The Tools of the Craft

Most religions have certain objects which are used for ritual purposes, and Wicca is no exception to this. The purpose of these tools varies greatly, depending on the religion. They could be used to invoke the divine, banish negativity, or to direct energies. In Wicca, all of these reasons exist, and a few others.

Wiccan Tools in Popular Mythology

Many of the tools of Wicca have entrenched themselves into the myths surrounding “Witches.” For example, the broom and cauldron are almost always associated with practitioners of the Craft. Almost everyone has seen some movie, television show, or Halloween poster that depicts a Witch flying across the moon on a broom, or using a cauldron to brew a potion, or even using a magick wand to change the form of someone who maybe was just a little irritating.

While most of these images are certainly an exaggeration, most people do not realize is the powerful magick behind these tools and their symbolism. The broom, for example, is an important symbol in Wiccan practice, used for cleansing the purifying sacred spaces, to sweep out negative energy. It was never used for actual flying, but it has an important purpose, nonetheless.

Finding Your Wiccan Tools

Obtaining these tools can be fairly simple, or an incredibly complex process. Some practitioners find their tools in nature, such as a tree branch which would serve well as a wand, or a sea shell that looks as if it would make a good chalice. Others choose to make them, using whatever materials are available at the time. Still others decide that purchasing their necessary tools is the best route.

In truth, there is no right or wrong answer here. Found, made, or bought, as long as the tool serves its purpose, and the practitioner is comfortable with it and its use, then it is the right tool.

Wiccan Tools – Necessary or Not?

Tools may not be necessary to the practice of Wicca, but they certainly serve to enrich its practice with their symbolism of the complex energies that may be worked with. While the tools themselves have no power but that which is given to them, their benefit to practitioners can be extraordinary. They can serve to focus thoughts, and often act as a “switch” telling the brain that now is the time to work magick or express spirituality.

Some practitioners would say that tools should not be used at all. Others say they should only be used as long as the practitioner is comfortable. It might be more accurate to say they should be used as long as a particular practitioner may wish, as long as he or she might feel comfortable.

Types of Wiccan Tools

The list of tools that might be used is extensive, and impossible to cover in the scope of a single article. However, some popular tools might include:

• Wand
• Cauldron
• Athame
• Chalice
• Pentacle
• Broom

These are only some of the most common of Wiccan tools. Tools should be cleansed and consecrated before use, but it is not the intent of this article to cover such things, nor is it possible to explain each tool individually here. It is enough to say that each tool has its own use and purpose, and that each should be studied independently of each other.

Wiccan Magick Explored: The Essence of Magick

Truly understanding the nature of magick requires that it be practiced to some extent. It is simply one of those odd things in life that cannot be readily explained to another, but must instead be experienced. However, there are some rules that apply when practicing magick, and some ethics that are involved in the practice of Wiccan magick.

How Magick Works

To some, magick appears illogical, as if there are no rules, no way to predict what will occur. This is not the case. Magick does indeed have its own laws and rules, rules which can be predicted and understood, much in the way of physical laws. These laws can help us understand how magick works, and what its limitations really are. Any decent course or book discussing the details of magick will include at least some of these laws.

Some of these laws would seem natural and intuitive to a Wiccan, such as the law that states that everything is linked, either directly or indirectly, since in Wiccan cosmology, that is exactly the case. However, it is important to understand these laws independent of Wiccan theology and cosmology, since regardless of whether or not one is Wiccan, magick operates in essentially the same way.

Magick in Wicca

Fortunately for the practitioner, it is not necessary to understand exactly how magick works. Rather, it is better to understand how to make it work, and this is an infinitely easier task. And remember that there are just as many ways to practice magick as there are practitioners. They range from the simple, such as the use of a crystal for protection, to the elaborate, like the performing of complex rituals and ceremonies.

Most Wiccans do both, using the simple, natural magicks for everyday needs, and employing the use of rituals during those times when it seems necessary, or at certain points of the year, such as the solar festivals or lunar rites.

There are, quite literally, thousands of different magickal systems. Even Wiccans do not have one single system. And sometimes, these systems are combined to create even more systems. Some of these systems use props and other items to accomplish this goal, but props are not absolutely necessary to successful magick. In fact, simply copying the motions and words of a ritual will not result in success. It is necessary to truly connect with the essence of a ritual or spell in order to make it work.

Magick is a positive practice in Wicca. It is not used to destroy, manipulate, or exploit others. While anyone can practice magick, in a religious context or not, Wiccans are careful not to abuse what is viewed as a gift from the divine. Magickal ethics are a powerful part of Wiccan magick.

When practicing magick in Wicca, it is more than acceptable to use spells or rituals best suited to the practitioner and the situation, even if they have to be created from scratch. It is also possible to use those rituals and spells created by others as well, but sometimes it can be difficult to find one suited to a particular situation. Wicca is a fluid tradition, and that extends to its magick, so the creation of new magicks is encouraged.

Ultimately, some type of power, whether it be personal, earth, or divine power, must be focused and released toward a goal for magick to be successful. Sometimes this can sound complex, but it's really quite simple. The only reason magick is not more widely performed is that most people lack the discipline to focus their will upon one true goal. This is the ‘secret’ to magick.

Wiccan Magick Explained: The Nature of Magick

It is common knowledge, even amongst those unfamiliar with the true practice of Wicca, that some Wiccans practice magick. Though some of what this entails ideas may be a little misguided, the idea that a Witch practices magick is ingrained in most minds today. Wicca actively embraces the idea and use of magick, and does this openly, though it is often difficult to determine where religion ends and magick begins.

What is Magick?

In Wicca, magick has a very specific role: to improve our lives, develop a relationship with the Goddess and the God, and to return energy to the earth which sustains all life. The ways in which this can be accomplished are many and varied, and each practitioner interprets these purposes for themselves.

Actually defining magick can be surprisingly difficult. The way in which it has been defined has changed drastically over the years. Today, one favorite definition is: “Magick is the focusing of will to use natural energies to achieve a desired goal.”

It’s believed that this natural energy has three main sources – personal power, earth power, and divine power. There are many variations on these three, but essentially, all power comes from the practitioner, the earth, or the divine.

Types of Power

Personal power can be defined by the energy that resides within the body of the practitioner. This energy comes from many sources, and most don’t notice it. This energy is absorbed from the sun, moon, and stars, and we get it from the food we eat and the water we drink. A small amount even comes from the air when it is inhaled, though this is lost during exhale. This energy, whatever its source, is released during movement and exercise. In general, the energy we naturally absorb is much more than the energy we naturally expend, and so is available for use in magick.

Earth power is that energy which resides within the earth and all its products, such as trees, herbs, stones, and water. All these things have their own specific, unique energies which can be accessed. Items may be dipped into water to cleanse them, or herbs can be burned to produce a certain affect, or a simple crystal can be used to effect healing. All of these are examples of earth power, and are common practice within the practice of Wicca.

Divine power is just what it sounds like – power that comes from the divine. Though both personal and earth power are manifestations of divine power, they are not directly divine power. Divine power is, however, quite common in Wiccan magick. Whenever a Wiccan invokes the presences of the God or Goddess during any type of rite, usually asking that a specific need be met, that is divine power at work. It is this type of magick that is considered to be religious magick. Magick that uses personal or earth power, without the direct presence of divine power, is not considered religious in nature.

Magick isn’t ‘supernatural’ in nature. Though it might be an occult practice, meaning that it has been, in the past, a hidden practice, it utilizes energies that are naturally occurring. It is simply that these energies have not been fully explained by science. Some of the energies that Wiccans work with have been explained, to an extent. Hypnotism, for example, is now an accepted practiced, used legitimately throughout the world by many professionals. This was not always the case, and indeed, hypnotism used to be thought of as dark magick, and a form of mind control. Society now accepts this as untrue. This type of misunderstanding has happened many times throughout the history of magick.

Other ‘magickal’ practices may soon also have a scientific explanation. Extra-sensory perception is one of these things, as science comes ever closer to explaining exactly how this may work. Just because magick isn’t fully understood doesn’t mean that it doesn’t operate according to existing universal laws. Correctly performed magick does indeed work, much the way a properly performed science experiment does.

The God in Wicca: The Nature of the Wiccan God

The God has been worshiped and honored since the beginnings of religion, not simply since the rise of Christianity. He is much more than simply the consort of the Goddess. He is Her equal, and Her counterpart. He is the sun, the skies, and the passion of life. He has many forms, and many different names, and it is this variety that allows Wiccans to connect with him on a personal and powerful level.

Facets of the God

Wiccans often see the God as the brilliant sun, rising and setting in an endless cycle, a cycle which controls the lives of every living thing. The sun is life, since most of the life on this planet would not exist without it. In this sense, Wiccans acknowledge that without the God, all that is on the planet would cease to be. It's believed that without Him, the world would die; this makes Him just as important as the Goddess.

All land that has been untouched by human hands is also the dominion of the God. Also, stars, which are but distant suns, are usually connected with Him, though they may be the dominion of the Goddess in some cases. The God is seen as the master of all wild animals, and as such, he is often seen as the Horned One. These horns represent his connection with the wild animals, the stag in particular. The horns in no way indicate evil, but rather an act that sustains and nourishes. Hunting is usually associated with the God, just as the domestication of animals is usually associated with the Goddess. This is not to say that the Goddess cannot be a huntress. It is simply more common for the God of the Hunt to be masculine.

God Symbolism in Wicca

The agricultural cycle, the growing, harvesting, and sowing of crops, is strongly associated with the sun, since it is the sun that makes this process possible. Therefore, it stands to reason that the eight solar holidays, often called the Wheel of the Year, are connected with the God and fall under His domain.

The God, together with the Goddess, rules sex and the rites of procreation. Wicca acknowledges that sex is a natural and accepted part of nature, and is necessary for the continuance of all species. In this way, sex is considered to be sacred, and it is the God who grants the urge to ensure that the species doesn't die out. For Wiccans, the Goddess is the giver of life, but the God is the spark, that which ultimately makes the entire process possible.

The God has many names, as does the Goddess. Many times in Wiccan thought, he is called Cernunnos, the Celtic Horned God. His symbols are the sword, spear, arrow, and sickle, as well as the wand, the knife, the staff, and many other phallic symbols. His creatures include, but are not limited to, the dog, the stag, the wolf, the dragon, and the eagle.

The God is not to be ignored in Wiccan spiritual practice. Worshiping only the Goddess, and excluding the richness of the God, is just as unbalanced as excluding the Goddess. His appeal rests in his versatility, in His many different forms and names, which allows Wiccans to personally connect to Him. He is as eternal as the Goddess, existing alongside Her, and a connection to Him is wonderful and fulfilling.