Crafting-a-Shaman-Crystal-Healing-Wand.pdf

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Crafting a Shaman Crystal Healing Wand

Vince Migliore, [email protected]

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 aresurgence 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 fromrosemary 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 agarden. 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 withother 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 thewood for simple handles, wands, frames, or even miniature trees with many #ranches.

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


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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, andmakes 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 awire #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 finalstone setting.
http://www.rotary-tools.org/http://www.rotary-tools.org/


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+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.


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+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 ;.


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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 theoils 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.


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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

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