about managing energy, you can learn to become a responsible ritualist. Anne Niven, publisher of the excellent SageWoman, PanGaia, and newWitch magazines, recently related a story of a writer who was unintentionally teaching a less than responsible ritual. this writer’s recommendation was for teenage girls to go for a walk near a body of water and invoke the spirit of a suicidal banshee there to help work through their depression. To work with such an unbalanced spirit while in an extreme emotional state is potentially dangerous. We need to think our rites through in regard to short-term effects, long-term effects, and how we and others will be affected by our ritual work. Careful consideration will go a long way toward increasing the effectiveness of your work. A simple rule of thumb is to trust your instincts and do your research really well. Also, never take the gods and goddesses lightly, as these ancient energies are very powerful. To protect yourself, learn as much as you can about the deities, as well as the herbs, flowers, oils, and essences you intend to use. Honoring the earth and caring for our precious environment is absolutely essential as well. Ritual requires consciousness and integrity, traits that will serve you well in every path of your life. As a ritualist, you should walk your talk and act responsibly in all your work.
The Essential Tool Kit: Everything You Need for Rites and Rituals
Magic resides inside of us; we create it with our thoughts and actions. It is our deepest personal power, and we are all born with it. This is the energy we draw upon each and every day of our life. The goal of ritual is to bring about needed change. It is how we make things better for ourselves, for the people in our lives, and for our world. From an inner place of intention, we are working to bring about change for peace, prosperity, love, health, home, spirituality, and other areas in our lives that are always in need of improvement.
When you establish a sacred space and use your magical tools in it, you can create a place where the mundane world is left behind. It can be in your home or your backyard where, despite the noise of the day-to-day, you can touch the sacred. There is no need to ascend to the top of a mountain or to a silent retreat in search of the scared; anywhere you choose can become a place of magic where you cast the circle.
The magic circle is created by “casting,” or drawing in the air with concentrated energy. Inside this circle, energy is raised, rituals are performed, and spells are worked. The sacred space is also where you call upon the gods and goddesses and become attuned to your own special desires. With attention and focus, working in the circle can be a truly intense experience. All your senses will come alive. You will feel, see, and hear the energies that you invoke. You will have created a tangible sphere of power.
You can cast a circle anywhere—out in the forest, on a beach, or in the comfort of your own home. Wherever the circle is cast, that space becomes your temple. If you are in your kitchen or living room, stack the chairs against the wall to define the limits of your circle. The Wiccan tradition specifies that the circle must have a diameter of nine feet. That said, a circle could actually be any size to accommodate a large group of people or just yourself. Many Wiccans and other Pagans case a circle for spell work and to enclose every seasonal sabbat celebration.
In truth, casting a circle is only limited by the imagination or the function you ascribe to it. The magic begins at your altar with your sacred tools. To be fully imbued with energy, your tools of magic and ritual should reside upon your altar. Collecting your ritual tools should be a pleasant search that can take months or even years. Although making ritual tools is satisfying, you can also find them in flea markets, at antique stores, and craft fairs around the country. Nowadays, the Internet and several terrific mail-order catalogs such as The Pyramid Catalog and Mystic Trader also offer superb tools for sale. Always make sure you cleanse and purify your new tools, whether they are antique or just made, to ensure that the energy is yours and yours alone. Think of your ritual tools as energy conductors that absorb and project energy of the environment and the ritual work that you perform.
Ritual Tools
Every ritual tool is sacred to the individual who is performing the ritual act. Whether your find your tool in a store or whether it is given to you as a gift, each tool should hold special meaning and should feel absolutely perfect to you as you use it.
Athame
Pronounced “a-THAW-may,” this is your magical knife. It can also be a ritual dagger or sword, and I have even seen a Tibetan dorje (the thunderbolt of the god) used as an athame. The athame represents and contains yang energy, or the male aspect of the gods. Ritual knives are also associated with the element of fire. For these two reasons, your athame should be placed on the right side of your altar. The athame is used to direct the energies raised in your ritual. Because it is not used for cutting but rather for the manipulation of the forces involved in the work of enchantment, an athame is usually a dull blade. Some Wiccan traditions specify that the handle of the athame should be black or very dark in color, since black is the color that absorbs energy. A dark-handled knife thus becomes quickly attuned to the ritualist.
Bolline
The bolline is a (usually) white-handled knife that is used for making other tools and for cutting materials such as cords and herbs within the magic circle.
You can create your magical wand, for example, by cutting off a tree branch with your bolline. This increases the energy held within it and creates a magical tool by using a magical tool. You should also use your bolline for carving symbols and names into your candles and wands as well as your other tools. A bolline generally has a curved blade and a white handle to distinguish it from the athame. It is similar to the athame in that it also embodies the yang, or male, energy.
Book of Shadows
Your Book of Shadows (BOS) is your record of ritual work. At its finest, it should be a history of all your rituals, energy work, circles, spells, and all the magic you have manifested. It should be a journal of all that you have practiced and wrought. In your BOS, you should keep a record of your research and the lore you have discovered. Is there a particular phase and sign of the moon that works especially well for you? Document it here, and you will be building a practice that you can apply to future rituals. This will also be a great help in recording your ritual work and evolving and developing as a ritual designer. All the astrology, herb lore, crystal information, and other knowledge that I share in this book comes from the detailed notes I keep in my own BOS. I have discovered that the new moon in Pisces, for example, is the best moon phase for me to work rituals of change. After documenting this information and performing both new and traditional, time-tested rituals and spells with the new moon in Pisces, I learned from a professional astrologer that it is my natal placement—the moon is in the same phase and sign in which is positioned at the time of my birth. Thus this moon phase and sign accords with my own energy and creates a time when my personal power is at its peak. Through trial, experimentation, and much practice, you will discover secrets of the universe for yourself and record what you learn in your own BOS.
The Book of Shadows can be a tremendous aid if you use it daily or as often as possible. Whenever you come upon a bit of wisdom regarding the nature of ritual or magical work, write it down. This should also be a book of inspiration, filled with your own thoughts, poetry, and observations. Most importantly, it should be a record of results. If you track the effectiveness of a ritual, you can use this information and newfound wisdom in the future. Your BOS should be a book you turn to again and again. It can be a gorgeous, hand-crafted volume of handmade paper and ribboned bookmarks or a simple three-ring binder. Just make sure it appeals to you so that you will use it often and well.
Broom
