Introduction

Hello, and welcome to our webpage! This page was created because there are many people who think that they must spend alot of money on tools, candles ect. to make their magic work. While, granted, the expensive wands and chalices are beautiful, they are not needed to make magic effective. You will not find an overall description of Wicca or a Book of Shadows on this page, as there are many existing sites which have those. This page is written for those, already familiar with witchcraft, who worry that they can't afford to practice it. So, until that prosperity spell comes through for you, put down the $100 dagger and slowly back away... You don't need it- really!!   Tools Chalice Any old coffee cup or drinking glass will do. If you wish to have something that looks a little more magical, you can buy a plain white or colored coffee mug and paint or glue glitter on in the shapes of pentacles, runes, oghams or whatever you wish. Remember, even if it is the exact right size and shape, your snakes water dish is not acceptable. Trust us- we know. Dagger Any fairly large kitchen knife will do. Think Michael Myers size. Enough said. Wand For this, you can either go get a branch from nature, and whittle the bark off of it, or buy a thin dowel from a home improvement warehouse. Either can be left plain and natural or can be decorated with small stones, glitter or paint. For further ideas on decorating your wand, see the Halloween issue of Martha Stewart's Living- lol. Sword We have to say, neither of us have ever run into a spell, that was supposed to have a sword, where a dagger used instead didn't work. We really don't feel a sword is a nessessity, but if it is to you, you could always buy a machete. A machete isn't terribly cheap, but it is less expensive than a sword, and if you just have to have one, it's an option. You! Yes, you- the one with the meatcleaver- a sword must have a _point_! Pentacle You can either use a piece of construction paper or posterboard, or a thin square piece of wood. Simply paint or glue on glitter in the shape of a pentacle. As with the chalice and the wand, you could make several of these using different colors for use in different kinds of spells. I (Morrigan) have a really cool thing. It's a cast iron pentacle that- I don't even know how to describe it- it's flat and really old and I guess you're supposed to set pans on it to keep from burning the tablecloth. My great grandmother gave it to me and IT'S A TRIVIT!! Thank you to all the people who've written to us since we first published this page, to let me know it's a trivit. IT'S A TRIVIT!!! Cauldron You can use any sauce pan or spagetti pot for this. The best one we ever had was an old wok. However, if using anything other than cast iron, when you burn things in it, it will burn the metal so that it will be difficult to use for scrying. You may want to have two cauldrons- one for fire based spells and one for liquid based spells. A bunt cake pan is really less of a cauldron and more of a moat. Spell Ingredients Candles For these, we highly recommend going to a dollar or discount store. No, they don't work any better if they are made of bee's wax, and no, it doesn't matter if the color is just a coating and the inside of the candle is white. Why not, you ask? Because white is a neutral color that can be used in place of any other color. If you're really in a tight spot,you can use scarves or pieces of clothing of the appropriate colors, to represent the elements in your circle. If you choose the items of clothing carefully, you could even dress a spirit, in a pinch- lol. Herbs In most cases, we recommend using the incense version of the herb you need, as these can often be found more cheaply and easily. Also, you can choose carefully in which spells you do. Try to do ones that use herbs you already have in your kitchen or broom closet. Since most herbs have several magical uses, this does not disable your spellwork. There are several magical herbs in herbal teas, so investigate what's in them and you can benefit from your magic, literally from the inside, out Oils & Incenses As with herbs, don't be afraid to substitute one oil or incense for another that has the same magical properties. We just can't stress it enough- discount stores, discount stores, discount stores! They can become your best friends in finding cheap oils, incenses and candles. The average witch goes through so much of them that the savings truelly is significant. Stones In our opinion, it is not so much what type of stone it is that matters, as it is the color of the stone. There are some exceptions however, lodestones and crystals for instance. In many occult stores, you can buy various colors of small stones, of indeterminate origin, for about a tenth of the price of the only slightly larger stones that are identified as to their type. Remember, when it comes to stones, size really doesn't matter. Crystal Balls & Other Divination Tools You really don't need a crystal ball. If you wish to do scrying, you can use a mirror or a cauldron of water and it will work the same. As for other divination tools, if you are interested in tarot cards, but are prohibited by price, you can make similar tools on your own. You can do this by painting oghams or runes on index cards, popsicle sticks or small stones. If you use index cards, and you are an artistic person, you could paint pictures on the back of them. The strangest form of divination, we've ever heard of is looking for omens in the soapscum of your bathtub- lol. Mojo Bags The little bags that you can buy at occult stores can be very pricey, especially if you use a new one for each spell. Look at art supply stores for squares of felt. They are very cheap and come in a rainbow of colors. Just cut out circles abouit 8 or 9 inches in diameter, gather the edges after you've filled it and tie it up with a piece of string or rubberband. You could also use baby socks as mojo bags- particularly useful in fertility spells!