Rural America is quickly disappearing from around me. Yes, over 40 some years you see a lot of change. The farmer grows old, and the children move on. So who is to tend the barn or pastures anymore? The dream is filled in some respects, but morphs and falls to the wayside as the next generation plunders on.
As time goes by so does the familiarity of rural life and the farms of my past. The fields I’ve walked, the ridges I’ve hiked and always with a stick or staff in hand. Now only sections of the mountains I once seemed to have full range are left to a trail of memories. I do thank those who saved areas for mountain park land but “progress” marches on.
The grazing fields have grown over and the cows are gone. The hay is no longer bailed, so the acres go fallow and the “weeds” take over. Even in this state of affairs there is much beauty to behold. Better in some degrees, because wild flowers and wildlife abound. Wild roses and honeysuckle fill the air with sweet early summer smells. The fireflies are abundant and the nights are filled with amazement and serenity.
Alas, the saplings take hold and the race is on. Now there is thick brush and young forest where the tractors once ploughed and harvested their yield. All seems well with the life force growing strong as the years go by.
Vines wind their way up and around the trees and compete for space. Ah, nature at it’s best. The drive for life sends them higher to reach the suns’ light . Tighter they bind as the trees grow too.
Usually the tree grows faster and expands around the vine to create the spiraled effect in it’s woody grain. Sometimes the tree will grow completely around the vine and buries it beneath its bark. Other times, the vine will eventually die and the tree continues to grow, shaped as the vine has left it’s mark. Maybe the vine wins, and strangles the tree while overtaking it’s canopy. The tree dies and becomes “dead wood” or as I call it, “strangle wood”.
Rescued from certain destruction by rampant and seemingly unbridled development, these pieces are a tribute to the area I once remembered. A bit of posterity as I witness the surveyors’ flags fly wildly around me.
I have to retrace my steps and save as much as I can. I never seem to have enough time before the acres are dozed back to dirt. No, not for another graze land, hay or corn field but for fast gas stores, strip malls and high density housing. Inevitably it all begins to look the same as 5, 10, 15 miles away. Highways, parking lots and cars now cover the fields that were once teaming with the agrarian lifestyle. It does seem quite insane, but then again, people do need to work, eat, sleep and drive.
All of these staffs, hiking sticks, canes, walking sticks and wands are unique and one-of-a-kind. They are created entirely by nature with only my hand to reveal their beauty. Great care is given to uncover the natural spirals and growths of each tree. Only the bark and vine is removed to show the grainy spirals of the wood. At times, some of the bark or vine is left in place, to create the natural appearance of a snake or other creature in the beholders’ eye. In these designs, there is a sense of wonder and natural magic.
Most all of the vines grow in a clockwise spiral, but in very rare instances, they’ll grow counterclockwise. These pieces are quite prized, for I only find perhaps one in a hundred. Growing conditions and species are quite varied, so the individual appearances are endless. I never tire to see the uniqueness of each different tree or branch.
Most of what I harvest is live so I do take time to thank and bless each one before it is cut. After felling, I look the entire piece over and make a preliminary decision as to what I can do to enhance it’s creation, if anything. Some will be hiking sticks, or larger staffs or maybe just a cane shaft or wand. I cut off the branches and top and remove what vine is dead or not suitable to remain on the staff.
Many times there is spiral in more than one section of the tree, so I will decide to either cut two sticks from one or make a wand of the smaller piece. If they look good together, I will keep them together and call them “twins” or “companions”. Just a marketing thought for the devout druid - many staffs for many walks of life.
Some of the canes are made from a solid piece which incorporates part of the root. I find them very strong and fits well in the hand with its natural curve. Larger root systems seem to evoke a Shaman-like character, so I like to leave them whole and embellish them as would be the tradition. I do keep in mind that often less is more, which leaves them open for the creations of another’s idea or expression of belief. This I hope would be true, so the you can personalize your own piece and enhance it’s power and / or signify status.
I am neither Druid nor Shaman, but I can appreciate the energy one can invoke but totem or talisman. I tend to see the snake or serpent as each spiral bound tree is representative of a caduceus: the most commonly used medical symbol used world wide. The staff or wand seems to be viewed widely as a tool of healing and implied to be used for magical applications. This, I believe, is only as strong as one’s connectedness to the divine energies of the perceived universe.
As soon as the trees are cut, the curing process begins. I will either strip the bark or leave all or part of it on. The inner bark is scraped off down to the sap wood. I then soak the entire piece down with boiled linseed oil. Depending on the piece and the absorption rate, there may need to be subsequent coats to slow the dry out rate. If the wood dries too quickly it will begin to split and be ruined. If the bark is to be left on, I will soak the ends with oil to keep it from splitting. All wood is left to cure for at least 6 to 8 months before being worked towards a finished piece.
