Rootstick Wands: Tools for Liminal Rites

“We are not invisible because the world does not see us. We become invisible when we cannot see ourselves.”
—Ben Okri, The Famished Road

This line sticks with me. It speaks to the quiet power of ritual, of reflection, of seeing ourselves clearly—even when the world doesn’t.

That’s what the Rootstick Tide Wands are for.

They are more than found objects bound in yarn and memory. These wands are power objects—handmade instruments for those standing at the threshold between what was and what will be. Each one is crafted intuitively, using driftwood, discarded utensils, feathers, selenite, bones, and beach-swept beads. Materials that have already crossed boundaries, survived the elements, and returned ready to be transformed.

I began making them after moon-charging a collection of selenite under the Strawberry Moon. The energy was palpable. I didn’t plan it. I just knew: now is the time. The wands came together quickly, as if they’d been waiting.

They’re meant to be used. For clearing space. For holding intention. For witnessing grief. For marking the sacred. For tethering ourselves when we feel unmoored.

Each wand is a guide for liminal rites—the inner ceremonies we perform when words fail, when the world shifts, when the soul needs a signal fire. In my hands, they’ve become companions. In yours, they may become portals.

If you’re moving through a threshold—call in what you need. Let the wand speak. Let it guide you home to yourself.

Rootstick Tide Wands: Called by the Moon

The Rootstick Tide Wands began under the luminous gaze of the Strawberry Moon. That night, I placed my selenite out to charge under the moonlight. By morning, I felt an undeniable pull—like the materials themselves were asking to be gathered. Driftwood and discarded spatulas. Feathers, coral, bones. Beads and buttons waiting to be strung. I listened. I followed the current. And I began to make.

These wands are not ornamental. They are ritual tools—conduits for renewal, rebirth, and release. Each one is wrapped with intention and woven from the thresholds between land and sea, spirit and body, memory and motion.

Reading The Way of the Eight Winds by Nigel Pennick helped me name what I was already feeling: that each wand aligns with directional energies. North for stillness. East for new breath. South for fire and transformation. West for the tides we release into. These elemental currents are embedded in every fiber, shell, and knot.

The tarot’s Eight of Wands captures the same urgency I felt while making them—swift movement, decisive action, a rush of spiritual momentum. These are wands for those standing at a threshold. For those who know it’s time to let go, call something in, or begin again.

Each wand holds charged selenite and moonlight. Each wand is a spell. A signal. A tether to the unseen forces moving us forward.

If you feel called, trust the pull. The wind doesn’t wait.

For Venus and Serena

This piece honors all the girls with beaded braids who grew up watching the Williams sisters, finding strength and pride in their grace, power, and unapologetic excellence—both on the court and in the court of public opinion. Venus and Serena embody Black excellence, breaking barriers and redefining what is possible. This artwork is a salute to their legacy and to the generations inspired by their resilience and brilliance.

Crafted from two vintage tennis rackets, African print fabric, paracord, loop yarn, bottle caps, ribbon hair beads, a watch face, acorns, and other ephemera, the work weaves together materials that symbolize both heritage and individuality. The beaded elements evoke the rhythmic sounds of braids on the move, echoing the energy and determination of every young girl daring to see herself in their story.

Textile Alchemy Workshop

Take a virtual workshop with me.

Textile Alchemy with Theda Sandiford
Saturday, March 8 + Saturday, March 15 with a midweek meetup

“Textile Alchemy” is an engaging and innovative workshop that combines the exploration of different environments—beaches, urban areas, and even our own closets—to source unique materials for textile art. Participants will learn how to source and creatively utilize found and upcycled materials from diverse environments to craft meaningful and sustainable textile pieces. The workshop emphasizes sustainability, resourcefulness, and innovation, encouraging participants to find artistic potential in the most unexpected places. By embracing a zero-waste philosophy, this workshop invites participants to turn what might be considered “waste” into “wonder.”

Click to learn more

Homeschool Residency Artwork

When the pandemic delayed my artist residency with NOW Friends, Nairobi Kenya, I took measures into my own hands and spend hours scouring the internet looking at images and video of beading, fabric and african art.

This is the result of my self styled homeschooled virtual artist residency.

Cider Six Packs and various single use bottle caps strung and knotted with blue and white polyurethane rope.

Head Full Of Joyful Noise

Bottle Cap Pearls

Inspired by my home school virtual artist residency with NOW Friends in Nairobi Kenya.

See this work at Art Fair 14C and Untitled Art Fair during Miami Art Week.

Women of Wonder: Artist Talk March 12

Join me at One River this Tuesday March 12th @ 6:30pm for a talk about my Women of Wonder series, a pure celebration of expression, music, femininity, and belief in oneself.  A confirmation of life repeated as a cannon of ‘I am who I am.’

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, March 12, 2019 from 6:30-7:30pm

LOCATION: One River; 292 Millburn Ave, Millburn, NJ 07041

We often travel to the corners of the planet looking for safe places to BE. When what is actually necessary is a declaration: “We are our own selves!” There is a place for all of our being; the sexy, the demure, the loud and the reticent.

On our own terms of being in our own skin when and how we need to be…

Ella, Eartha, Grace, Diahann, Billie, and Nina (YES! Nina) taught us and made way for the Cardi’s, Beyonce’s and Nikki’s of this world. We all fit and there is plenty of room for us. When we make room for ourselves.

I Only Move Forwards, Never Backwards, Darling Size: 12 x 12 x 1 in Medium: Acrylic paint, Xerox image transfers, stencil printed deli, paper, paper punched recycled envelops, tissue paper, buttons, glitter appliqués, glitter, Diamond Dust on canvas. July 2018

Big Mouth On View

Catch Big Mouth on View at Paradigm Talent Agency NYC Office through the end of February

This body of work is a collection of one sided conversations. As a woman, I find it is often easier to make my way in the world by keeping my mouth shut. To simply grin and bare it when haters, well meaning friends or co-workers say or do something incorrect or insensitive.

As a child, my father would say to me, “Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt”. So in keeping my mouth shut, I learned, to be seen, and selectively heard.

With ‘Big Mouth’, I am all of it. The sass, the crass, the erudite and more than that, aware. Aware of the language used to quiet me down. To remind me of what is and most importantly, what isn’t being said.

An Experiment…

What if i let my mind wander and see where my hands lead me…

These abstract figurative self portraits where made over the course of 5 weekends using the fine print from my MS medication, Tysbari and other recycled paper scrapes Ive been hoarding all year.

Acrylic paint, Sharpie, colored pencils, pastels, Distress Stain, mica spray, Tysabri newsprint, hand printed deli paper, construction paper, recycled Tazo tea box, tulle, glitter stars, glitter glue and rhinestones on 12″x9″Canson paper.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLk2jgVFOoq2h3bpqr0i8_RGq5v_WZWzw5&w=560&h=315]