It
might take some time. You might not see your wand right away, or it might
not be where you usually are. You might find it while you are on vacation
somewhere- or you might spot it in your own yard, after you’ve walked past
it over and over!

You probably shouldn’t look at the trees on other people’s property,
unless you think you are brave enough to ASK PERMISSION to cut a branch.
You might try a park, or the woods, or a park preserve.

What you are looking for is the branch that is your wand. It will
have a shape that you like, straight or just a little wavy. It might be
about as long as your forearm, from the tip of your elbow to your fingertip.
It could be shorter, especially if you want to carry your wand in your
pocket! Look at the branches on the ground, not just the ones on the trees.

What if you can’t find a branch?

Keep your patience, and think about what your quest. If you live near
the water, look for sticks of driftwood. If you are in the city, or near
a construction site, it might be a broken piece of a two-by-four, that
you decide on! (watch out for splinters, okay?)

Once you have found it;

If you find your stick lying on the ground, all you have to do is pick
it up! Leave the present where you found the stick, or hidden nearby. Yes,
it’s true that someone else might see it and pick it up, but don’t worry
about that. That’s not your problem- you gave something to get something, and that’s what’s important.

if it’s on a tree, you will need a pair of PRUNING SHEARS, and a
piece of RED STRING, YARN, OR RIBBON.

If your branch is growing on a tree, and you know it’s ALLOWED to
cut it, go sit under the tree. Tell the tree (silently if you want, you
don’t have to embarrass yourself) that you are grateful to it for growing
your wand, and you will take good care of it. Tie the red string around
the branch where you will cut it.

The Magic Principle;

Trees don’t bleed when they
are hurt, so we make a symbolic (pretend) bleeding for it.
Trees don’t mind, either, that we cut branches
off them. But we humans would feel pain if we were cut into! By the symbolic
blood represented by the red string, we show that we feel kinship with
living trees. A magician knows that he or she is part of the universe-
even yucky bugs are kin in life to humans. The knowlege that you are connected
with the things around you will be very important to your magical training.

Then cut off your branch.

Leave the present somewhere under the tree, to thank it.

Trim the extra twigs away, and look at it for a good long time before
you decide where to cut the ends off- hold it, hold it out as though it
were already a wand, see where the magical energy flows along the shape.
You will have to let your branch dry and cure for a while, before you can
finish it as a wand. But, even while it’s drying, you can use it for your
“swish and flick” practice!