Found Object Wicca

Sometimes less is more which is the case with simple rites. For Wiccans , a full ritual with all the trappings requires several supplies from God and Goddess representations, elemental tools like candles and incense,  a wand, athame (ritual knife) and anything else specific to the magic you plan on performing.  When I lived in Missoula for 5 weeks during my master’s program, I found SC’s chapter on simple rites extremely valuable.

That summer it was frequently 100+ degrees outside, I had a ton of homework, and I was living in married student housing.  Luckily, I was alone in my apartment, but I didn’t want to bring all my Wicca gear with me as I had a hard enough time packing the essentials into my truck.  Consequently, I whittled it down to just what was necessary in my view—my God and Goddess discs that I made out of polymer clas, a candle, an incense burner, and a pentacle again made out of Sculpey.  Since I had neighbors and very thin walls, I didn’t want to get to loud with my chanting etc and I didn’t want to dance around vigorously in case my candle fell over and I lost my deposit because of a burn mark.  SC’s advice on various methods of casting and raising energy really helped!  I started experimenting a lot with breathing techniques and muscle tension.  Because of the simplified situation, I feel that my ability to raise energy got better that summer.  The restriction allowed me to experiment and really learn about channeling that energy under any circumstance.

I’ve also had several occasions to be camping when a full moon or a Sabbat occurred—especially Lughnasadh.  I love being able to work magic up at the lake!  I’ve done everything from esbat, to Sabbat to cleansing, to healing, to blessing a marriage.  Being without all the accessories gets you back to the bare bones and it lets you get a little creative.  One of my favorites was a cleansing ritual I did on the shore of the lake.  I used a stick to draw symbols in the dirt and I gathered items from the campground to be used like stones, wildflowers, coins people dropped and I had a delightful bath in the lake by moonlight.  It was truly lovely.

There will come a time when a need presents itself and you have no materials.  It is during these times that knowing how to locate items and how to perform rites independent of your usual digs is imperative.  Even if you don’t think it will, experimenting with SC’s suggestions in this chapter will be a beneficial exercise in stretching your abilities.