Your Magickal Tools
Contents:
I. The Athame
II. The Wand
III. The Chalice
IV. The Pentacle
V. The Mortar and Pestle
VI. The Wards
VII. The Cord
Consecrations, I: The
Athame
Ritual ingredients necessary: a knife (preferably
black-handled and double-edged, but this isn't essential); incense (to
represent fire and air); salt water (to represent water and earth); a
chalice of wine; magnet or lodestone; earth (a bowl full or potted plant
will do, but if you do this ritual outside just use the earth where you
are standing); point candles and a center candle.
Procedure: Cast the circle. Invoke the
Goddess and god. Take the bowl of salt water, and plunge the athame into
it, saying something to the effect of:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. By water and earth I purify thee."
Pass the athame through the smoke of the
incense, saying:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. By fire and air I charge thee."
Hold the blade in the flame of your center
candle until it is heated, then plunge it into the wine, saying:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. Banish what I would have thee banish. So mote
it be. " (do this three times.)
Rub the magnet along the blade of the athame,
away from yourself, saying:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. Attract what I would have thee attract. So mote
it be." (do this three times.)
Plunge the blade into the earth, saying:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. Be used in the service of our Mother the Earth.
So mote it be." (do this three times.)
If you are outside, you may choose to leave
the knife in the earth for three days, as is traditional; but this is
not essential. When you take it out of the earth the third time, kiss
the blade, and say:
"Blessed be thou, blade of iron. By art
made, by art consecrated. I consecrate thee with a kiss. Serve me well.
As I do will, so mote it be."
You can paint your Magickal name in runes
on the handle or scribe them into the blade, if you wish. If you haven't
yet decided on a Magickal name, wait until your initiation to do it.
This is the Magickal working for this circle,
and can be followed by a pathworking if desired, or you may go directly
to the cakes and wine, to be followed by the formal Leave to Depart to
the directions and the Gods.
It isn't necessary to use the exact words
given; they are traditional in many Circles, but your own words, spoken
in sincerity from your heart, are the best Magick you can use. Just remembe
that your athame is the keen blade of your mind, which is used to delineate
the difference between the worlds, between one state of awareness and
another. Keep that in mind when you cast a circle.
Consecrations,
II: The Wand
Ritual ingredients necessary: a wand (must
be at least the length from your elbow to longest fingertip, but may be
as long as you like over that--see Robert Graves' The White Goddess for
tree symbolism); incense; a bowl of salt water; candles; almond oil (symbolizing
the Sun); your athame.
Procedure: Cast the Circle. Invoke the
Goddess and God. Take the bowl of salt water and sprinkle over the length
of the wand, saying:
"Blessed be thou, wand of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. By water and earth I purify thee."
Pass the wand through the smoke of the
incense, saying:
"Blessed be thou, wand of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. By fire and air I charge thee."
Take your athame and carve your Magickal
name in runes on the wand, saying:
"Blessed be thou, wand of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. Be thou an expression of my will. So mote it be."
(If you have not yet picked a Magickal
name, just carve your initials on the wand, and carve your Magickal name
when you choose one.)
Take a few drops of almond oil and rub
them between your hands. Anoint the wand, top to bottom and bottom to
top, saying:
"Blessed be thou, wand of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. With oil I charge thee. Be thou the instrument of
my desire. So mote it be."
Everyone present in unison pounds wands
on the floor, chanting:
"Dancing wand, with earth I charge thee.
Blessed be."
Follow up with trancework, cakes and wine,
and end with Leave to Depart.
This may seem to contain some sexual symbolism.
Clever of you to notice. The wand is, in fact, the symbol of the powers
of Fire, of Will, of outgoing energy (thought of in this society as being
the exclusive province of males, but, as we all realize, belonging to
everyone regardless of plumbing). It is, in short, a symbol of the penis;
so it may quite appropriately be covered with phallic carvings if you
wish. it represents the second side of the witches' pyramid; just as the
athame represents Imagination, the wand represents Will.
(Rampant feminists have patience: next
we consecrate the Chalice, and we all know what THAT stands for...)
Blessed Be!
Consecrations,
III: The Chalice
Ritual ingredients needed: salt, water,
incense, oil (some lunar type of oil such as jasmine, lemon, or eucalyptus);
red wine; your athame; a chalice and a bowl (the bowl can be of earthenware
or metal, as can the chalice; however if you use a chalice of copper or
brass, be sure to coat the inside with Varathane or some other non-reactive
coating, as the alcohol in wine reacts with these two metals and you can
poison yourself. Silver is nice but probably beyond the means of most
of us; pewter is excellent, being moon-colored; and, if you are the careful
type, a glass goblet would be very pretty. Suit yourself).
Procedure: The initial purification ritual
with salt water used to cast the circle will serve to purify your bowl.
When doing this consecration in a group, each person should fill his/her
own bowl with water and individually add the salt and do a purification
rather than passing one bowl around the circle. This bowl will then serve
as your container for salt water to purify the chalice.
Cast the Circle as usual, and invoke Goddess
and God. Take salt water from the bowl and sprinkle over your chalice,
saying:
"Blessed be thou, cup of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. By water and earth I purify thee."
Pass the chalice through the smoke of the
incense, saying:
"Blessed be thou, cup of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. By fire and air I charge thee."
Take your athame and carve your Magickal
name or initials in runes on the chalice, saying:
"Blessed be thou, cup of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. Be thou the gateway of my dreams. So mote it be."
Take a few drops of oil and rub between
your hands. Anoint the outside ( NOT the inside) of the chalice , saying:
"Blessed be thou, cup of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. With oil I charge thee. Be thou the cradle of pleasure.
So mote it be."
Fill the chalice with wine. Pour a libation
to the Lady into the bowl of salt water if you are indoors, on the ground
if outdoors, saying:
"Blessed be thou, cup of art. By art made,
by art consecrated. Be thou ever filled with the wine of life. So mote
it be."
Drink the wine in one draught, and when
the cup is empty, turn it upside down and shout "Blessed Be!"
Follow up with trancework, cakes and wine,
and end with the Leave to Depart.
The chalice and bowl are the symbols of
Water, the great purifying Ocean; they also stand for the womb and the
receptive energy in all of us which makes us capable of giving birth (to
other human being in the case of some of us, to other kinds of creation
in the case of all of us). The West is also the region of the Gates of
Death, and the Chalice may also be the bitter cup which we would avoid
if we could but may not. The Chalice represents Faith, the third side
of the Witches' Pyramid; the Faith that lets us face whatever life and
death bring us, be receptive to it, and make creative results come from
it. It is our female strength, and our direct connection with the Lady.
Blessed Be.
Consecrations,
IV: The Pentacle
The Pentacle symbolizes the element of
Earth. Earth is the fourth side of the Witches' Pyramid, the direction
of Strength. The Pentacle can be either:
1. a flat round plate of wood or ceramic,
used to serve the cakes during Cakes & Wine. This Pentacle will be flat,
circular, and fairly large;
2. a container for salt, which stands on
the altar and is used at the beginning of the ritual (see Casting the
Circle). This may be a covered dish or jar;
3. a separate symbol with no material function.
This may be as small or large as you wish, but should be circular and
flat.
In all cases it should have a pentacle
on its upper surface, either painted, enscribed, sculpted, inlaid, appliqued,
embroidered, or whatever appeals to you.
It is a good thing to connect the way you
make your living to the materials of your pentacle; for instance, a baker
might want to make one of bread-dough; someone who works in wood or clay
might make one in their own medium. If you do not work with your hands
for a living, the simplest thing to do is to buy a round wooden disk (a
cutting board perhaps) and carve a five-pointed star on it. If you don't
make any of your other tools yourself, you should make this one: the element
of Earth is the one with which we should be most in touch, literally.
Consecrating the Pentacle:
You will need the usual salt water and
incense, plus some wine and a little oil of the North (see the Table of
Correspondences on Four), and your athame.
Purify as usual with salt water.
Charge as usual with incense.
Anoint with oil, saying:
"Blessed be thou, creature of Earth. Be
thou consecrated to the service of Earth. Be the embodiment of my work,
of my efforts, of my harvest, of my feasting. In the joy of the body,
serve me well. As I do will, so mote it be."
Scribe the pentacle with your athame, saying
:
"Blessed be thou, Creature of Earth. By
art made, by art consecrated. With my Magickal blade I charge thee. Be
thou the embodiment of my work, of my efforts, of my harvest, of my feasting.
As above, so below; as below, so above. Serve me well in both realms.
As I do will, so mote it be."
While you consecrate your Pentacle, try
to energize it with the power of your ambitions and aspirations for your
life in the world: wishes for good crops, for freedom from poverty, for
the ability to develop your talents, for meaningful work. Whether you
use the pentacle as a symbol, or to carry your purifying salt or the cakes
of your feasting, the energy you put into it will come through and radiate
into your life, giving you a solid base on which you can build whatever
you need to build. It will be your connection to the Mother. If you feel
the need to ground at any time you can do it by holding the pentacle in
your hands, touching it to your forehead, then lowering it to the ground,
saying:
"Now let the power pass from me
To end where it was begun
As I do will, so mote it be,
Chant the spell, and be it done!"
This is a good all-purpose way of ending
any Magickal work.
Blessed Be!
Consecrations,
V: The Mortar and Pestle
Two of the symbols of the Center point
are the Cauldron and the Mortar & Pestle. The difference between them
is one of form rather than function; if you think about it, you will see
that both objects are symbols of transformation. And the Center is the
direction of Transformation; in the case of the cauldron, the transformation
which happens in the womb of the Mother, in the cooking pot (because the
cauldron IS a cooking pot), the kind of transformation which uses all
four elements to produce a fifth, the quinta essentia of the alchemists.
Earth produces the meat and vegetables, Water moistens them, Fire heats
them, and the Air carries the savor to our noses, arousing hunger. We
eat, and transform both the food and ourselves. The food travels through
our bodies, to eventually fertilize the earth, and the cycle of transformation
goes on.
In the case of the Mortar & Pestle, the
imagery is more sexual. Quite overtly so, in fact; as the act of grinding
herbs in a mortar with a pestle is a perfect type of the male-female sexual
act and the production of something new from it, it stands as a symbol
of the relationship between Above and Below, of Goddess and God, of that
which gives and that which receives--in short, of the two aspects of our
personalities. The Center is the spot at which each of us stands, to judge
the Universe and be judged by it. It is all directions and none. It where
all the elements meet, in each of us. It is well, therefore, to think
of one's cauldron or mortar & pestle as a ritual object which can never
really be cleaned, spiritually speaking. Any Magick we do, anything we
cook up in the Cauldron of the soul, leaves its traces; and it behooves
each to make sure that no poison corrupts it. If you do evil, you will
keep evil with you, in the inmost center; and it will slowly poison whatever
attempts you make at doing good or preserving yourself. This is the basis
of Craften ethics: not so much that "whatever you do will come back to
you three times", as the legend goes, but that if you want good soup you
must use good ingredients. And you don't use the same pot for soup and
for poison, in your own interests. Throwing curses is like pissing into
the wind.
How to consecrate the Cauldron/Mortar
& Pestle:
You will need: Salt water, incense, your
athame, your chalice, wine, an edible oil such as olive, peanut or safflower,
and herbs (one each for the seven planets according to the following list):
SUN: angelica, bay laurel, camomile, cinnamon,
clove, rosemary, rue, saffron
MOON: bay laurel, ginseng, nutmeg, wintergreen
MARS: basil, cayenne, coriander, garlic, mustard
MERCURY: cinnamon, dill, fennel, fenugreek, mace, marjoram, parsley
JUPITER: anise seed, cloves, mace, mint, nutmeg, sage
VENUS: angelica, cardamom, marjoram, mint, pennyroyal, saffron, tarragon,
thyme
SATURN: comfrey, hemp, rue, tarragon, thyme, wintergreen
(Note: these are all edible herbs, but by no means a complete list.)
Procedure: Cast the Circle and invoke as
usual. Purify with salt water and charge with incense as usual. Pour a
little wine into the Cauldron or Mortar and anoint, saying:
"Blessed be thou, creature of art. By art
made, by art consecrated. With the wine of life I charge thee. Blessed
Be."
Pour the wine from the Cauldron into the
Chalice, to be used later. If you are using non-edible oils, anoint only
the outside of the Cauldron/Mortar; if using cooking oil, anoint the inside
as well, saying:
"Blessed be thou, creature of art. By art
made, by art consecrated. With the oil of pleasure I charge thee. Blessed
Be." (Make sure you don't forget the pestle as well as the mortar.)
With your athame, scribe your name on the
outside, saying:
"Blessed be thou, creature of art. By art
made, by art consecrated. With this Magickal blade I imbue thee with my
power. Serve me well as the vehicle of my transformation. Blessed Be."
Now take the mixture of herbs (which you
have already set aside) and pour a little into the cauldron of Mortar.
In the cauldron, rub them around the inside; with the Mortar and Pestle,
grind them up, saying:
"I mix the herbs to make the spell:
Serve me faithfully and well.
Cauldron of Cerridwen, Blessed Be."
(N.B.: make sure you do all your grinding CLOCKWISE.)
When the herbs are ground to a fine powder
with the Mortar and Pestle or rubbed all over the interior of the Cauldron,
take them and add them to the wine in the chalice. Stir this mixture with
your athame, saying:
"May all my spells work to the nourishment
of the body and the enlightenment of the mind, to the clarity of the will
and the purity of the emotions, And may I drink true gold all my life.
So mote it be."
If you have an iron cauldron, it is advisable
to season it in the oven before use, thus:
Rub the Cauldron inside with cooking oil,
enough to leave a light film on it. Place it in a 350Ù oven for an hour,
then take it out and, after letting it cool down, repeat the process.
Do this three times in all, and if you wish to do this as a ritual (why
not? the more rituals the more fun), say:
"Blessed be thou, creature of iron.
By art made, by art consecrated.
Be thou seasoned in the fires of Transformation
to become the vessel of Transformation,
the Cauldron of Rebirth,
the Source of Nourishment,
and the Timbrel of Wisdom. Blessed Be."
The cauldron should be used as a cooking
pot whenever possible, not merely relegated to symbolic status. The Mortar
and Pestle, too, should be used for practical herbal work in the compounding
of seasonings and healing herbs as well as for Magick. If you do a lot
of work with non-edible herbs, e.g., incenses, it might be wise to get
a second mortar and pestle for strictly culinary purposes. But there is
no reason to neglect the ritual consecration of your food-preparing tools.
Your kitchen should be just as much a sacred space as your altar.
In fact, anything that you use a lot should
be consecrated: your running shoes, your computer (watch it with the salt
water--a token sprinkle will do), your favorite pen...
Blessed be!
The
Wards
(thanks to Judy D of COR for this idea)
Wards are small blocks of wood with gemstones
set in the top surface, to correspond with the four directions, the God,
and the Goddess. They are used in lieu of point candles if you wish to
cast a circle and have no candles; or you can set out wards around your
bed at night to protect yourself while you sleep, or when you feel the
need for protection. If you place them in your home they will serve to
mark out a permanent protective circle; and kept in a small bag, they
are portable and make an excellent addition to your field kit.
MAKING WARDS: Cut and sand one-inch blocks
of wood. Glue gemstones to the top. You may use other objects connected
with the Gods and the Elements if you like, but here are some suggested
materials for each:
DIRECTION: East (Air)
STONES: white opal, topaz
WOOD: ash, birch
OILS: sandalwood, lavender,cinnamon
DIRECTION: South (Fire)
STONES: carnelian, Mexican opal, bloodstone, ruby
WOOD: pine, cedar
OILS: bay, camomile, clove, patchouli
DIRECTION:West (Water)
STONES: emerald, triplet opal, sapphire, aquamarine
WOOD: willow, alder
OILS: rosemary, myrrh, wintergreen
DIRECTION: North (Earth)
STONES: moss agate, matrix opal
WOOD: rowan, elder
OILS: rose, orris, musk, mint, jasmine
DIRECTION: Center (God)
STONES: garnet, fire agate
WOOD; oak, redwood
OILS: patchouli, clove
DIRECTION: Center (Goddess)
STONES: moonstone, crystal
WOOD: willow, hazel, apple
OILS: eucalyptus, lemon, wintergreen
CHARGING THE WARDS: Purify as usual with
salt water. Charge as usual with incense (fire & air). Anoint with the
appropriate oil (see chart), mixed in your hand with a little of your
saliva or blood, saying:
"Blessed be thou, guardian and protector.
Be thou sacred to the service of the Watchtower of the (East, South, West,
North). Be thou connected with me to guard me from dangers in the (direction
named). Serve me well, as I serve thee. As I do will, so mote it be."
Do this for the four directional wards. For the Goddess and God wards,
say: "Blessed be thou, guardian and protector. Be thou sacred to the service
of the (Lord, Lady). Be thou connected with me to guard me from dangers
above and below, within and without. Serve me well, as I serve thee. As
I do will, so mote it be."
SETTING THE WARDS: Use in place of point
candles at rituals, or to guard you while you sleep. Place the four directional
wards as far to the ends of the room or house as physically possible.
Place the God and Goddess wards near you, or in the direction from which
you feel danger. As you place each ward (clockwise from East, then Goddess,
then God), say to each:
"Watch and ward, protect and guard, by
the Lady and the Lord."
Place them in inconspicuous corners, by
the baseboards or on shelves or moldings where they will not be observed
but will pick up influences in the room. When you put them away, pick
each up and thank it for guarding you, and say the Leave to Depart to
each one exactly as at the end of a ritual. Keep them in a bag when not
in use, and get in the habit of carrying the bag with you when you travel.
Hang the bag over your bed at night if you are not setting them out to
guard you: so that they will pick up your vibrations, you might want to
carry them about with you for the first few weeks you have them.
Blessed Be!
The Cord
The Witch's Cord is the badge of initiation
and rank in the Craft. While you are yet cordless, you are an apprentice.
Your first cord is given to you to mark your entry into the coven, and
your new status as Priest/ess and Witch. In our tradition, this first
cord is white, a reminder of the Maiden Goddess. It signifies that you
are yet young in the Craft, and that your studies are now really beginning,
much like entry to medical school after successfully completing a pre-med
program. It means that you know enough to conduct a ritual on your own,
that you know the meaning of the various seasonal observances, and that
you have absorbed enough general knowledge of the Craft to go on in your
studies without having to ask basic questions. It also means that you
have made some sort of commitment to the Goddess and Her ways, either
working alone or in a coven.
When you receive your White Cord, your
measure is taken, and knots are tied in the Cord to denote this fact.
This means that you are known, height and breadth and depth, by the Goddess;
there is no fooling Her or shucking or sliding away from the responsibilities
She has laid upon you in this life. It also means that your co-coveners
have taken your measure, and are willing to accept you into the fellowship
in perfect love and perfect trust. This bond, which is also symbolized
by the Cord, is in some ways closer than a marriage. It takes continual
work and care and maintenance.
The Cord is also a tool of binding: you
are bound by your oath of faithfulness to the Lady and to the coven; you
are bound by the discipline which only you can set upon yourself to study
hard and to practice assiduously; and you are bound to follow the leadings
She gives you.
After a year and a day as White Cord, you
become eligible for consideration as a candidate for Red Cord (second
degree). The second cord is red to stand for the Mother aspect of the
Goddess, and the attributes of a second-degree Witch are not unlike those
of the Mother: nurturing, teaching, organizing, taking care of a coven
as High Priest/ess. Some people never attain the Red Cord, but this is
no shame: it is not for everyone.
While wearing the Red Cord, a Witch has
many responsibilities outside her/himself. Teaching and healing, counseling
and organizing, are all things which take a great deal of time and energy--sometimes
it seems as though the Red Cord is colored so by the wearer's lifeblood.
And after a time of wearing the Red Cord may come the time of moving onward
to the next stage, the third degree.
In other traditions, third-degree Witches
wear not a cord but a garter. However, in our tradition, the next step
onward (not necessarily upward--on occasion this might be a lateral move)
is the Black Cord, black to signify the Crone, the repository of Wisdom.
Since there have been (up until now) no Black Cord Witches, there is nobody
to grant the this cord to the aspirant. Thus it is necessary for the would-be
Black Cord to ask the entire coven to call the Goddess into her/him. This
completes the circle of energy and signifies that any hierarchical structure
used in the coven is there for convenience' sake alone. Once you have
been accepted as Priestess and Witch you need bow the knee to nobody.
Hopefully, however, you will have the good sense to recognize talent and
ability when you see it in another and not let yourself get ego involved
in power politics. For a Black Cord Witch the path is away from self-aggrandizement
and power and toward that portion of starry wisdom which the Goddess holds
out as a gift and a prize at the end of each particular path.
Nobody is ever entitled to a Cord: a Cord
is an indication of commitment to a path of work begun. Whether White,
Red, or Black, it is a symbol of the unfinished, of the steps each has
to take to reach perfect love and perfect trust.
Blessed Be!