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A Ritual is a ceremony
employing symbolic gestures, chants, invocations, prayers and candles. Some
rituals are performed as acts of worship, while others are designed to create
magickal energy for spell casting and other works of magick.
An altar is an object upon which
ritual tools are placed during a ceremony.
Athame
In ritual magick and Wiccan
traditions, an Athame
(pronounced ah-thah-may) is a consecrated ceremonial knife symbolizing the
element of air or fire, depending on the symbolism of the tradition. The
traditional athame is a double bladed knife with a black handle, although
modern Wiccan athames display a wide range of shapes, colors, and decoration.
Bell
A Bell
is often used in Wiccan ceremony and ritual as a symbol of the creative force.
It is often rung at the beginning and at the end of a ritual or spell
work.
Book of
Shadows
A Book
of Shadows is your own personal book, containing spells and rituals, and
anything else you feel the need to record. Some traditions copy the contents of
their coven's Book of Shadows, so that information can be passed down through
many generations.
Besom
Besom
is another word for broom. It is used to ritually clean your altar or space
before casting a circle
Cauldron
A Cauldron
is a pot-bellied pot with three legs, often made of cast iron. It is a symbol
of transmutation, germination, and transformation and is commonly used in
Wiccan rituals and ceremony.
Chalice
The Chalice
is a tool used in Wiccan and ritual magick ceremonies. The chalice represents
the water element, receptivity, feminine energy, and form. It also represents
the Goddess of feminine principal in many traditions.
Incense
Incense
is a fragrant mixture of herbs and/or resins, usually burned during ritual and
magickal work.
Mortar and
Pestle
A mortar and pestle are two tools
used with each other to grind and mix substances. The mortar is a bowl-like
vessel used to contain a substance. Mortars have smooth, rounded bottoms and
wide mouths. The pestle is a stick used for pounding and grinding. The Mortar
and Pestle is often used in Wicca to grind and mix materials together for
spellwork and other works of magick.
Oils
Oils are
believed to have the ability to hold magickal charges for long periods of time,
so they are often used in spells and rituals. It is a common practice to
annoint ritual tools with oil before they are first used. When an object is annointed
with a charged oil, the object is believed to become charged as well.
Traditionally ritual and magickal candles are annointed with an oil that is
rubbed on them, often while the practitioner concentrates upon the intent of
the magickal charge.
Pentacle
A Pentacle
is a pentagram enclosed in a circle. It is a ritual altar tool used by Wiccans,
Neopagans, and a variety of ritual magicians to represent the element of earth.
Pentagram
The Pentagram is a five pointed star commonly associated with Wicca and
ritual magick. The pentagram has a long and complex history as a
religious symbol. Found scrawled in caves of ancient Babylonia, the
five pointed star emblem remained popular through many cultures and
time periods. It was not until the twentieth century that it became
associated with Satanism, probably due to misinterpretation. In
Wiccan/Pagan lore, the pentagram symbolizes the four elements- earth,
air, water, fire - and spirit. The Wiccan pentagram faces point upward
to symbolize the triumph of spirit over matter.
Scrying
Scrying is the practice of using
a medium, most commonly a reflective surface or translucent body, to aid
perceived psychic abilities such as clairvoyance. The media often used to
"see" are water, polished precious stones, crystal balls, or Scrying Mirrors.
Scrying has been used in many cultures as a means of seeing the past, present,
or future, and thus constitutes a form of divination.
Spell
A Spell
is a ritual that has a particular purpose. Some rituals are purely celebratory,
but a spell is done to accomplish something. Spells might be used for healing,
prosperity, attracting a mate, or even to rid yourself of bad habits.
Wand
A Wand is a rod or branch used in
ritual to direct energy. In most traditions it represents the element of Air. Divination carries a nice variety of wands.
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