The Magic Wand: Sources and Lore

This study by Joseph Peterson collects and compares what the sources say about the magic wand, one of the most recognisable instruments of the magician, from antiquity to the occult revival. It begins with ancient material, including the barsom twigs of Zoroastrian ritual, the rods of Greek and Roman myth and the Greek Magical Papyri, and with philosophical discussions such as those of Iamblichus. It then surveys the grimoires in detail, comparing the instructions found in many manuscripts of the Key of Solomon, among them BnF Italien 1524, Bodleian Coxe 25, Ghent 1021B, St. Gallen VSG 334, Aubrey 24 and Add. 10862, in a Clavicula from Gerald Gardner's library, and in the Almandal, the Sworn Book of Honorius, pseudo-Bacon's Thesaurus spirituum, the Armadel and Abognazar Clavicules, the Goetia, the Grand Grimoire, the Grimorium Verum, Abramelin, Ganell's Summa and the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. For each, Peterson records the prescribed wood (often hazel, elder or almond), the length and timing of cutting, the inscriptions and consecrations, and the wand's function in commanding spirits or tracing the circle. Later writers such as Agrippa, Scot, Sibly and Trithemius are also cited. The page demonstrates both the continuity of the wand tradition and its considerable variation, and it shows how the comparative study of manuscripts can illuminate the history of a single ritual object. It is particularly useful for understanding the background of the wands of the Golden Dawn and modern Wicca.

What it contains

• Ancient precedents: barsom, rods and the magical papyri
• Key of Solomon manuscripts compared
• Medieval sources: Almandal, Sworn Book, Ganell
• Woods, lengths and times of cutting
• Inscriptions and consecrations
• Black grimoires and later occult writers