Tools Used In Wicca
Just like most other religions, there are various tools and objects used for ritual purposes. They are used to invoke Deities, get rid of negativity and directing energy with our touch or intentions.
Most people will already associate a broom, cauldron and a magic wand with witches. While these do have there place within the Wiccan world, only Wiccans understand the real power associated with each. If you are just starting out, there is no need to spend great amounts of money on specialist items. These tools are symbolic so you can use what ever you like. You will find by making some of your own tools, you would feel more comfortable with the energy in you and your tool. That tool would be designed purposely for its use and for you.
Working with these tools and familiarizing yourself with their powers whilst adding your own energies into them, you will find that they become obvious and second nature. It can be quite difficult to acquire them but you will.
As you acquire each tool, clean it thoroughly to remove all associations and energies. Dry the tool and then bury it for a few days to remove any energies which were left. Dig it back p and wipe clean. It is now ready for your magic. You may choose to have a consecration ceremony for each tool if you desire.
The Broom
The broom is used in magic and ritual. Sacred to both the Goddess and God. Obviously Witches can't fly around on broomsticks. Witch persecutors invented this tale to show their alliance to dark powers. If this could be performed, it would be supernatural and regarded as the Devil in the eyes of Witches.
The broom is used today in Wicca. Before a ritual, the area either inside or out, may be swept with the magical broom before setting up the altar. The sweeping is more of a physical cleansing. The broom doesn't even need to touch the ground. Just by visualizing, the broom removes the astral buildup to purify the area before a ritual.
The broom is a purifier and is therefore linked with the element Water. It can be used in all water spells including love and psychic workings.
The old magical formula for making a broom is an ash (protective) staff, birch (purifying) twigs with a willow (sacred to the Goddess) binding. It doesn't really matter what kind of tree or bush you use. It can be as small or as large as you like. Just remember to thank the tree for its sacrifice to you!
Wiccan and pagan handfastings often include leaping over the broom during the ceremony.
The Wand
Utilized for thousands of years, the wand is used to direct energy, to draw magical symbols on the ground, to point towards danger and stirring the cauldron. The wand is one of the prime magical tools. Traditionally wands were made from various woods such as willow, elder, oak, apple, peach, hazel, cherry and more. Some Wiccans measure from the elbow to the tip of the forefinger and cut back their wand to that size. You could even use dowel, but I recommend you find and create one rather than buying. A wand will come to you as will most of your tools.
The Censer
The censer is an incense burner. During a Wiccan rite the censer hold the smoldering incense. When no particular incense has been requested for a certain ritual or spell, then pick your own. Most Wiccans favor the granulated incense but sticks and cones will be fine. Spirits are sometimes asked to appear visible in the smoke from the censer during ceremonial magic, not in Wicca though. Wiccans often reports seeing the Goddess and God in the rising smoke.
When performing a Wiccan ritual indoors, you must use incense, whereas outside you may use a fire. The censer represents the element Air. The censer can be used for fumigating and smudging, purifying, raising power, trance like states, banishing evil spirits, encouraging and welcoming spirits.
The Cauldron
The cauldron is an ancient vessel of cooking and brew making. The cauldron is highly mysterious and steeped in magical tradition. Wicca sees the cauldron as a symbol for the womb of the Goddess. Its symbolic of the element Water, reincarnation, immortality, inspiration and the essence of femininity and fertility. It is the main focal point during a ritual.The cauldron is used for burning, fertility magic, lunar magic, brewing herbs and potions.
Cauldrons can be found in all sizes from a few inches to three feet across. Ideally, it would be made of iron with three legs. Most Wiccans today, who live in the city, use their own pots and pans and their kitchen. Don't look too hard for a cauldron, they are quite hard to find, but if you need one, be patient and the Goddess and God might ensure it will come to you.
Athame
An athame represents the element Fire or Air depending on tradition. It is used for ceremonial purposes with male energy and symbolizes animus. The most important tool of the witches collection and should be sought after with conviction. It would be better to find or acquire it rather than buying unless you spotted it at a flea market etc and you knew you just had to have it. There are some nice letter openers out there which will do the trick. The athame is used for mixing, inscribing, charging, consecrating, empowering, drawing lines, making choices.
White Handled Knife
This knife is purely practical and not a ritualistic knife. It is used for cutting wands, herbs, cords and inscribing into candles or wood etc. It must be kept apart from the rest of the household and used only in preparation for rituals.
Crystal Sphere
The crystal quartz sphere is an ancient magical tool and is very expensive depending on the size. There are plenty of cheaper glass and leaded glass ones on the market today. The crystal is used in contemplative divination where the diviner gazes into the ball until images are revealed either in the mind or projected to the depths of the crystal.
Sometimes, in Wiccan ritual, the crystal sphere is placed on the altar to represent the Goddess. The crystal may be used to store energy raised in ritual or even receive messages from the Gods. Some Wiccans scry in the crystal to call up images of past lives and of the Goddess. It is a magical object which must be closely guarded.
Exposure to moonlight, rubbing the crystal with mugwort, will increase its ability for our psychic powers. It may also be the center of Full Moon rituals.
The Chalice / The Cup
Simply a cauldron with a stem. May contain the ritual beverage or just water. You could sit it on your altar to remind you of your blessings, washing and refilling it periodically as the water evaporates.
The Pentacle
Usually a flat piece of brass, gold, silver, wood, wax, clay or even glass inscribed with symbols. The most common and the only necessary is the five pointed star which has been used for magic for millenia. The pentacle represents the element Earth, and can be used to place items upon it ready for consecration. It can be used to summon the Goddesses and Gods.
Pentacles can be hung with the star pointing upwards over doors and windows for protection.
The five points represent any of the following:
- birth, initiation, consummation, repose, death
- love, wisdom, knowledge, law, power
- spirit, air, water, earth, fire
- spirit, water, fire, earth, air
The Book of Shadows
The Wiccan workbook contains invocations, rituals, spells, runes and notes. Some Books of Shadows are passed on but most are composed by each individual. Traditionally, a Book of Shadows is hand written but nowadays computer written is fine. Use a Book of Shadows as a collection of notes you wish to keep for reference as you progress through life. Never feel tied down to other Books of Shadows, they are not "holy writ". You are free to use and change anything you like.
The Bell
The ringing of the bell has powerful effects depending on its volume, tone and construction material. The bell is often used to invoke the Goddess during ritual. The bell can be used to ward off evil and evoke good energies. Hanging a bell above a door guards the home. Sometimes bells are rung during rituals to mark the beginning or the end of a spell.
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