Baresman, The Twig

י"א באדר תשס"ז

I made a wand tonight from a twig of lilac. It was shaved of bark under the night hour influence of the Sun (accomplishment) and completed under the night hour influence of Venus (grace and fruitfulness).

A ritual wand made of a sacred twig or bundle of twigs is called a baresman (Phl. barsom).

According to Kotwal and Boyd, the baresman is an "ancient Indo-Iranian emblem of seeking the Holy", and it "establishes a connecting link between this getig [material] world and the menog [spiritual] realm. The barsom is, as it were, the conduit through which the archetypal principles and powers manifest their presence and receive the offerings." It is also an instrument through which one acquires the sacred power. It is also a conduit for channeling the power outwards, and thus is a prototypical 'magic wand'.

Transliterated into Hebrew letters, baresman contains the shorashim באר סמן, meaning to clarify and to move from darkness to light (באר) and to designate, mark and determine (סמן).

My baresman is 26 centimeters in length.

Lilac is a feminine botanical corresponding to the planet Venus and the element of water. The powers attributed to it include exorcism and protection [1].

Footnote:

[1] Encyclopedia Of Magical Herbs, Scott Cunningham

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