Storage Bags for Wands and Pre-Written Spells

I've had several emails recently asking me why I don't do what it seems every other online wand and rune seller does and provide cute little bags for you to keep your wands or runes in, an instruction sheet for runes and ready made spells for you to dedicate/consecrate/bond with your new wand. I explain in every rune listing just why you don’t get a bag or instructions with them, so I’ll just tell you here why you don’t get wand bags or ready made, one-size-fits-all magic spells from me!

Basically, I don't give you a wand bag because you don't need one. It won't keep your wand "safe", all it will do is keep the dust off it, and you shouldn't leave it lying around for long enough for it to collect any dust! In order to buy or sell online you should be over 18 and as that means you are an adult, I give you credit for being able to take adult decisions, such as how and in what to keep your wand. I don't expect you to keep your wands in a bag just because you're (falsely) led to believe that everyone else does. In reality people keep their wands in bags, boxes, drawers, wrapped in cloth, on their bedside table, in the sideboard, on a shelf, pretty much anywhere you can think of! One of the nicest suggestions I've heard was from a customer of mine who said she keeps her collection in a glass vase, proudly on display to the world. If you feel it would be nice to have a bag for your wand then you should make one yourself, by hand. We all know that when it comes to sewing, "hand made" is not the same as "hand sewn" and tradition informs us there should not be any trace of machine working near your magical tools. However, exactly how you choose to store your own magical tools is entirely up to you, and I'm not going to start dictating to you what you should or shouldn't do because it's not my decision… in fact it's none of my business what you do with your wand!

I don't provide other people with spells because I don't trust “off-the-shelf” magic myself. In order to be meaningful a spell should be in your own words, so it sounds like your own speech pattern rather than sounding as if you're reciting something you've learned. Remember how terrible those poetry recitals were at school? You'll find it difficult to be sincere while casting spells if you can hear yourself sound like that! Magic needs to be spoken from the heart, and your own words are obviously better for that than somebody else's. Also, you can never be entirely certain of the intent of the person who wrote the spell you are going to perform, and I can't believe there's going to be a huge amount of sincerity in something people produce for money. And as for printing it on expensive, parchment type paper (rolled up so they can call it a scroll!) for you to stick in your Book of Shadows... I'm very nearly speechless! Your Book of Shadows is probably the most intensely personal magical item you will ever have, containing your own spells, recipes, thoughts, hopes, fears and dreams. The reason it’s important that it’s handwritten is because the effort you put into writing provides a strong personal bond; adding part of yourself is in itself a magical act. The thought of gluing a piece of paper in it that contains a commercially printed version of mass produced magic just makes me shudder!

I try not to put any of myself into the magical items I create, because they're not for me to use. I sincerely hope they would be thoroughly cleansed before anyone used them for anything anyway, so there wouldn't really be much point. What I'm getting at is that your magical implements are yours alone, they shouldn't really even be touched by anyone else, and any magic you perform should contain your will and intent rather than someone else's, and only you can put that into words.