I recently crafted a stang. It is the first time that I have made one although I am familiar with them. My wife even has one that she made a long time ago. I’ve just never done so because I have a staff that I have simply used for such functions, when needed, that I made when I was 15 or 16. However, I have one now, which is what this blog post is about. You see, I have decided to share the process I did so that maybe it will inspire others in the potential crafting of their own. Whereas there are lots of resources that talk about what they are and even a bit about what they are used for, I cannot recall many that say much about making them beyond the basics. Consider this blog a glimpse into my practice and approach to things.
Before I get into the how of I made it, briefly follows is the why. A few month ago, I moved back to southern Louisiana. This time though, it’s my final move and so a bit of land was purchased with our house. This land is wooded and one of the intents of having said land is so that we can set up a permanent outdoors ritual space for our use and the future coven’s use. As one does when establishing themselves in a new area, we began to build a relationship with the land and the spirits of place here. This is what started the call for a stang.
In the middle of our portion of the forest here, which is about an acre, I found a small natural clearing that is just large enough for our use. It easily has enough space for a coven size circle or compass, depending on need. So, I began to engage the space over the course of a few weeks. The conclusion of which is that the spirits there are amendable and the area is suitable. Therefore, I took my threshold stones and set them up there. After which, I immediately got the impression, from a shift in my sense of the place, that a stang was wanted. The land wanted it included in our Craft with that place. Hence, the story to make a stang came to be.
I sat on the idea of crafting a stang for about two weeks, mulling over the approach I would take to finding and making it. I finally settled on one primary thought. If the land wanted it, then the land could help.
On the day in which I decided to make an effort looking for a suitable sapling from which to make it, I went out to our circle and sat. That’s it. I just sat there for a while. I did not make any attempt at spirit communication or reach out to the land. I just sat in the space and let my senses focus on being present at that moment in that place. After some time, I can’t say for how long because I purposely stepped mentally away from linear time, I shifted my focus to the spirits of the woods.
It was at this point that I made them an offering, both asking for assistance with the task at hand but also so as to keep building rapport with them as our working relationship forms. I spoke plainly and told them that I planned to make a stang, if I could find a proper piece of wood. I also petitioned my Lord and my Lady for their guidance. After all, the stang would be used in their service as well.
Then I got up and wandered our woods, looking, and paying attention to any subtle feelings about which way to meander. I did this for maybe 45 minutes and what turned out to be a large crooked path that roughly circled me back around to the spot I started at. I figured that I would wrap up my working on it for the day and try again later, maybe somewhere else.
There it was though. Almost at the same spot I started at, just to the side a bit. Everything fit. It was the proper size, shape, age, etc., that I had envisioned. The best part for me, it was an oak. I know that many like to use ash but I’m partial to oak because of my affinity to Druidry. It was perfect; that is, if the tree gave permission.
A long time ago, I was invited to attend a sweat lodge building ceremony as a guest. One of the techniques that the pipe carrier taught that day was about asking the saplings that would go into making the frame whether or not they agreed. Only the trees that did would be used. The process was simple: laying hands on the tree, telling it what you want to do, asking it if it wanted to be included, and then listening with our being. I did this with the oak.
Once the tree made its wishes known. I made offerings to it prior to the first cut.
After the tree had been harvested, I took it inside to our in-door Temple Space. I wanted to allow it to rest from the ordeal and to do so in the quiet and sacred space as its plant spirit went into dormancy. I was not in a rush and felt no need to put this spirit-ally straight to work. I would wake and enliven it again later.
I checked on the piece of wood daily until I could tell that it was no longer living wood and that the plant spirit had gone to rest. This is when I got crafty with my craft. I stripped it of bark and spent several days rough sanding it to my liking. All in this time, I allowed the fell of the future stang to emerge, to speak to me.
This is how I decided on the symbols that I would wood burn into it and the decision on the stain. None of this part was planned in advance but was all about being mentally and energetically open. I try to balance my craft across spirit work, energy work, and the mind. It’s a good approach, I think, to consider all of these when approaching a working. In this case, I wanted the mental design process to both be rationally put together and intuitive.
The next step was to shoe it. Basically, I put a piece of iron in the base. This is something I learned to do a long time ago. I will not be showing a picture of this, as I was taught how to do by a practicing witch. So, I will hold it is sacred confidence. Next it is time to enlist the plant spirit.
When you work with dry herbs, the plant spirit is asleep and needs to be enlivened. There are lots of ways to do this, but a simple method involves oil, flame, and talking. Take your dry herbs and apply a bit of oil, such as olive oil. Then over the course of days, place the herbs in a bowl and set candles around it. Talk daily to the herbs about their intended role in your craft. Each time you do this, massage the oil into them a bit and light the candles. Pay attention as you go and you will notice the herbs wake up. Considering that you want the plant spirits to help actively, you should also keep in mind the manner in which the herbs were obtained. Plants that were contacted before harvesting, given offerings, and ritually handled, all tend to be ready to work a lot quicker. This does not mean that you can’t buy them at a store, just that you need to pay more attention and be more persuasive in your enlistment of their help. Yes, there are many uses dry herbs alone but I’m a fan of multi-approaches to crafting.
I did this with the stang; I woke it back up. I used a Gardnerian anointing oil to do it in place of olive oil. You could simply use olive oil, or whatever anointing oil you deem appropriate. I chose this one because I made a lot, had it available, it was already consecrated in the work I wanted, and is holy to my Lady and Lord for whom the stang will assist me in service to.
Next, the logical thing to do would be to consecrate the stang itself. I could have developed a rite to this or used one already written from the Book of Shadows for such things, but I decided not to do either of those things. Since the stang at this point has been energetically prepared and had its spirit enlisted, not to mention that the design process involved the mind via both Talking and Fetch Self, I decided to attune it to the work ahead through use. Immediate use. Nothing fancy beyond that. I laid a quick compass round and erected it in the center with a cauldron.
I’m thrilled with the final tool that is this stang. It will serve me, the land, the future coven, and the Gods well going forward, I have no doubt of that.
-SM
“Lost in a thicket, bare-foot upon a thorn path.”
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