One of the things I find fascinating when other Wiccans/Pagans photograph their altar setups for various Sabbats and rituals are the ritual tools that I see on their altars. Some have eclectic mixes of items, others appear to have things that are all similar and match. Others have altars that change depending on the Sabbat or ritual.
While Sabbat rituals may see me adding or subtracting certain items from my altar, the items that always remain there are an offering plate and bowl, incense burner, chalice, vase of flowers (silk due to allergies), and candles to represent the Deities. My offering plate and bowl (I have 2 bowls but only one on the altar) were a glass salad plate and salad bowls purchased at Wal-Mart. I just loved the way they looked so I bought them. My chalice is a water goblet that my mom had purchased a set of a good 20 years ago if not more. It is the only one of the set I have left if I am correct. The candle holders I got a Hobby Lobby and my candles I got at Wal-Mart. My incense burner came from Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby, I’m not sure. And my incense is from wherever around here I can find incense to purchase.
I have never felt the need to purchase ritual tools that are specially designed for Wiccan/Pagan use. I don’t bother with all that. If I see something I would like to have on my altar, whether I’m at the Dollar Tree or looking through the AzureGreen catalog, if I can afford it at the time, I purchase it and it goes on my altar. I just wish I had a bigger altar!
Continue reading Ritual Tools
An ex-roommate of mine who happened to practice magick always said her element was Water. She was drawn to Water. She loved to soak in the bathtub for hours on end. Literally she could spend hours soaking in the tub, reading a book. The funniest thing about this is that she is a Virgo, which is an Earth sign.
I believe this just goes to show that simply because the “accepted” perception of something may not be how you are. Although Virgo, Taurus, and Capricorn are Earth signs, that does not necessarily mean that people born under those signs are drawn to that particular element. Myself, I am terrified of Fire and adore Air (Wind). I am a Capricorn for those who are curious.
However, I feel that an affinity for a particular element does not mean that you cannot work with, or even enjoy working with, other elements. Simply because I love Air, that doesn’t mean that I cannot work with Water, Fire, or Earth magick or divination. In fact I have been known to use divination methods that involve Fire in the form of lit candles or matches.
So, what is your element? What is the element you love to immerse yourself in?
Continue reading What Is Your Element?
Sunfire’s topic this week is Divination/Spiritual Guidance.
Personally as far as divination goes, I am drawn mostly to the Tarot. I’ve used a few other forms, usually involving the way candle wax drips down the side of a candle, the way a match bends when it burns, or how many letters are in a line in a book. But Tarot is the one I use the most, and the one I’m best at working with thus far.
For me, reading Tarot used to come very difficult. I was so caught up in reading the meanings of the cards as they were listed in the books that came with the decks or that I found online. However, after reading “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot,” I discovered I was going about it all wrong. Once I started really looking at the cards, I realized that frankly, I could “see” things in the cards. I used that format to do a reading for a friend of mine, who also reads Tarot, and she informed me that the reading I had done was very insightful and very good. It was only a three card reading (my best one so far) but it got me started on truly reading the Tarot.
Continue reading Divination
