Witches, sorcerers, shamans and other magical practitioners use a variety of tools in their magical work. Here is a list of just a few of them!
Athame - An athame (pronounced: ath-uh-may) is a ritual blade used in modern Witchcraft tradition. In Wicca, it is a (usually) black handled, double sided blade, ritual knife. Its purpose is strictly symbolic. The blade is usually strait and dull. It represents the male aspect of divinity and can be used to cast and cut a circle during ritual as well as to direct energy in much the same way as a wand.
Besom - A besom is a ceremonial broom. It is used to clear an area of unwanted energy, to establish sacred space and for blessing and protecting the home. It is also used in marriage and other ceremonies to symbolize the end of one thing and the beginning of another.
Boline - A boline is a functional ceremonial blade used for any purpose that may require a sharp blade- cutting and harvesting herbs, cutting cords, ribbons, string, etc., carving symbols into candles and objects are a few possibilities. Traditionally the boline has a white handle, (it is sometimes referred to as the "white handled knife").
Cauldron - The cauldron is a symbol of rebirth, the hearth, of abundance and of well being. Ancient Celtic tales tell of cauldrons that that no one ever went away from hungry and cauldrons that, when the dead were thrown into them, would bring the dead back to life. These days, cauldrons represent the female aspect of divinity, the womb, and are used thusly in conjunction with wands, swords and athames (depending on their size and the tradition) in symbolic representation of The Great Rite.
Censer - A censer is a vessel that is used to hold smoldering charcoal (from a fire or self-igniting disks) upon which one burns the herbs, resins, gums, etc that make up their incense.
Chalice - The Chalice is a magical tool used in many magickal rituals in a variety of traditions. It is used to represent the female element and the element of water.
Crystal Skull - Crystal skulls are skulls fashioned out of crystal, usually quartz. They are purported to have originated in pre-Columbian Mexico and South America. There is no scientific evidence to support that claim. Visit http://www.archaeology.org/0805/etc/indy.html to discover more about the history of crystal skulls and research associated with them. Although they may not be as ancient as once believed, modern artisans continue to create and sell them both in Mexico and South America and for the New Age and magico-religious trade.
fire bowl - A fire bowl is a receptacle for containing a fire. It is usually raised up on a stand, bowl-shaped and open on top. A fire bowl is a useful item for magic-users who wish to incorporate fire into their rituals without building a fire outdoors on the ground. Small fire bowls can be used on a table top while large fire bowls, often marketed as portable fire pits, can be used on the ground or on a patio.
Incense - Incense is a resinous base, often mixed with additional herbs or essential oils and burned to release fragrance.
Moon Water - Moon water is water that has been charged with the energies of the moon. It is a popular way to charge water to be used during a ceremony or spell working or to brew magical potions and may be used for anything you are directed to use water for.
mortar - A mortar is a cup-like receptacle, usually made of stone. It is used in combination with a pestle to crush and grind things, especially ingredients for cooking, alchemy and pharmacy. The mortar holds the objects, the pestle crushes them.
Mortar and Pestle - A mortar and pestle is a tool for crushing herbs and other materials. It consists of a bowl (the mortar), usually made of stone or ceramic and a heavy pounding tool (the pestle), usually made of the same material. The pestle fits inside the bowl and crushes materials inside the bowl. A mortar and pestle may be used for pounding grains to remove the hulls or to make flour. Magic-users normally use mortar and pestles to grind ingredients for magical spells, kitchen witchery, incense and alchemy. Mortars and Pestles have been in use by cooks, healers and magicians for millennia. There is evidence of their common use in Egypt prior to the 1500s BCE.
pendulum - A pendulum is a weight, (often a ring, coin, a needle, a conical piece of stone, metal or wood or indeed any pendant will do), affixed to the end of a cord or chain that is used for divination or dowsing. The pendulum is generally dangled and observed. The nature of the swinging of the pendulum gives the user the answer to the their questions.
Scourge - The scourge is a ceremonial whip. It may be used during ritual to demonstrate humility before the Gods, but more often it is used as a tool to aid in achieving altered states of consciousness.
Scrying Glass - A scrying glass is a mirror that is used as a focal point for scrying or to encourage clairvoyance. The mirror may be a typical reflective, silver-colored mirror, but very often it is black and is referred to as a black mirror. A scrying glass may also be called a seeing-eye glass or a magic mirror. A scrying glass may be made of glass or highly polished metal or some reflective stone. I have seen a silver platter used quite effectively and Nostradamus is reported to have had a scrying glass of black obsidian. Occasionally, a crystal sphere used for divination is referred to as a scrying glass.
Scrying Mirror - A scrying mirror is usually (but not always) a black reflective surface, rather than a silvery one. As its name would suggest, a scrying mirror is used for scrying. It is used as a focal point for meditative scrying and sometimes just for meditation. Sometimes the practitioner will see images in the mirror itself, but most often the mirror aids the practitioner into settling into a meditative state and answers and images come to the practitioner's mind aided by the relaxed state.
Staff - The staff represents the masculine aspect of the divine and is associated with air or fire depending on the tradition. It is used to direct energy, to establish sacred space, to tap out hypnotic rhythms, for hiking out to remote a nematon and for leaning. Otherwise, it is used in much the same way as a wand.
Sword - A sword is a magickal tool used by some practitioners to direct energy much the same way the wand, athame or staff. The use of the sword as a magickal tool is rooted in Western ceremonial tradition and is generally considered a tool for formal occasions.
Wand - A wand, or a rod, is a stick that has been carefully gathered and prepared to be used for ritual work. They are associated with masculine energy and the element of air or fire depending on the tradition. Wands are used for pointing and focusing energy, and for stirring. A wand may also be used to represent the masculine principle during ritual.
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