Crafting a Shaman Crystal Healing Wand

Vince Migliore, BlossomHillBooks@aol.com The shaman in ages past often used medicine sticks, crystals and healing wands to cure illnesses and drive out evil spirits. These hand-crafted instruments are enjoying a resurgence due to the popularity of New ge ceremonies and the renewed interest in native cultures. Here we look at a simple method of creating a ceremonial healing wand from rosemary wood, !uart" crystals, and semi-precious gemstones. Wood from the rosemary plant rt forms are all around us, #ut $ never e%pected to find materials in the dead shru#s of a garden. n old rosemary plant had to #e dug up, and there $ noticed uni!ue and fascinating shapes in the wood, the skeleton of the rosemary her#. &ith a little snipping and cleaning, the wood #ecame the #asis for several #ejeweled art projects. Here's a look at some of the ways to com#ine the wood with semi-precious gemstones and !uart" crystal. (osemary wood is rich in nooks, channels, and twists that ena#le uni!ue com#inations with other media, such as gems, wire, and #eads. The creative artist can implant other o#jects in a way that takes advantage of the natural contours of the wood, making it appear the vine actually grew around, or gave #irth to the cradled o#ject. $'ve used #are copper wire, colored wire, jewelry stones, crystals, and polished rock. )y personal interest has #een !uart" crystals and gemstones. The rosemary wood works nicely as a support for long, unfinished crystals, while crevices and indentations provide natural sockets for the gemstones *+igure ,-. .epending how you cut it, you can use the wood for simple handles, wands, frames, or even miniature trees with many #ranches.

+igure ,. /elect stones to fit the natural contours of the rosemary wood.

Find and harvest the wood The rosemary plant, fortunately, grows in almost all climates0 "ones 1 to 21 in the /unset &estern 3ardening #ook. The #est wood comes from plants that have recently died or gone over the hill. These yield thick stems with many twists and #ranches to work with. 4ook for plants with stems at least ,52 inch in thickness. This reduces the chances of #reakage, and makes a nice grip for a hand-held o#ject. The wood is relatively hard, so pests and rot are rarely a pro#lem. $f you don't have plants on your own property, look around the neigh#orhood for #rown or dead #ushes. 6very gardener that $'ve ever approached has #een more than happy to have this strange man dig up and haul away the dead plants in his yard. 7ou'll need a good set of rose clippers, a pair of #ranch loppers, and may#e a small hand saw to retrieve the wood. Scraping and shaping The raw rosemary wood is covered with a loose, flaky #ark that is readily removed with a wire #rush and sandpaper. This dark outer layer clings deep inside the crevices and crannies, so you'll need to decide if you want to remove most of it with a #lade, or leave some in the deeper pockets and seal it with a finish, such as shellac. 4eaving the gullies darker is just fine, as it contrasts nicely with the lighter, pine-colored wood. $f you plan to im#ed stones or gems into the crevices, however, #e sure to e%pose an area of heartwood, so the glue will make a secure anchor into the wood. 7ou'll need to trim the smaller #ranches, and smooth off the ends. Handheld rotary tools, such as .remel, do a good jo# here, as they have different attachments for cutting, sanding, and polishing the wood. decent set of hand carving tools is also recommended. +igure 2 shows the appearance of a typical project from raw wood, to de#arking, and final stone setting.

+igure 2. /teps in the process of making the wand. Top8 (aw wood. )iddle8 Trimmed and sanded. Bottom8 /tones placed and wood finish applied. The creative process Ne%t is the fun part, where you figure out what design you are interested in creating. ctually, you might have more success with )ichelangelo's method, where you just study the wood piece and let it tell you what lies inside. 9ne specimen, for e%ample, might have a long furrow running the full length of the stick. )ay#e a #are copper wire would fit in there, reflecting the flow of life-giving nutrients to the leaves of a tree. 9r another might have a string of pockets that would hold matching gemstones. :se your powers of intuition and creative a#ilities.

+igure ;. Healing wand with im#edded stones and dou#le crystals. $'m fortunate to have a decent-si"ed inventory of different colored rocks, gems, and jewelry, so one of the methods $ use is to e%amine the indentations and see which stones fit snugly into the openings. There's a certain #eauty to allowing the stones to find their own correct positioning in the wood, as opposed to e%tensive carving and drilling to force a fit. +or those interested in the metaphysical properties of semi-precious stones, consider selecting those that correspond to the colors of the seven charkas. These make #eautiful Native merican medicine sticks or (eiki healing wands *+igure ;-.

n alternative is to select stones of a specific color or matching palate to create a theme. +or e%ample, $ created a 'tree' with tur!uoise chips as the leaves *+igure 1-.

+igure 1. (osemary wood forms the #asis of a tree with tur!uoise leaves. Finishing There are many ways to finish the wood. These range from doing nothing, and letting the oils from the owner's hands supply a soft patina, to fully staining, sealing, or shellacking the finished project. /ince the o#jects $ enjoy feature native, or primitive designs, $ like to keep that theme going #y leaving the wood in a mostly unfinished state. $ generally add just one coat of linseed or tung oil as a finish. 7ou might choose to apply a stain, a sealer, and varnish to create a more polished look. +or wands, a frame or stand allows you to display the creation as a piece or artwork. Try variations using feathers, leather string, and oil painting right on the wood.

Summary To sum up8 think outside the #o% when you plan your artwork. ceremonial shaman crystal healing wand makes a #eautiful alter piece, wall hanging, or art o#ject. The rosemary wood provides a perfect support structure to display gemstones and crystals. (osemary wood, with its indentations and sinuous curves, matches nicely with other materials, such as jewelry and stones. /o, what will 79: create<