Magic Forums
Whether you have purchased or made your magic wand, it is still just a stick of wood at first. You need to put the magic into it.
This is called dedication, or consecration, and we use it to mark out things that are more important than they look- we dedicate houses and churches and schools, we christen children and ships, we consecrate Church ground.
Here is a simple ceremony, for your magical things.
A good time to do this is at the New Moon (when there is no moon
to be seen in the sky at all) or the Full Moon. You don't have to do this at night, just during the time that the Moon is in its fullest or darkest phase. It is a good idea to cleanse the room you are working in, by sweeping deosil before you begin this work.
What you need
On your Altar, or work table, have some Salt in a little dish, cup, or bowl, some Water also in a cup or bowl, a lit stick of incense, and a candle.
Arrange the altar;
Set the Incense on the east side , the Candle on the South side, the bowl of water on the west side, the salt on the north side. A compass is a handy tool for a magician to have!
The Magic Principle;
The Four elements correspond to the four directions. There is a fifth direction, up. There is an element for that direction, too, and that is the element of Spirit. You, yourself, are the symbol for the direction Up.
My parents won't let me have a candle, or incense!
I hope you don't blame them! A fire is a scary thought, and anyone's parents would worry about a candleflame catching something alight. But, here's what you can use instead; Remember, The candle is a magical symbol for the idea of fire and the incense is a magical symbol for the idea of air. If you can not have incense, use your imagination to think of another symbol for air. A paper fan- or a peice of paper folded into a fan shape- that would work. If you fold your own paper fan, see if you can use a piece of paper that is special in some way.
What would make a piece of paper special? How about if it were a test that you got an a+ on- that's pretty special, and it symbolises the flame of learning. A piece of wrapping paper can make a pretty fan- it probably won't be too strong, but that won't matter. A flower such as a lily, may also be a symbol for air, or a bottle of perfume- because perfume travels through the air.
Instead of a real candle, you can use a lighted flashlight or a small lamp, or even an orange- yes, I mean the fruit- to represent the idea of fire. Why an orange? well, what is round and orange but the sun- the greatest fire in our part of the universe.
The ceremony
I have chosen very simple words for this ceremony. I want you to
understand what the words mean, instead of being impressed with fancy sounding language. The meaning is far more important. You may use any words you like- as long as you know what they mean!
Hold your wand in both hands, close to your chest and say "My wand, I intend you to be an instrument of my will"
Hold it in the smoke of the incense for a moment, and say "Spirit of Air, breath power into my wand"
(If you are using a paper fan, wave the fan to blow a breeze over your wand. If you have a flower or bottle of perfume, pass the wand throught the sweet smell that comes from the flower or bottle.)
Pass it over the flame- don't let it catch fire, do it quickly- and say "Spirit of Fire, give my wand joy"
(If you are using a flashlight or lamp, wave the wand through the beam of light. If you have an orange, you must use your imagination. The orange fruit is a symbol of the Sun itself- the biggest fire in our world. So when you pass your wand over the fruit, you imagine that it is really the sun,magically made small for your ceremony for a minute.)
Dip the tip quickly into the water and say "Spirit of Water, clean my wand of any evil or anger"
Touch the Salt with the tip as well, and say "Spirit of Earth, Give my wand Wisdom"
Lastly hold it up over your head and say "Great Spirit, This wand is now my wand"
Turn around, DEOSIL, and say "Spirits of the East, South, West and North, thank you for your magical gifts"