Ritual Tools

Elements

Elements: Directions- Attributes

Earth: North- Grounding, balance, the body, the Mother, Fortitude, Growth, Life, Strength
Air: East- Thoughts, knowlegde, breath, intellect, freedom, purification
Fire: South- Passion, Motivation, the Spirit, lust, love, determination
Water:West- Emotions, healing, blood, womb, cleansing, soothing

Tools

Altar: a table or area dedicated for ritual work. A place to put tools and decorations appropriate for ritual. Can be permanent or temporary. There is a basic structure to where certain tools and altar items are to be set, but the nature of The Craft allows you to do as you please, whatever feels right to you. You can have a very elaborate or very simple alter, whatever fits your needs. It may change with the seasons or stay the same with limited additions and subtractions. It's your altar, you create it as you desire. My altar is a whole room I have dedicated to *my* things, such as my hobbies, crafts and Pagan solitary rituals. Many items and tools are placed on dressers and shelves within my room. I choose and pick what I feel is appropriate for what I wish to accomplish and design the altar for each use. That way I can maintain a somewhat "normal" room when needed for guests.

Athame:(Ah-THAM-ay) a small dagger like double edged knife used for the casting of the circle and other ritual workings. Rarely if ever is this tool used for cutting or any type of sacrifice. It is a tool that should be respected, and should not be used outside of ritual workings. I have a simple athame, 9 inches with a wooden handle which can be ordered through various spiritual/metaphysical stores online and off. I got mine from Witchware.com.

Wand: a wooden or metal rod with gemstones or crystals. It serves a similar purpose as the athame for directing energies and casting the circle. Mine is one that was magickally created by my friend Catala's husband. It's made from a branch off their tree and has a beautiful quartz crystal tip and an amethyst at the end. The shaft is spiraled with leather trim.

Chalice: A goblet or cup. I don't really use a chalice but it is nice to have if you are offering wine to the God/Goddess and or are using for a Goddess symbol.

Cauldron: a pot on three legs, preferable fire-proof. The cauldron can be used for many things. To burn things in or to hold water. I have a small cast iron cauldron and I use it for both.

Bell: hand bell or chimes. This can be used to symbolize the air element. Some use it to mark significant moments in a ritual. I have one but I don't use it too often yet. It's a small brass bell with a heart handle and heart cut outs around the bell edge.

Censer:incense holder. Incense and candles to a ritual is like apple pie and baseball in describing Americana. They both hold very important roles in a ritual. The incense is burned on the censer which can be anything from the long stick incense holders to the standing cone incense holders. I use one with a screen for charcoal. I use the charcoal when I burn herbs. It needs to be on a censer or in a bowl of sand or salt to absorb the heat. You light the charcoal block and then sprinkle the herbs on top. I also enjoy another type of incense burner. It's like pottery terra cotta almost and it comes in different shapes or sizes. I have a circle one with a spiral groove. In the grooves of the burner you spread out powdered incense and light it. It will burn in the path of the groove until it burns out.

Candles: symbolic for all directions and the God and Goddess. Can be used for spirit and specific candle magick workings. It can also be used to specify the element of Fire. I use candles for everything. They are multipurpose and please read the section on dressing your candles in preperation for ritual magick as well as how to make and the color correspondence.,

Pentacle: a five pointed star upright in a circle. Symbolizes all the directions and elements including Spirit. The circle is the symbol of The Mother, Goddess and Earth. It is a symbol of spiritual awareness and protection. It can be drawn in the dirt in the center of the altar or a tile with a pentagram can be used at the center of ones altar. That is what I use. It is used for focusing magical energies when working with items such as herbs or divination tools. It has many uses, and is highly symbolic of The Craft.

Besom: Witches Broom. Usually made by each individual. It is used in ceremonies and rituals. Mostly it is used to brush around the circle or sacred space. It's symbolic of cleansing. I don't have one yet, except for the one I sweep my floor with. I would like to try to make one. It is said to use birch or ashe, with a willow binding. Haven't had a chance to gather the proper materials. Just waiting for that right piece of wood to fall on my head I guess!

Diety Symbols: usually either statues, pictures, symbols, candles. Anything that symbolizes the God and Goddess. I like to use candles, but I also have an Isis statue I will use. A crystal Ball can also be used to symbolize the Goddess. The God can be symbolized with a "Green Man" statue, picture, or antlers or horns. A helmet with Antlers is often used in the Gardnerarian Wiccan traditions. Try sculpting your own!

Tools for the directions and elements:

East/Air: Bell, Incense, feather, fan, pen(thoughts are written words)
South/Fire: Candle, lava rock, heart
West/Water: bowl/cauldron/chalice of water, seashells, fish figurines
North/Earth: Plant, soil, salt, rocks, plant cuttings, twigs, leaves, animal figurines

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