The tools of Wicca
are simple and should be fairly easy to find.
Here I shall
list for you the most common tools, and where I found mine!
I shall list them
alphabeticly, not by importance.
Athame (a-tham-ay)
The athame, or magic knife,
is a double edge knife used mainly for the directing of power. It is never
used for cutting! (in Wicca that is, Im not sure about other traditions)
It is often dull and approximately 10" long, but it is not neccisary
for it to be so. Mine is roughly 7.5", so choose a length right for
you! The handle is black as to absorb power for later use, so you can wrap
yours in black leather if its not already black. Some etch thier names
in runes into the blade. You can do this if you like by using an etching
set, or by covering the blade with bees wax, and scratching out the part
you want etched, making sure to expose the blade. The pour either sulphuric
acid, iodine, or a similar etching agent and it will mark the blade. Wash
of the acid and wax, and viola, an etched blade! Where you can come across
an athame is up to your location. I aquired mine from a store in the mall,
it was in a Native American display, and came with a leather sheath. The
best place to find one would be an Army-Navy surplus store! The best way
to find a tool is NOT to look for it, let it find you!
Bell
The bell is an ancient
tool. They are used for a variety of purposes. Rung for signaling the begining
and end of rituals, sometimes rung to alert the four quarters, even just
to ward of evil spirits. Any type, size, or shape is okay, what suits you
best.
I use my husbands bell
when needed. I dont know where he got it.
Bolline
This is commonly referred
to as the white-handled knife. It is your tool of cutting and working.
Used for cutting herbs, inscribng runes into candles or such. I have not
aquired one yet, the search for the "perfect" tools is a long
and tedious one.
Bowls
Just a few bowls for holding
your salt, water and other things. They can be any type, as long as they
are practical to you! Mine are simple wooden bowls belonging to my husband.
Broom
When you were little, did
you ever look up in the sky at night on Halloween wishing to see a witch
fly by on her "broom"? I sure did, as we are all fed the stories
of fairy tales that tell us witches fly on broomsticks. The broom in reality
is a very sacred ritualistic tool. It became a tool against evil an curses.
One laid across the threshold is said to stop spells from affecting the
house or the occupants. One laid under a pillow is said to bring pleasant
dreams. Now we use it to "clean" a ritutal spot before worship.
The sweeping is more than a physical cleaning, it also brushes away astral
build up that occurs where humans live. It purifies the are for a smoother
working. I use water to cleanse my area instead of a broom.
Candles
Have a variety of candles,
of all colors. You can refrence almost any book to learn the nature of
the colors. I recomend Buckland's "Practical Candle Burning Rituals".
It gives consise information and practical rituals.
Cauldron
Cunningham states that
the cauldron is the "witch's tool par excellence". It is a simple
cast iron cauldron, found in some antique shops. They are very hard to
locate! They are used to brew, infuse, or just become a holder for other
magical working.
I have a small cauldron,
(not sure what its made of, not iron though) I use it for most of my infusions,
and to hold burning paper, a practice I use alot in my rituals.
Funny enough, I bought
mine at Walmart! It had a candle in it, so I melted it out and had a perfectly
good cauldron.
Censer or Incense
Holder
You probibly have an incense
holder laying around. Incense is a vital part of magic, as it represents
the Air element. It also alows the practitioner to clear his or her mind
more easily through the scents. Make sure you use a firs safe one! If you
have no actuall "censer" than a cup or bowl will do. Make sure
you fill it with sand or salt so it absorbs the heat. I got mine from a
local discount store, and it's an actuall censer on a rope. It was ment
for poppurri, but I layered it with foil and it work great!
Cup or Chalice
This is just a cup you
use for your cakes and ale ceromonies. It is really just a cauldron on
a stem and represent the godess and fertility. It can be a simple wooden
cup or an elabrate silver chalice. Mine is a glass goblet my mother let
me have. I used it to burn candles in before I became a witch, now I wouldn't
dream of doing that!
Pentacle
This is usually a flat
piece of brass or wood with the pentagram inscribed on it. This is a five
pointed star. The points are for the elements air, water, earth, and fire.
The fifth point is for the element spirit. The pentacle is generally for
protection, I dont really have one or use one.
Symbols of God/dess
These are simply symbols
to represent your particular God, Goddess or both. I use colored candels.
I use red to represent the God and green to represent the Goddess.
Wand
The wand is one of your
most important tools. It is used sometims to invoke the gods, draw symbols
on the ground, or direct energy. It traditionally is made out of wood,
with a phalic (male) symbol at one end and a yoni (female) at the other.
But now you can have whatever wand you like. You can make them out of whatever
wood fits your need, or buy a premade one in a New Age/Occult store. I
made my first one out of a wooden spoon, wood-burning symbols into it.
My second one is misletoe given to me by a dear friend, and the third is
the stem of a vey sturdy rose that I dried out and removed the petals
.
Dragonwood
(where I got these
images)
Back
to the Grove