Ritual Tools

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Ritual Tools

Wiccans use a variety of magickal tools in their spells and spellwork. This page will explain in detail what the tool is, what it looks like, and what it's used for.

Altar: This is where the Wiccan usually does his/her spellcraft. It is also where they keep their ritual tools and their Book of Shadows. The Altar can be a table, a big flat rock, a tree stump, anything! Sometimes the Altar is draped in a colored cloth that corresponds with the spellwork at hand.

Athame: The Athame (pronounced 'a-THAUM', although I say 'Athaym' ) is a black-handled knife that has a blade about six inches long. The blade can be blunt because it is typically only used to cut energy. The Athame is NEVER used to cut anyone or anything...well, with one exception: candle magick. Instead it is used as a pointer, as a device the Wiccan uses to call up the magick circle that protects him/her from negative energies and keeps the energy of the spell where it is needed. It is also used to cut a door in the magick circle if the Wiccan needs to get out. In candle magick it is used to engrave the purpose of the magick into the candle. The Athame can be made of many materials such as crystal, bone, wood, stone, or metal. It is representative of the male phallus and can be used in a substitution of the Great Rite. Some Wiccans view the Athame as representing the Element of Air and is seen as male. Others see it as being allied with Fire.

Bolline: The Bolline (pronounced 'Bowleen') is a white-handled knife that can have a curved blade. The Bolline is used to cut things during a ritual or in gathering magickal components - NEVER flesh, either that of man or beast. It is used to cut magickal herbs, trimming candles, cords in cord magic, clay, anything that is used in spellcraft. The Bolline is the Wiccan's working knife and is, once again, never used to harm.

Book of Shadows: This is going to have its own section because it is very complex...

Broom or Besom: The Broom or besom is used to sweep negative energy out of the circle. It is also used to guard the door cut into a circle if the Wiccan does not have someone to guard the door for them. It is never used for flying!

Candles: Candles light the ritual area and have meanings according to their color. They are also used in candle magick.

Cauldron: The Caudron represents the womb of the Goddess and is also used to cook, burn, scry, or hold things in ritual. The Cauldron is usually small enough to fit on the Altar and represents the Element of Water. Often candles are set in it to burn in candle magick.

Censer: This holds incense. The censer is not always the kind used that is swing by chains, as not everyone uses the kind of incense needed for this kind of burner. Stick incense, cone incense, and essential oils are burned in many ways and the fragrance has magickal significance, and is chosen to suit the spellwork at hand. Lit incense is Fire and Air.

Chalices or Cups: Used to hold libations (drinks) in ritual. Occasionally the magickian will use wine, water, or juice in a ritual, which must be drunk. Not all of the drink is consumed as some must be set aside for the Lord and Lady. The Athame is lowered into the Chalice in a version of the Great Rite. The Chalice is seen as female. Most Wiccans own more than one Chalice. The Chalice can be of any material, but if it is to be used with wine, do not use brass or pewter unless it is lined with silver because there is a POISONOUS reaction between wine and these metals. If you poison yourself by not heeding this, it's your own fault. Always be sure that you don't ingest anything poisonous in a ritual, because if you die and religious idiots (typically Christian) find your body, they may say you sacrificed yourself to Satan or something. PLEASE be careful! Chalices are Water-Element and can be viewed as female.

Compass: This is mind-bogglingly useful because the magickian needs to know which way the cardinal directions lay. Wiccans will often invoke an Elemental to give a spell extra 'kick'. Some Wiccans arrange their Altar so it faces the East or North, the East because the Sun and Moon, symbols of the God and Goddess, rise from the East, and the North because it is the direction associated with the Earth and thus the body of the Goddess.

Cords: A cord or string can be used in cord magick or in a binding spell. They come in colors that correspond with the spellwork at hand.

Crystals and Stones: Crystals and stones represent the Earth and can increase the power of a spell according to color or have magickal powers attibuted to them. They are used to heal, amplify power, and can be used in talismans. If a Wiccan wants to, s/he can leave a crystal with specific powers in water for a few days and use the water in a potion so it will have extra 'kick'. Stones are of the Earth.

Herbs: Herbs can be used in healing and magick, candle magick, and can include dried plants and spices. If the Wiccan does not buy or trade them and chooses to harvest them personally, they are often gathered using the Bolline. Herbs can have magickal powers and are often used in potions. Some herbs are poisonous and should be used with caution, others can cause allergic reactions, so be careful. Herbs are usually kept in airtight glass jars, and represent Earth.

Lighter or Matches: Amazingly useful when lighting a candle, stick of incense, or fire, and ever so more convenient than rubbing those damn sticks together! Forgetting matches or a lighter is a common mistake among those new to the Craft.

Pen of Art: This special pen is one the Wiccan will use only for writing in their Book of Shadows or a The Pentagram and the elemental correspondences

The Pentagram and the elemental correspondences

spell. It can be an ordinary ballpoint, a pencil, a quill, hand-blown glass, a fountain pen, a packet of ketchup from the drive-through, whatever feels 'special' to the practitioner.

Pentagram or Pentacle: The Pentagram or Pentacle is a focal point on the Altar. It is NEVER upside-down or realated to the Satanic Pentagram/Pentacle or Sigil of Baphomet in any way, shape, or form. The Pentacle is related to the Earth Element.

Wand: The Wand is a stick of wood or tube of metal that can be used in substitution of the Athame except it is seen as Fire related and is not used in the Great Rite. The Wand is usually as long as your arm from the fingertips to the elbow although you should choose a length you like. Often the tip of the Wand has a quartz crystal bound to it, either a point or any other way. Sometimes the other end is covered by a crystal too but an ordinary rock may be used as well (and has value as a counterweight!). The crystals are not always quartz. Ofetn they will be matched to the wand's purpose. If, perhaps, you made a wand for Air magick, you might top it with a yellow crystal. If you made one for use in Spirit magick, a dream spell or a spell to break addictions, you might use amythest.

The Wand can be made of a special wood and can be decorated in any way. Most witches carve symbols into it, put grips on, tie on feathers and stones, etc. It's a very individual item.

Staff: The Staff is the classic image of magick. What wizard looks right without his staff? Now, a Wiccan isn't a wizard but the point is the same. The Staff is often a symbol of the right to petition deities. It is also really showy and looks really cool! *grin* Hey, why can't I say things look cool? Usually the Staff is as high as the Wiccan's shoulder (this is known as 'to your measure') although I say head height is best because it's still not too long and it looks nicer without the danger of poking yourself in the eye.

The Staff is usually wood because metal as long as the Staff would tend to bend and it's a lot harder to carve occult symbols into metal. Such occult symbols might be the practitioner's normal or magickal name in the Theban or runic alphabet, symbols of the Zodiac or the God and Goddess, or their sigil. The Staff can be gnarled and curled, although the bottom third should be straight. The Staff is usually topped with a crystal or another symbol, such as a piece of antler or an ankh. I know of someone who bound a piece of antler to the top and make a wire pentagram between them. Often feathers are tied to it and female objects like shells and male objects like pinecones and antler are common as well. The Staff is pretty much an impressive Wand. It can be much handier if you're an out-of-the-broom-closet Wiccan who goes to large gatherings, it can be a useful walking stick. Even if you're not Pagan, having a Staff in your room does add that soul-damning evil effect, and looks SO neat, right?

My staff is as high as my nose and I think it's maple, I was rooting through my grandmother's woodpile looking for an appropriate staff and THERE is was! With all the branches mostly lopped off and all. It apparently came from a tree near the driveway, a tree that I had spent a few years with while bending some of the branches into odd shapes...So, I took it home and sawed off the point on the thick end, and brought it upstairs into my room, explaining to my parents that I was making a staff to make my room look more occult. They just said 'Ok'. Go fig :) So, at hand height I bound and glued a piece of dark green leather for a grip, and on the top I put a piece of red granite that I covered in a square of leather. I bound bits and pieces to the branch stubs, such as a yellow cocketiel feather with a bone bead, a moonstone wrapped in wire, a blue slice of geode, and other nature-ish things. I carved the runes Thorn, Ansur, and Daeg on it, a symbol of the triad, an ankh, the symbols of the Elements, some stars and moons, my sigil, the symbol of the God/Goddess conciousness, the God and the Goddess, and the symbols of the Inner Planets and the Outer Planets. It's SOOOOOO kawaii...


	Final Fantasy Genesis \| home Wicca \| Ritual Tools \| Wiccan humor \| Book of Shadows \| The Pentacle \| Tool Construction \| Incense \| Trees \| Resins \| The Witches' Rune \| The Wiccan Rede Ritual Tools Wiccans use a variety of magickal tools in their spells and spellwork. This page will explain in detail what the tool is, what it looks like, and what it's used for. Altar: This is where the Wiccan usually does his/her spellcraft. It is also where they keep their ritual tools and their Book of Shadows. The Altar can be a table, a big flat rock, a tree stump, anything! Sometimes the Altar is draped in a colored cloth that corresponds with the spellwork at hand. Athame: The Athame (pronounced 'a-THAUM', although I say 'Athaym' ) is a black-handled knife that has a blade about six inches long. The blade can be blunt because it is typically only used to cut energy. The Athame is NEVER used to cut anyone or anything...well, with one exception: candle magick. Instead it is used as a pointer, as a device the Wiccan uses to call up the magick circle that protects him/her from negative energies and keeps the energy of the spell where it is needed. It is also used to cut a door in the magick circle if the Wiccan needs to get out. In candle magick it is used to engrave the purpose of the magick into the candle. The Athame can be made of many materials such as crystal, bone, wood, stone, or metal. It is representative of the male phallus and can be used in a substitution of the Great Rite. Some Wiccans view the Athame as representing the Element of Air and is seen as male. Others see it as being allied with Fire. Bolline: The Bolline (pronounced 'Bowleen') is a white-handled knife that can have a curved blade. The Bolline is used to cut things during a ritual or in gathering magickal components - NEVER flesh, either that of man or beast. It is used to cut magickal herbs, trimming candles, cords in cord magic, clay, anything that is used in spellcraft. The Bolline is the Wiccan's working knife and is, once again, never used to harm. Book of Shadows: This is going to have its own section because it is very complex... Broom or Besom: The Broom or besom is used to sweep negative energy out of the circle. It is also used to guard the door cut into a circle if the Wiccan does not have someone to guard the door for them. It is never used for flying! Candles: Candles light the ritual area and have meanings according to their color. They are also used in candle magick. Cauldron: The Caudron represents the womb of the Goddess and is also used to cook, burn, scry, or hold things in ritual. The Cauldron is usually small enough to fit on the Altar and represents the Element of Water. Often candles are set in it to burn in candle magick. Censer: This holds incense. The censer is not always the kind used that is swing by chains, as not everyone uses the kind of incense needed for this kind of burner. Stick incense, cone incense, and essential oils are burned in many ways and the fragrance has magickal significance, and is chosen to suit the spellwork at hand. Lit incense is Fire and Air. Chalices or Cups: Used to hold libations (drinks) in ritual. Occasionally the magickian will use wine, water, or juice in a ritual, which must be drunk. Not all of the drink is consumed as some must be set aside for the Lord and Lady. The Athame is lowered into the Chalice in a version of the Great Rite. The Chalice is seen as female. Most Wiccans own more than one Chalice. The Chalice can be of any material, but if it is to be used with wine, do not use brass or pewter unless it is lined with silver because there is a POISONOUS reaction between wine and these metals. If you poison yourself by not heeding this, it's your own fault. Always be sure that you don't ingest anything poisonous in a ritual, because if you die and religious idiots (typically Christian) find your body, they may say you sacrificed yourself to Satan or something. PLEASE be careful! Chalices are Water-Element and can be viewed as female. Compass: This is mind-bogglingly useful because the magickian needs to know which way the cardinal directions lay. Wiccans will often invoke an Elemental to give a spell extra 'kick'. Some Wiccans arrange their Altar so it faces the East or North, the East because the Sun and Moon, symbols of the God and Goddess, rise from the East, and the North because it is the direction associated with the Earth and thus the body of the Goddess. Cords: A cord or string can be used in cord magick or in a binding spell. They come in colors that correspond with the spellwork at hand. Crystals and Stones: Crystals and stones represent the Earth and can increase the power of a spell according to color or have magickal powers attibuted to them. They are used to heal, amplify power, and can be used in talismans. If a Wiccan wants to, s/he can leave a crystal with specific powers in water for a few days and use the water in a potion so it will have extra 'kick'. Stones are of the Earth. Herbs: Herbs can be used in healing and magick, candle magick, and can include dried plants and spices. If the Wiccan does not buy or trade them and chooses to harvest them personally, they are often gathered using the Bolline. Herbs can have magickal powers and are often used in potions. Some herbs are poisonous and should be used with caution, others can cause allergic reactions, so be careful. Herbs are usually kept in airtight glass jars, and represent Earth. Lighter or Matches: Amazingly useful when lighting a candle, stick of incense, or fire, and ever so more convenient than rubbing those damn sticks together! Forgetting matches or a lighter is a common mistake among those new to the Craft. Pen of Art: This special pen is one the Wiccan will use only for writing in their Book of Shadows or a spell. It can be an ordinary ballpoint, a pencil, a quill, hand-blown glass, a fountain pen, a packet of ketchup from the drive-through, whatever feels 'special' to the practitioner. Pentagram or Pentacle: The Pentagram or Pentacle is a focal point on the Altar. It is NEVER upside-down or realated to the Satanic Pentagram/Pentacle or Sigil of Baphomet in any way, shape, or form. The Pentacle is related to the Earth Element. Wand: The Wand is a stick of wood or tube of metal that can be used in substitution of the Athame except it is seen as Fire related and is not used in the Great Rite. The Wand is usually as long as your arm from the fingertips to the elbow although you should choose a length you like. Often the tip of the Wand has a quartz crystal bound to it, either a point or any other way. Sometimes the other end is covered by a crystal too but an ordinary rock may be used as well (and has value as a counterweight!). The crystals are not always quartz. Ofetn they will be matched to the wand's purpose. If, perhaps, you made a wand for Air magick, you might top it with a yellow crystal. If you made one for use in Spirit magick, a dream spell or a spell to break addictions, you might use amythest. The Wand can be made of a special wood and can be decorated in any way. Most witches carve symbols into it, put grips on, tie on feathers and stones, etc. It's a very individual item. Staff: The Staff is the classic image of magick. What wizard looks right without his staff? Now, a Wiccan isn't a wizard but the point is the same. The Staff is often a symbol of the right to petition deities. It is also really showy and looks really cool! grin Hey, why can't I say things look cool? Usually the Staff is as high as the Wiccan's shoulder (this is known as 'to your measure') although I say head height is best because it's still not too long and it looks nicer without the danger of poking yourself in the eye. The Staff is usually wood because metal as long as the Staff would tend to bend and it's a lot harder to carve occult symbols into metal. Such occult symbols might be the practitioner's normal or magickal name in the Theban or runic alphabet, symbols of the Zodiac or the God and Goddess, or their sigil. The Staff can be gnarled and curled, although the bottom third should be straight. The Staff is usually topped with a crystal or another symbol, such as a piece of antler or an ankh. I know of someone who bound a piece of antler to the top and make a wire pentagram between them. Often feathers are tied to it and female objects like shells and male objects like pinecones and antler are common as well. The Staff is pretty much an impressive Wand. It can be much handier if you're an out-of-the-broom-closet Wiccan who goes to large gatherings, it can be a useful walking stick. Even if you're not Pagan, having a Staff in your room does add that soul-damning evil effect, and looks SO neat, right? My staff is as high as my nose and I think it's maple, I was rooting through my grandmother's woodpile looking for an appropriate staff and THERE is was! With all the branches mostly lopped off and all. It apparently came from a tree near the driveway, a tree that I had spent a few years with while bending some of the branches into odd shapes...So, I took it home and sawed off the point on the thick end, and brought it upstairs into my room, explaining to my parents that I was making a staff to make my room look more occult. They just said 'Ok'. Go fig :) So, at hand height I bound and glued a piece of dark green leather for a grip, and on the top I put a piece of red granite that I covered in a square of leather. I bound bits and pieces to the branch stubs, such as a yellow cocketiel feather with a bone bead, a moonstone wrapped in wire, a blue slice of geode, and other nature-ish things. I carved the runes Thorn, Ansur, and Daeg on it, a symbol of the triad, an ankh, the symbols of the Elements, some stars and moons, my sigil, the symbol of the God/Goddess conciousness, the God and the Goddess, and the symbols of the Inner Planets and the Outer Planets. It's SOOOOOO kawaii...