Category: The Witch’s Tools

Awakening the Tool

Awakening the Tool
 
 
Many magickal people believe that once the tool has been cleansed and consecrated (dedicated to Spirit) and blessed (asking Spirit to fill the object with positive energy), the tool should also be “awakened” before each use. The activation process is often governed by the group that the Witch belongs to, meaning one coven may have a special chant while another group may “alert” the tool by tappping it one to three times on the altar, or they may simple pass hands over the tools and say, “Waken ye unto life.” No matter how it is achieved, this process serves as a trigger to the mind that the time for magick has begun.
 
 
 
The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation, Solitary Witch
Silver RavenWolf

Altar Setup

Altar Setup

I’m a big supporter of Keep It Simple. Altar setups that are overflowing with magical goodies seem to collect a ton of dust, and dust is a magnet for negativity. If you’re a busy person , with friends staying over, siblings or children running through your room, and the cat jumping on and off your altar surface at will, collecting a bunch of stuff to set on your altar may not be such a good idea. If you are in college, especially in a dorm room, there’s no telling what might happen to your magical items. We tend to form an attachment to our magical tools, and a missing wand or cauldron can send anyone into a tizzy. If a magical tool of yours could decide to “walk off,” don’t despair. If it’s gone, it’s suppose to be gone. Sometimes magical things leave us for a good reason. Perhaps something better is coming your way.

In the last few years, the idea of having a personal altar has gained popularity outside of the Craft environment. However, often what people are calling “altars” are actually shrines dedicated to a deity or a particular energy the person would like to bring into the home. The altar, for a Crafter, is a working magical surface, where a shrine is more of representation of your spirituality and a place for daily, weekly or monthly offerings. In some Craft traditions the shrine is called the high altar, and the separate, working surface is called the low altar. Where prayers and petitions are given at the high altar, the messy work (such as grinding herbs, working with wax or spell work that required you to make and then put together a particular object) is done on the low altar.

A basic altar setup requires only the four elements. The beginning Craft altar adds a statue of deity; two illuminator candles (one for the God and one for the Goddess); a flat centerpiece for focus (usually a geometric symbol: pentacle, hexagram, lunar crescent, the zodiac ring, and so on); the wand; and if your family environment supports it, the athame.

If you have more space and plenty of privacy, you may wish to use the traditional altar setup use by most Wiccan practitioners when they first learn about the tools of the Craft of the Wise.

Altar Cleansing

Altar Cleansing

Supplies: Holy water, scented oil, incense, miniature broom (you can find these at craft stores), salt, two bowls (one for the salt and one for the water—any small, waterproof container is acceptable, many like to use seashells) red candle (taper or votive) candle holder, inspirational music.

Note: If you are not permitted to burn candles or use a lighter, it is okay to think of something else that represents fire to you. For example, you may use a picture of a candle, an electric candle (which are sold around Halloween and Christmas), or a combination of red, yellow, and orange tissue paper fashioned into your idea of fire. You could even wrap colored tissue paper over the head of a flashlight to help you visualize that fiery glow. I wholeheartedly agree that nothing beats the real thing, but if you can’t, then just use your imagination to think of something that will be acceptable for you and your environment.

Timing: Full Moon or New Moon

Instructions: The most important aspect of any magic or ritual is that you take your time, and perform the working without interruption. If someone knocks on your door, or insists on repeatedly walking through the room while you are working, you will most likely become frustrated and lose your concentration. As focus is a major part of magic, you will need to choose a time when you will not be disturbed, especially for the very serious things like cleansing and consecrating your altar.

Place your supplies on a tray or on the floor by your altar. Before you begin, take three deep breaths. As you breathe out, release any negativity or unhappiness you may feel. Now close your eyes and rub your hand lightly together. The deep breathing helps you relax and the friction you create with your hands activates the chakra points (energy fields) in your palms. Closing your eyes helps you to ground and center, and prepare for a magical working. Say:

I feel the power of Spirit in and around me. So Mote It Be.

Open your eyes. Hold the red candle in your hand and say:

May you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit (or “in the name of the Lord and Lady”).

Light the candle, then hold the candle out in front of you, over the altar, saying:

From the black and formless void, light blossomed into existence. By igniting this candlewick. I bring the Grace of Spirit (or “our Mother) into my life and into my altar. Element of fire, work your will by my desire.

Pass the flame three times in a counterclockwise (widdershins) direction over the altar, saying:

I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.

Set the burning candle safely to the side. You will be using it again.
Hold your hands over the incense, and say:

Element of air, may you be cleansed, consecrated, and blessed in the name of Spirit.

Light the incense from the candle flame. Pass the incense smoke over the surface of the altar three times in a counterclockwise direction, saying:

Element of air, work you will by my desire. I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.

Set the burning incense safely to the side. You will be using it again.
Hold your hands over the salt, and say:

Element of earth, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit.

When your palm, begin to tingle or grow warm, sprinkle the salt lightly over the top of the altar surface. Just a little will do. Say:

I cleanse this altar with the salt of the earth. Element of earth, work your will by my desire. I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here.
Set the bowl aside. Pick up the bowl or water and say:

Element of water, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit.

Place the bowl of water in the center of the altar. Add three pinches of salt, stirring clockwise with your finger after each addition to the water. Imagine the water glowing with a soft blue or white light. Pick up the small broom and sprinkle with both salt and water, saying:

Besom, may you be cleansed, consecrated and blessed in the name of Spirit. Work the magic by my desire.

Dip the broom into the consecrated water, and begin sprinkling tiny drops of the liquid onto the altar in counterclockwise (widdershins) circles, saying:

I banish all negativity from this (wood, stone). Nothing evil or nasty, real or imagined, can ever abide here. So Mote It Be!

Altar Blessing and Empowerment

Altar Blessing and Empowerment

Supplies: Scented oils or perfumes (ingredients you hold sacred to yourself).

Instructions: Pass the four elements (red candle, incense, salt and water) over the altar three times in a clockwise direction. Imagine that you are sitting positive energies into action. Once this is done, place the incense in the east, the fire in the south, the water in the west, and the salt in the north. Dab the scented oil on each corner of the altar, and then in the middle, saying.

I bless and consecrate these, O sacred altar, in the name of Spirit. May you repel negative energy and collect positive energy from this day forward until the end of time. So mote it be.

Draw an equal-armed cross in the air over the altar surface to seal the positive energies to the stone/wood. Tip the edge of the altar four times, once for each direction. Then say:

As above, so below. This altar is sealed. So mote it be.
You are now ready to work any kind of magic.

Ideas for the Witch’s Altar

Ideas for the Witch’s Altar
 
Dresser, nightstand, or bureau in your room.
A flat piece of stone that is portable.
A skateboard.
Empty closet.
Desk drawer (not recommended for burning candles).

Cinderblocks.

Steppingstone (can be purchased at a garden store, or you can make one yourself from material purchased at a craft store).
 
Bookshelf (not recommended for burning candles–even though you think the flame is far enough away from the next shelf, it will warp and eventually burn the shelf above.)
 
Top of a filing cabinet.
 
A large mirror.
 
A cookie sheet.
 
A serving tray.
 
A camping tripod, sold in most camping sections of large department stores. It should be noted that these can wobble.
 
An old steamer trunk or other trunk with shelves from an antique store or flea market. (Be careful of open candle flames and take appropriate precautious.)
 
A window sill (however, don’t put burning candles there).

In your imagination. Some people scoff at this, but there are people who are not permitted to have altars for a variety of reasons. Perhaps your parents or spouse are aftaid that you’re religiously going down the tubes and have put their foot down on the issue of an altar. College students, due tol iving conditions, may not be allowed to have an altar. Individuals in the military service at boot campe can’t have on either Maybe you are visiting Grandma for the summer and you know that she’ll find the idea an altar offensive. If your family goes on an exxtended vacation, where luggage is a factor. Mon and DAy might not be too happy if you bring a twenty-ton suitcase with all your altar stuff, even though they don’t mind your altar at home. Learning to build an altar in your imagination helps you to enhances your visualization sklls. You really never know when you might need those mental powers.

The Witch’s Altar

The Witch’s Altar
 
Some scholars think that the first altars were actually tombs of the dead where offerings were made to a deified ancestor. Others believe that the idea of the altar came from the Pagan belief that the newly deceased were gathered on the borders of the sky, under the constellation call Ara, meaning “the altar.” Ara lies in the Milky Way, south of Scorpius, and is well to the south of the celestial equator. The ancient Greeks visualized it as the altar on which their Gods swore an oath of allegiance before challenging the Titans for control of the universe. The word “altar” comes from a Latin word that translates to “on high.” We could put a variety of meanings to this terminology–from a physically high place, to a seat in the stars, to the more esoteric meaning of consecrating a sacred area that sits between the worlds of human and deity, enabling the human to work with deity on the deity’s level from where the Witch physically stands. Ancient altars were often made of stone or, if constructed of wood, held some type of stone surface in the center. Many were carved or painted with symbols of animals and deities. It was during the various Inquisitions that the Witch altar took on a more lurid, negative role–an inappropriate and unaccurate representation of the Craft altar–that was reflected in many horror movies from the 1940s through the 70s, feeding the inaccurate, sensationalist information to the general public. During a few modern Craft ceremonies, a person’s body may become the altar for a few moments to meld them with the elemental and divine energies so that in the future they may work easily through space and time; however, sacrifices and rampant sexual excursions, as shown in the movies, are not part of Wiccan dogma.

Magickal Things You Need to Know About Your Altar

Magickal Things You Need to Know About Your Altar
 
Your altar becomes a focus of positive power once activated—yours and that of Spirit.
The altar was originally designed to request the presence of deity.
Where you put your altar isn’t as important as how you use it.
The shape of your altar is a personal choice.
You can have more than one altar.
Having an altar for spiritual reflection, isn’t against any religious dogma.
Before use, your altar should be sprinkled with holy water and salt, infused with incense smoke, blessed with holy oil, and empowered in the name of Spirit.

Ritual Clothing

Ritual Clothing
 
When I was a kid, folks wore their “Sunday best” to church. Ritual attire included nice shoes, a good dress (Or pants and shirts for the boys), a Sunday hat and Sunday gloves. The minister wore a robe (so you could tell him apart for the rest of the men). Dads wore suits. Moms were dressy. People had special clothing for baptisms and confirmation. This, for that era and in that religion was ritual dress.
 
In the Wiccan community today, there is no standard dress code, although different traditions may have guidelines. For example, black robes for initiations and elevations, and white robes for funerals. The idea of changing from street clothes to ritual garb is both psychological and practical; moving from daily life to the spiritual life through the act of altering one’s attire touches on the psyche and wearing clothing that is cleansed and consecrated (after your spiritual bath) ensure that you won’t carry any excess negativity into the circle. Where some groups require that you wear special cords and jewelry, other groups insist that all be equal within the circle environment and only the high priest/priestess may wear something different or unusual. There are groups where rank is not an issue and everyone wears what they like, or all wear the same color but in different styles, and therefore you really have no idea what rank anyone is. Then there are groups where individuals of different elevation wear matching colors indicative of their status. As robes are not always practical, there are also magickal people who may wear something different or special for ritual, but it doesn’t flap around and threaten to snare every candle flame in the room. Finally, there are those that don’t wear anything at all, called skyclad. Although prominent in Gardner’s time due to his influence, skyclad has falled out of favor in most Wiccan groups. Like other Wiccan magickal tools, robes, cords, vestments and jewelry should be cleansed frequently, then cleansed, consecrated, and blessed before use.

Modern Tools for Ancient Arts

Modern Tools for Ancient Arts
 
Though the mortar and pestle were definitely useful to our forefamilies, most of us today just don’t have the time to sit around grinding herbs. Most of us don’t have time to wait several weeks for magickal herbs to dry or for ritual oils to fix. Even if we did, who wants to?
Today, we use many types of modern kitchen conveniences to ease our lives. The days of slaving over a hot stove are gone. Gone, too, are the incessant “When is dinner going to be ready?” questions and those “I’m starving” whines. We just yank something out of the freezer, pop it into the microwave, and in a matter of minutes–presto!–dinner is served. We make fancy salads in seconds with the help of the food processor. The blender is a multi-faceted kitchen wonder, and I know of no working person alive who can manage without a crockpot.
With the high availability of such wonders, we would never dream of going back to consistently cooking on a wood stove or, even worse, an open fire. To even suggest such a thing would be absurd. What’s more, we use these devices to best serve the needs of our most precious commodity–our families.
Why, then, don’t we use them to increase our magickal efficiency? It is probably because we get so caught up in the “ancient” part of the magickal arts, that it never crosses our minds. We continually seek out obscure objects to use as magickal tools because we think we are supposed to. The fact is that magickal implements don’t have to be ancient to be useful. They don’t have to look like the ritual tools of old. The only pre-requisite for magickal tools is that they work efficiently for the jobs we designate.

 

Today’s convenience items have the capacity to increase efficiency in the magickal household and cut preparation time in half. Using these time-savers will not decrease magickal power. Spending less time on a working does not mean putting less of yourself into it. Saving time does not mean cutting corners. Instead, it means increased productivity and more time for magickal work. If you are still concerned about using today’s technology for use in the magickal arts, here is some food for thought. The mortar and pestle was once a modern convenience, too.
 
When the Earth was young, grinding grain and herbs was a painstakingly slow process. The only way to accomplish such a feat was to rub the substance between two rocks and hope for the best. Much later, someone invented the mortar and pestle, a vast improvement over the earlier method. It allowed portability, grinding ease, and a greater amount of productivity. At the time, folks probably viewed the mortar and pestle as a modern convenience. Did our forefathers scoff at the new device? Did they refuse to use it because the ancient way was better? Did they think it would hamper their magick? No. Obviously, they acquired it and used it. If they hadn’t, we wouldn’t think of it today as one of our most valuable ritual tools.
 
If you decide to use modern appliances for magickal purposes, please remember that they then become magickal tools. In other words, using the same appliance for mixing love sachets and frozen margaritas isn’t a good idea (unless you are counting more on magick than drink ingredients to pack the intended wallop). Use appliances for magickal purposes only and consecrate them as such. If you don’t have extras and don’t want to give up your kitchen appliances, check at your local second-hand store or thrift shop. You can usually find appliances in good condition there for a very nominal charge.
 
“Everyday Magic”
Dorothy Morrison

The Automatic Drip Coffee Maker

The Automatic Drip Coffee Maker
 
The coffee maker is an essential part of my existence for most of the same reasons it is to other folks. I, like a good portion of the population, am not a morning person. The fact is, I don’t like anybody until I’ve had several cups of coffee. Having to wait for it makes me an unbearable grump. Fortunately, my coffee maker does the trick in three minutes flat. Its speed give me time to get my wits together before my loved ones–all morning folks, including the dogs–leap from their beds.
While the device always provided me with an indispensable service, using it for something other than brewing coffee never occurred to me until I had to consecrate my athame. My roommate at the time was having guests over for dinner and refused to let me use the stove. It didn’t matter that I needed an herbal infusion for a consecration. I begged. I pleaded. He didn’t care. He just went on cooking. Then he gave me one of those looks and muttered something about “…..on pain of death…..”
At the time, I thought he was a real jerk. But his obstinacy, as aggravating as it was, brought with it the richest of blessings. It jolted me into a creative mode. I grabbed a coffee filter, threw it in the filter cup and tossed in the herbs. I added the water and flipped the switch. Then I chanted the incantation loudly enough to rouse the neighbors. The results was a perfectly balanced brew that simply tingled with magickal essence.

 

The coffee maker not only saves time, but brews flawless infusions, decoctions, and washes. Here are a few tips for using it in magickal efforts:
 
*Do not use the same coffee maker to brew both ingestible teas and poisonous liquids. If you plan to use the device for brewing washes that list ingredients unsuitable for human consumption, obtain one solely for that purpose.
 
*Between magickal brewings, clean the pot and filter cup with hot soapy water and bleach.
 
*When brewing decoctions, place the root or bark material in a coffee filter, then close the filter securely by tying it with a string or a rubber band. After the brew cycle, place the pouch in the brew pot and leave it on the warming plate for approximately thirty minutes.
 
The incident with my roommater forever changed my magickal life. Yes, I discovered that using the coffee maker for magick saves times and aggravation. But more important, I realized the meaning of magick in its truest form and its relationship to technology. Magick equals creativity. Creativity equals life. This means that life–how we live it and what we do with it–is the rawest form of magick. The technological resources created by humankind have a magick all their own, and incorporating them into personal magick brings an increase of power to every spell performed. Denying that source of magick is tantamount to refusing magickal assistance and a hindrance to all efforts of enchantment. It all boils down to one thing. If it works, use it to your best advantage and be glad for the help.
 
“Everyday Magic”
Dorothy Morrison