Working on New Birch Wands Wands

My brother collected Birch Branches for me this spring, that were natural dead fall from his humongous Birch tree he has in his backyard.  He collected them during the waxing moon, as I asked him.

I’ve had them since March or April, allowing them to season in my garage.  It is finally time to start making Wands again.

I’ve found two distinct uses for Birch Wands in my research.

1. Cleansing and banishing.  I’ve found references to use of Birch twigs to expel evil spirits.  Birch wands to cleanse sacred areas and sacred spaces.  Some use it to “drive out the old spirits” of last year.
2. Connecting with the Goddess. Birch was associated with the Goddess, and in Celtic lands, it was associated with Brigid.

There are many Goddess references to Birch in various cultures.  The Germanic people identified birth with Bertha, their “White Lady” who was the spirit of spring.

The Norse associated the birch with both Thor as well as Freya. According to their lore, the Lady of the Woods would be angry if her bark was peeled away.  To avoid her wrath, they would wait until the tree was marked by Thor’s lightening before gathering the Bark.

The Celtic saw Brigid in the white branches of birch.

The Native Americans used birch a lot.  As the first tree to seed after the Glaciers receded, its gum was used to glue arrowheads.  Pots were made out of birch, and maple syrup could be stored for a year in the pots. Canoes were made of it, and its wood, bark, fibers, and gum were used for a variety of everyday items.  And birch bark when burned produced an incredibly white light.  Their sweat lodges were made of birch, and when heated, the steam released the oils from the birch which was good for the lungs.

With this long and varied history across many cultures, it is a wonderful wand to use for many reasons.  Healing, as all parts of the tree were used for various healing remedies.  Banishing negativity, evil, and spirits as we saw the ancients believed it to be effective in that.  And finally to honor the Goddess, particularly Brigid and Freya.  I’m so glad that I had the access to some of this wonderful wood to create beautiful wands for my fellow Wiccans and Witches.

Sources:

Sapphiremoon.info Sacred Woods :: Birch
Witch in the Wood Celtic Lunar Calendar
Pagan-Heart – Magickal Uses of Wood
Dragon Oak – Magickal Wood Properties

Tags: birch wands, birch wood, Brigid, Freya, Goddess, uses of birch