the Rite tool for the job he he he

Nevyn

I must admit I am pretty much a kitchen witch.
I have very few tools just for purely ritual work.
( ritual work , ie casting circles , spells, ect )

I find that i dislike investing too much in objects espically as
if they are kept as purely ritual object there are times they dont get used that often. I feel better connect with the knife i use for food preparing every day in my kitchen then a fancy one that has been sitting in a box or drawer.

In deed one day i was doing a lil working and if i didnt do it then it would have not got do due to the kids me forrgetting or just too tired at the end of the day.
I needed a wand and went routing finally I settled on a wodden
chopstick. I know I can see people cringing while reading this but it worked I was happy using it and with the out come.


I do have a few bits, silk cloth that was a present and a huge wine glass that is my chalice. I find that bits and peices find me
but i guess with two lil kids keeping things safe it hard unless it is packed away and it tends to be out of sight out of mind.

anyone else got differing view or stories about tools that are special to you ?

Dromed

I know exactly what you mean!! I have a three year old that still insists on climbing into my bed at 4am every morning - soon put a stop to keeping my Athame under my pillow!!! My working tools defo don't see the light of day half as much as I wish I had time for. But sometimes that can make them feel all the more special. I wouldn't worry if you feel like you have a better 'bond' as it were with certain, more ordinary tools - you have to use what's available to you and they have to feel right - after all it's not the tool but the mind in charge of it that wields the power!

Talliesin

Traditionally there is good precedent for the Kitchen Witch practice. The Gardnerian Book of Shadows says:

The same with the working tools. Let them be as ordinary things that anyone may have in their homes. Let the Pentacles be of wax that they may be melted or broken at once. Have no sword unless your rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything, write the names and signs on in ink before consecrating them and wash it off immediately after. Never boast, never threaten, never say you wish ill to anyone. If any speak of the craft, say: "Speak not to me of such, it frightens me, 'tis evil luck to speak of it."

Similar warnings appear in the rules (the duplication being one argument in favour of Valiente's assertion that the rules were created because they were expedient in the argument she was having with Gardner).
For those who dislike too much weight being put in what Gardner wrote then the (in)famous Laws of Wombat Wicca are the perfect antedote:

To avoid discovery, let your working tools be ordinary stuff such as any may have around the house: AR-15's, Patton Tanks, Howitzers. Have no names or signs on anything, and remove the ones they came with, as otherwise this can lead to a charge of receiving stolen property.
Let the Pentacles be made of wax unless something else is more convenient.
Have no sword, unless you are in the SCA or a collector of WWII memorabilia.

I used to work Kitchen-Witch style, but since have made a wand and other tools and acquired a nice Athamé and moved towards the practice of keeping tools "special".
There are strong advantages to either way of working. Some work better with particular ways of working (for instance if you borrow heavily from Ceremonial Magick then special tools are a must), but for the most part I'd say it's more a matter of taste and personal style than anything else.

pepperkin

I'm a cheerfully eclectic pagan, as well. My tools tend to be a montage of whatever I can dig out (especially now as I've been living out of boxes for 4 months...)

I have an athamé that I picked up for $5 at a farmers market. I picked it up and it "felt" right. My candleholders I use for power outtages as well as ritual. My wand is a piece of driftwood I found on a lovely moonlit night at a haunted park...
I like crystals, they resonate well with me, so I have two little crystal pouches I keep in my pillowcase with herbs (mugwort, sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and salt) silver, and crystals.

I DO have a sword...actually, I have 4 or 5 swords at last count...but I have one special sword in particular that was a gift to me, that I use in ritual...does my rank allow me one? *winks*

I collect swords and daggers and I do medieval reenactment, so I am always on the prowl at thrift shops and flea markets for cool stuff, and I usually find something or other for my altar or for my renn garb...

Many of my fellow reenactors are pagan as well (and fortunately there's a pretty low fluffbunny quotient in the SCA) so I find tons of neat toys at SCA events year round.
I figure finances need not be important in your tools, the spirit should be.

And, like Dromed says, it's the mind not the tool. Since it's a focus anyway, as long as it 'feels' right, then it works! Can't say I have ever used a chopstick but I figure in a pinch, it sounds good to me.

Incidentally, a good friend of mine and I used to brew infusions (for scrying water, or candle blessing, or whatnot) in a coffee maker. The coffee maker was too small to keep up with the coffee consumption of the household, so we bought a bigger one and consigned the smaller to ritual use. Put incense on top and blessed the coffee maker and it worked pretty well!

I have a 9 yr old and a 5 yr old...so I KNOW what you mean about having kids running around so ritual gets forgotten etc....aren't they grand

Talliesin

Originally posted by pepperkin
I figure finances need not be important in your tools, the spirit should be.

Definitely. It's nice to have well-crafted attractive items, and a good sword is always going to be a bit pricy, but I've seen athamés on the 'net for over US$100! Buying an item like an athamé over the 'net is stupid anyway. But spending $100 is ridiculous.
Give $50 to charity, and use a pen-knive!