Wiccan Supplies Essentials

Here’s your guide to some of the most useful and essential Pagan and Wiccan altar tools!

Guest Post by Moon Light’s Magic

Wiccan Supplies Essentials

The Athame
The Athame is a ritual knife used in the witch...An athame or athamé is a ceremonial double-edged dagger, one of many magical tools used in Classic Witchcraft and other Pagan beliefs and religions such as Wicca for different ritual knives. A black-handled knife called an arthame appears in specific versions of the Key of Solomon, a grimoire originating in the Middle Ages.

The athame’s main use is for ritual and magical purposes only, to direct energy if things such as herbs or cords need to have to be cut, one more knife called a boline – a white-handled knife – is used. An exception is the “kitchen witchcraft” philosophy, which actively encourages the use of magical tools for mundane purposes to improve the witch’s familiarity with them.

An athame may well be employed in the demarcation of the Magic circle rite.

As a masculine principle, it is usually utilized in combination with the chalice, as feminine principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. This is a symbol of the Wonderful Rite in Wiccan rituals. Some contemporary witchcraft traditions may well prefer not to use iron blades, instead preferring alternatives such as copper, bronze or wood. This is most widespread amongst traditions that have a specific fondness of the Sidhe, to whom iron is supposedly harmful.

Pentacle ChaliceThe Chalice
In Wicca a chalice, as a feminine principle, is usually employed in combination with the Athame (ceremonial black-handled knife), as male principle. Combining the two evokes the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. This is a symbol of the Excellent Rite in Wiccan rituals. A chalice is also utilized in the Tiny Rite.

A chalice is a symbol of the element of water, a feminine element representing intuition, gestation, psychic ability, and the subconscious. The Cup also stands in as a symbol of the Goddess, of the womb, and the female generative organs. The chalice is often interchangeable with the cauldron.

Wiccan Altar Bell
Wiccan Altar BellBells are like the Voice of the Goddess. When you ring one, it brings the Divine’s attention to you. And your attention to the Divine.

A bell with a lovely tone will call gorgeous, healing energy to you. Bells can also be utilized to clear energy. At the end of a ritual is a good time for this, but if unwanted energy crops up throughout a ritual, you can use the bell to disperse it. The purpose is that the clear tone of the altar bell will drive away negativity and keep evil spirits at bay. There are claims that evil spirits can not tolerate the sounds of a clear high pitched bell.

Employing an altar bell to call upon the goddess will guarantee you are far more protected throughout your rituals, spells, and ceremonies.

Altar Cloths
Pagan Altar ClothIn specific Neopagan faiths, Wicca in specific, the altar cloth is placed on the altar exactly where magical workings are performed. Several altars are patterned with pentagrams, the classic symbol for Wicca.

Altar cloths prevent damage, dirt, and grime to form on your altar. It is usually best to maintain your altar clean to guarantee you appease the several gods or goddesses you may possibly be calling upon in you rituals. Keeping ones altar untidy can show disrespect to the gods and goddess, so be confident to clean your altar cloth often. Several altar cloths can be put into the wash with your other clothing whenever it is time for you to do laundry.

Altar Tiles
The altar tile is often a pentacle and used on a Wiccan altar as a focal point for ritual work. It is commonly made of metal, wood, or clay stoneware.

Pentacle Altar TileThe tile itself is usually inscribed with the pentagram (5-pointed star) and at times with other symbols. The star symbol represents the four elements of earth, air, fire, water and a fifth element of spirit, as represented by the Goddess and God. The tile is positioned with the spirit tip pointing up to signify that the spirit rules more than the elements.

Moon’s Light Magic also has an info blog about ritual tools, Wicca, Witchcraft, the occult, paranormal, and divination where you can understand almost everything you need to know on these subjects:
Wicca and WitchCraft Details Weblog
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Samhain and Halloween – what does it mean?

English: Halloween pumpkin.
English: Halloween pumpkin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in whole world. This celebration in the West means pumpkins, witches and ghosts. In other countries where Christian and Catholic roots are prevalent, the Day of the Dead is celebrated, but what’s it really about and how can you celebrate it?.

As with many festivals that we celebrate today, such as Christmas and Easter, Halloween comes from Pagan times, and was (and is still by many Pagans) called Samhain, which can be pronounced Sow-een, Sow-in or Sav-ain and is usually celebrated from or somewhere between October 31st and November 11th..

Samhain is a time when the boundaries between the living and the dead become blurred and thin, and it is the time of the year when it is supposed to be easiest for the dead to come to the earthly realm.  This has perhaps lead to the idea that Halloween is a scary time – but it should be one of respect and celebration!

I went to a Catholic girls school many years ago (kind of funny when you become a Pagan, RE lessons were always a big debate!) and my head teacher explained at assembly that Halloween is a scary time, and the following day (Day of All Saints or All Hallows) is to get rid of this badness and let the ‘good’ in.

I politely explained afterwards that in fact Halloween (Hallows Eve) and All Saints Day were derived from the Pagan festival Samhain and is about honouring the dead, and to her credit she took it on board and asked me to do the assembly next year!

As most Pagans and Wiccans believe in reincarnation, or the spirit of a person or animal as continuing in some way, this time of year is special since it represents a celebration of continued life.

Many other cultures also have a time to honour their dead, for instance in Mexico they have Los Dias De Las Muertos or ‘The Day of the Dead.’ Samhain is also the last of the Harvest festivals, as for Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere, it coincides with the last harvest before winter.  This is where the pumpkins come into it as they represented food from the harvest!

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How you can celebrate Samhain

Ceramic Mini Cauldron for burning Incense
Ceramic Mini Cauldron for burning Incense

Like any Pagan festival, the way is open for you to celebrate in whichever feels right.  However here are some traditional ways and guidelines that you may wish to follow.

A word of warning: If you are not an experienced Witch or Pagan to avoid such things as chanting or drumming to raise the dead, unless you are with experienced magick workers, as these are very strong energies! It is also wise to ask goddesses or whoever you like to invoke, for protection.

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Decorating your altar

In keeping with the harvest theme, why not decorate your altar with pumpkins, corn or hay, gourds or conkers, or anything else relating to the season. (Just use what is around if you are from the southern hemisphere!) Offerings of cakes and ale are also appropriate.

Black candles are also ideal, especially ritually charged black candles, which help to provide protection.

The cauldron is also an important symbol for Halloween, you might wish to put a mini cauldron incense burner there, and burn something like frankincense or myrrh which are traditionally used to honour the dead.

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Ritual ideas..

  • As mentioned, the cauldron is often important for Samhain rituals, so if you have a big one, this could be the focal point of your ritual.
  • You might wish to invite the Crone or Wise Woman to bring wisdom to you, or the story of the Goddess Cerridwen.
  • For honouring and contacting the dead, ritual drumming or chanting can be excellent. Why not place items of those you wish to honour on your altar?
  • Bobbing for apples is an ancient Pagan tradition, as apple magick was highly valued.  When you catch the apple in your teeth a little of your soul is supposed to creep into the apple and then you can either eat it for prosperity or bury it in your garden or a green space nearby to ensure abundance over the coming winter months.
  • You may wish to try crystal ball scrying or some other method of divination to contact those you wish to honour and communicate with.Isis for Magical Inspiration
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Goddesses and Gods you can Invoke..

  • Hecate
  • Cerridwen
  • Morrigan
  • The Wise Woman (Crone)
  • Anubis
  • Isis
  • Ishtar
  • Cernunnos

Whichever way you choose to celebrate Samhain, it’s a great time to honour the dead, celebrate life and appreciate the changing of the seasons.

Blessings

StormJewel

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Have any good Samhain ritual tips or things you like to do? Let me know in the comment box!

Learn how to make a Wiccan or Pagan altar

Wicca Pagan Altar
Wicca Pagan Altar (Photo credit: dragonoak)

An Altar or Sacred Place is a great way to show your devotion to the god and goddess and any other deities or special times of the year you would like to venerate and celebrate.

You can use it to keep your magickal and ritual items on, and it’s a great place to retreat to for some meditation, or to do a spot of candle magick for instance.

As with so much in the Pagan faith, everything you choose for your altar is up to you but I’m going to give you some suggestions and explain the significances of certain ritual items, and the elemental correspondences.

Many of the things for your altar you can get at home or in nature, or make yourself but if you want to buy certain things you can head over to my shop as you will find everything you need, including coloured candles, athames, chalices, mini cauldrons, bells and much more.

I’ve created a Hub Page that has what you need to know to make this sacred space.

Find out how to make your own Pagan or Wiccan Altar and all the supplies you need here.

Enjoy and Blessed Be!  StormJewel x