athame/wand

[Lessarey]

first of all, i can't spell to my life lol...but the question is do you have to use a knife or other sharp or semi-sharp instrument on or alter or can a wand be substituted? doea it make a differnce, is there a time when one must be used over the other? my husband won't let me use a wand, he insist that i must use a dulled or semi-sharp knife, and i am very uncomfortable with the idea (do to a bad habit of being danger prone lol). i would feel more comfy with a non dangerous wand.

lessarey

[Mouse]

Many people believe it's ok to subsitute, that they are interchangeable. They are not (IMO)
What are you doing with the athame? If you are useing it to direct energy then the wand would actually be more suitable. If you are useing it to open portals (for example cuting the pentagrams to call the elements) then the athame is the one you want to use.
It makes a difference. The athame when all is said and done is still a knife. It's primary function is to cut things.
The wand is better for pointing, poking and directing. Use it to "point the energy in the direction you want it to go".
~Miri

[mtpathy]

first of all, i can't spell to my life lol...but the question is do you have to use a knife or other sharp or semi-sharp instrument on or alter or can a wand be substituted? doea it make a differnce, is there a time when one must be used over the other? my husband won't let me use a wand, he insist that i must use a dulled or semi-sharp knife, and i am very uncomfortable with the idea (do to a bad habit of being danger prone lol). i would feel more comfy with a non dangerous wand.

lessarey


your husband wont let you? how can he stop you! use what you want for your own "directing" and to hell with what he wants, a finger can be used to direct energy, a thought can be used to direct energy, and yes if your so inclined.. poking a stick at it can be used to direct energy.
but your husband telling you what to use cannot direct energy, if hes going to tell you what you should or shouldnt use its probably not the best idea to do this with him to begin with.

[Amelserru_halqu]

The spelling I can help with best. Download Firefox 2.0 it has a built in spell checker...

Now as to your issue, traditionally the wand and athame have different properites and uses, though they do overlap somewhat. I'm not an expert on ceremonial magic (from which all magical tools are derived) but in short the wand is more a representation of your divine force while the sword (or in your case athame) is a representation of you human force (for a better explanation read the pantacle section of part 2 of Liber IV). So keeping that in mind, both would appear to be useful.

Now you don't HAVE to use anything, however an athame has its uses and perhaps because you feel averse to using it it may actually add to your magical workings. You see, in my opinion it isn't what you feel comfortable with that matters, but what helps you achieve that shift from the mundane mind to the magical one. However you should do whatever you want and what works best.

I hope this has helped... if not then feel free to ignore me and what I said.

[Lessarey]

ok, now it makes more sense..thanks ya'll :hahugh: ...it was never actually clarified by anyone i had asked or anything i had read...


lessa

[Windsmith]

Is the cutting you want to do with the athame is of the metaphysical sort (portals, cords of energy, etc.) or the physical sort? I use a letter opener. It's shaped like a sword, but it has a rounded end. It has most of the attributes of a knife/sword/other cutting-type thingie, but because it can barely cut through melting butter, I (fairly accident-prone, myself!) can use it without worrying about cutting off a finger or toe.

Actually, now that I think about it...my wand may be sharper than my athame!

[bshore]

The thing you must remember is that no matter what is on your alter or in your hand, they are just tools. You can charge them, imbue them with power, use them in dozens of different ways, but you are still using them. You are the one with the power, the one controling and dirrecting it. The thing that will affect this the most is the way you feel and your ability to concentrate. If you feel uncomfortable, your concentration and therefore your energy will suffer because of it.

In your husband's tradition it might be all anthame all the time, but remember that this is only one of many traditions. Nobody (not even Gardnerian Wiccans) have the one true correct answer.

[MankyCat]

It really depends on your belief system.

I barely and rarely use a wand or athame. I know what they are supposed to be used for and how to use them. I also know the mentality of the people who use them interchangeably or feel it doesn't make a difference.

If you are of a specific belief that would say that they are strictly different, and you feel that belief system is correct and should not be altered, then by all means, don't use one to replace the other.

However, if you are of a system that doesn't place that sort of emphasis and you personally don't feel it makes a difference, then I wouldn't worry.

Me? I'm a collector of sorts. I have wands and athames among a number of other "tools", but I don't necessarily use them in casting or in the way they are typically used.

If I felt the need to cut cords of energy using a "tool", typically, I'll use the fingernail on the tip of my "pointer" finger. If I need to direct enter in a particular direction, I will use my "third eye", my pointer finger, or the middle of the palm of my hand, depending on the energy. I don't need a knift/dagger/athame or a wand to do either.