An Element of Fire ~ a handmade Wand, bejeweled with crystals and gems.

 

An Element of Fire Wand
made by Cobwebs

No matter how many photographs I took,  where I took the photographs or what backgrounds I tried it against, I couldn’t seem to capture the real essence of this beautiful wand at all.  So although the pictures are OK – they’re not the best that they could be. (apologies.  – I’m great at ‘making’, but I pose absolutely no threat to David Bailey).

Where I live I have some huuuuge pine trees in my garden which are protected (by law).  So it makes sense to use the wood which these trees gift to me by way of high winds etc. 

The base which this wand is made from is beautiful pine, which was seasoned naturally and turned from a small broken branch, into a fabulously straight length of  pine wood by a friend  – who doesn’t use machinery (wood lathes and such) – everything he does is done the good old-fashioned way – which I love.

Measuring  14½”  (or 37cm) from the tip to the heel of the wands handle.  But not heavy.  I know in the photographs it looks like it would be an arm breaker – but it really is very light – weighing just 60 grams – (or 2 ounces in good old-fashioned money).  Every time I pick it up it still surprises even me – and I worked with/on it for weeks!

I knew that I wanted to base the wands handle around the Element of Fire, so began working by choosing my colours of clay.  Obviously in shades of reds and yellows –  both to represent the heat and the colour of flames,  – and,  because I wanted fiery flames to lick up and along the wand, I had to blend the colours carefully so that they didn’t become muddy – but blended together just as real flames do.

I also added green oak leaves.  This was because I wanted to:

• To represent a new beginning; a fresh start;  new life; and the seasons;
• To honour the Green Man who’s wisdom is of the eternal truths, cycles and passages.  The cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth.  He teaches us the sacred truths of nature.  He is a magical bridge between nature and ourselves.  From the Green Man we learn the mysteries of all growing things, and he is present in all things green and growing.  His energy fills the trees which make the oxygen we breathe.
• To acknowledge the mystic energy of nature and vegetation;
• And also to give a nod to the Land of the Fae.  Since the colour green is a faerie colour, I believe they (the Fae) share an affinity with the Green Man, and here in the British Isles faeries are also known as ‘Greenies’ or ‘Greencoats’.

As I fashioned,  I became aware of a growing desire to include gems and crystals of significance, so had to ensure that I took care to place these in just the right places so that the stones didn’t interfere with the comfortable holding of the wand in the hand.

Once the wand and it’s handle had gone through its various own ‘fires‘ (of the making variety) – I polished the handle to a lovely smooth finish and added some very tiny glass beads and an assortment of crystals, fixing them along the curves and folds of the flames along the handle –  which helped to represent that ‘sparking, sparkling, crackling’ which a true fire has.

I then tipped the wand with gold leaf.  It doesn’t want to show up in the photographs – despite me trying a gazillion photographs [sigh] – so you’ll have to imagine that the very point of the wand is tipped in gold leaf which has a fabulous shine and depth.

Finally – I sat for a while and selected what I felt where the right gem stones to add to this wand. I wanted the colours I was choosing to have a specific meaning and also wanted the gem stones themselves to be chosen for the meaning they held, for the many and varied reasons from feng shui through celtic, wiccan, spiritual healing lore, philosophers and mystics all the way to a gentleman called George Frederick Kunz – (who wrote the book  The Curious Lore of Precious Stones published in 1913).  Kunz wasn’t a mystic crystal-gazer but rather the leading gemologists of his time and the resident gem expert at Tiffany & Co.

Finding the right mix of gemstones and colours was a balancing act – I wanted to get the mix just right.  When I was finally happy with my choice, I had:  Carnelian.  Yellow Jade,  Black Onyx,  milky green Malachite,  Amethyst and Citrine, sat on my work bench, waiting for me to begin work.

The colours symbolize:

• Yellow = Wisdom, Joy, Happiness
• Black = Self Control & Resilience.  Black stones have protective healing energies.
• Green = Life, nature, fertility,  self-respect & well-being.  Green contains the powerful energies of nature.
• Purple = Royalty, magic and mystery.  The colour of good judgement & of people seeking spiritual fulfilment.  Purple is a good colour to use in meditation.
• White =  White is purity and cleanliness and the complete energy of light.  It stands for wholeness and completion.

Carnelian was chosen because:  (amongst many reasons:) Carnelian is associated with the element of fire and it has a projective energy that balances all forces.  Carnelian holds a very special place in the Christian religion.  According to holy scriptures, carnelian was one of the twelve gemstones worn on the breastplate of Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites and a prophet.

Yellow Jade was chosen because:  Jade is said to bless whatever it touches, serving mankind across the globe for nearly 6,000 years, and valued for its beauty and powers of healing and protection.  It is the ultimate “Dream Stone,” revered in ancient cultures, as well as today, to access the spiritual world, gain insight into ritualistic knowledge, encourage creativity, and dream-solve.  Jade signifies wisdom gathered in tranquility, dispelling the negative and is the stone of calm in the midst of storm.

Black Onyx was chosen because: it is said to have protective properties and to bring inner strength, self-confidence aid intuition and help with mental discipline,  It’s  believed to help to release negative emotions and alleviate fear and anxiety.  Some cultures believe it to be unlucky, however others consider it to be virtuous and to protect against black magic.

Malachite was chosen because:  it is a protection stone, absorbing negative energies, and shows what is blocking your spiritual growth, draws out deep feelings and psychosomatic causes, then allows you to break unwanted ties and outworn patterns.  It supports friendships and empathy for other people.  NB: Malachite is toxic and should be used only in its polished form. 

Amethyst was chosen because:  it is known as a stone of protection.  Amethyst is a gemstone often worn by healers, as it has the power to focus energy, and it has long been used to open the spiritual and psychic centers, making it one of the power stones.  It’s also known as the Bishop’s Stone and is still worn by Catholic Bishops. The amethyst symbolizes piety, humility, sincerity and spiritual wisdom.

Citrine was chosen because:  Citrine is a joyful stone with bright energy which lights up many aspects of lives of those who work with it. It has energies of good fortune and good luck, though these may appear in unexpected ways..  It’s known as the ‘success stone’, since it is believed to promote prosperity and abundance, and because citrine can clear negative energy and influences from the aura, it is useful for meditation, psychic awareness, and spiritual development.    Citrine is one of the most valuable and popular gemstones in the quartz group.  Citrine also does not absorb any negative energies from its surroundings, and thus never needs energetic clearing..

 

And that, ladies and gentlemen readers, is the Element of Fire Wand.  I hope you like it.

Have a truly blessed day all.

 

 

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