08 Episode Five - Tools of the craft

("Inspector Gadget" theme song) Have you figured it out yet? Do you know what is the single-most important tool you can possibly have when you're working with Witchcraft? You. That's right. You guessed it. You. You don't need a SINGLE magickal tool. Not one. Magick comes from the Universe and yourself to give your work the intention it needs to work. So then, why we want o use tools at all? Do you have any clue? Do you have any ideas? Well, first and foremost, to DIRECT the magick or energy, Secondly, to get yourself in the right frame of mind. A lot of times, when we have different tools to use, it will help us to feel more special Say you're making cookies in the kitchen, with your Mom or Dad. If you have an apron on, maybe one that looks really cool, then it will make you feel more special. Sometimes you have a special song you like listen to when you're doing certain things. It helps you to feel good. Tools will help you to do that. Magickal tools will get you in the right frame of mind. No matter which ones you're using. And the third reason why you might want to use tools, (Laughter) is because it's fun! You can get creative! And you can really get things movin' and groovin'. So those are the reasons why you might want to use tools. Witchcraft, or magick, which is shaping outcomes using your intention and imagination, is very much like any other skill. You have to DO it in order to get better. Like writing or singing or painting or drawing. There are many different kinds of skills and talents which can be developed in order to improve them. Success through magick is the same thing. So then, Tools of the Craft. Everybody uses tools differently. I know you're not surprised to hear that. How well each of them works depends on your intention and how much power you put into each tool you use. You should know that you should NEVER touch other Witches' tools without permission. It's not polite. Each tool usually has its owner's energy in it. Your bicycle has YOUR energy in it, your ipod, or your laptop. You don't want people toucing those things. It's not polite. And they have your energy in them. They're yours. So touching them without permission may disrupt that energy, even if you have absolutely no bad intention. If someone accidently DOES touch YOUR magickal tools, or puts something on your altar that doesn't belong there, don't panic. No harm is done. Just politely ask them to remove the objects from the altar. So let's talk about specific tools now. The athame, which is a ritual blade, is a knife. Balinnor already told you about this one. The point is the point. It's a two-sided blade. It's not used to cut anything in this world, it's only used to direct energy in casting Circles and in creating Sacred Space. Some Witches feel the Athame is a symbol of Air and East because of the "sharpness" factor. If someone says "You're sharp," that means "you're smart," and so some match the Anthame with East and the Element of Air, which is all about knowledge and wisdom. Others match this tool with the South and the Element of Fire because most athames are are forged in the Element of Fire. Whichever direction or Element YOU choose to match your tools with, you should always have a reason for what you do. No matter if "most people" think one way, and you think another way, you should always have a reason for what you do. Your intention, as you should know by now, is what makes all the difference. So, let's talk about a sickle, or a scythe. This one can have a sharpened blade either on the inside or on the outside. It's usually used to cut emotional ties when using it in a spell or ritual. It's very effective for this purpose. Not to mention wicked-looking! A with the sharpened blade on the inside, it can be used as a symbol for Goddess, because it's moon-shaped. It can also be used to harvest herbs, whether those herbs are used for sacred purposes or not. A sickle can also be used to direct energy, much like an athame or a wand. So let's talk about wands, then. This is another "Traditional" tool of Witchcraft. Long ago, when when people first started using anything other than their finger as a wand, they usually couldn't afford the expense of the steel or metal in order to have an Athame forged. So, what they used was what was at-hand, which were sticks. When trees are all around you, you've got sticks to use. Some Witches feel the Wand is a symbol of Fire and direction of South because you can burn it. That makes sense. Others feel that this tool is a symbol of East, and the Element of Air, because wands are made from trees, and a tree's branches reach out into the air and the sky, and can be a symbol of reaching for higher wisdom. Since the Element of Air is a symbol for knowledge and wisdom, that makes sense too. Like Anthames, Wands are used to direct energy. Wands can be used for different things, depending upon the wood used to make them. The type of energy used can be changed or enhanced by the type of wood used in the wand. Rosewood, for example, helps in healing. The rose itself is associated with West and Water, and both represent healing. A Willow wand is traditional for handfastings to bring blessings of health, happiness, luck, and love. A Witch-Hazel Wand is often used for purification. Witch Hazel, which is an herb, is an astringent, which means that it makes the tissues contract, or tighten up and it cleans stuff up. These are just a few examples of the different kinds of wood used for making wands, and why you CAN use different kinds of wood when making a wand. Sometimes people will use roots for wands instead of the branches of a tree. There's all kinds of different things you can use. But you should know that just because you don't know the magickal properties of the different kinds of trees doesn't mean that you can't use it. You might not even have any idea at all what kind of tree a branch or stick came from, but you like the feel of it. When people first started using sticks, they discovered for themselves just what worked and what didn't work. You need to remember that even if everyone else uses any kind of tool for one thing and you use it for another thing, that's okay. Our ancestors, the people who lived long ago, and didn't have access to the internet, or tv, or ipods, or anything else, no -- not even any books! -- THEY learned the properties of each kind of wood, rock, grass, crystal, tree, and all kinds of other things, by experimenting. What works well for one person doesn't always work well for another person. So experiment! Get out there and see what each tree, what each rock, what each grass type, which each crystal -- feel for yourself. What does this feel like to ME? Each person is different. We each have a different chemical makeup. And so each different part of the Earth is going to feel different to each one of US. When you're looking for a Wand, or any other magickal tool, be in the frame of mind that you are on a quest. That's right! (hums "Mission Impossible" theme) (Clears throat) So, be on a quest. Prepare for finding it as you would for a ritual. Ask God and Goddess for Their help. Sure you should! If you take something from Nature, leave something of value in return. Always make sure to say thank you. You want to give a GIFT for the spirits of the tree or the area, or the land. It should be something personal. Maybe a crystal for the spirits, or a stick of fertilizer for the tree. Maybe a cup of water. Leave something. If you're buying something from a store (or online) then the money you're spending is the exchange or "price" you pay. However, If the Universe puts something in your path, be grateful and accept it. If you do find something in your path and you have nothing to give in exchange at that moment, first of all, you can give your thanks, but you don't have to return to the exact same place in order to give something back later. Some Witches and Traditions have an offering bowl or a place specifically for offerings. But you can use your imagination to figure out how you might give something back. Whether you buy or make your tools, either is okay. Keep in mind the purpose of the tool. Is it pretty and shiny? Is that why you want it? Is it plain and simple? What speaks to you? And why? Keep in mind the purpose of the tool. When people talk about Elements and about Tools, you may often hear them say that they are masculine or they are feminine. For now, I will simply tell you that if someone says a tool is masculine, that means it DIRECTS energy and if someone says a tool is feminine, that means it HOLDS energy. Neither is better than the other, they are simply USED differently. Is your left shoe better than your right shoe? They both serve different purposes. The same is true with masculine and feminine energy. That does NOT mean that only a boy can use a tool that DIRECTS energy and only a girl can use a tool that HOLDS energy. Anybody and everybody can use any and every tool. So how about a Chalice or a Cup? It's used to hold liquid. Water or, sometimes, Sacred wine. Sometimes mead! It's a symbol of Goddess. Cups are feminine, because they HOLD energy. The material used for the chalice really doesn't matter. Unless you WANT it to matter. THEN it matters. Some Witches keep a chalice on their altar filled with liquid. If you're going to do this, then make sure that you refresh the liquid every day, because it's disrespectful to have a chalice sitting around collecting dust. You should be refreshing it at least once a day. In older times, cups were said to be a symbol of abundance, so an empty cup was not a good thing. Pentacles. A Pentacle is a 5-sided star with a circle around it. The circle is an important part of the whole and represents the connection between everything. Some say it represents all the Elements together, some say it represents the figure of a human. A Pentacle IS a symbol of Power and of the Element of Earth and is associated with, or represents, or matches, the direction of North. Energy comes up from the Earth itself into whatever is placed on top of the Pentacle. It is used to HOLD energy, instead of DIRECTING energy. Cauldrons. Can be used to mix potions in and/or to burn things in. Brooms, are used to sweep. Most of the time we use them to sweep away negativity. Do YOU know what the difference is between a broom and a besom? Well maybe you could drop me a note to let me know that you DO know. Maybe you could ask someone you know. Your Mom, your Dad, someone in your coven. Maybe you could look it up. And send me a note to friendsofrupert@yahoo.com And then I will read YOUR answer on one of our future episodes. So, do you know what the difference is between a broom and a besom? Drop me a note. Now, the next tool we'll talk about are bells. (Bell ringing) Ding a ding ding! (Laughter) Bells are used to break up energy. They are often seen on altars. Some Witches ring a bell a certain number of times at the beginning of ritual, and sometimes at the end of one. And sometimes both. Bells and rattles can be used to clear up and break up energy. Bells are associated with the Element of Air and the East because of their sound. Ring a ding ding! And, like Balinnor said, a Boline is a white-handled knife used for cutting stuff in the mundane, which is non-magickal items. A Book of Shadows. This is the most important tool you can have, and is probably the least used by most people that I know. You can, and SHOULD, write your spells and rituals in your Book of Shadows, so that you will know what did and did not work. A Book of Shadows is very important to every Witch. It doesn't matter if it's a notebook or a 3-ring binder, or even if you keep it on your computer. It doesn't matter if it's fancy or if it's plain. If you're doing spells or rituals, you really SHOULD keep a Book of Shadows. Other Tools include candles, oils, crystals, incense, bric-a-brac, little wooden boxes, herbs and many, many other items -- literally ANYTHING -- can be used for magickal purposes. The important thing is your intention. The next time you cast a spell, drop me a note and let me know how it went. I'd really like to know. (Magical Harp Sound)