THE  STAFF  
My Adventures with Merlin, Part 3
by April Lindevald                    

 April Lindevald speaks of her Wizard’s Staff, the third and final part of the series My Adventures with Merlin

A Wizard Staff

It is not unusual for a wizard in lore to carry a magic wand, but the really cool ones—the aged and impressive ones—usually carry a staff. Since they are a peripatetic club, it serves as a walking stick. But at need, the wizard’s staff is an extension of his arm, amplifying the power of his intentions, and focusing energy toward the thing he is aiming at. 

Who has not gotten chills at Gandalf’s stand-off with the Balrog in Lord Of The Rings, hollering, “You shall not pass!” (Clip below) as he uses his enormous staff to bar the way? Or seen pictures of a wizard raising his staff against some structure or foe, zig-zags of lightning streaming out of its point?  In my mind, the staff is one of the essential tools of wizardry, but perhaps is an earned and prestigious gift; one which might be acquired by a demonstration of skill and mastery.

These thoughts were running through my head as I was writing my book and came to a chapter where the young protagonist wizard first gets his own staff.  As I mentioned, the characters were dictating to me. They led me to a moment where this self-proclaimed novice finds a secret room belonging to his missing mentor. There he discovers a staff that had been meant for him years before. Taking it in hand, he feels deeply the power and gravitas such a symbolic tool grants him, and the respect it will command from others who will see him carry it.  He is moved by a sense of validation, and ready to take on more responsibility as a leader than he was when he came into the room. It is a very emotional and key turning point in the story.

How a Wizard Acquires a Staff

I have no idea what the authentic lore of wizardry says concerning staffs, but my characters told me that I should write that a wizard’s staff is a very personal item for this story. It is hand-crafted especially for them, to align with their particular skills and energy.  It must either be made for them by a teacher or mentor, or they must make it themselves, choosing the wood carefully for the individual who will wield it.  If wanted, a gemstone congruent with the recipient’s qualities may be added to cap the stick and focus any energy directed through it.

It happened that my young wizard’s staff was of oak, strong, but gnarled by its environment, and was separated from its ancient mother tree by lightning, all magical factors. The amethyst topping was a gift to the elder wizard who made the staff. It was given by a man whose daughter had been saved by the mage’s medical ministrations. And so, it came from love and gratitude. It takes my character a bit to adjust to using his staff and to feel it as an integral and permanent part of his arm, but he wields it with confidence by the end of the book.

My own Staff

Merlin is almost always pictured or sculpted with his trusty staff in hand, and I began to feel the itch to have one of my own.  Not that I had earned it well and truly, but I had always wanted to BE a wizard, and somehow felt that having the trappings of one would symbolically carry me closer to my (admittedly insane) dream. Writing about staffs in the book only made me long for one of my own more intensely.

I would take our dog for walks on wooded paths near our home, keeping my eyes peeled for downed branches of a likely shape, or sticks lying across the path. Once I actually found a possible prospect, separated from its mother tree, and just about the right size, but in need of a little trimming and shaping. I managed to drag that thing all the way home and set it on our porch, awaiting some time to get creative with it.

As it turned out, I need not have done so, since one day, near my birthday, I heard a delivery man on our front porch, and, opening the door, discovered a weirdly shaped, messily wrapped package lying across the steps. It was so tall that two boxes had been fastened together to pack it, and I barely could get it in the door.  I saw that it was from a dear friend in a far-off state, one who knew me well, but who I did not remember telling about my current obsession.

A Gift!

Off came the wrappings to reveal the most awesome, seven-foot-tall wizard staff I had ever seen! Upright, it towered over me. It was made of some hard, sturdy wood, naturally twisted and gnarled in graceful progression to a smooth knob at its peak.  It was polished and stained with a translucent purple die, my favorite color, and the color of Merlin and Magic. It felt substantial in my hand, but perfectly shaped to my grip, somehow transmitting an element of dignity and wisdom to whoever held it. I was awed, and grateful for such a generous and special gift. My friend said she merely went to a Renaissance Faire and saw a booth where they were selling them, all hand-made. But, boy, shipping it across the country had been a real head-scratcher!

I was thinking, okay, it fit many of my channeled criteria: one -of-a-kind, made by hand, chosen especially for me and a gift of love. But I felt I somehow also had to participate in its final activation. I searched through my vast collection of stones and crystals and found a lovely amethyst point, dark purple,  with a stem at the bottom, just about the perfect size to top off my amazing staff. It was a risk that I might damage the beautiful gift, but I spent most of the summer sitting outside and slowly carving a well into the top knob which might be big enough to securely hold my crystal capper.  It was hard work, but eventually the hole was ready, and I glued in the stone, which fit perfectly, with the amethyst point topping off the staff in regal splendor! I had my Magical staff, and it was a doozie, but really, wasn’t all of this just an exercise in fantasy, in dreaming impossible dreams and confusing stories with reality? I set my staff up in a corner of our living room, near the TV, leaning back against the corner of the room, where I (and everyone else) could admire it from the couch, as a lovely and fun item that symbolized my love of fantasy. And there it stood, gathering dust, for several years.

A Message from Spirit!

Until one afternoon—one particularly unremarkable afternoon— I was sitting there alone, watching some bland show, when, without any warning, the staff stood up straight as an arrow, all by itself, teetered upright, and then slowly toppled to the ground. Dush! No one else was there to see. My eyes grew wide as I checked the room for tremors, passing doggies, mice, or any logical explanation for what I had just seen. All was quiet and in order. There was simply no way a giant wooden rod leaning backwards on a corner could have accidentally straightened up and then fallen flat at my feet. I reached down and picked up the staff. But in that moment I somehow knew I had PICKED UP THE STAFF, with all that might mean. Spirit was tired of waiting for me to be ready to serve. It was time, no arguments. 

Not so long after that incident, I reconnected with Rachel, joined TAG Lightworkers, and was heartened and inspired by a community that truly believed that Magic, dragons, unicorns, angels, and multi-dimensional helpers were entirely real!  Soon, I was taking Rachel’s class in channeling, and nobody was surprised that one of the first beings to make his presence known through me was Merlin himself. But that is a subject for our next chapter…. 😊

Enjoy one of April’s latest TAG Lives, where she exclusively channels for us twice a month. This month was all about Selkies & Self-Worth.

Getting in Touch or Scheduling with April

April Lindevald is Sound Waves Heal Certified as an Advanced Master Trance Channel and a longtime TAG member. She is certified in Light Language and Liquid Reiki Sound Healing.

A spiritual seeker most of her life, she has been an intuitive counselor and tarot reader for 30 years, and brings all this talent and knowledge to host 2 lives a month on TAG with her Special Guide Merlin as a TAG Team Member.

April is a Sound Waves Heal Practitioner and you can schedule through her link at https://soundwavesheal.as.me/april. If you wish to contact her for her next tarot class, you can contact me to send her a message.

You can purchase her amazing book on Amazon here.

You Shall Not Pass!