Category: The Witch’s Tools

Wiccan Home Altar

Author: Joanne E. Brannan

A Wiccan Home Altar may feature the Magickal Tools Athame, Chalice and Wand. It is used to perform rituals and Magick, and for quiet spiritual reflection.

A Wiccan Home Altar is a very personal place, and should be created to reflect the Magickal practitioner. Although Wiccan Symbolism may be used to guide the choice of items to place on the altar, personal instinct and creativity should always be paramount.

What to place on a Wiccan Home Altar

Traditional Magickal Tools that may be used include an Athame (a ritual blade), a Chalice, a Wand and a Statue of the Goddess. Other items include fresh flowers or herbs, natural sea salt, crystals or carved symbols, but the choice is truly only limited by the imagination!

Use an Altar cloth of a natural fabric such as silk, cotton or linen, perhaps choosing the color to reflect the season and its Wiccan festivals.

Wiccan Athame

It is important to note that the Wiccan Athame is not used for physical cutting! The Athame is a masculine symbol, used to harness and direct power in spells and rituals. As with all Magickal Tools it is important to select an Athame with feeling and intuition. It is perfectly acceptable to order Magickal tools by mail, but do reflect and meditate well on the choice before buying.

Wiccan Chalice

A Wiccan Chalice may be simple, or elaborate, to suit the Magickal Practitioner.

Fill your Wiccan Chalice with a natural beverage to symbolize fertility and the feminine. Suitable choices, dependant on the season, include apple juice or fresh milk.

Wiccan Wand

A Wiccan Wand is a key Magickal Tool. A Wand may be purchased or made by the Magickal practitioner him or herself. See Beverly Hill’s lovely article Create Your Own Magical Tools for detailed instructions on how to make a wand.

Statue of the Goddess

An expression of the sacred feminine, a statue of the goddess may be a focus for meditation and reflection on the enormity of the spiritual world, as well as being reminder of the simple everyday generosity of Nature.

Where to place a Wiccan Home Altar

A Wiccan Home Altar may be a permanent or temporary structure, according to the space available. Possibilities include a shelf, a table or simply a cloth to be laid out on a bed. It is also important to consider the level of support offered by those who share the home of the Wiccan practitioner as it is essential to feel safe, and not to be disturbed, while carrying out spells and rituals.

Size and permanence do not affect the power of the Wiccan Altar; rather it is the intention and will of the Magickal worker while carrying out spells and rituals that manifest the power and sanctuary of this sacred space.

Wiccan Home Altar

Wiccan Home Altar

Author: Joanne E. Brannan

A Wiccan Home Altar may feature the Magickal Tools Athame, Chalice and Wand. It is used to perform rituals and Magick, and for quiet spiritual reflection.

A Wiccan Home Altar is a very personal place, and should be created to reflect the Magickal practitioner. Although Wiccan Symbolism may be used to guide the choice of items to place on the altar, personal instinct and creativity should always be paramount.

What to place on a Wiccan Home Altar

Traditional Magickal Tools that may be used include an Athame (a ritual blade), a Chalice, a Wand and a Statue of the Goddess. Other items include fresh flowers or herbs, natural sea salt, crystals or carved symbols, but the choice is truly only limited by the imagination!

Use an Altar cloth of a natural fabric such as silk, cotton or linen, perhaps choosing the color to reflect the season and its Wiccan festivals.

Wiccan Athame

It is important to note that the Wiccan Athame is not used for physical cutting! The Athame is a masculine symbol, used to harness and direct power in spells and rituals. As with all Magickal Tools it is important to select an Athame with feeling and intuition. It is perfectly acceptable to order Magickal tools by mail, but do reflect and meditate well on the choice before buying.

Wiccan Chalice

A Wiccan Chalice may be simple, or elaborate, to suit the Magickal Practitioner.

Fill your Wiccan Chalice with a natural beverage to symbolize fertility and the feminine. Suitable choices, dependant on the season, include apple juice or fresh milk.

Wiccan Wand

A Wiccan Wand is a key Magickal Tool. A Wand may be purchased or made by the Magickal practitioner him or herself. See Beverly Hill’s lovely article Create Your Own Magical Tools for detailed instructions on how to make a wand.

Statue of the Goddess

An expression of the sacred feminine, a statue of the goddess may be a focus for meditation and reflection on the enormity of the spiritual world, as well as being reminder of the simple everyday generosity of Nature.

Where to place a Wiccan Home Altar

A Wiccan Home Altar may be a permanent or temporary structure, according to the space available. Possibilities include a shelf, a table or simply a cloth to be laid out on a bed. It is also important to consider the level of support offered by those who share the home of the Wiccan practitioner as it is essential to feel safe, and not to be disturbed, while carrying out spells and rituals.

Size and permanence do not affect the power of the Wiccan Altar; rather it is the intention and will of the Magickal worker while carrying out spells and rituals that manifest the power and sanctuary of this sacred space.

Create Your Own Magical Tools

Create Your Own Magical Tools

Author: Beverly Hill

Practitioners of magic know the value of having a finely crafted magical tool for spell work. Learn how to create your own magical stave or wand.

The decision to create a wand or stave should not be made impulsively. Each magical tool must have a clear purpose behind its creation. A wand, for instance, is a focusing tool for drawing in and directing magical energy. A stave’s purpose could be similar, or it might consist of a more protective nature used for radiating protective energies around it’s wielder. Whatever the purpose, the magical tool should be constructed in a respectful manner.

Selecting Wood For Crafting Magical Tools

The choice to use live or dead wood is a hotly debated topic amongst many practitioners of magic. Some would say that you should never use live wood, while others would contend that dead wood lacks any energy to lend toward a magical working. Ultimately the decision to use live or dead wood will lie with the tool wielder’s own beliefs and personal path.

When selecting a wood for creating a wand or stave, take time to review the magical properties of wood species and select one that will be consistent with the type of magic the wand will be used for. The lunar phase should also be noted. Most new projects should be begun on a new moon and culminate by the full moon.

If collecting from a live tree, ask the tree for permission before making any cuts. Take only enough of the tree to create the desired tool, being careful not to cause any additional damage or trauma to the tree. It is customary to leave a small token or offering in appreciation of the sacrifice.

Creating a Magical Wand or Stave

A good goal for a wand is to have a relatively straight piece of wood that measures from wrist to elbow, and then adjust the size downward from there. Using a piece of fine grain sandpaper, sand off any rough areas along the wood. It is not necessary to remove the bark from the wand, but it may be done if desired.

Once sanded, wipe down the wood with a good mineral or wood oil and then set aside. Each time the wood begins to dry, oil it again and set it aside. It could take several days for the wood to dry from repeated oiling before it finally stops soaking it in. The oiling process helps preserve the wood and keep it from drying out and becoming brittle.

A stave length should be no higher than head height, and may be shortened to whatever feels most comfortable for the practitioner. The stave should be sanded and oiled just as with the wand construction. When the stave or wand is sufficiently dry to the touch, finishing touches may be added such as the carving of runes and symbols, or the mounting of stones.

To seat a crystal into the tip of the wand, choose a crystal that is slightly smaller in diameter than the wood. Carefully bore out a small hole and fill it with gem glue. Insert the largest end of the crystal into the hole and tape it securely until dry. After the glue is dry, remove the tape. From this point wire wrap can be used to better secure the crystal to the wand if desired, or it can be left plain.

During all steps of construction, keep in mind the purpose for constructing a magical tool. Once the wand or stave construction is finished, it can be formally dedicated if the practitioner so desires. Wipe the wood with a fresh bit of oil every few months to help preserve it, and it will last for years to come.

Wand and Staff Dedication

Wand and Staff Dedication

Raise your wand or staff to the sky to collect the energy from the Sun or the Moon depending on the time of day you are conducting your magickal work. The Moon’s energy can be collected any time at night while the Moon is visible. Midnight is a particularly potent time to collect the Moon’s energy. The power of the Moon can also be captured during certain phases of the Moon depending on the type of magick you wish to perform. New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon and Last Quarters are all powerful times during which to collect the Moon’s energy. Moon magick also corresponds to goddess energy, creativity, psychic powers, fertility and the element of water.

Making Wands and Staffs

Making Wands and Staffs

Making your own wands and staffs, or any magickal tool for that matter, will give you a greater understanding of that tool while attuning yourself to your own natural powers and abilities. Naturally fallen branches and tree limbs should be used when creating your own magick wands and staffs whenever possible. Take a walk in the woods, especially after a storm, to look for fallen tree branches. The tree spirits, sometimes referred to as devas, may become resentful if you cut down a living branch. If you must cut down a branch from a living tree, first make sure the tree is on your own property or that you have the permission of the land owner. Then, visit the tree and meditate on how you are going to shape the limb into a wand or staff for use in your magick work. Then ask permission of the tree spirits and thank them for their gift.

A variety of decorations can be incorporated into your wands to imbue them with extra magickal energy. Copper wire is often wrapped around a wand, as this metal is an excellent conductor of energy. A variety of decorative items can be added to the copper wire before it is wrapped around the wand, such as beads, buttons, feathers and small gemstone beads. In addition silver wire can be used to represent goddess energy, while gold wire can be used to represent god energy.

A special stone or crystal can be added to one or both ends of the wand if desired. Embellishing the top of the wand with a crystal is thought to represent male and god energy. Embellishing the bottom of the wand by carving a hold or cutting a slit in it is thought to represent female and goddess energy.

The Witch’s Staff

The Witch’s Staff

The distinction between wands and staffs often has to do with size: a staff is thicker and substitutes as a walking stick. In theory, a staff should be long and solid enough to lean on. Historically associated with ancient Egyptian and Semitic magick, staffs are associated with the Biblical Moses and his Egyptian opponents.

The modern staff is most associated with Obeah, the African-derived traditions native to the British West Indies. The Obeah Stick, also called an Obi Stick, is a carved wooden staff, usually featuring a serpent motif. The simpler ones are carved so that a snake-like groove encircles the staff. The more elaborate Staff of Moses usually features a snake carved from bottom to top. Staffs maybe hollowed out and filled with herbs.

Wiccan Tool List Master

Wiccan Tool List Master

Equipment:

  • a pentacle
  • 6 candles; 1 for each direction, 2 for altar
  • chalice of wine (hard apple cider on Samhain)
  • wand
  • scrounge of silken cords
  • small bowl of water
  • small bowl of salt
  • 3 cords, one red, one white, one blue, 9′ long each
  • white-handled knife
  • individual athames
  • incense burner and incense
  • small hand bell
  • dish of cakes
  • sword
  • chalk
  • altar cloth of any color
  • cauldron
  • tape recorder and tapes of appropriate music
  • veil for Great Rite of a Goddess color: Blue, green, silver or white

For New or Dark Moon Esbat:

  • extra incense
  • an apple and a pomegranate
  • cauldron with a fire in it and/or a bonfire
  • crystal ball or other scrying tools
  • white tabard with hood for Priestess

For Winter Solstice (Yule):

  • cauldron with candle or oak bonfire
  • wreaths, 1 of holly and 1 of mistletoe
  • crowns, 1 of oak and 1 of holly
  • blindfold
  • sistrum
  • animal skull filled with salt

For Spring Equinox:

  • cords as described in preparations
  • hard-boiled eggs
  • a bonfire ready to ignite or a taper
  • flowers in the cauldron

For Beltane Sabbat:

  • bonfire

For Initiations:

  • anointing oil
  • tub to bathe the candidate in
  • towels
  • salts, herbs and oils to add to the bath
  • a blindfold
  • a shirt or other clothing that can be cut
  • a length of string to measure the person
  • two lengths of cord to bind the hands and feet
  • bonfire for warmth if needed

For Blessings:

  • anointing oil
  • wine

Tools of Witchcraft

Tools of Witchcraft

Some tools like the boline, cauldron or mortar and pestle serve entirely functional uses, but in addition to practicality, witches’ tools are also magickal tools–tools that are perceived as radiating their own magick power. Different tools radiate different energies. Individual tools express specific spells and rituals, for instance candles radiate the power of fire.

Among the ways of determine what type of power a tool radiates is to consider what kind of materials are used in it creation. Thus a wooden magick wand places the power of trees into the hands of it wielder. Sometimes this is obvious, sometimes the radiant energy is more subtle. The concept of gazing into a crystal ball derived from gazing into the moon. A crystal ball essentially brings the moon inside and enable you to access lunar magick anytime not just during the Full Moon. The moon is identified with water and women. These associations have passed on to the crystal ball, which is perceived as radiating feminine, watery energy.

Female and male energies, yin and yang, are considered the most powerful radiant energies on Earth. Unifying these male and female forces provides the spark for creation, and what is a magick spell after all but an act of creation? Instead of a new baby, ideally new possibilities, solutions, hopes, and outcomes are born from each magick spell.

A high percentage of magickal tools radiate male or female powers. Many tools represent the unification of these forces. Earth’s most ancient religions venerated the sacred nature of the human genitalia, representing male and female generative power.

Sacred spiritual emblems evolved into tools of witchcraft. Many magickal tools now hide in the kitchen disguised as ordinary kitchen utensils including sieves, pots and cauldrons, cups and chalices, mortar and pestles, knives, dinner bells and most famously, the broom. To some extent this parallels the hidden history of women: once worshipped or at least respected as goddesses, priestesses, and community leaders, for centuries (and in some circles) women were perceived as the weaker, less intelligent, meek gender, fit for little other than preparing meals. Women’s old tools of power lurked in the kitchen with them. In recent years, however, witches and their tools have emerged from their broom closets to reveal their long suppressed powers.

In fact many tools serve dual uses: few ancient people had the variety or quantity of possessions that many take for granted today. The average kitchen witch of not that long ago made magick with whatever was at hand. She didn’t have a catalog of wares to choose from. Rare, precious items were treasured but, by definition, these were accessible to only a very few.

One cauldron served a family purposes: from creating nutritious soup of concocting healing brews to crafting magick potions. The mortar and pestle ground up herbs materials for whatever purpose was currently needed: healing, magick or cooking. In a holistic world, purposes may not have been considered distinct in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where medicinals are sometimes given via food. Edible, medicinal ingredients are prescribed and may contain magickal protective elements as well.

The Pendulum Board

The Pendulum Board

A pendulum board is not necessary to perform tasks of divination, but it does come in handy.You can make your own or purchase a pendulum kit when you’re looking for the right tool for you. If you want to make your own, you simply need a circle with these six directions. This is the most common layout of a pendulum board. As you progress you might decide to make a more elaborate board that includes an alphabet and numbers.
  1. Yes ~ an up and down direction.
  2. No ~ a side to side direction.
  3. Maybe ~ a diagonal direction, from the lower left to upper right corners of the circle.
  4. Don’t Want To Answer ~ a diagonal direction , from the lower right to the upper left corners of the circle.
  5. Probably Yes ~ a clockwise circle.
  6. Probably Not ~ a counter-clockwise circle.
Making Your Own Board

Most pendulums you can purchase come with their own pendulum board. But not all do. If you chose to use a board, you can use a variety of things to make your own board.
You can draw a simple circle on a piece of paper and place the labels in the locations you feel most comfortable with. You can use a photo. You can alter a photo or picture with a graphics package and print it from your computer on photographic paper. You can even use “The Wheel” or “The Fortune” card from your favorite tarot deck.
The key is finding an image that inspires you, that has a circle in the center and you can easily identify the answer layout to.
This image is a good example of how a picture can be used to create a board. It’s a picture that was sent to me as a gift. Using a graphics package, I simply added the labels to make the board. In reality, you don’t have to add the words if you don’t want to. It can make it easier for the client to watch the pendulum as it swings and answers their questions.And it can also provide the new reader with a reminder of how they programmed the pendulum to operate.

Magick Staff

Magick Staff

 
General History
A magik staff has many names; a spirit staff, a walking stick, a travelers weapon, a weary wanderers companion. It has been used as a carved record of ones long journey, a symbol of authority, a support for an exhausted traveler and a weapon. It’s an extension of one’s own arms and reach; as a pole to vault over creeks, or a deep ditch. Travelers used the staff to carry their traveling packs over one shoulder, or heavy loads across both their shoulders. It’s been used to defend against attack, or even to gain an upper hand in a battle.
In the Orient, many peasants were band from possessing weapons. But developed methods and learned how to use their common every day tools in lethal ways for both protection and battle. The staff is one of these many weapons and is used in various forms of martial arts.
In ancient Egypt, the staff can be seen in the hands of various royals, and politicians. Many hieroglyphs depict people of importance walking with a thin staff. Some topped with additional symbology to define the importance of the person or the office that person held within Pharaohs realm. It’s also a symbol of authority to Pharaoh. And can be found in his hand with a decorative head piece. Often a symbol representing an Egyptian God, such as Isis.
There are many Biblical references to the staff as well. The mostly commonly known of these is the staff given to Moses to rule over the snakes and desert. Later used in Pharaohs palace to swallow up the snakes of Egypt, laid upon the Nile to curse the waters and to part the sea so that Israel could escape Pharaoh’s chariots. The staff with hook on the top is often associated with the shepherd, and the ‘every-man’ or children of God. Again showing how a headpiece can define the position of the bearer.
Keeping a record of events in the carvings of a staff can be traced to the ancient Norsemen. Carving runes to tell a story or tale along it’s shaft was a practical and common practice amongst these travelers. It was also used to “skor” numerical information for the length of a measurement, a journey or trade. This method actually carried into modern day and we use it to keep ‘score’ during a game. This method of carving isn’t unique to the Norse however.
Celtic Shamans used a staff as both a symbol of authority, leadership and as a tool for spiritual journey. Often carved with mystical symbols, Celtic runes, or animals. These were the Shamans tool to help guide the path of his/her workings as well as the clan they administered too.
Druids used carvings as a method to record stories of the Gods, the history of Ireland and mythical tales of beasts and magik.
Native American Shamans also used their staves to record tales. We might think of a totem pole as a large example; but the same type of totem carvings can be found in smaller versions too. From tall walking sticks to smaller talking sticks. These were used to record a journey or a great battle.
In all of these various cultures, a staff is often decorated as well as carved. Topped with the antlers of a deer, decorated with leather, feathers and/or stones or beads. The staff is unique to it’s owner and their position in the world. Giving special meaning to that person’s life and their usage of the staff.
Today you can find many different types of staves. From spiritual usages to simple walking sticks of a hiker. Some Craft traditions require a person to be initiated as a priest/priestess before creating or possessing a staff. Other traditions see the staff as a tool used upon one’s journey into the spiritual world or as a tool to help guide your steps along the spiritual path. Personally I think if you want a staff and feel connected to this kind of tool; then make or find yourself one.

Making Your Own Staff

It’s important to note that you don’t have to make your own staff. You can easily find a woodcarver who has created some beautiful works of art and purchase one. Take it home and decorate it as you desire. I have both home made staves and purchased ones. My most favorite was purchased and decorated by me at home. So in some way’s it’s a combination of both.
A staff is typically made from wood. Depending on what energies you want to associate with your staff will depend on which wood you choose. There have many different types to choose from. Oak and Ash are the most commonly used on the pagan paths. Because of their spiritual reference to these two trees. But white pine, maple and apple are also popular choices.
But consider some other interesting alternatives. An Osage Orange tree (found around the US), is a beautiful light colored wood that gets darker as it ages, until it turns black. Crape Myrtle is a lovely white and very hard wood, and makes a wonderful staff material.
Sometimes the best way to choose a staff is to take a long walk through the woods and ask the GreatSpirits to guide you to the staff that’s meant for you. Be it fallen from a tree; a branch off a living tree, or a young tree just starting it’s growth. In either case; make sure you ask permission from the tree to have this gift; and thank the tree spirit and your guides for giving itself or part of itself to you. If you choose a stick that has fallen; make sure it’s not rotten or infested with bugs.
Take your staff home and clean it up. Decide if you’re going to peal off the bark or leave it natural. Set it aside for about 30 to 60 days in a dry place. A shed or in the corner of the garage are often good places. Lay it or hang it flat; don’t stand it on one end. You want it to dry out evening.
After it’s dry, the hard part begins. What are you going to do with it? You can carve one end as a head piece. You can take it to a wood crafter and ask them to carve a head piece like the one pictured here on the left. You can carve runes into the sides. You can decorate the staff with feathers or fur, leather, silk ribbons, yarn, beads, and just about anything else you find an association with. You can brand or burn runes or personal sigils in the shaft as well.
If you use a metal or stones to decorate your wand, make sure you understand the properties of that item on the wand. Just like wood, metals and stones have their own magikal traits as well.
Or you can even just leave it plain in it’s natural beauty. Nothing wrong with nature, or being minimal. The two staves pictured here (the wolf and the hawk) belong to my husband and myself. I decorated the wolf with leather, feathers, beads and shells consistent with a Celtic Shaman’s view. Where as my husband decided to leave his staff plain and simple. So it’s really up to you which way you decide to go.

 

Consecration

Many people like to cleanse their staff before they work on it. Others perform a ritual and bring the staff into a circle before any carving or decorating is done. These two methods allow you to clear the energy of the staff from sitting around outside, in the garage or store. And to add or imprint your own energies upon the wood. It’s also a chance to have your guides and the Gods/Goddesses come to work with you in the creation or decoration of the staff.
These methods are by no means set in stone. You can work on the wood and decorations and then take the staff into circle for clearing and cleansings. No matter which way you chose; the last thing you should do before actually using your staff is a consecration ritual. You want to imprint your desired use for this tool upon all the elements of the tool.
For instance, if this is to be used as your guide on the spiritual path of knowledge and experiences; and your staff has an animal headpiece; you might ask the GreatSpirits to give spiritual sight to your wolves eyes; or your hawks vision so that they might guide your steps upon your spiritual journey. When you take your staff out; you can imagine the gaze of your animal helping you to see the direction you should take, and the decisions you have to make.

Amulets

Amulets

 
To symbolize and connect with specific energies for specific ceremonies. For instance, some witches casting healing spells will wear an amulet made of malachite or emeralds to connect with the green healing energy of the divine forces.