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Tools

Athame: A blade dedicated to manipulating the etheric, astral and mental realms by the cutting and mending thereof. It is never used for cutting anything physical. As such not all ceremonial blades are are Athames. Traditionally the Athame is made of a double-edged Iron blade (The Iron is very important) with a black hilt where there upon are certain characters traditionally engraved. These characters build up or ensoul the Athame as well as program the Athame for its purpose. These characters are not required to have an effective Athame that will do its job but they do make a huge difference. Blood is not allowed to touch the blade however in some traditions a drop of the witches blood is placed on the hilt. Many of the oldest grimoires call for the blood of a black cat or High Priestess. If you have to ask about using blood the answer is no. You could very well ruin your Athame let alone the trouble you'll bring into your life. It's not recommended at all, but it is an important historical note. Traditionally the Athame is consecrated on the day and hour of Saturn, In most Witch traditions it represents fire. In some, Air however this is an influence from ceremonial magic(k) mostly (though that doesn't make traditions that use it for air wrong) and it should be noted that the air dagger of Ceremonial Magick is not the same as an Athame. Athames are for circular workings, not lodge works. There is a difference here.

There's a special kind sometimes used in family trads but I'll have to get to that some other time.

Boline Often confused with or used as the white-handled knife, the Boline which is often sickle-bladed is used to cut herbs. Just remember that it could transfer the attributed of said herbs over to other workings.

The Burrin: The proper name for the white-handled knife which is to stay pure. It is used to engrave candles, work wood and all manners of physical work.

Peyton: Often called the Altar or Working Pentacle, the Peyton is a disk, often somewhat thick, solid and made of wood on which the Pentacle is inscribed. It is often used to consecrate and be a place for the cakes to reside. In fact Catholics use Peytons sans the pentacle to serve the Eucharist. Alternatively it is often places in the center of the altar to ground the circle to a purpose and focus it upon the altar. The pentagon central to the pentagram being called the witches shield where the altar candle or chief candle of the working is placed. For these reasons, Traditions and even Covens often have their individual-styled Peyton with symbols of their practice (see Valientes books). It is a tool of Earth but also of passive spirit.

Chalice: Pretty straightforward, represents Water, is used in the symbolic Great Rite in Wicca and is the comunal vessel for Cakes and Ale.

Wand: Representing air and in some traditions fire, the wand is one of the most versatile tools in Traditional Witchcraft but honestly not used much in Traditional Wicca, not like the Athame is. More delicate in application, is great for manipulating thought-forms and visualizations. Can even be used to dowse. Wood will very depending on intended use but Hazel, Alder, Elder and Oak (esp. if designated to fire) are fairly common as is Ash. I manly use Ash and Sycamore wands. Also, a lightning stuck oak wand but another family remember as it at the moment. There's allot of personal preference to this tool . Chakra wands have also become somewhat popular for various kinds of work.

Staff: A tool representing ones path, mediation. collected wisdom, the world tree, balance of Heaven and Earth. Is a tool of spirit and is often considered a second degree tool because of its significance at that stage.

Broom the staves other life, traditionally made from an ash rod, with birch bristles fastened by willow. Used to cleanse and protect the home. Put above doorways and other in-betweens to keep stuff out. Put bristles up to protect the home and show that you are away. Never stored bristles down.

Coven Sword: Represents the collective will of the group and the direction of that will to manifest, directing the energy raised to a point. Collective representation of all Athames. Represents the use of higher forces and laws to manipulate lower ones. (see Crowleys notes).

Scourge: Used in BTW Wicca as a symbol of severity and commitment. Balanced by the kiss but a Crook does the trick as well, both of which can be used to regulate the raising of the Osiris position. The Scourge gets the blood flowing.

Cingulum: Rope or chord, about ones waist when working robbed. Used to measure the circle, potent knot work and denotes initiation, one braid and color for each degree. colors very depending on tradition. Also helps secure the Athame.

Stang: The stang is a forked stave, essentially a cross between a staff and twinned forlimb. The stand allows for greater sensitivity and intuition over the conventional stave. One may convert a stave into a stang fastening to it the skull of goat, deer or some other horned animal. It is known as the stave of the Horned God. It is much more common place in British Traditional and Appalachian Craft than of BTW and Cunningham-style Wicca. Twining of three or more are used but are fairly rare and rarely spaced perfectly. The Stang is a well known tool of Cochrane Craft where it is adorned by two intersecting arrows at about mid-length. It may also be adorned with a wreath as are the Maypoles of this tradition which many times were called "May-stangs". It is traditional to hammer an iron nail into the bottom end to aid upward current. This also goes for the stave. MAy also be used as a pitch-fork.

Pitchfork: Normally used to stab malicious entities in the a**, no really. Made of Iron and inscribed with certain symbols (search for Paracelsus) it works by alchemical processes of transmutation. as the Athame and manipulates subtle forces, the Pitchfork allows one to force a paradigm or dynamic upon an operative field or entity, thereby #$%^&*( -up it's pattern.

Godstone or Phallic Stone: Nothig to see here, just a p***s shaped stone representing the God. Though usually anatomically correct, it can be any phallic symbol made out of stone such as an obelisk.

Hag Stone: Stone with naturally holes in, either partly or whole way through. The feminine counterpart to the Godstone. If they find themselves to be compatible they conjoined in the Great Rite. Hagstones are also called seer stones, providing a window to other places or realms.

Trushel: Called the "Romani 'Cross' " or "Gypsy 'Cross'" is a tri-forked cross used in Italian Witchcraft to stir and doctor brews. Not unlike Shiva's Trishula or the trident-pitchfork (but used for working with herbs not entities)

Cochul: A Gaelic word, the Cochul is an animal skin, hood or mask which aligns and transforms the psyche of a practitioner to that of a particular animal and transforms them into said animal upon entry to the inner realms. Often used in conjunction with the stave/axis mundi and ones spirit animal. It is considered a second degree tool.

I think that should be sufficient for now.

Operations

Deosil: To move sun wise; clockwise. To bring current to you

Widdershins or Tuahil: To work against the sun; counterclockwise, to send to another plane or banish.

Treading the Mill: Moving deosil while keeping your gaze intently focused on the fire, fueling it.

Casting the Circle: Self explanatory, though the more subtle understandings of what is going on may not be. The altar candle is lit first and represents the power by which it is cast. Traditionally it is cast by Athame but a suitable wand or ones projective hand in the "blessing position" will do if an Athame is not available. In traditional Wicca the circle is cast round three times. The Elemental Offerings, calling of the quarts and the use of their appropriate pentagrams maybe considered either part of the Circle casting or seperate operations related thereto.

Drawing the Compass: Another method of creating sacred space which focuses more on cardinal points than circular motion. Used in various forms of Traditional Craft. Emphasis on the crossroads. Comparatively it's a rare practice but you may occasionally hear it mentioned.

Conjure: To cause a change in state or condition, which could be the emergence of a state of being or entity.

Sorcery : An advanced form of conjure whereby a higher set of forces manipulates a lower set, causing a change in state.

Brew: To make an herbal tea, elixir or tonic. To conjure with herbs.

Dowse: to search for water or some other thing by some form of divination, generally with forked branches of woods like hazel and willow, however metals and various pendulums are also used.

Doctor: To give an object or person certain attributes. To affect the state of them. A consecration of certain attributes. To manipulate it toward a purpose. Could be to enchant it to do something based on infused nature.

Enchant: Normally refers to the programming of an object to do a thing.

Jinx To have an object or person cast when certain conditions are met.

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