Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

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Yex
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Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by Yex »

Interesting story; forgive the overly simplistic/borderline offensive journalism:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08 ... use-it-se/
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Re: Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by SnowCat »

So what about real witches who are also Harry Potter fans?

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RosieMoonflower
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Re: Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by RosieMoonflower »

Interesting. I understand the wand maker not wanting his craft, or craft of magick itself, to be taken as a "joke". But, as a shop that is open to the public I find it discriminatory for them not to sell to anyone of the public. It's the same way I feel about cake makers who don't want to make cakes for homosexual couples to use at their wedding. I did find it interesting that the wand maker mentioned he would also not sell to some he felt was a dark wizard. And from that perspective I feel more included to agree with the wand maker. Just as I feel someone shouldn't sell a gun to someone who they feel would use it to bring harm to another person or people's. Very interesting thing to ponder over indeed.


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Re: Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by Yex »

SnowCat wrote:So what about real witches who are also Harry Potter fans?
Well he does acknowledge that he actually enjoys Harry Potter as fiction, but is just making a distinction between people who are just there as fans of the franchise vs practitioners of magic. I do question is claimed ability to spot a Harry Potter fan by their aura as an effective means of discernment, though.
RosieMoonflower wrote:But, as a shop that is open to the public I find it discriminatory for them not to sell to anyone of the public. It's the same way I feel about cake makers who don't want to make cakes for homosexual couples to use at their wedding.
I don't think the two are the same at all. People have a right not to be treated poorly as a result of their sexuality. I'd hardly say that people have a right to be sold what is essentially a toy. Keep in mind that there are many people out there who sell wands to Harry Potter fans, to be used as props. If someone is selling wands specifically for genuine spiritual practice, and doesn't want to sell them to people who aren't going to treat them as such, I think that's well within his rights and just discretion. Again, he's not condemning Harry Potter, he's just making it clear that he's not selling toys, he's selling magical tools.
I did find it interesting that the wand maker mentioned he would also not sell to some he felt was a dark wizard. And from that perspective I feel more included to agree with the wand maker. Just as I feel someone shouldn't sell a gun to someone who they feel would use it to bring harm to another person or people's. Very interesting thing to ponder over indeed.
Precisely. Although again, I'm skeptical of his ability to just be able to "tell" what someone's intentions are. Maybe that's a reflection of my own inability to trust intuition, though.
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Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by RosieMoonflower »

Honestly, if this were in the United States, I would say that yes, everyone has the right to buy whatever toy they want that is available on the open market, even if the maker doesn't see it as a toy. If I went into Barns and Nobel and wanted to buy a Bible, it would be absurd for the manager to ask me about my intentions with the bible, or as you've pointed out, to assume they know my intentions with said bible. I believe that as a citizen of the United States if I want to buy a bible for sale in a public shop and take it home and use the pages as toilet paper that is my right. And someone refusing to sell me the bible, that again is for sale on the open market, is wrong. This may not be the opinion of others, even those living in the United States, but those are the rules of a free market economy/democracy.

Now again, I say this because using a bible's pages for toilet paper doesn't hurt another individual. That's where the line must be drawn. And, that sentiment can almost always be applied to weapons. And, I respect that a wand could easily be used as a weapon, and therefore should not be handed out lightly. It's a tough position for a dealer of weapons to be in.

Okay, now for more food for thought. What if the Harry Potter fan who enters his store because of fandom, but begins to explore magick more deeply and finds their way to being and "real" wizard. Is it too far off to say that a Harry Potter fan who would go so far as to purchase a wand, may be open to other pagan ideas? And, who's to say someone's path cannot start because they purchased what was considered a toy by others, but felt special and real to them? Just an idea. Again, very interesting story, and thank you for listening to my views.



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Re: Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

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RosieMoonflower wrote:Honestly, if this were in the United States, I would say that yes, everyone has the right to buy whatever toy they want that is available on the open market, even if the maker doesn't see it as a toy. If I went into Barns and Nobel and wanted to buy a Bible, it would be absurd for the manager to ask me about my intentions with the bible, or as you've pointed out, to assume they know my intentions with said bible. I believe that as a citizen of the United States if I want to buy a bible for sale in a public shop and take it home and use the pages as toilet paper that is my right. And someone refusing to sell me the bible, that again is for sale on the open market, is wrong. This may not be the opinion of others, even those living in the United States, but those are the rules of a free market economy/democracy.
Ignoring for the time being my views on free market capitalism as an ideology (suffice it to say that I'm not a fan), I have a few things to say in response: Firstly, while the legality of something doesn't indicate whether it is right or wrong, in the United States, you do have the legal right to refuse service to someone. You can't do it legally if you're motivated by bigotry (denying someone goods or service because of their race, religion, sexual identity, et cetera), but you don't have to sell something to anyone who wants it. And I'm pretty sure that if you walked into, not a Barns and Noble, but, say, a Christian bookstore, and said, "Hello, I'd like to buy a Bible to use as toilet paper", they'd kick you out of their store. More to the point, though, is it really unreasonable for a skilled craftsman to want to see their work end up in a good home? He's put both labor and spiritual energy into his wands - can you really say it's not appropriate for him to want them to be used sincerely? Who is being hurt in this scenario? Again, there's no dearth of handmade wands sold for the expressed intention of being used as props/toys for Harry Potter fans. Must they insist that this is not enough, and that they must have their hands on something that isn't meant for that?
Now again, I say this because using a bible's pages for toilet paper doesn't hurt another individual. That's where the line must be drawn. And, that sentiment can almost always be applied to weapons. And, I respect that a wand could easily be used as a weapon, and therefore should not be handed out lightly. It's a tough position for a dealer of weapons to be in.
That is the other thing, isn't it? We know that magic is real. The weapon analogy is more than apt. Another analogy could be that of operating heavy machinery. Let the initiates use the tools that are meant for real work, and let those that are playing play with toys. This seems totally appropriate.
Okay, now for more food for thought. What if the Harry Potter fan who enters his store because of fandom, but begins to explore magick more deeply and finds their way to being and "real" wizard. Is it too far off to say that a Harry Potter fan who would go so far as to purchase a wand, may be open to other pagan ideas? And, who's to say someone's path cannot start because they purchased what was considered a toy by others, but felt special and real to them? Just an idea. Again, very interesting story, and thank you for listening to my views.
This is an interesting notion. I'm sure that many people have been turned onto real magic by its portrayals in mass media. I'd also add that the wand I use (in ritual) was purchased from someone I know who caters to both the Harry Potter crowd and real practitioners of magic. It is something to think about.
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Re: Wands Not Just for Harry Potter Fans

Post by T'a Nuk »

I think maybe this guy isn't being so honest. I do not believe for a minute that he makes nothing off his craft. It is a fine thing to create to share a spiritual message, but speaking as an artist and craftsman of spiritual items myself, hard fact is that I have to purchase the necessities to practice. Many of my customers are just intrigued by the beauty of the piece or have a passing interest. I am a Harry Potter fan, and I think that it is something of a gateway to magical practice. This smacks of somebody being quasi controversial for a few minutes of fame. He is also demonstrating a fine way to cut his own throat. There are many wand makers out there who would be more than happy to accommodate the Hogwarts fans.
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