BlueCat on Tools

[bluecat]

I thought of posting this after a series ofprivate posts:

Tools or ritual items have long been an item of wonder for me. I do not see the vital importance of having a special knife (Athame) or a special wand or other such ritual implements. Why do we have to have a "special" knife that was bought in a certain store for our rituals? There were times when having such special things in your home could result in your being accused of and judged to be a Witch, placing your life in mortal jeopardy.

The knife does not have special powers until you put them there through ritual use. Why couldn't it be any knife? I know there are those who say that the knife should never cut any sort of flesh or be used in any mundane or profane manner. If that is the case then what of the bearer of the knife? Do you not cleanse your spirit before you enter into ritual or do you go in with the baggage of the day from work, home, or school? What is wrong with that Swiss Army Knife in your pocket; can't you consecrate it for the purpose of the ritual? The "power," as it is, is not in the implement, it comes from nature and is called upon by the bearer or user. Like anything else it can be used for whatever purpose the bearer chooses, good or bad.

All of this goes for anything on your chosen Altar. Your salt and water bowls could be Tupperware for that matter. It is how you use them not what they are or how they were made. Your candles could come from any source or you could make them. There are often considerations in choosing the color of the candle for some traditions. (For the purpose of this article I will not discuss candle colors.) After all, why can't you trot down to the local dollar store and get your candles? Granted, they are not "hand dipped bees-wax" made under certain conditions, but they are still candles, the flame is important, to me anyway. The same goes for all of your tools, your wand could be a twig found on the ground or one you harvested from a tree.

I know there are many who will disagree with me, but I ask you the same tolerance I give to all. Just because my ways are different does not make them bad, it makes them different, that's all.

http://www.bluecatsden.com/tools.htm

[Dextra]

Now of course I would agree with you on this one, Blue. ;)

I do use certain ritual tools, and I keep them put in a safe place, not because I'm afraid of someone else's "bad energy" or whatever being soaked up by them, but rather because athames and little hands don't mix. ;)

I consecrate my athame before every ritual with a knife/sword blessing I found a long time ago. And my athame hadle is multi-colored, not black, because I feel that the intent of the user, not the color, is what is more important.

As far as candles go, I get mine at Garden Ridge - 7 for $1, every color in the rainbow, ya can't beat that!

And salt and water dishes come from the same set of dishes that I use everyday, but those stay with my other tools for convenience purposes.

I think that the tools are not near as important as the intent and will of their user. I'd like to think that if I were out somewhere and needed to do an on-the-spot working, that I wouldn't be lost without my tools. Most of my rituals involve very few (and sometimes no) tools at all.

But here's the "Conjuration of the Sword" that I use. It's in Latin, but I no longer have the translation. I just like using the Latin because to me it feels a bit more "magical." But hey, that's just me. :cool:

Te Gladi, Vos Gladias, trea Nomine Santo, Albrot, Abracadabra, Jehova elico, Estote menum castellumque praesidium contra omnium hostes, conspicuusque nonconspicuus, in quisque magiceum opum. Nomino Santo Satay, qui est in imperium magnum, et his alio nomine: Cados, Cados, Cados, Adonai, Elohi, Zena, Oth, Ochimanuel, primoque ultimo, sapientia, via, vita, virto, primoque ultimo, Sapientia, Via, Vita, Virto, Principio, Oso, Oratie, Splendoro, Luce, Sol, Fono, Gloria, Mono, Porta, Vite, Lape, Scpio, Secredo, Pravo, Missiah, Gladi, in Opinium, meum, negotia, regnas et in illos res quem me resistant.

It's a mouthful and a half, but I can recite it with my eyes closed, I've used it so long! :D

[Mairwen]

I agree with all points above, except for the TupperWare remark. Sorry!

Plastic, although made up of all the same stuff of the universe just like everything and everyone else, is a "naturual" energy-damper. You can charge plastic, but it's going to have a very, very low charge, and it's not going to last.

Yeah, picky Crone. That's me.

[Yvonne Belisle]

It's nice to see someone else that bends the "rules" I believe it's the intent not the tool. The Gods know our thoughts when we talk to them. I don't think they would even care if the athame was plastic from the 99cent shop. The tools are a focus for us not the Gods.

[bluecat]

Originally posted by Mairwen
I agree with all points above, except for the TupperWare remark. Sorry!

Plastic, although made up of all the same stuff of the universe just like everything and everyone else, is a "naturual" energy-damper. You can charge plastic, but it's going to have a very, very low charge, and it's not going to last.

Yeah, picky Crone. That's me.

Heh ... the Tupperware was just set as an extreme example. :cool: :bigredgri

[Mariposa De La Luna]

I agree with you Blue. Intent is what its about when you are doing whatever it is you do with whatever you do, trying to be general. But do you use the same one all the time or are you picking up one out of the drawer and get it ready for that time? As far as tupperware is concerned, plastic is an insulator so it wouldn't absorb energy the same way. But maybe, I'm too new to know, if you put something to charge in the plastic bowl it will help hold the energy. :) Please oh Elders, enlighten me,not that I intend on using plastic or I would have all my tools already.

[bluecat]

Plastic is sort of a man made abomination of nature. I just used the tupperware example to show that anything can be used in a pinch. Also, IMHO, you can use anything from the drawer as long as you include some sort of tool consecration each time you use it. Long ago, having a special tool that was set apart was a good way to get yourself identified as a Witch. That is not as necessary today.

I also feel that it's not a necessary thing to go to one of the very commercial shops and buy the "Athame" with the special crystal on the handle and etc. I have seen these things run upwards of $500 (had diamonds in the handle) and personally did not see the need for such an instrument. But then I'm sort of a curmudgeon about these things ;).

Relax and have some Lemonade. :cool:

Steve

[Dragonmother]

Bluecat, I agree with you, totally. SInce you are such a carmudgeon, I wouldn't do less... The great Terry Pratchett says that the best knife for a ritual is the bread knife- because you can cut the bread with it, when you are hungry afterwards. We conducted a seven-day ritual, ending yesterday, and we used the dishes from the kitchen to lay out the offerings and the salt... the water came out of washing machine faucet because no-one wanted to go upstairs to the kitchen tap... We couldn't find the beautiful shell we usually use for the water bowl, so we had to find another one, and it didn't balance the way the old one does, so we set it on an extra votive holder for a base...
But, once we had blessed everything, the charge was certainly as strong as usual.
That being said- I MAKE ritual tools. In fact, I began making tools for my pagan friends first- then I began actively practicing. I guess you could say I'm a Materialist Pagan LOL...
I make tools because I love to. My knife blades are cut from copper or bronze, because it's easy to find steel blades and hard to find anything else. I turn the handles on my lathe, or else I fit them into natural branches. They are beautiful, and I take great pleasure in doing this work. I also make wands of different sorts, and I do a lot of search and research to find the symbolic and metaphysical properties of different trees and woods so that a wand will be in tune with its wielder.
But, I hardly ever use my own work... My coven leader prefers her own athame, which she cut from a thin piece of copper years and years ago. She made the handle out of a piece of driftwood, which is rotting away now. I have offered to treat the wood to hlat the rot, but I would never offer to replace the athame.
And, half the time, we make our circle simply by using the hand.
It's all in the mind! (except for the part that's in the stone)
T

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Wow Dragonmother! I don't think I could make my own athame. How can I get one of yours. When I read your post its just jumped at me and sounded like they were made with lots of love. I am very interested and would like to see pics of athames and wands. PM me or email me if its not appropriate for the threads. I know you weren't soliciting.

The one advantage I see to having specific tools is that you can store energy in them, I read it somewhere. The question it didn't answer was what do you do with that stored energy? The other advantage I see, especially cuz I'm just beginning, is that it helps establish a frame of mind. When you pick up your athame you know you're not going to chop garlic.You elders probably have moved past that. I hope will one day.

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by bluecat
Heh ... the Tupperware was just set as an extreme example. :cool: :bigredgri

Heh. I've come to know you well, Blue, but I just had to be nitpicky. You know how I get! :D

[rantnraven]

Tools are the things that get us through but it is the heart that get's us past, or beyond.

The tools we use could come from the garden - and all the better that would be. The Athame is used for it's condusiveness. What you keep your water and salt in matters not.

What is in your heart is what matters, the tools don't matter at all.

Far be it from me to judge you by the color of the handle on your Athame - even if it is a steak knife from the drawer. The Elders, I am sure, would see it the same. And who cares if you use Tupperware.

Sheesh!

We choose what we use because it has meaning to us. Whether it was $1 dollar or $500 it is what has meaning to us and we can better harness/focus our hearts if the tools we use are "Us".

And that's all I can say about that.

RnR

[bluecat]

Originally posted by Mairwen


Heh. I've come to know you well, Blue, but I just had to be nitpicky. You know how I get! :D

:) Thanks, Mairwen ... :cool: Nothing wrong with being nitpicky. :cool:

Blue