Tag Archives: ritual tools

Setting Up An Altar

Posted on by

One common question newer Wiccans have is about altars. Many of them want to create an altar, but don’t know where to start. Some traditions have specific ways of doing things. If that’s the case, do what your tradition requires. If not, the easiest thing to do is find something representing each of the elements.

Place a symbol of each element with the direction associated with each element. You may need a compass for this. This can be done cheaply or you can spend a lot of money. Here are some ideas for altars:

  • A candle for each element, in each color of the element.
  • Something simple for each element: a stone for earth, a feather for air, matches for fire, and a cup for water.
  • Salt in a bowl for earth, incense for air, a candle for fire, a bowl of water for water.
  • A pentacle for earth, a wand for air, an athame for fire, and a cauldron for water (see ritual tools).
  • You could have come a written symbol of each element.
  • You can put a corner shelf in each corner of the house or a room, one for each element.

If you have them, you can also honor deities on your altar. They typically go in the center of an altar. Some traditions state whether the Goddess or the God is on the left or on the right side of the altar.

  • You can find a mini statue of your deity.
  • Find what color is associated with your deity and place a candle of that color there.
  • Find what stone is associated with your deity and place it there
  • Find a drawing of your deity.
  • Create a representation of your deity, whether drawn, carved, or molded.
  • Find another symbol of your deity and place it there (a cat for Bast, a Thor’s hammer, etc.).
  • You can also create a separate altar for each deity.

There are other items you can include on an altar.

  • An altar cloth can help set the tone and keep your table or shelf protected from incense, candle wax, etc.
  • A bell. They are sometimes used during rituals.
  • Offerings to God’s or Goddesses.
  • Something that needs to be charged energetically.
  • Essential oils.
  • Plants.
  • Ritual jewelry.
  • In-progress spells and energy-work.
  • Decorations for the upcoming Sabbat or Esbat.
  • Anything else that you think helps you spiritually.
My personal altar is made from a repurposed TV stand

Wicca for Beginners

Posted on by

I am part of a lot of Wicca groups on Facebook. Almost daily we get someone who is new and wants to know about Wicca or Paganism asking what they need to do. Some also ask for a teacher. Almost 100% of the people who respond to those posts send them a book list to read. There are tons of people who do not learn that way and could use a teacher. Admittedly, people are going to have to read this, but I’m not giving you full books to read. These are my recommendations for people who are new and want to learn more.

  • Figure out what you believe. Is there a specific pantheon you are interested in? Are you interested in a specific type of Wicca? Figure out which deities you want to worship.
  • How would you like to worship?
  • Are you light, dark, or grey? Are you interested in only good deities and harming none? Are you interested in being in the middle because nature isn’t just light? Are you interested in dark imagery and exploring the darker side of you?

Are all of these questions too much or too specific for you? Here are some good ways to get started in Wicca. There are other types of Paganism out there worth looking into as well, in case you decide Wicca isn’t right for you.

  • Learn about the Elements.
  • Learn about and celebrate the Sabbats and Esbats.
  • Learn about ritual tools and create an altar.
  • Learn how to ground and create a Circle for ritual.
  • Look into different Gods and Goddesses to see which ones resonate with you.
  • Connect with like-minded people. Find others near you. There are a number of groups on Facebook. Join them and see if there is anyone who lives near you. Check meetup to see if there is a local group. See if there are any metaphysical shops near you. They may offer classes or at least may connect you with any groups in the area. See if there is a Pagan Pride Day near you. Attend and make some friends!

Don’t agree with my assessments about the Elements, Sabbats and Esbats, altar tools and setup, or how to create a Circle? That’s great! That means you have an opinion on how something works and that will help you better find the path that’s right for you. There is no right way to worship in Wicca. Find what works for you and do it!

Several of you may have noticed that I didn’t mention divination (like tarot cards, pendulums, runes, etc.) or spells. Wicca is a religion. While many people who believe in Pagan religions may cast spells or read tarot cards, they are not a part of the religion. There are people who do divination and cast spells that are not religious and there are people that worship in this religion without doing divination and casting spells. For those who are interested, I will include articles about those in the future.

A final note about meeting Wiccans in real life. Because this is more of a “do-it-yourself” religion than book religions, we often end up with a lot of the people that are no longer welcome in churches, a synagogues, or mosques for a variety of reasons that then choose Paganism. There are some socially awkward people, some flaky people, and some toxic people. If you see any red flags, avoid those who display them. However, there are some truly wonderful Pagans out there, so don’t let that deter you from finding your tribe!

Esbats: Celebrating Full Moons

Posted on by

Some people prefer to just celebrate the Sabbats. I see those as Sun holidays, since they are all determined by the solar calendar. The Esbats are Moon holidays, since they are determined by the moon. I think that celebrating both is important for a balance in my religious practice.

However, I had put off writing this article for a while because I never really celebrated these apart from a group. When I first started learning about Paganism in the form of Wicca, the only thing I knew to do to celebrate the full moon was to do a “Drawing Down of the Moon”. However, I had never progressed far enough in my Wiccan studies to learn how to do this, so once I started celebrating with a Circle that only sporadically celebrates full moons. For years, I didn’t really celebrate Full Moons. Sometimes I just forgot. Other times, I didn’t keep track of the full moons. Now that I am trying to revitalize my faith, I am trying to celebrate them. At the time of this writing, I still didn’t know how to do a “Drawing Down of the Moon”. I did some soul-searching and some research and this is what I came up with.

This is what this Esbat celebrates:

  • The most powerful time of the Lunar cycle
  • Most magically potent time of the Lunar cycle
  • The cyclic nature of life
  • Women’s monthly cycles
  • The Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess
  • Fertility and fruition

Here are some ways that I and others celebrate it culturally.

  • Dance under the full moon
  • Make some music: sing, play instruments, etc.
  • Walk outside
  • Bake moon cookies or crescent rolls
  • Make moon water
  • Do divination like runes, pentacles, tarot cards, etc.
  • Take a calming bath with candles, oils, or anything else that feels right to you.
  • Make a candle
  • Write poetry
  • Do something with the specific nature of which moon it is. Wear flowers for flower moon, eat strawberries for strawberry moon, etc.
  • Meditate

Here are some ideas for Full Moon rituals

  • Charge crystals, ritual tools, jewelry, or anything really
  • Write down any habits, fears, or anything else you want to get rid of. Burn the paper.
  • Ask the (usually female) deity of your choice for wisdom in a seashell. Hold the seashell to your ear to see what they have to say.
  • Consume moon water with ritual intent.
  • Do a purification ritual.
  • Any magical working that could use some extra power from the moon

Tidying Up: Step 4 – Komono – Spiritual Items

Posted on by

Since I started this blog as a spiritual journey, I figured I would tackle the spiritual items first. Since I moved, these were scattered in various locations throughout my bedroom, cluttering up everything. I made a pile intending to take care of it right away. However, I ended up letting it sit for a week instead. My altar is an old TV stand, so it just has two shelves to hold everything. In the past, I had a whole drawer elsewhere dedicated to divination items. I had my drum, incense, and various other articles located on my bedroom bookshelves.

My pile of spiritual stuff. I daresay many people would have a bigger pile than I do!

I made three piles: one of items that I LOVED. One was stuff to give away or throw away. The third had items I wasn’t sure about. I was thorough. I took all of my seashells out of their container and went though them. I took all of my gemstones out of their container and went through them. The majority of the items I wasn’t sure about ended up being kept, but I am happy and proud to say that everything now fits underneath my altar now, even my drum!