Tools of the Trade

Last week, I covered the pentacle/pentagram, but in my research, I came across this handy dandy list of magical tools, and now I'm going to talk about the other tools of the trade and what I think about each, using that list as my template.

First is the athame. Oh, please, if ever there was something invented because it was coooool, this is it. Now, don't get too upset; I don't think that just because something is a recent invention, that inherently invalidates it. If it is meaningful to you and it works, then who am I to argue? But, as far as I'm concerned, the athame is, if anything, a minor tool; useful for cutting, literally and symbolically. You'll see later what I think is most important.

I was rather surprised to see bells included in the list...not least since they happen to be very important to me! Bells are a part of the universal language of music, and can be singularly helpful when dealing with the heard but not seen. I am a big fan of bells, and there's my little magical idiosyncracy for you.

Brooms are next, an oldie AND a goodie. First of all, brooms are something one can make oneself fairly simply, and I always think that a tool you make yourself is often better than using something made by someone else. Finally, there's nothing like sweeping for a useful metaphor one can actually act out.

Candles are another old reliable, and, like brooms, are another basic of human life. Even in our highly industrialized, reliably electrically lighted countries, people still keep candles around. This simple way to have and hold fire in relative safety and for a healthy duration cannot ever be anything but useful and good.

You'll be noticing a trend as I next say that cauldrons, too, are excellent magical tools. Some things just don't need much changing, and the cauldron is yet another in that category. These tools that are so fundamentally useful, and have been from the start, probably always will be. Unlike candles and brooms, cauldrons aren't often seen in modern homes, though. There's something special about the shape of a cauldron to me...I think it's a fertile shape, and we need fertility when making magic.

I think the chalice is a bit of a lift from certain other religious practices, and a poor replacement for the cauldron, though I must admit that the cup has survived into modern day use far better than the cauldron. Still, I prefer the cauldron. I won't look scathingly upon you for disagreeing on this one, though.

Clothing is, indeed, optional in a lot of rituals, but can we please do away with the cheesy "sky clad"? For one thing, it's more like "air clad", but that doesn't sound as romantic and mysterious. We all know how I feel about making things sound romantic and mysterious by now!

Dear Whoever wrote the page I linked to,
It's paten (or patin), not paton, and it's totally lifted from Catholicism. Yes, we can have a plate to put our tools on, and yes, all tools used in ritual can and will be significant, but beyond that? Moving on...

For those of you following along on the list, I'm going to depart a bit now lest I get repetitive.

Incense (including sage-burning) is a useful tool, though it has often been overused. It can symbolize air (though fire IS involved), and the popularity of aromatherapy is testament to the power odor can have, if used properly.

Finally, we get to the tool I most heartily approve of; the wand! This, in my opinion, is what should be used instead of the athame. (Except in situations where actual cutting is necessary, in which case a knife should be used, of course, magically imbued or not as appropriate, athame, boline, plain old knife, whatever you want to call it.) This is another tool one can make oneself, and wands can be changed as the person changes, which can be important.  There has always been much magic in wood, not least because it has been so essential to human survival; aside from the earth and water, air and sun from which all things come and through with all things exist, I'm not sure there is anything more important. It is fitting, then, that one of our most important tools be made from it.

Ultimately, like most magic, a tool is what you make of it, what works for you is what works for you. This is what works for me.

Comments

[Jake]

You know that I am not "magical" in pretty much any way... my picture is next to the word "mundane" in the dictionary... ;)

With the athame, how is a knife a new invention? Or is it the style of knife? or just the fact that it is now considered a magical instrument?

I find it interesting too that, of course, a tool is what you make of it. It is a tool; it is not the source of power, it is the channel of the power (which comes from the one that wields the tool). I think that some ....... ...... ..... for want of a better word ... charlatans try to make the tool the source of the power, which of course, doesn't work. This is probably why witches (or any kind of magical entity) have such a bad reputation.

Also, people, like me (who are not magical), tend to distrust those who are. It's almost a jealousy. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating the diversity, it is one more area of discrimination and hatred. These people (unlike me) coccoon themselves in their own reality, never stretching their beliefs or minds beyond their own self-imposed boundaries. Sad for them, really.

J

[Acelightning]

Well, first of all, that list of magical tools is about as relevant as a book by Silver RavenWolf, which is to say, not very :-(

Each different tradition of magic will use a somewhat different assortment of tools, although there's a lot of overlap. The athame probably comes out of "Ceremonial Magick"; it is considered the magic-user's primary tool. Each individual imbues his or her athame with a great deal of their personal power. Its function is to *direct the will*, as in delineating the Circle, or aiming power at an object. That's why it has to be made of metal, preferably iron or steel (in some traditions, it's supposed to be slightly magnetized), and be at least theoretically capable of being sharpened.

The wand is a far less personal tool, although of course any object can be personalized as much as the user desires. Its function is more to invoke, or call upon, external forces. Unlike the athame, which is made of substances that were produced and worked by human effort, a wand is usually made of "natural" substances such as wood, crystals, feathers, etc. (A sword is basically just a bigger athame, and a staff is just a bigger wand.)

The cup was *not* borrowed from Christianity; the ritual sharing of drink (and food) is considerably older. In the Norse tradition, the participants in a ritual pass around a drinking-horn filled with mead or ale.

HOWEVER...*none* of these tools are necessary for magic, or even for ritual. My son demonstrated this to a group of wannabes at a LARP once. It was Midsummer, and these people had somehow gotten the impression that he was a powerful "wizard" whose training went back generations. They wanted him to lead them in an impromptu Midsummer celebration. "But all our ritual gear is in our cabins! How can we do a ritual with no equipment?" My son proceeded to use a single small birthday-cake candle (already partially burned), a crumpled paper cup that had held McDonald's lemonade, and a twig picked up off the ground... and showed them that all the magic power they needed was within themselves. (I'm so proud of my boy!)

[Jenny S.]

Ace,
In my experience, this is a pretty complete modern Wiccan list of tools.
I specifically disagree with you on the athame; I think the wand and the athame have been reversed, and that the wand is the tool for directing one's personal power. IF you make your own athame, I can see it being more effective.
Indeed, the ritual sharing of drink and food is certainly ancient, for obvious reasons; I think it appeals to a lot of people because of the link with Christianity, and that's my main complaint on that one.
Indeed, tools are tools, and anything can work when necessary!

[Jenny S.]

Jake,

You got it, it's the style of knife, including the name (the etymology of athame is disputed, but it's NOT an old word, despite "sounding" like one), and its formal use that are newer.
Right; tools are tools, and whatever works is whatever works.
Yeah, the distrust thing is problematic, to say the least! I've blogged about that before, tangentially, at least.
I agree that it's sad when people refuse to look beyond their own horizons, and am glad there are people who are more open! :)

[Acelightning]

The explanation I've always heard for why the knife is the tool of the will is that the primary act of the will (and/or the mind) is, "Draw a distinction!", and the knife divides and separates things. Basically, though, it's a case of "this is the way X taught it to me". I could make an equal case for the wand, since it came from a living tree, is the instrument of the life-force. *shrug*