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Magickal Tools

© Myrrha

Tools are a part of everyday life. They're used for eating, drinking, working, and for playing. Those of us who work magick use them also. I think that one of the first things necessary in any discussion, is to start with common vocabulary.

Tool: a. an implement especially one held in hand for performing or facilitating mechanical operations, b. any instrument of manual operation, c. anything used as a means of accomplishing a task [or and end].

Having established a common meaning for tools so that we're all on the same wave length, I will go on to my next premise. The definition, by the way, was courtesy of Webster's Universal College Dictionary. A Tool used in the esoteric arts connects the will of the practitioner with the ethereal or astral realms (those places we can't recognize with our five senses). The adept is able to make that connection with few or no tools. Tools differ from task to task and from person to person fulfilling the same task. You'd use a screwdriver to remove a screw and not a jack hammer. You'd use a wand to invite the goddess and god and not the athame (more on this later). Two people may need to accomplish a task, but may each use different tools in its accomplishment.

I mentioned briefly the etheric or astral realms. We live in the world of humyns, whereas elementals and deities live in those realms we cannot embrace with our 5 senses. When a Wikkan works magick, they create a space between those two worlds by using the different tools available to them. If you can picture two overlapping circles. One represents the world of humyns and the other the world of spirit. The space in which they overlap is the space in which magick is worked.

Tools common to the magick worker are:

A. Altar: the surface which is consecrated to work your magick upon. your tools can be stored thereon or in some other place which is a safe place for them.

B. The athalme or athame is traditionally black handled. It is a ritual tool and not a working tool. It is active and thus used for sending energy and authoritative.

C. The bolline or white-handled knife is a working tool. It is used for cutting and digging or whatever else it can be employed to do for ritual.

D. The wand is more reserved than the athalme/athame and is more appropriate for inviting beings into the circle, those beings for whom it would be disrespectful to command.

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