A Witch’s Toolset: A Guide to the Tools of my Personal Craft
Author’s Note: The content of this blog reflects my personal experiences and perspectives on magic. Witchcraft is a deeply individual practice, and my approach may not align with everyone’s beliefs or traditions. I encourage readers to explore, question, and adapt what resonates with them. Nothing shared here is meant to serve as absolute truth or professional advice. Trust your intuition, do your own research, and walk your own path.
Tools are not essential to my practice. I can—and often have had to—perform magic without them, sometimes without even supplies. But I enjoy using tools. There’s something so wonderful about having dedicated items I can work with routinely, forming a connection with their spirits over time. These tools have become my trusted allies, as much a part of my craft as my familiars.
I view my magical tools the same way I view mundane ones: they are aids, not necessities, but they help refine and direct my focus. Just as a writer doesn’t need a notebook to create a story but benefits from organizing thoughts on paper, my magical tools help shape and strengthen my workings. They allow me to channel spirit and energy with greater focus, to engage more deeply with the process of magic itself.
Like many witches, I started with the standard toolset—a blade, wand, chalice, and pentacle. Though I never considered myself Wiccan, those tools were what I had access to at the time. Over the years, my toolkit has evolved alongside my practice, growing and shifting to meet my needs. Some tools have remained constant, while others have been set aside as my path has refined itself. When it comes to my tools, I use what serves me. I choose what feels authentic, what aligns with my practice, and what holds historical or folkloric relevance.
My Toolset
Altars & Shrines: I have several altars and shrines, each serving a distinct purpose within my magical and spiritual practice. To me, these spaces are more than just collections of objects—they are tools in their own right, acting as focal points for my devotion, magic, and spirit work.
Spirit Shrine: This shrine is dedicated to my own spirit, my familiars, and the spirits I work with. It is a place of communion, where I leave offerings for my spirit allies and honor the relationships I have built with them. When I engage in spirit work or spirit travel, this shrine serves as a focal point, grounding my practice and providing a point of connection between the seen and unseen worlds.
Working Altar: My working altar is where I perform the majority of my magic and is a reflection of my relationship with magic itself. It houses my primary magical tools, as well as any ongoing spellwork or rituals. This altar also serves as a place of gratitude, holding gifts I’ve received from the land—stones, feathers, bones, and other natural items that I find during my workings. Symbols of my Initiator also rest here.
Worship Shrine: This shrine is dedicated to my faith and my ancestors. It holds the statues, icons, and tools that connect me to the divine, as well as offerings and keepsakes that honor those who have come before me. This space is one of reverence and remembrance, where I pay homage to the gods and spirits that walk with me as I deepen my connection to my faith, my lineage, and my heritage.
Land Shrine: Outside of my home, I maintain an altar at a local grotto as an offering space for the land spirits. Here, I leave tokens of gratitude—candles, herbs, and biodegradable offerings—thanking the spirits for their presence and guidance. I also take care of the space, cleaning up any litter and ensuring it remains a place of respect and balance. This shrine is an extension of my relationship with the land, a place to honor the history of the area I live in, a way of giving back and strengthening my bond with the spirits that inhabit it.
Working Tools: My working tools are the main tools at the heart of my magical practice. Each one serves a distinct role, shaping my rituals and spell routines, and acting as a bridge between myself, my magic, and the spirits I work with.
Wands: I work with two wands, each with a unique role in my practice: My iron wand is traditional for the folklore and history associated with the region my magical and spiritual practices come from. This is my conduit for spirit work and ecstatic magic. I also have a wood wand, which is crafted from applewood and has been with me since my time as a Druid witch. I use it for ancestor work, protective and healing magic, and any spellwork that is not ecstatic in nature.
Cauldrons: Cauldrons embody transformation, alchemy, and the hearth. I use two, each with a specific function. My primary cauldron is firesafe vessel for burning sacred herbs, incense, and spell components. It’s also used for creating magical ash that I use for powders, inks, and salts. I also have a hopping pot, a three-legged brewing pot dedicated to brewing magical teas, creating charged waters, and preparing simmer pots on the altar.
Magic Rings: Forged from iron and copper, these rings act as a portable Witch’s Compass, creating a liminal space for spirit work. They also serve as portals for working magic with spirits and are powerful tools for charging magical items.
Besom: My besom is a tool of cleansing and protection. It is used to sweep away stagnant energy, reinforce protective boundaries, and ensure my ritual and living spaces remain sacred and undisturbed.
Land Gifts: Over time, I have collected various stones, bones, and other tokens gifted by the land wights. These serve as focal points for calling on the land spirits, grounding tools for centering energy and controlling spirit travel, and divinatory aids for reading omens and messages from the land. I also use them in amulets and spell components.
Divination Tools
Divination is an integral part of my magical practice, offering insight, guidance, and connection to the spirit world.
Dowsing Rods: I use copper dowsing rods for locating lost items, seeking simple yes/no answers from spirits, detecting spirits and energies, and practicing spirit and energy manipulation, allowing me to refine my sensitivity to magical currents.
Bones and Land Gifts: I work with bones and natural tokens gifted by the land spirits as a form of casting divination.
Tarot Cards: Tarot is a good tool for deep, layered insights. I turn to my cards for in-depth guidance and spirit work.
Spirit Board: Used with proper protections and respect, it allows me to converse with familiar spirits, seek guidance from ancestors and deities, and receive messages from the otherworld.
Crafted Tools
Some of the most powerful tools in my practice are the ones I create myself. Crafting my own magical supplies allows me to work with their spirits from start to finish, ensuring they are deeply attuned to my work.
Working Oils – I create infused oils using magical ingredients, herbs, and powders, blending them with a carrier oil to draw out their properties. These oils are used to anoint tools, dress candles, and enhance spellwork.
Personal Powder, Ink, and Salt Blend – The foundation of this blend comes from the ash of burned powerful herbs, which I then refine into different forms. By adding specific elements, I create powders for spellwork, ink for magical writing, and salts for protection and cleansing.
Candles and Wax Figures – I handcraft my candles and wax figures from beeswax, melting, molding, carving, and dipping them in my kitchen. Each one is made with intention, whether for spellwork, offerings, or spirit communication.
None of my tools are truly essential to my practice, but they are deeply woven into it; they are part of what helps me to feel connected to it. Over time, my tools have become trusted companions—each with its own spirit, purpose, and history within my craft. Some have been with me for years, evolving alongside my practice, while others have been set aside as my needs have changed and still others have been created to fill a magical need. Regardless, every tool I use serves to deepen my relationship with magic, the spirits I work with, and my own path as a witch.
