Carolina Dean
A Modern Witch's Book of Shadows
Tools of the Trade
Before we begin talking about the Witch's Tools, I feel that I must first point out that it is not the tool that works, but rather it is the practitioner. The only tool that a witch truly needs is the tool of self. While there are numerous tools available to the working witch, the major ones traditionally are the Wand, Pentacle, Athame, and Cup--however there are others. Each tool has developed associations over the years and different traditions exchange and re-interpret these associations to suit their needs.
It is important to remember that tools are nice, and there's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction that you get from making your own altar tools and being able to take pride in your craftsmanship; but for those who haven't yet got the confidence or inspiration to attempt to make their own tools, there's certainly nothing wrong with purchasing them from another source.
When it comes to purchasing your own tools, lore dictates that you aren't supposed to haggle over the price. Before going out to shop, it is wise to ask Spirit to bring you that which you need at a price that you can afford. It is important to be reasonable in your request. Once the request is made, have faith that the right item for you will come to you. When it does, it is important that you purchase the item, lest you offend those who granted your request.
With the growing trend of e-commerce there are numerous websites appearing on the internet daily and so it's important that you shop safely online.
Additional Links
The Wand
The Wand corresponds to the South and the element of Fire. Its color is Red, its season Summer, and its time Noon. The wand is associated with the Witch's will and it is used to direct, or move energy.
Traditionally, the wand is roughly the same length as that from your own elbow to the tip of your smallest finger and about as thick as your thumb. It can be painted, decorated with symbols, tipped with crystals, or left plain.
The Wand is consecrated when the Full Moon is in a Fire Sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) on the day (Tuesday, Sunday, Thursday) and in the hour (Mars, Sun, Jupiter) of that sign's planetary ruler.
How to Make Your Own Wand
Traditional lore, dictates that to make your own wand one must rise early on the morning of the Full Moon. Next, go alone to a wooded area with a new, unused axe and find a healthy living tree. One must then ask the tree for permission to take one of it's branches in order to make your wand. If the permission is not given, you must respect the answer and seek another tree.
Once the permission is given, you then cut the branch in one swing of the axe and wrap it in special cloth. Before returning home the tree which donated a part of itself to your cause is given a ritual offering for it's sacrifice.
The branch is then reduced to correct size (long as the space between your elbow and the tip of your smallest finger) and stripped of all bark. The branch is then wrapped up again and allowed to dry for a week. Afterwards, use sandpaper to smooth down the nubs left from the twigs.
At this point, the wand can be embellished in several ways including the following:
- Hollowing out the tip(s) and setting crystals in the sockets.
- Painting or Staining the Wand.
- Using a wood burning tool to inscribe symbols on it's surface.
- Wrapping the handle in leather or ribbon for better gripping.
How you embellish your wand, or not, is completely up to you and whatever you choose will be right for you. Once the wand is finished it is important that it be ritually blessed and consecrated. (See Bath of the Elements, this page)
For those who don't feel up to this process, there are easier methods. For instance. In the early days of my craft I purchased a wooden dowel from a local hardware store, which I then soaked in chamomile tea (which is known to be a fiery herb), which acted as a natural stain. I then allowed the wand to dry and to personalize it, I anointed it with three drops of my own blood before cleansing and blessing the wand.
I've even used a decorative wooden spoon as a wand.
The Cup
The Cup corresponds to the West and its element is Water. Its color is Blue, its season is spring and its time is Dawn. The Cup is associated with the Witch's love and it holds power over life, death, and regeneration.
Traditionally, the Cup is silver, or brass, however, some witches use Cups made of clay, wood, and even crystal. The Cup is consecrated when the Full Moon is in an Water Sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) on the day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) and in the hour (Moon, Mars, Jupiter) of that signs planetary ruler.
Again, witches with an artistic bent can create their own Cups as easily as taking a pottery class. If all else fails there's ebay or a host of other merchants from which you can purchase your Cup.
Witches who are new to the craft and aren't sure that want to invest in a Cup, or who are on a budget have many choices available to them. They include:
- Consider searching second hand stores and looking through the wine-glasses and the like for a suitable Cup.
- Empty a tin can and wash it throughly, but be sure when the lid is removed there aren't any jagged edges that could cause you to cut your hand or lips.
- Use a measuring cup, your favorite coffee mug, or a special drinking glass you already have around the house.
The Athame
The Athame corresponds to the East, and the element of Air. Its color is Yellow, its season Fall, and its time Sunset. The Athame is associated with the Witch's mind and it reminds us to balance power with reason. It is used to invoke and banish energy.
Traditionally, the Athame is double sided, its handle is black and its blade is dull. The reason for this is that it is not used to cut things on the material plane, but rather on the spiritual plane.
The Athame is consecrated when the Full Moon is in an Air Sign (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) on the day (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) and in the hour (Mercury, Venus, Saturn) of that sign's planetary ruler.
Metal-smithing being a very specialized skill, you may not be able to make your own Athame. Again, you may have to seek out merchants from whom to purchase your Athame. However there are also other options available to you as well, including.
- Second Hand Stores
- Pawn Shops
- Guns Show vendors often have daggers among their wares.
In addition you can also paint the handle of a butter knife black, or failing that wrapping it in black electrical tape.
How to Make Your Own Athame
You will need the following:
Hammer
Cardboard
Scissors
Yarn
Glue
Tin Foil
Tape
2) Using your ruler, draw a basic T-Shape on a sheet of card-stock that is approximately 5 inches long and 3 at its widest part. Cut out the T-Shape and then fold it in half and using your scissors, cut the T-Shape in to a symmetrical design. This will be the pattern for the handle of your athame.
4) Glue the blade you removed from the kitchen knife between two of the cardboard cut-outs. Make sure you use lots of glue. You may want to lay the knife on a flat surface and place something heavy on top of it.
5)When it is dry, glue the second two pieces just as you did the first two. Allow to dry.
6) When this is dry, there is bound to be some shifting of pieces so trim the handle so that it has a clean edge and that the both pieces of cardboard are even.
7) Now hold the Athame for a few minutes to get an idea for how it will feel in your hand. Does the handle feel too long? Would you rather then edges be rounded or have corners? Trim and adjust as desired, although I wouldn't attempt to get too detailed and fancy in my design.
8)Wrap tin foil around the handle shaping it as desired. When you are done, wrap the handle with tape to hold it all together.
9) Finally, wrap the entire handle with yarn (your choice of color). You can wrap the entire handle with one long piece of yarn, getting as close to the tips as possible. When you are done, you can wrap the tips in a spiral pattern to cover the handle completely by smearing the tip with glue first and carefully laying down the yarn.
11) Finally, paint the handle with a clear lacquer to seal everything. If you desire you can paint the handle a specific color before sealing with lacquer.
The Pentacle
The Pentacle corresponds to the North, and the element of Earth. Its color is Green, its season Winter, and its time Midnight. The Pentacle is associated with the body of the witch, and it is used to manifest and protect. Traditionally, the Pentacle is a round piece of metal, wood, or clay, on which is inscribed a five-pointed star within a circle.
The Pentacle is consecrated when the Full Moon is in an Earth Sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) on the day (Friday, Wednesday, Saturday) and in the hour (Venus, Mercury, Saturn) of that signs planetary ruler
How to Make Your Own Pentacle
A fairly attractive, durable, pentacle can be made with very few supplies and at a reasonable cost. I, myself, have made a pentacle using the process which I am about to describe and it has lasted for five or more years now. This pentacle can be seen in the picture above under the heading of the altar.
To begin, find a picture of a pentagram that you like and using a word processor program reset its size so that it is the same size as you wish your pentagram to be. Cut out the pentacle and color the back of the picture with a pencil or black crayon. Tape the picture to a piece of cardboard and and using a ruler trace the lines which comprise the pentagram.
When you are done, remove the picture and color in the lines made from tracing the pentagram with a black permanent marker such as a sharpie. Next, using a large, sharp pair of scissors cut the pentagram out of the cardboard. Use this piece to trace out two more circular pieces of cardboard which you then glue to the bottom of your pentacle in order to give it more thickness. As the glue dries, place it on a hard surface and weigh it down with heave objects to hold it together.
When the glue is dried, spray the entire pentagram with several coats of clear varnish and allow to dry. The varnish will help hold everything together and give the pentacle a protective coat. Finally, when the varnish is dried the pentagram is cleansed and blessed in a ritual ceremony.
Whereas some witches will scoff at making a pentacle out of cardboard, I think that it entirely appropriate as cardboard is made from tree pulp and that the black marker alongside the brown/tan cardboard reflects the energies of the earth nicely. However, if this pentacle doesn't suit you, there are other choices available to you.
- Purchase a pentacle from a vendor or merchant.
- Using special paints to decorate a dinner plate or saucer.
- Draw the pentagram on a dinner plate in special oils which are later washed off after blessing the plate. The idea here is that though you wash away the oil, the essence of the pentagram remains.
The Bath of the Elements
In sacred space, mark the four points of a magick circle with their corresponding elements. Standing in the center of the circle, face North, ground and center, and invite the presence of the God and Goddess, saying:
“I call upon the Lord and Lady,
Please be present here with me;
As I dedicate this tool to you,
And to the work with it it’ll do”
Starting in the North and ending in the West, hold the object over the element and say:
“From the
(North, East, South, West)) the element of
(Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
now cleans,
This (object) for positive means.
This should be followed by two additional rhyming lines, which describe the function you wish the object to fulfill. At each point, you should repeat your additional lines, after the world “for positive means” are spoken, while concentrating on charging the object with the energy it will need to fulfill it’s function. When you are done, face North again and hold the object out at eye level and say:
“Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
Come to me and do not falter;
I ask that you now coalesce,
Your energies here, & this (object) bless.”
Repeat your rhyming lines again, thank the God and Goddess in your own words. Walk away in ‘perfect love and perfect trust’ secure in the knowledge and belief that your work was successful.
Your Workbook of Shadows
EXERCISES
- Obtain the largest dictionary that you can find with the intention of finding your magickal name. Close your eyes and open the book at random, then point to a random spot on the page. The word that your finger lands on will be your magickal name for the time being. If your finger lands on the definition of a word, use the word defined as your magickal name. Write the word that your finger pointed on and beside this write the definition of the word. Consider how this word relates to you and write your thoughts down below the definition. Leave room for future entries. If you can make no immediate connection between yourself and the word, leave this space blank for the time being.
- Set aside an area to act as your altar. Decorate it with, at least, symbols of the four elements such as a candle for fire, a dish of salt for earth, a feather for air, and a dish of water for the element of water. Draw a diagram of your altar layout in your journal.
- Write and perform your own altar blessing. Record your ritual in your journal.
- Each day, go to your altar and make it a point to commune with deity. Such communion can take the form of prayer, meditation, journaling, etc....
- Begin to collect your basic tools. Dedicate at least one page in your journal to each tool. Research the correspondences, symbolism, and uses for each tool and record these in your journal.
- Write your own blessing ritual for your tools. Perform the ritual for each tool, either one at a time or all at once, then record the ritual in your journal.
