The
rod, staff, and wand have long and intertwined histories. All three evolved from
tools used during ice-age astronomical observations. By 8000 BC, direction,
time, and distance calculations done by a few people improved the lives of
everyone, and over millennia the tools these few used gained the reputation of being
divine and magical. Scripture supports this; the prophet Hosea said, “my people
ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them.” - Hosea 4:12. The rod as a king’s scepter
indicated great power. Ezekiel 19:11 says “And she had strong rods for the
sceptres of them that bare rule...” Moses was a great magician – instructed in
all the sciences and secrets of the Egyptians, and when he performed his
miracles he had his rod. It is still so - staffs and rods accompanied the prophets, a bishop still carries the staff of life, and every magician has his wand.
 |
| Esther touching King Xerxe's scepter to gain admittance |
The staff is an important part of magic and occultism. Many Bible verses have been interpreted as referring to rhabdomancy – the art of divining with sticks. Moses, as a means of knowing where the leader of his people would come from, inscribed twelve rods – each with the name of one of the tribes – and put them in the Tabernacle of Witness (Numbers 17:7). The next day Aaron’s rod had budded. Moses found water in the desert with his rod – much like dowsing. Murals found in North Africa dating back 8,000 years show a man with a split stick, perhaps dowsing for water.
In the sixteenth century rhabdomancy was practiced mainly in Germany where it enjoyed considerable popularity. Even now it is popular, and to some extent blessed by science. By the seventeenth century the term referred to a method of looking for metal deposits or underground springs. The process became a common and important part of any normal mining operation. By the end of that century its powers were acclaimed in France – writers and philosophers discussed the art and its mysteries.
A great debate developed over whether or not there was demonic influence in the working of the rod. Martin Luther announced that dowsing was the “work of the devil;” from this came the term “water witching.” Scientific theories were offered to counter this idea; some suggested radioactivity or corpuscles as the reason for such odd attraction; corpuscles that would rise above springs of water, or in exhalations of minerals. Even those rising over the footsteps of fugitive criminals would cause the divining rod to turn; soon the mysterious rod was used for tracking down robbers and murderers. A century later, at the Munich Academy, the power of the rod was attributed to a phenomenon analogous to galvanism (the induction of electrical current from a chemical reaction). The action of the divining rod has now entered the domain of science, yet it is still not clearly understood. Even psychologists have investigated it. In the early 1900’s Grillot de Givery wrote in Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy, that he experienced this phenomenon with his own hands.
In the sixteenth century rhabdomancy was practiced mainly in Germany where it enjoyed considerable popularity. Even now it is popular, and to some extent blessed by science. By the seventeenth century the term referred to a method of looking for metal deposits or underground springs. The process became a common and important part of any normal mining operation. By the end of that century its powers were acclaimed in France – writers and philosophers discussed the art and its mysteries.
 |
| Explanation of the Diving Rod, Abbe de Vallemont, La Physique Occulte |
A great debate developed over whether or not there was demonic influence in the working of the rod. Martin Luther announced that dowsing was the “work of the devil;” from this came the term “water witching.” Scientific theories were offered to counter this idea; some suggested radioactivity or corpuscles as the reason for such odd attraction; corpuscles that would rise above springs of water, or in exhalations of minerals. Even those rising over the footsteps of fugitive criminals would cause the divining rod to turn; soon the mysterious rod was used for tracking down robbers and murderers. A century later, at the Munich Academy, the power of the rod was attributed to a phenomenon analogous to galvanism (the induction of electrical current from a chemical reaction). The action of the divining rod has now entered the domain of science, yet it is still not clearly understood. Even psychologists have investigated it. In the early 1900’s Grillot de Givery wrote in Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy, that he experienced this phenomenon with his own hands.
Doodlebugging
is another term for the use of the dowsing rod to search for petroleum or
water. During the Middle Ages country folk who wanted to dig a well would call
a sorcerer – they were numerous, and rather than calling an engineer, these
folk preferred the services of a good wizard and his rod, to assure success at
the least possible cost.
 |
| Rider-Waite Tarot |
Today
we know these magic wands as dowsing rods, witching rods, or divining rods and
they are commonly used by those who search for ley lines. How these wondrous
tools work is a mystery, even to those very experienced in their use. Einstein
was convinced they work, saying that the rods show a reaction of the human
nervous system to certain factors which are unknown. Most people relate magic
wands to fairy tales. They are a major element in stories like Cinderella,
Donkey Skin, Harry Potter, and even Shakespeare’s Tempest. Wands are one of
four suits in Tarot cards (sometimes referred to as staves, batons, or rods)
and most magic traditions use a wand as one of their ceremonial tools. Stage
magicians, or illusionists, often use a “wand” to perform their magic, as part
of their misdirection technique. If a magician is deprived of his wand he may
be deemed powerless; yet magic wands can change, move, disappear, display their
own will, or behave magically, without the magician. The status of being a magician
grew from those in antiquity reputed to be wizards: those who knew how to use
the magic rods for divining heavenly events by the stars.
Duncan-Enzmann’s
history of astronomy traces these devices back to ancient astronomers who used
a stick’s shadow to create the first sundials and to determine north, thus
designating direction. Ashera poles were used to measure the movement of the
stars and planets, and by 5000 BC the Vanir mariners divided time and
calculated longitude using the rod and cord. Several scriptures in Ezekiel tell
us the rod was used for measuring and to determine distances. (Ezek. 40:3, 42:16, 45:1, 47:3, & Rev.
11:1) The rod has a long and prestigious history of working magic for those
who knew how to use it.
8,000
years ago an astronomer planted a staff in the ground and proceeded to use it
to predict the movement of the heavens, to calculate the time, and to lay out
the geometry needed for a great stone observatory. Those watching must have
thought this a most magical process. Scientists still perform magic, and
continue to investigate that which we do not understand. So whether you are a believer
or skeptic, the magic rod has an ancient and prominent history.
Michelle Paula Snyder
Michelle Snyder is a professor of mythology, and an author, publisher, speaker, and artist. She did her post-graduate research at the University of Wales, decoding ancient and prehistoric symbolism, mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. Her artwork has appeared in galleries from Massachusetts to California. Michelle is co-owner of White Knight Studio.
Symbologist Michelle Snyder
Non-Fiction - Symbology:
Symbology: Decoding Classic Images
Symbology: Decoding Symbols through History
Symbology: Fairy Tales Uncovered
Symbology: Art and Symbols
Symbology: Hidden in Plain Sight
Symbology: ReVision
Symbology: World of Symbols
Symbology: Secrets of the Mermaids
Michelle Paula Snyder
Fiction – Fantasy Wonder Tales:
The Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time Lessons, First Book
Call of the Dragon and other Tales of Wonder
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book one: The Lost Unicorn
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book two The Lost Mermaid
A Tale of Three Kingdoms, book three The Lost Dragon
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your thoughts?