Luna Ignis English Rowan Keppen with waists

This keppen is approximately 4 inches in length.

This is real English Rowan! Gathered and cut by Paul and Pat on one of their frequent trips to England. This batch was cut at midsummer from the beautiful southwest of England in gorgeous witchy Celtic Cornwall and Devon!

Keppens are very traditional English cottage witchcraft. Wands have a very ceremonial magick history, many of the old grimoires have instructions for cutting and making wands. Traditional cottage witches in the west of England used “keppens” instead. They are basically a mini or pocket wand. The type of wood used lends power to the spell based on Ogham tree lore… So Oak for success, blackthorn for cursing, birch for healing, apple for love, alder for protection and so on. Easily concealed in the hand, pocket or purse they are highly portable and can be used discretely even in public or the workplace!

Associated since ancient times with magick! A famous roman story talks of a Roman guard who got into trouble as a young celt prisoner was able to escape because the roman guard did not confiscate the celts rowan staves.

Rowan is one of the trees associated with the goddess Brigid, the Celtic goddess of the arts, healing, smithing, spinning and weaving. Spindles and spinning wheels were traditionally made of Rowan in Scotland and Ireland. Rowan trees planted near stone circles in Scotland were especially powerful. Scottish Fairies were said to hold their celebrations within stone circles protected by Rowan trees. Modern interpretations of the Celtic Ogham place Rowan, called Luis, as the sacred tree of February.

Rowan twigs were placed above doorways and barns to protect the inhabitants against misfortune and evil spirits. It was one of the trees sacred to Druids and used for protection against sorcery and evil spirits. The Druids burnt Rowan on funeral pyres, for it also symbolized death and rebirth. The Druid Ovates and Seers burnt Rowan in rites of divination and to invoke spirits, and Druids used Rowan wood in rites of purification. Ancient Bards considered the Rowan the ‘Tree of Bards’, bringing the gift of inspiration. Rowan is one of the nine sacred woods burnt in the Druids’ Beltaine fire. Rowan is also associated with dragons and serpents – sacred Rowans were once guarded by dragons.

In America, the Rowan is usually referred to as Mountain Ash and is a different species with white wood instead of the gorgeous deep orange wood and strong grain of the English variety.

Rune staves were often cut from the rowan tree for amulets by the Norse people who invaded Scotland. In the Christian era, the twigs have been used for protection against witches, sorcery, negative magic and the Evil Eye. Twigs tied in a cross with red thread are affixed to doors and barns to keep the inhabitants and livestock from being enchanted, saying this charm, ‘Rowan tree and red thread, will put witches to their speed’ . Walking sticks made of rowan are used to protect the user from the spirits of the woods.

Rowan is also called the Witch Tree, or Wicken Tree, and can be used for divining precious metals, just as hazel can divine water. Witches used Rowan to increase their psychic powers, for spells of healing, success, protection and often used the wood for their magic wands.

Rowan is Mercurial in nature, this is one of the reasons it is so prized in magick. It is liminal and enjoys the edge of the forest or the edge of clearings or paths, neither one thing or the other, a boundary marker between where places change. Sometimes in England you will see it growing out the side of a cliff or in weird wind twisted shapes up on the high moors.

Rowan is Paul’s favorite wood. The English Rowan has a wonderful purple bark and an amazing orange wood with deep grain.

Each of Paul's wands and keppens are unique. There is no plan beforehand, the wand is allowed to manifest as it wills, Paul just helps it along.

Wood is of course a natural product. Paul works with the branch, interesting boles, cracks, are incorporated and left by design. Paul also never removes all the bark, as like skin it comes in many layers and some of the lower layers have their own gorgeous color and details!
Oiled with one of our award winning Luna Ignis brand range of anointing oils to protect the wood and make the grain pop!

Long before Paul was ever a blacksmith he carved and was a wandsmith. Before even Artes And Craft opened as a witchcraft store, Paul was making wands and selling them at pagan festivals and gifting them to friends. Being English, Paul would often cut wood when visiting England and return to the USA with some of the most famous classical Celtic magick woods of Ogham lore. In fact, this was one of the founding principles of Artes And Craft, was to bring beautiful ritual tools and goodies from the old world to pagans in the new world. Paul loves crafting heirloom quality unique ritual tools for pagans, druids, ceremonial magicians, Traditional witchcraft and wicca.