The ritual tools of Wicca are powerful symbols, connecting us to greater energies beyond our everyday perceptions. Each tool has its own story, its own symbolism and vital archetypal energy that it taps into.

Going further than the Elemental association, for even They have a simpler correspondence, each tool has a basic association: masculine or feminine. The reasons for this go further than being a basic expression of animal life (i.e. male and female,) but to what it is these two sexes accomplish when united. Together, they are Creator, that which is able to bring forth new life into this world. (Going off of the Law of Similarities, we should thus be able to create anything, magickally, with these tools.) And it is this ability to create, this fertility, that is at the utmost core of Wicca.

Many erroneously describe Wicca as a Nature religion as opposed to the Fertility religion it rightfully is. The difference in these two terms is what they emphasize. Being a Nature religion means a belief in the Natural world being sacred, a belief in animism and an immanent Divine. A Fertility religion, on the other hand, is based upon the driving forces behind the Natural world, the ebb and flow of energies, that which turns not just the Wheel of the Year, but the wheel of Life and Death as well. As this energy permeates all (and is also beyond it) it is only to be expected that the Natural world is honored, for just as we are, it is an extension of this energy and is thus, just as we are, sacred.

This is the energy that is sought when a Wand is raised and this is the energy that is honored when Athame enters Chalice. Each tool is a representation of that which we are most familiar with in the dance of creation, the very parts of us that we use to create. Accordingly then, every Athame, every Wand, represents Man and the animating force that allows all to exist and every Chalice, every Cauldron, represents Woman and the matrix from which all emanates. The use of these tools in ritual affirms the sanctity of life and that which creates it.

The symbolism is simple, for these are very basic energies. But the power that is in turn wielded and honored is nothing less than the driving force of the Universe.


Other Articles You May Like:
The Tools of Wicca and Witchcraft
Ritual: a Reminder of the Sacred
The Importance of Making your own Tools

Prayers are a common part of nearly every religion, even a religion such as Wicca, where magick is used frequently to attain goals. The use of prayer in a belief system that utilizes spells, though, can seem odd, almost redundant. But, there is a difference between the two, not just in what they are, but in how one goes about praying versus how one casts a spell. And because of these differences, both can be effectively employed in one’s spiritual practice to attain the heart’s desires.

A prayer, at the most fundamental level, is simply a request. In prayer, we call upon a power outside of ourselves to manifest our goal. This power that we call upon may be a God, a Goddess, an Ancestor, a Saint, or any other spiritual or energy based entity. But the emphasis is that, in prayer, we are asking Someone else to grant our request, we are putting the power to manifest our desire in Someone else’s “hands.”

With a spell, we are taking control of forces outside of ourselves, manipulating them as per our own will, and manifesting our goal. There is no asking, supplication, offerings, or such: we grab onto the appropriate energy and our will be done! So, we use the energy about us in combination with the energy within us to bring about our desire; we “take matters into our own hands.”

Both prayers and spells can be accomplished in similar ways. They may both involve incense, tossing paper with words written upon it into a fire, chanting, and the presence of the Gods and other entities. But a prayer involves asking the Gods, or other entities, for Their help and leaves it at that; a spell requires you to raise the energy and send it out; the Gods don’t manifest your goal you do. Granted, the Gods may see fit to prevent your spell from coming to realization (They can do that, you know,) but, none-the-less, you are the primary force responsible for creating your desired change.

Prayers and spells are also able to be combined into an effective single working, and though the use of tools and props is nice, neither requires anything more than a clarity of thought and focus. 

Many religions have a special ceremony marking the entrance of an individual into that religion. Within Wicca, specifically within British Traditional Wicca, there are several such initiations. But the first that may take place is for that of a child and is called a Wiccaning.

Like many Rites of Passages for children, the Wiccaning marks the entrance of that child into that religion. In this respect, a Wiccaning is much like that of a Christian Baptism. However, there is a significant difference between a Wiccaning and a Baptism; this is found in the meaning of the Rite.

Within Wicca, as well as most Neo-Pagan religions, there is an emphasis on free-will, respect for all life, and spiritual progression. What this translates to in a Wiccaning is that it is a dedication of the religion to the child (not the child to the religion as with a Christian Baptism) as all must come to this path willingly and are free to leave whenever they so choose; none are forced against their will. This dedication takes place in the form of a promise by the community to not just teach the child the ways of the religion, but to be there in the form of support and guidance throughout that child’s life, respecting the choices and decisions they make. In this context, the term community refers to the parents and any other family members and friends that may be present at the Rite.

Common to all Wiccanings, regardless of Tradition, is this promise by the community, a Blessing by the Gods and Elements (and perhaps by the Ancestors, too,) and the giving of one or more gifts by the community. This Blessing is not to be confused with a Baby Blessing, which introduces the child to the Gods and asks for Their blessing and protection of the child.  The Blessing within a Wiccaning asks for the Gods to bless the child and calls Them to bear witness to the promises made by the community to the child, as well as introducing the child to the Gods as one of Their own (as the child is now to be raised in knowledge of Them and taught how to honor and worship Them.) 

The gifts that are given vary per Tradition in quantity and significance, such as four gifts each representing an Element, one gift from everyone present representing various qualities of that child’s gender (e.g. something symbolic of strength for a boy child, something representing grace for a girl child, etc.) or one gift representing the religion or community.

Wiccanings are found within both British Traditional Wicca and Eclectic Wicca and can be a very positive, unifying event for a family. This Rite may or may not be performed within a coven setting and may or may not include a High Priest(ess) or other Pagan clergy. It is a Rite well suited to be performed with just the parent(s) and that child.

A key component to all Wiccan rituals and works of magick is the Magick Circle. And although its presence is basic, the creation of a Magick Circle is not.

What makes it difficult to properly cast a Circle, is that it is entirely an energetic construct. The world in which we live is very much a physical one, where even emotions come second to tangible truth. So, learning to recognize our world as an energetic one and then to manipulate the varying energies as per our own will can be rather difficult.

As hinted above, there are two factors essential to being able to not only cast a Circle, but work magick of any kind (for, yes, truly, casting a Circle is a magickal act.) The first is being able to recognize energy, to feel it and, possibly, see it. The second is being able to manipulate that energy. 

Without being able to recognize energy, it is increasingly more difficult to work with energy, though not impossible (this is where that favorite maxim of the magickal world comes into play: fake it till you make it.) This is why many times when first learning to cast a Circle, you may not feel any change in your surroundings. This can be either because of not having learned how to feel the energy, or because the casting just simply didn’t happen. Either way, like all aspects magick and Witchcraft, it takes practice and isn’t always accomplished the first try (or the second, or third…)

Here is a relatively simple method for casting a Circle. It involves no tools.

Physically mark out your Circle. This can be done with flowers, stones or crystals, pinecones, or string or rope, for example. While it isn’t necessary to actually mark out the Circle, it can be helpful as it gives you a visible reference point to where you are going to lay the energy.

Stand at the North Quarter of your marked out Circle. Close your eyes; breathe slow and deep. Feel your connection to everything. Know that just as much as you are a part of all of Nature, it is a part of you, you are One.

Focus your attention inwards and with every in breath, concentrate on forming a glowing ball of light within you. Every in breath makes it larger, every out breath makes it stronger. Feel this energy swirling inside of you, filling you, waiting to be released. 

Open your eyes. Hold out one hand so that it touches the air above your marked out Circle. Walk clockwise now, toward the East, then South, then West, and finally back to North. As you walk, push this glowing ball of light down your arm and out through your hand. See it form a glowing line in the air above your marked out Circle. As you return to North, the line joins itself and becomes a circle, then stretches, forming a beautiful glowing sphere of energy around you, Above and Below.

The Circle is Cast.

Virtually any item can be used in the practice of Witchcraft. The uses of the item depend upon its correspondences, that is, the properties or traits that that item naturally possesses. For example, dirt has a number of uses to a Witch. It is the ground beneath our feet, the foundation upon which all things are built; it is fertile, nourishing the plants and trees. So, a Witch might carry a bit of dirt on them when they need to feel grounded, stabilized, or when trying to conceive a child. 

To figure out the correspondences of any object, first look at what it is and how it is normally used; this will give you hints to its magickal properties and how you can use it. Another example: a cat uses its whiskers to keep itself safe; they let the cat know whether or not it can fit into a tight place. So, cat whiskers can be used for protection, especially when traveling (in this or the Otherworlds; cats are said to “walk-between-the-worlds.”) Since they are quite thin and hard to spot when not attached to the cat’s face, they also have properties of luck and good fortune, since finding one can be difficult.

This next series of mini-articles will cover the various tools used within the religion of Wicca and the practices of Witchcraft and Divination. However, the tools mentioned are not the be-all-and-end-all that can be used to these ends. As previously stated, anything can be used –with the proper intent and focus.