#wandmaking

The reason there are so few professional wandmaker is not just because they're a tight-knit community with closely guarded techniques and sources, but also because it takes a very special kind of person.

Wands can sense if the wandmaker isn't passionate, and a wand made just for functionality will never be as strong as one made with passion.

"Does the wand really choose the wizard? A critique of Ollivanders" by Jimmy Kiddell

"On wand/wizard harmony: a thorough debunking of Kiddel's ciritque" by Garrick Ollivander "Style over substance: on the legacy of Cosme Acajor" by Mykew Gregorovic "Acajor's wands: A loveletter to the beauty of magic" by Johannes Jonker

Hey there! I don't have anything so formal as a youtube about wandmaking, but I do have some tiktok posts on how to make wands. You can find me here: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourmajestyswill

Two blogs in one day! I am not sure if that is a lot as I am still new to this website. But here goes!

I would like to share with you the making of my wand. I finished it yesterday evening, and it turned out to be a very special evening, perfect for the occasion.

First I started out with a pine branch, a nice one, that I got from outside my dorm. It was a good size, no nodes, and as soon as I started to whittle it it broke in half as it was too dry. So I went on another adventure to find another stick. This time, I found a stick, gave it a nice tug, thanked the tree and took it back. Although I don't have an image of the stick itself, here is one of a similar kind. Just imagine that it had three nodes at the top (we'll get to that in a minute)

I started to whittle this beast, and I was quickly finding that my multitool knife was not the most efficient option. However, it was practically my only option. I wish I had a ceremonial knife for this part. As I approached the dreaded nodes, I found that my knife was not working to tame them. I recently acquired a dremel and decided to pull that out instead. Now, when crafting your own wand, it is essential that you stay away from machines as much as possible, as you want to make sure that you are infusing hard work and good intentions into your wand. But let me tell you, I was still certainly working hard with this nail dremel.

It took me two hours to shape the wand, and by the end of it, I noticed that it had a slight downwards curve. Curves in wands can be tricky, as you want them to be a straight extension of your hand, or else the energy can be sporadic in direction, hence why I needed to completely remove the nodes. So, I decided to use the dremel to carve a spiral in the wand and I filled it with steel wire as to ensure that any energy I send through it would have a clear and direct path towards the tip. It also might cause some capacitation, which would be quite handy.

Next, I wanted to attach a stone to help aid me in energy, so I chose unakite. For those of you who aren't as familiar with crystals (don't worry, I'm not either, I'm just familiar with this stone) unakite is a stone that brings grounding, balance, and energy, its planet being Venus, its chakra being heart, and its element being fire. I might not have ever said this before, but I am very much so a fire sign who is greatly intune with Venus. So I found this stone to be very suitable for the job. I attached it using Sculpey®  clay. Once again, I would recommend natural ingredients, but I don't necessarily have an abundance of clay in the soil where I live. I also created a base with the modeling clay and attached a sun pendent for a cute touch.

Next, I became entirely overwhelmed with the plans that my imagination had created for me. I had done some research on google of custom wands, and I came across an Esty page where they used clay to beautifully sculpt flowers and ivy onto the wands, and I know that this is what I wanted to do with my wand too. Below is the Esty page, because I certainly need to give them credibility as I used their ideas as a reference towards my own.

I gave it a week or so, and I finally mustered up the strength to continue my wand crafting journey. First I laid the Sculpey® down for my vines and baked it. Then I worked on the leaves and flowers. Once it was all baked and set, I began to paint it. But out of the blue, a storm decided to join me. Not just a light thunderstorm in the distance, but a vicious storm. Lightning was jutting past the clouds, and thrashing across the sky down to the earth, wind was pounding the sign on my door, water was drenching the earth below, and the earth was receiving it. Around me, I was experiencing all four elements making their presence known without me invoking them. I knew then that this wand was special, and that the universe was trying to tell me that it would be of great use and power. I knew I wouldn't be able to consecrate it for some time due to my lack of an alter, but the universe had different plants for it. At the advice of my aunt, I ran outside and threw a pan on the ground as to collect some rainwater for this special occasion. As I realized these things, I took my wand unfinished, wet paint and all outside and I let the rain wash away all of its impurities.

I finished my paint job with a top coat of high gloss Mod Podge® to seal it, and let it rest over night. Although I know have a blessed and fully functioning wand, I first must become more acquainted with my own energy and learn to conduct it down my arm, through my hand, and out my index finger. Although it comes naturally if I concentrate on it hard enough, I want to be very careful with this wand as I sense it is very powerful. So that is my goal going forward, use my finger first!

Wish me luck on my journey! With love,