All you really need to do magick is focus and will. No fancy trappings, elaborate poems, or blinding flashes of light are necessary. That said, let's face it, most of us like fancy trappings. When we go out on a date, do we wear the same sweatsuit that we wore as pajamas the night before? No! Of course not. When we're entertaining guests, do we use the plastic cutlery and the re-usable paper plates? No! (Well, it depends on who we're entertaining, but I digress.) We break out the good china. Magick and ritual are much like these situations. Most witches have dozens of tools, some with very specific purposes. We dress up in ritual robes, because they help us focus on the fact that we're doing something special now. Besides, you wouldn't want to do magick in the same clothes you wore to work, would you? I know I pick up a lot of negativity at work, and I wouldn't want to mix that in with my magickal work.

The number of tools out there can be dizzying, and the cost of some of them even more so. I'll go into how to acquire wonderful ritual tools cheaply on the "Thrifty Witch" page. Here, I'll just give some definitions of the basic tools, their usage, and even some consecrating tips for them. This is by no means a comprehensive list. There are many tools of the Craft that I don't own, nor do I plan to buy them in the near future. But now, on to the fancy trappings...

• Altar - This can be a table, a night-stand, or just a flat rock on the ground. It can be temporary or permanent, face any direction you like, and have anything on it that you want. Most people set up their altars facing either North or East. East is the direction that the Sun rises, and therefore represents new beginnings, as well as knowledge and intuition. If you were doing a ritual involving wisdom or a symbolic rebirth, you might want to face your altar East. North represents integration, and is generally considered the most powerful direction. If you were doing a ritual involving passion or energy, you might want your altar to face South, or you might face it West if you were doing work involving emotional healing or affairs of the heart. I personally leave mine facing the same direction because of space limitations, though if I can go outdoors, I face East. Some people don't bother with the actual compass directions, and just name the direction they're facing "North" and work from there. Use whatever feels most comfortable to you.

• Altar Cloth - This is just what it seems. It is a cloth you place over your altar, mainly for decoration. It can be plain, or have very fancy decorations on it. I have four different ones, one for each season. Some people have many, and some only one. It's nice to change it every once in a while, just to give your altar a new feel. Even if you change nothing else, you'll be surprised how much of a difference this will make.

• Besom/Broom - Yes, witches really do use brooms in ritual, but we don't fly on them. This is a cleansing tool, both in the physical and spiritual sense. It is used to cleanse and consecrate the circle, and features prominently in Beltane rituals, where we sweep away the old and bring in the new. You can buy a simple corn broom from a store and decorate it yourself, or buy from an online merchant. Some people have a large one and one for their altar as well. It's all up to you.

• Book of Shadows - For most people this is simply a spiral-bound notebook with endless notes, scribbles, and whatnot in its pages. You can decorate it to your liking, you could use a diary, or something really fancy. It's all up to you. Record idle thoughts, dreams, spells, ritual notes, successes and failures, doodle in it, or whatever. Basically it's a record of your progress in the Craft.

• Bowls - People usually have one for salt (earth symbol) and one for water. I also have a small libation bowl, in which I put a small offering of food and drink to the God and Goddess after each ritual. These can be plain or fancy, to your liking. Some people use large sea shells, and some people make their own out of clay. Just be careful where you put them so they don't spill!

• Candles - These come in many shapes and sizes, and are always a wonderful and symbolic addition to any altar, not to mention usually inexpensive if you just go with tapers and votives. Use a sharp knife to carve designs in them if you're short on cash, or you can rub them with essential oils and herbs, or just olive oil and sugar. If you're doing a ritual, and aren't sure what color candle might help, go to the correspondences page and look at the common color meanings there.

• Cup/Chalice - Many people insist that the chalice be made of silver. Not so! Especially not for those of us who don't pull in six figures each year. The chalice is a goddess tool, representing the womb and creativity. It is generally used to hold the libation - wine, cider, etc. - but many people do cup magick. (I'm not one of them.)

• Figurines/Statuettes - Have any little knick-knacks lying around that mean something to you? You can decorate your altar with these, or if you're really crafty, you can make your own, or purchase pre-molded ones from a craft store and paint them yourself. I have a ceramic owl on my altar to represent the Goddess and a wooden acorn for the God .

• Incense - This is a great strengthening/focusing agent for any spell or ritual. Incense represents the element of Air, and the direction East. There are different scents associated with different workings, but I just use whatever scent I grab out of the container. Choose something you like, not too overpowering. If you're coughing because of the smoke or stench, or worse pass out because of it, the reason for using incense in the first place becomes moot.

• Knife/Athame - Some people have both an athame (used for ritual purposes only, and NEVER used to cut anything physical) and a white-handled knife used for mundane purposes - cutting cords, carving symbols in candles, harvesting plants, etc. The athame is a God symbol, and is used to focus and direct energies. It is generally a double-edged blade representing balance. It is generally used to cast the Circle.

• Pentacle - This is used to place offerings on, or a crystal, or whatever the focus of the ritual is. Mine is also heat-resistant, so I can place a candle on it, or an incense burner if I'd like. These come in all shapes and sizes, some can be hung on the wall, and are made of all different types of materials.

• Ritual Robes - These can be anything from a fancy bathrobe, to last year's Halloween costume, to a rectangle of cloth with a hole cut in the center for your neck. The key is that they are clothes that are set aside ONLY for ritual and nothing else. Special clothing acts as a key to our subconscious, helping us shift our focus from mundane issues to our magickal work. All of my ritual robes I have made myself. I bought the fabric, the patterns, and put them together myself. For those of you who don't know how to sew, perhaps you can ask a friend who does sew to make you a robe. If you prefer, you can do your rituals in 'street clothes' - many people do. It's all up to you.
• Staff - This is basically a large wand, and can be used to cast the Circle as well. Many people use it as a walking stick too. I have a special staff that I take with me whenever I go for a walk in the woods. I find it helps me feel more grounded and connected with Mother Earth.

• Wand - Just go for a walk in the woods and find a nice-looking stick for this. You may want to do some research on identifying different types of trees and their meanings in magickal use before you go, so you can choose a wood that has meaning. Other people prefer metal or crystal wands to wood. If that's what you prefer, then use it. Again, I'm a penny scrounger, so I'm not going to pay money for a ritual tool that somebody else made, when I can make my own... This is a God tool, used for directing or receiving energies. It is used for emphasis in gesturing, bestowing blessings, or basically any use you put it to, save being a weapon. It can be used to cast the circle in the place of the athame.

All tools should be cleansed and consecrated before use. This can be fancy or as simple as saying a few words over the item. I like to leave my tools lying in an eastward facing window for 24 hours so that both the sun and the moon shine on them as they rise above the hilltops. I then simply say "Be cleansed of negativity, as I will, so mote it be!" When I first use the tool in ritual, I dedicate it to the service of the God and Goddess, and then I immediately use it for its intended purpose. This serves to solidify in my mind, and in the energies of the tool, what its purpose is.

The more you handle a tool, the more it becomes your own. You shouldn't let others touch your tools unless you feel very comfortable with them adding their energies to that tool. You can cleanse and consecrate your tools any time you feel they need it. I do this at least once a year, and more, with my more often used tools. Again, this is personal preference, and if you handle your tools enough, you'll know when they need a magickal boost.