Merry meet and welcome!
So far we have seen the athame, cup, water, salt, fire, and incense representing the element air. Now let’s talk about the wand.
Wands come in just about any shape, from strait to bendy like a twisted tree branch. People form wands out of almost anything from stone to various forms of wood–and even metal. We may wield a wand formed with a combination of these materials.
As a masculine tool, the wand functions much like the athame. But where the athame is a forceful tool, the wand is gentler and softer in its approach. You use the wand, like the athame, to direct energy from you to a thing or place. You can direct energy to a candle, a person, and in some cases, you can cast circle with the wand. I feel the athame is a much better tool for casting circle though; it gives you much more protection than the wand.
Sometimes, Wiccans use a wand, instead of the athame, for handfasting (Wiccan marriage). Using the wand makes the circle semi-permeable, which allows small children to go through the boundary without too much disturbance to the circle itself. The wand brings a softer energy, which is nice for this type of ceremony.
In our next post we will talk about the different candles Wiccans use.
Blessed be,