Book Review: Druid Wands

Title:  Living Wands of the Druids: Harvesting, Crafting, and Casting with Magical Tools
Author:  Jon G. Hughes
Publisher:  Destiny Books
Release Date:  January 29, 2024
Pages:  232

“Living Wands of the Druids” is a detailed guide to making the living wands used in hereditary Welsh Druidism. Author Jon G. Hughes, a fifth-generation Druid, explains the history and lore of wands, then goes on to describe the hermetic properties of various woods and botanicals, harvesting methods, preparation, and use of wands, rods, and staffs in magical work. 

Wands serve as a spiritual conduit, connecting the practitioner’s intention with the living sap at the core of the wand and channeling it into manifestation. For the wand to be alive, it must be used within the first six hours of being cut from the tree.

Every part of the process is meticulously presented. For instance, to make a wand requires knowing about the tree, its spiritual correspondences, its location and surroundings, the orientation and position of the donor branch to the tree and the sun, the date and time of harvesting, the season, and the weather. All are among the influencing factors that must be considered. 

The attributes and virtues of wood from ten species of trees and some commonly added botanicals are given, along with descriptions of several types of wands such as rudimentary, compound, and thorn. Instructions, tools, materials, and rituals for cleansing, intention setting, potentializing, and properly returning a wand to nature are clear enough for a novice to follow. Fundamentals are also given for casting an intention using wands, rods, and staffs. 

Hughes would describe the wands I use in my practice “dead wood,” and while I don’t intend to employ this process, he helped me understand the power and energy that comes from harvesting, crafting, and using a living wand.

This manual will take readers from start to finish with detailed information and step-by-step directions. There are more than three dozen black-and-white illustrations, an eight-page color insert, a list of books of related interest, and an extensive index. 

About the Author:
Jon G. Hughes is part of a lineage of druids who have been practicing for five generations in a remote area of Wales. He is now teaching the tradition at his home in western Ireland, along with giving workshops and seminars throughout Europe under his Welsh name of Cynon. He is the director of the Irish Centre for Druidic Practices. Among the seven books he’s written are “A Druid’s Handbook to the Spiritual Power of Plants,” “Sexual Practices of the Druids,” and “The Healing Practices of the Knights Templar and Hospitaller.”

About the Reviewer:
As an eclectic solitary practitioner, I travel the country in a converted school bus and share magick with those I meet. Find me at https://thewitchonwheels.com/ and on Facebook.