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The Broom (Besom): There are many old spells involving brooms. In general, the broom is a purificatory and protective instrument, used to ritually cleanse the area for magick by sweeping the area lightly. While brushing, the Wiccan visualizes the broom sweeping out the astral buildup that occurs where humans live. This purifies the area to allow smoother ritual workings. The broom is also used to protect the home by laying it across the threshold, under the bed, in windowsills or on doors.
Wand: The wand is one of the prime magickal tools. It has been utilized for thousands of years in magickal and religious rights. It is an instrument of invocation. The Goddess and God may be called to watch the ritual with words and an uplifted wand. It is also sometimes used to direct energy, to draw magickal symbols or a circle on the ground, to point toward danger while perfectly balanced on the Witch's palm or arm, or even to stir brew in a cauldron.
Censer: The censer is an incense burner. It can be a complex, swinging metal censer like those used in the Catholic church, or a simple seashell. The censer holds the smoldering incense during rituals. Incense use in ritual and magick is an art in and of itself. When no specific incense is called for in rituals and spells, use your own intuition and creativity in determining which blend to use. Stick, cone or block incense can be used, but most Wiccans favor the raw or granulated incense, the type which must be burned on self-igniting charcoal briquettes, available from occult suppliers. Either is fine.
Cauldron: The cauldron is the Witch's tool par excellence. It is an ancient vessel of cooking and brew making, steeped in magickal tradition any mystery. The cauldron is the container in which magickal transformations occur; the sacred grail, the holy spring, the sea of Primeval creation. The cauldron is often a focal point of ritual. During spring rites it is sometimes filled with fresh water and flowers; during winter a fire may be kindled within the cauldron to represent the returning heat and light of the Sun (the God) from the cauldron (the Goddess). This links in with agricultural myths wherein the God is born in winter, reaches maturity in summer, and dies after the last harvest.
Magick Knife (Athame - pronounced a-tham-ay): The athame has an ancient history. It isn't used for cutting purposes, but to direct the energy raised during rites and spells. It's often dull, usually double-edged with a black or dark handle. A sword is sometimes used in the Craft, as it has all the properties of the knife, but can be difficult for indoor rituals due to its size.
White-Handled Knife (Bolline): This knife is simply a practical, working knife as opposed to the purely ritualistic magick knife. It is used to cut wands or sacred herbs, inscribe symbols onto candles or on wood, clay, or wax, and in cutting cords for use in magick.
Crystal Sphere: The crystal has long been used in contemplative divination. The diviner gazes into the ball until the psychic faculties blossom, and images, seen in the mind or projected by it into the depths of the crystal, reveal the necessary information. The crystal may also be used to receive messages from the Gods, or to store energy raised in ritual. Some Witches scry in the crystal to call up images of the Goddess or of past lives. It is a magickal object touched with the divine, and if found, guard it carefully.
Cup (Chalice): The cup is simply a cauldron on a stem. It symbolizes the Goddess and fertility, and is related to the element of Water. Though it can be used to hold water (which is often present on the alter), it may also contain the ritual beverage imbibed during the rite.
Pentacle: The pentacle is usually a flat piece of brass, gold, silver, wood, wax or clay, inscribed with certain symbols. The most common, and indeed the only necessary one, is the pentagram, the five-pointed star which has been used in magick for millennia. The pentacle was "borrowed" from ceremonial magick. In this ancient art it was often an instrument of protection, or a tool used to evoke spirits. Each point of the pentacle represents one of the four elements -- Air, Earth, Fire, Water -- with the fifth point representing Akasha, or spirit. It is sometimes used to summon the Gods and Goddesses. Pentacles are also hung over doors and windows to act as protective devices.
The Book of Shadows (BOS): The Book of Shadows is a workbook containing invocations, ritual patterns, spells, runes, rules governing magick, and so on. Some Books of Shadows are passed on from one Wiccan to another, usually upon initiation, but the vast majority of Books today are composed by each individual Wiccan. Although until recently a Book of Shadows was usually hand-written, today typed or even photocopied versions are quite common. To make your own Book of Shadows, begin with any bound blank book or lined exercise book. Simply write in this book any rituals, spells, invocations, and magickal information that you have either composed or found elsewhere and would like to preserve.
Bell: The bell is a ritual instrument of incredible antiquity. Ringing a bell unleashes vibrations which have powerful effects according to its volume, tone and material of construction. The bell is a feminine symbol and so is often used to invoke the Goddess in ritual. It is also rung to ward off evil spells and spirits, to halt storms, or to evoke good energies. Placed in cupboards or hung on the door, it guards the home. Bells are sometimes rung in ritual to mark various sections and to signal a spell's beginning or end. |
