tools of the wicca...

BEAT

The following passages were taken from the book..Wicca A guide for the solitary practioner, by Scott Cunningham.

The Broom:
Witches use brooms in magic and ritual. It is a tool sacred to both the Goddess and God. This is nothing new; pre-colombian Mexico saw the worship of a type of witch deity, Tlazelteotl, who was pictured riding named on the broom. The chinese worship a broom Goddes who is invoked to bring clear weather in time of rain.
Then too, probably because of its phalic shape, the broom became a powerful tool against curses and practitioners of evil magic. Laid across the threshold, the broom halted all spells sent to the house or those resident within. A broom under the pillow brouht pleasant dreams and guarded the sleeper.

Witches flying on brooms were tales invented by witch persecutores.

Wand:
Is the instrument of invocation.It is also sometimes used to direct energy, draw magical symbols or a circle on the ground, or even to stir brew in a cauldron. The Wand represents the elment of air to some wiccans, and is sacred to the Gods.

Censer:
The censer is an incense burner. the censer holds the smoldering incense during Wiccan rites.

Cauldron:
Ancient vessel of cooking and brew making.
The Wicca see the cauldron as a symbol of the Goddess, the manifested essence of femininity and fertility. It is symbolic of element of water, reincarnation, and fertility.

Magic Knife: or Athame
It isnt used for cutting perpose but to direct the energy raised during rites and spells. It is seldom used to invoke or call upon the deities for it is an instrument of commanding and power manipulation. We'd rather invoke the Goddess and God.
The knife is usually dull, double edged, with a black or dark handle.

White-handled knife:
Generally used as a practical working knife.

Crystal Sphere: (quartz crystal)
In Wiccan ritual, the crystal is sometimes placed on the altar to represent the Goddess.
It may also be used to receive messages from the Gods, or to store energy raised in ritual.

Pentacle:
An instrument of protection, or a tool used to evoke sprits.
Represents element of Earth.
Are sometimes hung over doors and windows to act as protective devices.

Book of Shadows:
A Wiccan workbook, composed by each individual wiccan.Contains invocations, ritual patterns, spells, runes, rules, etc...
Kind of a diary of your practice.

There is also a Bell and a cup, but they are self explanitory.

Nevyn

i have a broom it is red and it wonderfull for sweeping all my floors.

The last thing i used for a wand was a wodden chop stick.

I have a Cauldron there are marigolds growing in it.

I have a insense holder.

Most of the knives int he kitchen draw can double as Athame or white handled knife.

You may have gathered that I am not a witch that is big on ritual but prefer the bubblings of my own kitchen

Talliesin

Originally posted by BEAT
Laid across the threshold, the broom halted all spells sent to the house or those resident within

Not so long ago a broom on your treshold or near the door was a subtle way of saying "I'm a prostitute, and open for business" with the advantage that one could claim to have merely left it there after sweeping by mistake if the wrong person saw it. It could hence have brought more nastiness to your door than it blocked!

Witches flying on brooms were tales invented by witch persecutores.

There is good evidence that "flying" on brooms either originates in a fertility ritual where people astride brooms would jump as high as they could with them as sympathetic magick to make crops grow. There is also good evidence that it originates in the ritual use of certain psychadelics, in particular fly algaric, which can induce hallucinations.
It could be both, it could be neither.
However, there is better evidence for the idea of witches flying on brooms having a real origin in pre-Christian and/or folk practice than there is for most of Wicca.

There is also a Bell and a cup, but they are self explanitory.

I've been to rituals where a bell was used, but I never use it myself.

I wouldn't call the cup "self-explanatory"! Really you can make do without any of these if you have to, but I'd really want to lay my hands on some sort of knife and some sort of cup. If there was one act that I would say was central to Wiccan ritual it would be the cakes and ale, which you need the chalice for. (Heavy emphasis on "I" there, I'm no more the "one true authority" than Cunningham is). Most of the attributes that Cunningham is assigning to the cauldron can be applied to the chalice.

Similarly while I don't use bells and to Cunningham they are "self explanitory" (from which I assume he means they are used to make a ringing sound, but for little else) they are of great importance to some workings, particularly those who borrow heavily and explicitly from Ceremonial Magick.

Swords could be added to the list, though anything you might use a sword for you can use an athamé for. Scourges can also be added although they appear to be less commonly used than once, with some people never using them at all.

Em, staffs I suppose - again something I don't use myself, though they are important in Valiente's use IIRC.

In some traditions some of the items are used, but not considered to be a magickal tool per se, notably the boline, or white-handled knife. Other people don't make this distinction. Some even consider consecrated jewelry, crowns, robes etc. to be tools.

Talliesin

Oh yeah, and cords as well.

BEAT

I must apologise, rather than go on to what cunningham said about bells and cups I let it be as I felt it was self explanitory...he did have a definition but I was typing this all so late at night that I couldnt be arsed into going into detail
Sorry.

Also, yes people can use jewlery or charms, its not really a tool though...more of an item of inspiration or meditation. We ourselves are the one true 'Tool" our energy is where to look

You can also use candle's as a tool


I am not a Wiccan, or things of sort really, I am a natural witch
(if there is such a thing). I have abilities that are not explainable and have recently been reading up on Wicca, and witchcraft and the sort to see where I fit in. I do find myself agreeing with the ways of Wicca the more I read...Love of nature, life, self , others etc... I have always been able to "do things" I have a tremendous amount of psychic energy. I do not know what it all means yet, I have been looking for answers for years, but when I meet other "witches" or people in the field they know my gifts are great, They sense it, and thats when I know that they are for real So many out there are fake or just wierdo's
It's not something I talk about generally, not many people know really...I hesitate to post here actually.
I suppose it wont hurt much
I first realised I wasnt alone when in school and taking psychology in highschool...reading that there are other people out there that actually can do things I can do, made me feel better.
I, however, am confused having been catholic and having beliefs I find it hard to decide what is real and true, right and wrong, religion is a confusing thing,..I believe in so many religions and that no one is wrong but it contradicts with the "rules" each religion has, ya know.
Why cant I practice more than one religion, really...I enjoy all of them...except jehova witnesses...or those cristian science people..the strange ones that insist you do certain things that do not have any real good reason.
Anyway, I believe there is a creator, I believe Love is the most important thing you can have, and I believe you get treated the way you treat others. That sums it up for me really.
As for the rest of it, If I had to explain it to God, or the Creator I guess I would say...you made me so my abilities cant be bad...they are a gift, and gifts are to be used. Thats what I tell myself anyway...takes the edge off of the Catholic's saying I am a soothsayer and will be damned. lol
ok, enough ranting from me

[DF]Lenny

In many ways u sound like me ..

[DF]Lenny

wot da hell is a wicca neways bar someone dat thinks dere psychic?

[DF]Lenny

BEAT u a portal?

silja

Lenny: Wicca is a religion, like any other. Not all Wiccans are psychic, though many would work on this to strengthen their psychic links and intuition. Also, not all psychics are Wiccan...

BEAT

true silja, Wiccan is a religion, and that religion states that they do not believe in the "superNatural" so I do not see how someone who is Wiccan can claim to be Psychic. Which is why I am not wiccan, as I do have supernatural abilities. It's all very "catch 22" if you ask me.

df lenny, by how do you mean being a Portal?

silja

Wiccans do not belive in the supernatural? Never heard of that! I guess it would depend on what you rterm supernatural- some Wiccans may argue that things such as intuition, pre-cognition etc are natural, rather than super natural.