Read Wicca for Free Online Page A

religious rites. It is an instrument of invocation. The Goddess and God may be called to watch the ritual with words and an uplifted wand. It is also sometimes used to direct energy, to draw magical symbols or a circle on the ground, to point toward danger while perfectly balanced on the Witch’s palm or arm, or even to stir brew in a cauldron. The wand represents the element of air to some Wiccans, and is sacred to the God.

    There are traditional woods used for the wand, including willow, elder, oak, apple, peach, hazel, cherry, and so on. Some Wiccans cut it the length from the crook of the elbow to the tip of the forefinger, but this isn’t necessary.Any fairly straight piece of wood can be used; even dowels purchased from hardware stores work well, and I’ve seen beautifully carved and painted wands made from these.
    New Age consciousness (and merchandising) has brought the wand into renewed prominence. Delightful, beautiful creations fashioned of silver and quartz crystals are now available in a wide range of sizes and prices. These certainly could be used within Wiccan ritual, though wooden wands have a longer history.
    Don’t worry about finding the ideal wand at first; one will come to you. I used a length of licorice root as a wand for a while and had good results with it.
    Any stick you use will be infused with energy and power. Find one that feels comfortable, and it’ll do just fine.
    Censer
    The censer is an incense burner. It can be a complex, swinging,metal censer like those used in the Catholic church, or a simple seashell. The censer holds the smoldering incense during Wiccan rites.
    If you cannot find a suitable censer, make one. Any bowl or cup half-filled with sand or salt will serve well. The salt or sand absorbs the heat from the charcoal or incense and prevents the bowl from cracking. Incense sticks can also be pushed into the salt, or cones placed upon its surface.
    Incense use in ritual and magic is an art in and of itself. When no specific incense is called for in rituals and spells, use your own intuition and creativity in determining which blend to use.
    Stick, cone, or block incense can be used, but most Wiccans favor the raw or granulated incense, the type that must be burned on self-igniting charcoal briquettes, available from occult suppliers. Either is fine.
    In ceremonial magic, “spirits” are sometimes commanded to appear in visible form in the smoke rising from the censer. While this isn’t part of Wicca, the Goddess and God can sometimes be seen in the curling, twisting smoke. Sitting while breathing slowly and watching the smoke can be an entrancing act, and you might slip into an alternate state of consciousness.
    Wiccan ritual, when performed indoors, isn’t complete without incense. Outdoors a fire often substitutes, or stick-type incense is stuck into the ground. Thus, the censer is an important tool for indoor rites. To some of the Wicca, the censer represents the element of air. It is often placed before the images of the deities on the altar, if there are any.
    Cauldron
    The cauldron is the Witch’s tool par excellence. It is an ancient vessel of cooking and brew making, steeped in magical tradition and mystery. The cauldron is the container in which magical transformations occur; the sacred grail, the holy spring, the sea of primeval creation.
    The Wicca see the cauldron as a symbol of the Goddess, the manifested essence of femininity and fertility. It is also symbolic of the element of water, reincarnation, immortality, and inspiration. Celtic legends concerning Kerridwen’s cauldron have had a strong impact on contemporary Wicca.
    The cauldron is often a focal point of ritual.During spring rites it is sometimes filled with fresh water and flowers; during winter a fire may be kindled within the cauldron to represent the returning heat and light of the sun (the God) from the cauldron (the Goddess). This links in with agricultural myths wherein the God is born in