Make a Magic Staff

Making a staff can be very rewarding and can be used to mark either progression or initiation along a Pagan/Wiccan path.

Steps

Get a stick. Make sure it is quite long. It does not have to be straight, but it should be at the minimum as tall as you, or taller. If not the minimum size then go and find another stick. Do not choose just any odd stick of the ground. Have a good look around. Pick up more than one stick. Balance it in your hand. Feel its energy. You will know which one is for you when it feels right.
Give it a special name. It is your magical staff and it belongs to you, its name can be its magical bond with you or just choose any old name that you like. But don't ask other people for ideas unless you're really stuck because it's your choice and you're making the magical connection.
After that get a carving/penknife or a similar item to shape the staff if you decide it needs shaping. You may just wish to simply strip the bark off it or to keep the natural knotty wooden look. The style is completely and totally up to you.
Decorate it. Any decoration that you want can go on it is your staff so do whatever you want. You can have many decorations or no decorations or halfway in between.

Rotary hand tools are great for fine carving.
Magical decorations can include:
- Feathers
- Glitter
- Nail polish marks (the glowing/luminescent sorts are great for this)
- Sequins or craft jewels
- Tie string on the top and attach lucky beads or something special to you
- If you feel called to do so, go ahead and use a strong glue to glue a hawk feather or crystal to the top. Remember, this is your staff so it should reflect who you are. Add what you wish to add.
A good choice of wood is something such as Apple, or Cherry. You can try hardwoods for a more ornate look
Wood needs to be fairly freshly cut. If it has dried outdoors it will be brittle and have bugs. The exception is dead cedar trees which don't rot and make exceptional staffs. They will dry standing up. Try to get as much of the root structure as possible.
Let freshly cut wood cure bark on in a dry place for a year prior to stripping bark off. You can use a rasp bit on a drill to grind the bark off.
Scrub a fallen branch in the sink, the bark peels off easily. Then just set it out in the sun for a few hours.

Be careful when you are carving, a stick can be replaced but an arm can't.
Use safety glasses if using drill, rotary tools.
Do NOT rip a stick off a live tree. This is cruelty to nature and it is wrong. This tree is divine and a living creature. Imagine if someone came and ripped off your arm to use as a sword! (Although is should be considered that a tree does NOT possess a central nervous system, and therefore cannot feel pain or emotion.)
Make sure you don't hit anyone when waving your staff about!