Bard Woodcrafts wands come to you already enchanted and consecrated to the Element of Fire and to the working of good will and Light. Its initial enchantment prepares the wand to receive the impression of its new owner (or partner) and will amplify whatever energy he or she sends into it. Once you receive your wand, you should charge it yourself by performing a dedication ritual. This dedication may take any form, but here are some suggestions.

On a night during an auspicious waxing moon, place your wand on an altar and cast a magical circle around your working area. Light candles, incense, and prepare a small container of anointing fluid. This fluid may be oil, water, wine, and may contain some of your own bodily fluids. In some traditions blood is used, in other sexual fluids, but it might simply be some consecrated water mixed with a little of your saliva. The point is to create a dramatic physical and astral connection between you and the wand.

After you have cast the circle and banished all evil thoughts and distractions, invite the spirits of the four quarters to enter your circle and give their wisdom, protection, and strength to your new wand. Sit before your altar facing south and purify yourself with water by touching it to your forehead. Then, taking the wand in your favored hand, anoint it with the anointing fluid, stroking it up and down its length saying,

Then, holding the wand by its handle, pass it through the flame of your candle (being careful not to char the wood!) and say,

Holding the wand tightly, chant Awen or any other mantra you are accustomed to use to focus your energies. You may also chant the following spell, or something like it.

(You may, of course use other god-names from whatever tradition you choose; these are from the Mellaric-Elvish tradition. One might prefer to invoke Brighid, Gwydion, Math, Lugh, Cernunnos, Ceridwen, as you wish).

At this point, whisper your name to the receptive end of the wand. Now, visualize your body of light shining, radiant with lambent fire. Feel the light and heat pulsing out of the palms of your hands into the wand. Imagine, with your inner eyes, the core of the wand glowing with red-gold fire. Fill the wand with your spirit until it shines with ethereal light. Lastly, give your wand a secret name (which you should tell no one) by whispering the name into the wand's receptive end. Your wand will come from us with a secret name divulged in its initial consecration. You may choose to use this name, or the wand may present you with another name for your private use.

After you feel you have meditated and chanted long enough, ring a bell to signal the end of the enchantment, replace the wand in its box, wrapped in silk, or keep it on your person, and then close your circle as you wish, thanking the spirits of fire and the south. It is a good idea to handle your wand and even sleep with it touching your body (but don't break it!) for the first week or so, and periodically thereafter. You should keep it in a safe place, wrapped in silk or other natural fabric in its box, and reserve it for serious magical work. If you mess around with it and use it as a theatrical prop, it may develop a cavalier attitude and become hard to work with when you want to cast a real spell. Remember there's a bit of dryad in the wand as well as a bit of Phoenix or Unicorn, all of which are notoriously temperamental beings to control if you don't treat them with the utmost respect!