Traditional witch tools

Gardner names few requirements for the magickal wand, except that it be phallic in shape. Witches use the wand as an elemental tool, for directing energy, and sometimes for casting the circle. The wand is sometimes substituted for the sword or athame by those who object to the violence implied by the blade. The pentacle is a round object bearing the five-pointed star, the primary sacred symbol of Wicca. It may also be called the disk, coin, paten, or platter. It represents Earth, and the life-giving properties of that element.

In the Gardnerian material, the role of the pentacle is in summoning spirits, consecrating tools, and blessing offerings of food. He recommends a pentacle of wax, or else a platter with the magickal symbols painted temporarily in ink.

These days, of course, Wiccans may keep a more permanent altar pentacle. Wood, metal, and clay are appropriate materials for the pentacle or Earth disk. The censer and incense are used to prepare the ritual space. Ritual censing banishes evil, and makes the circle more inviting to spirits and deities of the desired kind. Wicca came about before the invention of quick-lighting incense. Early British covens would have preferred a traditional swinging censer with a lid, along with resin incenses.

But Gardner states that the censer can be replaced, if necessary, with sweet-smelling herbs and a dish of coals. In Wicca, the cords are often given to the new initiate and worn at each subsequent ritual. The cords are generally braided by hand from natural fibers. The traditional length of the cords is nine feet three times three, an important number in Wicca.

A nine-foot cord, folded in half, is used to measure out the radius of the nine-foot circle. Knot magick—tying and untying knots to release energy—is another ritual function of the cords.

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows is full of rituals that involve tying up initiates in circle. The mild, schoolboyish kink of his Wiccan rites is another use of the cords.

Obviously, tying up aspirants is not the kind of thing that goes on in public rituals and fluffy-bunny Wiccan covens. Wiccans face enough PR trouble without innuendos of hazing.

The Wiccan covens I know who use cords use them for mainly ceremonial dress. The cords are presented to the initiate with each new degree. Ah, the scourge. The scourge or flail is an age-old symbol of power and domination. In Gardnerian ritual, it represents the pain that everyone must endure in life. It stands in contrast to the kiss, which symbolizes pleasure and the gifts of life.

Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to be tied up and whipped. In any case, the scourge has eight tails with five knots in each tail. It is usually made of leather or rope. The scourge is not used to draw blood, but only for light flogging to raise energy in circle and to purify the aspirant. The scourge is the last item in the canonical list of Gardnerian tools. The chalice symbolizes the eternal womb and the generative power of the Goddess.

On the Wiccan altar, it is used to hold beverage offerings. Traditionally wine, but also water, milk, mead, or ale. The chalice stands for the female principle in the symbolic enactment of the Great Rite. To Gardner, it is related to the Holy Grail of the Knights Templar, a mystic cup with boundless power to heal and restore.

A core Wiccan ritual involves the High Priest and High Priestess sharing a drink from the chalice, which may also be passed around the circle. A silver chalice is traditional, one large enough to hold the beverage offering. The instrument does not determine the action on the matter — only the will can do it — in fact, we are the first and most important tool.

The place of work of the witch is her home, her kitchen, the heart of the dwelling, or, a room used only to exercise, in silence and secrecy, like a small secret laboratory. It is not really strictly necessary to have a dedicated room, as any corner of your home fits the purpose well.

Once consecrated, these instruments must be used only and exclusively for magical purposes during rituals and spells and never for other reasons. It is also essential to pay close attention to them. In addition to these objects described below some essential others less so, at the discretion of the witch natural instruments are also used to increase its strength. Even the gathering of herbs or parts of trees must follow a specific ritual of request.

Followed by our reasons for having taken a part of that body from the Earth or plant and bringing offerings to the living being itself from which we have drawn. This will avoid causing damage to the nature that surrounds us and, by resonance, also causing damage to ourselves. In general, the offers that are given to nature consist of the following elements: honey, milk, flour, water or in any case all natural things of which the plant or nature in general including animals can be fed.

The most crucial instrument, however, is always our mind, our hidden Spirit, our charge, and inner strength that we manifest during spells. With the association of gestures, herbs, and words, both written and spoken, we make things work! Despite the legends of flying witches riding the broom, this is a magical instrument, but not as understood by medieval superstitions.

It serves to purify the sacred environment before opening the circle. It is one of the symbols of the Goddess and God. Being used to purify it is associated with the element of water and therefore used in love spells or those to increase psychic powers. It is also used in the pagan marriage ritual, in which the spouses skip the broom to ensure fertility and the blessing of the Gods.

Traditionally, a broom is used, but it can also be made using ash for the stick and birch or broom branches tied together with willow. It is said that a broom hanging behind the door protects a house against evil spells and negativity. It represents the element of air and is long between 15 in and 20 in 40 and 50 cm , made with some woods such as willow, oak, elder, cherry, peach, etc.

A wand can also be made of stone, crystal, or metal depending on the purpose for which it is to be used. The rod must be about 51 inches cm long, from the base to the top or from the base to the bifurcation. Once chosen, the tree must be cut, making it suffer as little as possible, then with a clean-cut and making sure that the branch you have chosen does not fall to the ground.

The operation should preferably be performed in spring and a crescent absolutely, on Wednesdays at dawn or sunset or at noon or midnight. Symbol of the Goddess and Water should traditionally be in iron with three feet at the base and a narrower opening than the rest of the body.

Used if small to cook herbal teas or for ritual cooking, it takes on a different role on the altar. In the spring rites, it is filled with water and flowers, it is used as a container for consecrated objects or for burning offerings for the gods.

In winter rituals a small fire is lit inside. It is seen as a feminine nature and is related to the night, to darkness, to space and of course to the waters and everything that surrounds them. The cup or chalice is used to contain the saltwater of the exorcism lustral water or, alternatively, the wine of the libation, a sacramental wine consumed in some ceremonies, also used to consecrate.

It is used exclusively to direct the Energy and NEVER to cut, it is a double-bladed knife with a black handle, in its place a sword can be used. It is always used for rituals or magical works.

One of the recommended uses is to engrave or extinguish the candles , cut the herbs to be used or the magic strings. The five-pointed star enclosed in a circle with a tip towards the top and two towards the bottom represents the Earth is an evocative and protective tool. It protects the places and removes negativity. Hanging on doors or windows, it protects against the negative energies in the rituals and evoke the positive energies.

It can be made with different materials: silver, copper, clay, wood. It can be made by hand by those who use it or made to forge by a goldsmith or engraver if it is made of metal. There are generally two pentacles. One is for work, and the other is the ritual pentacle placed on the altar as protection from negative vibrations and the inevitable return strokes that always occur during any work performed, be it positive or negative.

The force released during a ritual is always circular every action generates an equal and opposite reaction is directed to a target, it is released and then it returns to the sender, to whom has set it up.

The vibrations of a bell move the energies and in the rituals. It is used to start or to close a spell. It is a symbol of Spirit because it is reminiscent of the umbilical cord. In general, it is precisely because of this reason in red color.

It is here that all the spells, invocations, rituals that come to our knowledge or that we create will be written. Also, all those events that have to do with the magical practice, signs, dreams, emotions, and sensations of the day, doubts that we have on our way, cooking recipes, meditation techniques, instructions for building talismans or making amulets. Rereading it will be useful to observe the progress made and the repeated errors that need to be corrected. Your Grimoire must be a notebook with the cover preferably but not necessarily black and rigid, better if it is easy to hide or to carry around.

The first mention of a witch bottle appears in the 17th century England. Some of the earliest documented witch bottles consist of salt glazed stoneware jugs known as Bartmann jugs , Bellarmines, or "Greybeards".

Bellarmines were named after a particularly fearsome Catholic Inquisitor, Robert Bellarmine , who persecuted Protestants and was instrumental in the burning of Giordano Bruno. Greybeards and Bellarmines were made of brown or gray stoneware glazed with salt and embossed with a bearded face.

Historically, the witch's bottle contained the urine, hair or nail clippings of the victim who believed they had a spell put on them. Later witch bottles were filled with rosemary, needles and pins, and red wine. Historically and currently, the bottle is then buried at the farthest corner of the property, beneath the house hearth, or placed in an inconspicuous spot in the house.

It is believed that after being buried, the bottle captures evil which is impaled on the pins and needles, drowned by the wine, and sent away by the rosemary. The broom or besom is a ritual tool of the witch, sacred to both Goddess and the God. Traditionally the broom was made from three different woods. Ash for the handle, birch twigs for the brush and willow for the binding cord.

Ash is protective and has command over the four elements. Willow is sacred to the Goddess. The broom is used for a variety of purposes but most generally to purify and protect. It is used to ritually cleanse an area before magick is performed by symbolically sweeping away negative energies and astral build up.

Of old it was used to guard the home and persons within against psychic attack or evil curses, this by placing it across the threshold, windowsills or doorways. It was also placed under the bed to protect the sleeper. Traditionally the use which most people identify it with, are the old wedding ceremonies where a couple leapt over the broom to ensure fertility, domestic harmony and longevity. The tradition continues today in Wiccan hand-fasting rituals which include a broom jump.

Candles have been used as a Witches' tool for centuries, as they have been used by many other religions for the setting of the proper atmosphere to help attract or to influence a particular power. The color of the candle is very important when performing rituals or magick, for each color emits a particular vibration and attracts certain influences. One of the most recognizes symbols of witchcraft, the cauldron , traditionally with three leg, is used for brewing potions and cooking herbal remedies.

It represents bounty and blessings, the concept of reincarnation and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. In their role of magical cooking pots, cauldrons are associated with the elemental nature of water and are sometimes used for " scrying ". Cauldrons are also associated with elemental fire and small " ritual bonfir e s " can be lit in them for the ceremonial burning of sages or incense , as the cauldron has, in modern times and urban spaces, replaced the large bonfire for rituals.

Cauldrons range in size from the small altar models to the antique "floor" type. Many Witches have cauldrons in various sizes for different workings and purposes. Cats are particularly drawn to witch's cauldrons and will often use them as hiding places for their toys and treats.

This is best made from a fire resistant or material. The most common are fire proof "mini-cauldrons' of iron or brass types which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The incense itself represents the element of Air while the charcoal fire represents the element of Fire. The combination of these two elements is used to purify ritual areas, tools or the circle itself. Sometimes hung on a chain, a thurible , it is used in religious rites and ceremonies to bless or cleanse people and objects, usually with a prescribed number of swings or gestures.

The chalice or cup is used on the altar to represent the Female principle of Water. Chalices may be made of any material. Many use silver or pewter, but ceramic ones are now quite popular. Some practitioners will avoid "lead" crystal because of the Saturn energy influence. Libations of wine or water are often then poured to honor the Old Ones and the chalice is sometimes passed around the circle so each participant may take a sip from the cup. This is a bonding experience and often the words "May you never thirst!

Before enacting a ritual, witches usually create a ritual circle to provide a safe haven for the purpose of working magick. The Circle exists outside the boundaries of ordinary space and time, between the worlds of the seen and the unseen. It is a space in which alternate realities meet, in which the past and future are one. The circle represents unity, completion, continuity, and wholeness, as well as protection. Physical circle are constructed with stones, plants, candles, sacred symbols objects, sacred symbols or just a drawn circle to form the circle's perimeter, providing a clear boundary between mundane and sacred space for the enactment of ancient rites and rituals.

Within traditional witchcraft, when one is taking part in a ritual or observing a festival, there is some form of bodily covering. Outside of ritual, witches may have personal lifestyles that include being nude, however, while taking part in ritual they decorate or cover their bodies in some manner.

Some rites might even call for the body to be marked with sigils , or covered with pigments, in certain prescribed manners. Having "special" garments lends an "otherworldly" feel and sets ritual work apart from mundane life and many traditions or paths have a "standard" wardrobe which reflects the ethnic background of that path.

Scots may wear kilts and Druids may wear hooded robes. Many embroider magickal symbols on their ritual clothing or "hide" small items sewn into the seams and hems to act as talismans for protection. Thanks in part to The Wizard of Oz , the word witch has become code for a certain type of dress. Flowing black robes. Black boots. Accessorize as you wish with a broom or a grassy complexion, but on pain of expulsion from the coven, do not forget the peaked, black, wide-brimmed hat.

Still, the peaked cap holds special significance for some Wiccans, if not Witches. The hat makes the witch , to paraphrase Mark Twain , and yet the story of the witch's pointed hat, where it originated, and how it took on its demonic resonance is a murky one. There are simply t oo many varieties of pointy hat to describe in a single blog post, more possible antecedents than can be ruled out.