Wiccan Tools and Glossary
Altar: Most simply, the surface used to hold items used during spells and rituals.
Usually these items include Candles, Gemstones, Incense, Wands, Athames, Brooms, statues, Chalices, pretty much anything that you feel you want to include. They can be permanent, or they can be ones that are assembled for the Rituals and disassembled when not in use. Altars can be very simple or very fancy. They are usually put in a quieter part of your house, just somewhere that you can go to be alone. It is very hard to tell someone how to set up an altar because they are a reflection of who you are. Keep in mind though that you don't have to do anything specific, your altar is all yours, and in essence is a part of you. Be creative!
Athame: A dagger or sword used during some Rituals and Spells. They are ornamental and not meant to be used in other more aggressive ways.
Book Of Shadows (BoS): A Wiccan's spellbook. These are usually very personal, a Wiccan never shows her BoS to anyone unless (s)he trusts that person completely, or if there are extenuating circumstances. This Book contains the Charts, Spells, Rituals, and other infortmation that the Wiccan gathers over time. They vary in size, shape, complexity, even in number of volumes (books). They are quite personalized, and very important to the person who owns and uses them.
Broom: A special broom, usually made out of twigs bound together with twine, rope, or tough dried grasses. In stories, a witch would ride a broom around, flying through the air with ease. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. Brooms are often used for healing and purification Spells. In some handfastings (Wiccan marriage ceremony) the couple will jump over a broom in hopes of being fertile and bringing children into the world [Some argue that this was picked up from the African-American marriage rites performed during the times of slavery in Colonial and pre-Civil War America].
Cauldron: A pot (usually cast iron) which is used in many rituals and spells. Sometimes it can be used for making potions in, but sometimes it is used for simple things such as burning paper (during some healing spells people write their troubles on slips of paper and then burn them to ashes) or just for idealistic purposes (to where it is simply present, and is not used at all physically).
Chalice: A special cup (usually a goblet of some kind, but can be any cup you desire to use) that is for ritual use only. These are usually used for holding water or wine, or whatever drink you would use during your Ritual or Spell (Sometimes even drinks like mead [an ancient alcoholic beverage of Norse/Saxon origins that is still prepared and used even today] are used).
God & Goddess Symbols: These are symbols that represent the God and Goddess in Rituals that require them. They can be anything, male/female statues, sun/moon statues, red/green candles. These are usually a part of a Witch's altar as well, since majority of Spells require at least a Goddess representation.
Grimoire: See "Book of Shadows"
Incense: A substance (usually wood, gum [tree sap], or dried herbs) that is burned to produce a pleasant scent. Incense is often burned during a Ritual to particular deities, usually the incense type associated with that particular god or goddess. Many people burn incense during all their Rituals and Spell castings, but it is not required.
Incense Burner: A plate, bowl, or object of some kind used specifically for the purpose of burning incense during the Ritual.
Offering Plate: Much like the Incense Burner, this is also a plate or bowl or some kind of object, but it serves the purpose of holding the Herbs, Grains, Wine or whatever kind of offering is asked for in a Spell.
Oghams: Twigs (usually from an Oak tree) which are carved with specific runic symbols and cast (meaning thrown) to the ground and read as a form of divination. Runes and "casting lots" are used in many cultures; however the Oghams and Ogham symbols come from the Celtic/Druidic culture.
Pentacle: A five pointed star surrounded by a circle that touches each point. The Pentacle is one of the main symbols of Wicca. Each point represents an aspect of Life - Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Spirit. The circle represents the connection between these five Aspects, and also represents Life's ongoing and ever-repeating cycle. Inverted (turned so that one point is pointing straight down), this symbol is the Sign of the Horned God (Most of the Dianic Tradition do not believe in the Horned God, they just worship the Goddess alone).
Pentagram: See "Pentacle"
Runes: Runes are varied in materials used to create them; they are symbols that are used for many different purposes in Wicca. Specific Runes are carved into various materials (for example, Gemstones or flat Copper disks are often used) and cast when performing Divinatory Magicks, to fortell coming events much as the Tarot cards (see "Tarot" below) are used. Runes are especially important to Wiccans who practice the Norse Mythos, as Rune-reading was essential in the life of Odin [Woden], the ruler of the Norse gods.
Spellbook: See "Book of Shadows"
Stones: Gemstones of various kinds used for different purposes. They come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and rarities, and each Stone has a different meaning and use. For example, Hematite and Lead are both grounding stones, used to help release excess energies when held. Rose Quartz is used when performing a spell having to do with love and relationships. Jade is often used during rituals to gain more wealth when it is needed, not desired.
Tarot: The Tarot cards as we know them today (from my understanding) were originally used by the wandering Gypsy tribes of the Eurasian and African continents. They are a set of 78 cards, divided into the Major and Minor Arcanas. The Minor Arcana consists of four separate sets - Wands (sometimes Staves), Cups (sometimes called Chalices), Pentacles, and Swords - each with cards numbered 1-10 (usually using Roman numerals I-X) as well as a King, Queen, Knight, and Page card. The Major Arcana is a set of 22 cards, each with an individual name and story. The Tarot are used in Divinatory Magicks, so being used to tell the future; most are accurate, as long as you believe the cards will not lie to you. It has been said that the cards work best if they are recieved as a gift, and that their magicks can be tainted by another person handling them (especially without the owner's consent).
Wands: Long, thin pieces of wood or metal, usually cylindrical in shape, that are used for different purposes during Rituals and Spells. The use usually depends upon the properties of the kind of wood or metal used to create it, and often any inscriptions that have been put onto the wand. (Larger wands are sometimes referred to as "Staves")
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