5 Essential Tools for the Beginner Witch

Starting out can be overwhelming, especially when you see the vast array of tools and supplies modern witches showcase on the internet. Sometimes it feels like you can’t start until you have absolutely everything.

But here’s the secret: real magic doesn’t stem from fancy tools. It’s your intention, energy, and relationship with these tools that breathe life into your spells and rituals. Plus, witches are practical. If we have an old mirror lying around the house, we’ll enchant it – you don’t need to go out and buy a new mirror for witchcraft. Even sauce jars and old fabrics can be re-used and repurposed.

The truth is, you don’t need a lot to start practicing witchcraft. We’ve gathered our top 5 essentials to get you on your way – and you’re likely to have these lying around the house already.

Candles

Versatile Instruments of Magick

Candles have long been revered as versatile instruments of magic. Their flames are a beacon of intention and transformation. Each candle color carries specific correspondences, aligning with various purposes. Red for love, green for prosperity, or white for purification… the list goes on. Whether you’re manifesting your desires or seeking guidance, candles can be your steadfast companions on this mystical journey.

You can do pretty much any type of magic with a candle – protection magic, meditation, divination, manifestation spells, sigil work, love spells. It’s all about choosing colours that align with your intentions, and using anointing oils or carving sigils and symbols into the wax. Here are some basic steps to follow when casting a spell with a candle:

1. Choose a candle colour that matches your intention (gold for success, pink for friendship)
2. Carve relevant symbols into the candle (a pentagram for magic, your zodiac or power sigil to represent you, a name, a rune)
3. Anoint it with an oil that aligns with your spell (orange for manifestation, lavender for stress relief)
4. You could even roll it in some herbs if you want! Choose herbs that support your intentions and be careful when the candle is lit as sometimes this can become a hazard.
5. Channel your desired energy to the candle.
6. Light it to activate it. Only use the candle for its specific purpose.

Salt

Protection and Purification

Salt, a humble yet potent tool, is renowned for its protective and purifying properties. It acts as a guardian, forming barriers and circles of protection against negative forces. It’s also a cleansing agent, capable of purifying spaces, objects, or even your own energy. A simple salt spell involves sprinkling salt around your space to create a protective boundary, purifying the energies within. This age-old practice ensures that your magical endeavors are free from unwanted influences.

You can also make your own Witch’s Black Salt. There are many ways to do this but at its core, Witch’s Black Salt is an intuitive recipe. Here is an example:

1. Gather your salt, some herbs, and incense ash.
2. Grind them all up together in a bowl.
3. Infuse your mix with protective energy.
4. Put it in a container to use in threshold magic, protection spells, banishing and warding, or even put some in a bag and wear it as a protective amulet.

Journal

The Tool of Reflection

A witch’s journal is a sacred chronicle, capturing the essence of her magical journey. It’s a repository of spells, dreams, observations, and personal growth. Recording your experiences allows you to reflect on your magical path, track your progress, and discover patterns. Your journal is a mirror reflecting your evolving spirituality, and its pages are your canvas for manifesting intentions and weaving spells.

Journaling is a large part of growing as a witch. It’s a form of shadow work as it helps us to reflect and face parts of ourselves that might otherwise fly beneath the radar. It helps with memory, prioritisation, compartmentalisation, and awareness of self. You can also do written manifestation spells such as the 777 or the 369 method.

Written manifestations only need a pen and paper – they’re a great way to start calling in your ideal lifestyle or desires. For example, the 369 method involves writing down what you want 3 times in the morning, 6 times during the day, and 9 times at night. The 777 method is similar but can be done a couple different ways. One way is to write down what you want 7 times in the morning, 7 times in the middle of the day, and 7 times at night, and repeat this for 7 days.

Bowl

The Alchemical Vessel

A bowl is a versatile tool in the hands of a witch. A fireproof bowl becomes a vessel for transformation through burning offerings and intentions. It symbolises the divine feminine, a representation of her womb – an alchemical vessel, nurturing and birthing magic. A bowl can be used for water scrying, where you peer into its depths to gain insight and clarity. It’s a reminder of the sacred feminine energy that flows through all aspects of life.

Bowls can be used for offerings, to mix things, to collect ingredients, for scrying, as a vessel for water, in ritual work, and if it’s fireproofed you can burn blends, banish energies, manifest… the possibilities are endless!

You can even use a bowl and some moon water or salt to give your home a quick energetic cleanse:

1. Pour your moon water into a bowl (or regular water with a pinch of salt)
2. Dip your fingers into the bowl and go around your home, sprinkling it into corners, across thresholds and throughout the rooms.
3. Visualise the purifying energies from the water expanding over the area and washing away any lingering vibes – leaving your home fresh and energetically cleansed.

You

The Most Magical Tool of All

As you step into the realm of witchcraft, remember that your own being is the most magical tool you possess. Your thoughts, emotions, and energy hold incredible power. Harnessing this power requires honing skills like intention-setting, visualisation, and energy manipulation. Just by pointing a finger with purpose, you can direct energy and perform spells – really! You don’t need a wand to get started. Magic flows from within, and your connection to the tools you use is what truly imbues them with power.

Even the most tried and true witchcraft can be blocked by a disconnection with yourself. It’s why we practice shadow work, for self-care and to enhance our magic. To really dig deep and figure out what we truly want.

We listen to our bodies and our minds, because we know that our power comes from within, and magic is an energetical exchange – so if we want to trade energy for energy, we have to have it to give in the first place. You are the most magical tool you own – if we are to nurture our relationships with our athames and wands, we are to nurture our relationship with ourselves. We deserve that wholeness.

Witchcraft thrives in the intention, energy, and connection you infuse into your work. Remember, you are the most magical tool you possess, and with the other simple tools we’ve explored, you have the foundation to create potent spells and rituals. Embrace your inner witch, wield your tools with reverence, and let your magic flourish on this enchanting journey of self-discovery and transformation.