Tag: Chalice

Shopping list for the Beginner Witch/Wiccan

Hi everyone! A couple weeks ago my boyfriend gave me the great idea to do this post and I thought it sounded so much fun. However before we start, you must remember that this is a generalized list. Obviously some people aren’t going to need all of these things for their path and some will need things I didn’t mention. This list is solely going to be based around what I would want in a beginners shopping list. Also keep in mind you don’t need any of these things to call yourself a witch or wiccan. When I first started my journey all I had to work with were the yankee style candles I already owned, the spices and herbs already in my kitchen, and I went to the dollarstore and bought a tin pot to act as a cauldron.

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Shopping List for the Beginner Witch/Wiccan

Altar tools

  1. Cauldron (also water association)
  2. An athame
  3. A Chalice (also a water association)
  4. Candle holders
  5. Visual representations of deity
  6. Pentacle (also an earth association)

Herbs/Spices (Earth Associations)

  1. Sage
  2. Salt
  3. Cinnamon
  4. Bay Leaf
  5. Peppermint
  6. Lavender
  7. Ginger
  8. Rosemary

Crystals (Earth Associations)

  1. Rose Quartz
  2. Black Tourmaline
  3. Citrine
  4. Amethyst
  5. Green Adventurine

Associations of air

  1. Incense
  2. Essential oil diffuser
  3. Essential oil
    1. Peppermint
    2. Lemon
    3. Sage
    4. Lavender

Associations of fire

  1. Candles
    1. Green
    2. Red
    3. White
    4. Pink
  2. Matches/lighter

Associations of Water

  1. Abalone Shell

Divination

  1. Tarot deck
  2. Oracle deck
  3. Pendulum

Miscellaneous

  1. String/yarn of various colours
  2. A journal/binder to create a book of shadows
  3. Books
    1. Scott Cunningham books
    2. The Complete Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft
    3. Wicca by Harmony Nice (A book I have yet to get unfortunately but I watch her youtube videos about Wicca and love them)

Things to Scavenge

  1. Feathers
  2. Acorns
  3. Pinecones
  4. Rocks
  5. Twigs
  6. Flowers

Things that I didn’t include would be a besom and a wand as these are things that I think are better created than bought.

I hope you all enjoyed and that this gave you some ideas on things that you could use in your practice. Did I miss something that you think should be part of the list? Let me know and I just might add it! Also make sure you leave any other thoughts or questions in the comments below. Don’t forget I am taking questions for a Q&A video on youtube. Lastly, don’t forget to follow me here and on twitter so you get notifications when I post and when I upload videos to youtube. Until next time, Blessed Be!

 

Wicca and Sex

So in many traditional religions sex is viewed as meant for a husband and wife and anything else is considered a sin/wrongful. In Wicca we view sex a little differently. Most religions never really think about their God as a being that has sex but in Wicca some of our holidays are to celebrate just that, deities having sex. Wicca is a fertility religion. What do I mean by that? Well think about it this way, Wicca is thought of most often as a nature based religion. This is true of course. Nature though doesn’t just happen. Nature happens through reproduction. The plants reproduce, the animals, the insects, everything reproduces. And as we know to reproduce we must be fertile and for most living organisms it takes sex to reproduce.

All through Wicca you will find symbols about fertility. The wheel of the year is symbolic of the earth’s fertility. The wheel of the year also is a cycle about the God’s conception, and the goddess’ pregnancy. During Beltane we have the Maypole is a giant phallic symbol. The athame and wand are symbols for the male. The chalice, cauldron, and pentacle are symbols for the female.

There is also sex magick. During magick one raises energy and then releases it. Sex is a great way to build of the energy and the climax is a great way to release it. Couples who practice magick together and partake in this. Solitary Wiccans can do sex magick through masturbation. 

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So due to the fact that Wiccans see sex as a healthy, natural, and positive act we typically accept our sexuality as human nature. We have nothing against nudity (if anything we are for it considering many of us perform ritual and magick skyclad), and no where in the rede or any other such documents, does it say anything about sex before marriage. This is not to say all Wiccan’s are sexually active. Sex is an individual decision. Some have a lot of sex with numerous partners, some wait for a serious relationship, some wait for marriage, and some are celibate. It all depends on the person.

Also nowadays many wiccan’s are pretty liberal about sexual orientations and those that are homophobic are homophobic on their own accord and not because of religious scripture and belief. 

And of course there is unhealthy sex that is not encouraged in Wicca such as:

  1. Imbalance of power (this does not include consensual BDSM). No wiccan coven should ever demand sex from you. As well as child/adult, teacher/student, boss/employee, etc
  2. When sex isn’t about a personal intimate connection with someone but rather about manipulation, used to fill a void left by someone else, when it becomes an obsession/compulsion, or a cry for help. If you’re using sex like a drug it is not healthy.
  3. Non-consensual sex is obviously unethical as it is about manipulation, violence, and control.
  4. Or when someone is being irresponsible with sex. They could be opening themselves up to disease or risking giving someone else a disease, or not properly protecting oneself from unwanted children. As that is not balanced or responsible.

All and all though Wicca is pretty open minded about sex so it is up to you to decide what is best for yourself. 

Thank you so much for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions please leave them in the comments. Also, make sure you subscribe to my blog and my twitter so you get notifications on when I post. Until next time, Merry Meet and Blessed Be.

 

Altars and Tools

Not on time this week but we’re getting closer. I swear that for some reason Saturday’s just decide to get busy. If I can’t figure it out soon I’ll adjust the posting schedule.

So, altars… I feel like a lot of people have a bad idea of what altars are. I think a misconception of altars when in reference to Wicca or witchcraft as it has something to do with a sacrifice…. it has to do with a cult, all that jazz. But think about it like this. Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc they all have a place where they go and they worship…. Unless you’re in a coven, which is a group of witches who gather together to do rituals and spells (and even then it is nice to be able to worship on your own sometimes), you have no where to worship. So we make altars.

Altars are typically some sort of table like area (a flat surface) where Wiccans do rituals and spellwork.On it is typically a pentacle or two as a pentacle is like a Christian’s cross. There is also usually a chalice of water to represent water obviously, a candle to represent fire, incense to represent the air, and crystals to represent earth. There are other objects you can use to represent these elements as well but this is most commonly done.

Depending on the time of year one will also decorate there altar for the season so spring flowers, feathers from birds in the summer, acorns and leaves in the fall, and in the winter pine needles, etc. It is also customary to decorate for specific sabbats.

Some people have particular gods and goddesses they worship so they may also choose to add decorations to honour them or even stuff to honour their ancestors.

As for tools we have:

The Athame:

It is a knife used for casting the circle, it should never be used to cut or cause harm.

The Chalice:

It is used to hold water or wine which is used as a way to share meal and drink with the gods and goddess

The Wand:

Some people have a wand. It is typically made by hand so it best represents said Wiccan but it can be bought. It is used to direct energy in a ritual. You can cast a circle with it as well.

The Pentacle:

It is a 5 pointed star in a circle. It represents earth, air, water, fire, and spirit.

The Cauldron:

Often just a small one that is put on the altar. It can hold water, candles, incense, crystals. Great for rituals or spellwork that involves burning something. Most commonly they are cast-iron.

Candles:

Different coloured candles can be used to represent different things. For example I use the white candle to represent the goddess and a red candle to represent the god.

Besoms:

You won’t find them on the altar but you may find them beside them. They are brooms, typically hand crafted. Used to sweep away negative energy.

So that sums up today’s post. I hope you guys leave any comments or questions. Any specific requests for posts are also welcome. Merry Meet and Blessed Be!