Wands, rowan

Wands made from the wood of the rowan tree are renowned in wizardry for their effectiveness against the minions of the Lone Power and other malign influences. However, their use is not as widespread as one might expect, since to be effective the wood must be a gift. This usually means that there needs to be a fairly close relationship between the wizard and the tree in question, as many rowans, in solidarity with a great number of trees on the planet, are not entirely happy about the way they have been treated by humans. Except in emergencies, just walking up to a rowan and asking it for a branch does not guarantee a donation.

When a wizard is given a rowan branch, though, the way to make the most powerful possible wand from it is to carefully remove the outermost layer of bark from the donated wood, and then leave the wand to soak up the light of the full Moon for a carefully predetermined period. (Too much moonlight on too small a volume of wood, or the use of the wand before it's had enough time to "cure" and reach equilibrium of energies, will cause the wand to burn out prematurely.)

Nita starts out her wizardly practice using a wand of this type, its wood being a gift from Liused, the rowan tree that grows in her backyard. Depending on what the mission of the moment is, Nita continues to use a rowan wand when the work at hand seems to call for it. (SYWTBAW et seq.)

See also: Rowan.