Tools

Tools are some of the most important things a properly-trained witch can have at their disposal. I will go more in-detail in the future, but here’s a vague list of tools and a general set of rules about them.

Cleansing | Grimoire/Book of Shadows | Wand/Staff | Athame/Sword | Pentacle | Chalice/Cauldron | Diadem/Crown/Garter | Magical Clothing | Pendulum | Divination Tools | Herbs, Incense, Oils, Candles | Altar | Jewelry, Body Paints, and Decorations

A NOTE ABOUT TOOL STORAGE

All of your tools ought to be kept clean, and in a clean place. They ought to be handled regularly and stored safely, both physically and psychically.

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A grimoire/book of shadows – As the lovely people at Cantrap point out, a book of shadows can be something as simple as a 33 cent spiral-bound notebook, or as extravagant as a lovely hand-made leather-bound journal of parchment. Personally, like the people at Cantrap, I prefer three-ring binders, as magical studies are exactly that – studies – and need to be organized. A grimoire is where you keep your notes and spells and tables of correspondence and really anything related to your magical studies. It’s the first tool any witch should have.

A wand/staff – The wand and staff are both relatively important at a symbolic level, and are also the most easily-recognized magical symbols. They can both be used to cast the magic circle.

An athame/sword – The magical dagger or sword are both important as well. I prefer to use my athame to cast my circle to my staff, but it’s different for everyone.

A pentacle – The physical representation of the pentagram, the five-pointed star, is usually a ceramic or metal plate of some sort. It can be as big or as small as you want. I personally prefer an eightish-inch ceramic plate, which I find is usually just large enough to get the job done, but small enough not to get in the way.

A chalice/cauldron – I’ve always used a chalice rather than a cauldron, unless I was brewing some sort of potion. I like keeping things efficient and small.

Diadem/crown/garter – not all practitioners opt for these symbols. I always had a diadem, but like a lot of magic work it’s purely symbolic, or an item to channel power into.

Magical clothing – For proper ceremonies you either ought to go sky-clad (naked) or use special clothing that you only use for making magic. I, being myself, tend to prefer the sky-clad route, but I have a plain cotton shift that I use for when that’s inappropriate.

A pendulum – There are several names for this device, which is essentially a crystal on a metal chain. I always opted for clear quartz on silver, but use whatever works best for you. A pendulum is used for divination purposes and to help find things like water, people, and lost objects. I also used mine to focus power.

Divination tools – These can consist of a black or silver bowl for scrying, runes, tarot cards, crystal balls, or even Scrabble tiles. I run toward Tarot, which I don’t consider true divination; my husband favors bone runes.

Herbs, incense, oils, and candles – begin assembling a plethora of these a bit at a time. Incense ought to always be based on natural scents, or scents that are easily-identifiable (I have a “Goddess” incense that is clearly musk and sandalwood). The same information goes for oils – they should be clean and their scents easily-identifiable. Make sure everything is labeled clearly. Candles should be scent-less and their color clear. Herbs should be stored in airtight containers – ziploc baggies will do in a pinch but I prefer apothecary-style hinge jars, which I get at World Market for around fifty cents apiece. As herbs tend to look and smell alike, invest in a pack of labels at wal-mart and clearly label each jar/baggie/whatever you are storing your herbs in.

An altar – Your altar is whatever it needs to be. It’s where you practice your magic. I know many magicians who prefer to use the ground itself as an altar, which is fine. I, personally, use a card table, as I can’t have my altar taking up a whole lot of space when it’s not being used. If you go that route and use a normal table, draping a special cloth over it can give it that sense of magic. I have a cloth that I use, and a special board that I’ve designed that has specific directions for where everything goes (I teach a lot of beginners, as you may have noticed).

Jewelry, body paints, and decorations – Personally I prefer to stay away from these things, as I feel they distract me from the purpose. The exception to this rule is body paints – Occasionally body paint is needed for special, symbolic events. I don’t keep a stock of them, but even mud can be used in this manner so it’s not particularly needed. If you feel that you need some, a supply of acrylic or latex body paints will do the job. Just be sure to cleanse them prior to use!

A NOTE ON NATURAL VERSUS SYNTHETIC

Many witches will expound for hours about how your equipment ought to be hand-made and all-natural, because that’s how it was done Back Then.

I do not subscribe to this line of thinking. It was done that way Back Then because they didn’t have machines to do it for them, and they didn’t have synthetic materials. And synthetic is only as synthetic as you want it to be – all materials inherently come from the Earth. Just because man made them doesn’t make them inherently unnatural. One of my favorite mediums for creating magical objects is Sculpey, which is a synthetic polymer clay. It’s fun, it’s sturdy, and it’s a forgivable medium for someone as unartistic as myself.

Now, really, you ought to MAKE with your own hands as much of your tool catalog as possible. The general reason for this is that as you are making the tool, you imbue it with a part of yourself, and it will work better for you. Obviously, in many cases this is just not a possibility (could you imagine people trying to forge swords and athames in their backyards?). There’s nothing wrong with buying something machine-made in it’s place, or even purchasing something at a thrift store or yard sale – provided you know how to properly cleanse and prepare the item for use (which will be discussed here in further detail later). If you can’t cleanse the item prior to use, set it aside until it can be, but don’t be afraid to buy it in the first place.