Read Wicca for Free Online Page B

winter, reaches maturity in summer, and dies after the last harvest (see chapter 8, “The Days of Power”).
    Ideally speaking, the cauldron should be of iron, resting on three legs, with its opening smaller than its widest part. Cauldrons can be difficult to find, even small ones, but a thorough search usually produces some type of cauldron.A few mail-order houses stock cauldrons, but not regularly. You may wish to query these sources.
    Cauldrons come in all sizes, ranging from a few inches in diameter to monsters three feet across. I have collected a few, including an old one reserved for ritual purposes.
    The cauldron can be an instrument of scrying (gazing) by filling it with water and staring into its inky depths. It can also serve as a container in which to brew up those infamous Wicca brews, but bear in mind that a large fire and plenty of patience are required to make liquids boil in larger cauldrons.Most Wiccans use stoves and cooking pots today.

    If you have difficulty finding a cauldron, persevere and one will eventually materialize. It certainly can’t hurt to ask the Goddess and God to send one your way.
    Magic Knife
    The magic knife (or athame) has an ancient history. It isn’t used for cutting purposes in Wicca, but to direct the energy raised during rites and spells. It is seldom used to invoke or call upon the deities for it is an instrument of commanding and power manipulation. We’d rather invoke the Goddess and God.
    The knife is often dull, usually double-edged with a black or dark handle. Black absorbs power. When the knife is used in ritual (see The Standing Stones Book of Shadows ) to direct energy, some of this power is absorbed into the handle—only a tiny amount—which can be called upon later. Then again, sometimes energy raised within Wiccan ritual is channeled into the knife for later use. The stories of swords with magical powers and names are quite common in mythic literature, and swords are nothing more than large knives.
    Some Wiccans engrave their knives with magical symbols, usually taken from The Key of Solomon, but this isn’t necessary. As with most magical tools, the knife becomes powerful by your touch and usage. If you so desire, however, scratch words, symbols, or runes onto its blade or handle.
    A sword is sometimes used in Wicca, as it has all the properties of the knife, but can be difficult for indoor rituals due to its size.
    Because of the symbolism of the knife, which is a tool that causes change, it is commonly linked with the element of fire. Its phallic nature links it with the God.
    White-Handled Knife
    The white-handled knife (sometimes called a bolline ) is simply a practical, working knife as opposed to the purely ritualistic magic knife. It is used to cut wands or sacred herbs, inscribe symbols onto candles or on wood, clay, or wax, and in cutting cords for use in magic. It is usually white-handled to distinguish it from the magic knife.

    Some Wiccan traditions dictate that the white-handled knife be used only within the magic circle. This would, of course, limit its usefulness. It seems to me that using it solely for ritual purposes (such as harvesting flowers from the garden to place on the altar during ritual) confirms the tool’s sacredness and so allows its use out of “sacred space.”
    Crystal Sphere
    Quartz crystals are extremely popular today, but the quartz crystal sphere is an ancient magical tool. It is exquisitely expensive, selling for twenty dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on size.Most crystal balls on the market today are glass, leaded glass, or even plastic. Genuine quartz crystal spheres can be determined by their high prices and inclusions or irregularities.
    The crystal has long been used in contemplative divination. The diviner gazes into the ball until the psychic faculties blossom, and images, seen in the mind or projected by it into the depths of the crystal, reveal the necessary information.

    In Wiccan ritual, the crystal