How to Become a Witch (14 page)

To become closer to nature, you might choose a name from nature. To balance your personality, choose an elemental name: for example, Fireheart could boost your will and energy. To become more flexible, you could become Willow. If you want freedom and to express yourself, you might choose Birdsong. One way to choose your name is to go through lists (see the following pages) and simply find words that speak to you, then put two or more together. Write some possibilities in your Book of Shadows, then say them out loud as if you are introducing yourself to others at a Pagan festival: “Hello, my name is Whitefeather.” How does it sound? How does it feel? How it will feel in a year—is it a name you will have to grow into or one that will feel too small in a few months? If it is unusual, are you willing to always spell it out for people—A-Z-R-A-E-L—or will you get really tired of that? Try it now, and see what you come up with!

Choosing Your Magickal Name

Actions:
Archer, Chanter, Climber, Dancer, Diver, Drummer, Flyer, Hiker, Hunter, Leaper, Runner, Seeker, Singer, Speaker, Spinner, Surfer, Swimmer, Traveler, Walker, etc.

Animals: Bear, Butterfly, Coyote, Crow, Dolphin, Eagle, Ermine, Firefly, Fox, Hawk, Horse, Lion, Lynx, Marten, Mouse, Owl, Robin, Salmon, Squirrel, Tiger, Turtle, Wildcat, Wolf, etc.

Archaeology: Altarstone, Bluestone, Broch, Cromlech, Dolmen, Henge, Hillfort, Holy Stone, Megalith, Menhir, Standing Stone, Tell, Trilithon, etc.

Astronomy: Aldebaran, Arcturus, Comet, Constellation, Crescent, Deneb, Diana’s Bow, Ecliptic, Galaxy, Milky Way, Moon, Moondog, Pleides, Polestar, Sirius, Sol, Star, Sun, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Zodiac, etc.

Colors: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown, Cerulean, Copper, Cream, Electrum, Ebon, Gold, Gray, Gules, Ivory, Lavender, Ochre, Orange, Red, Russet, Sable, Scarlet, Sienna, Silver, Tan, Umber, Verdigris, Vert, Violet, White, Yellow, etc.

Elements: Earth, Land, Loam, Mountain, Rock, Soil, Stone; Air, Breeze, Gale, Sirocco, Sky, Wind, Zephyr; Fire, Blaze, Bonfire, Ember, Flame, Niedfyr, Spark, Torch; Water, Ice, Creek, Current, Lake, Ocean, River, Sea, Spray, Spring, Stream, Surf, Wave, Wavecrest; Spirit, Lady, Lord.

Goddesses: Anahita, Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Arinna, Artemis, Ashoreth, Astarte, Bast, Baubo, Cerridwen, Danu, Diana, Epona, Flidais, Freya, Grianne, Hathor, Hecate, Hera, Iris, Isis, Lakshmi, Ma’at, Macha, Mebd, Minerva, Morrigan, Nuit, Oshun, Quan Yin, Sarasvati, Scathach, Sekhmet, Selket, Sif, Sophia, Tanith, Uzume, Venus, Xochiquetzal, Yemaya, etc.

Gods: Amon, Anubis, Apollo, Ares, Aten, Baldur, Bel, Cernunnos, Coyote, Dagda, Dionysius, Enki, Faunus, Frey, Ganesh, Ganymede, Geb, Heimdall, Helios, Hephaestus, Hermes, Herne, Jupiter, Lugh, Manannan, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Odin, Osiris, Pan, Poseidon, Ptah, Ra, Saturn, Shiva, Silenus, Sin, Tammuz, Thor, Thoth, Vulcan, Wayland, Zeus, etc.

Herbs and Flowers: Aloe Vera, Alraun, Briony, Chamomile, Comfrey, Dahlia, Day’s-Eye, Foxglove, Hagtaper, Mandrake, Marigold, Mullein, Mugwort, Nightshade, Orchid, Periwinkle, Rose, Satyrion, Soloman’s Seal, Vervain, Violet, Wood Betony, etc.

Mythological Beasts: Cameleopard, Dragon, Gryphon, Hippogriff, Hydra, Pegasus, Phoenix, Roc, Sea Serpent, Sirrush, Unicorn, Water Horse, etc.

Nature in General: Autumn, Canyon, Equinox, Fall, Feather, Field, Forest, Hill, Isle, Grove, Marsh, Path, Shell, Solstice, Spring, Summer, Tor, Trail, Valley, Winter, Woods, etc.

Spirit Beings: Angel, Archangel, Brownie, Elf, Faery, Faun, Gnome, Mermaid, Merman, Nereid, Nixie, Oceanid, Oread, Pixie, Salamander, Sprite, Sylph, Undine, etc.

Stones: Agate, Amazonite, Amber, Amethyst, Azurite, Beryl, Carnelian, Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Jasper, Jet, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Sardonyx, Turquoise, Zircon, etc.

Trees: Alder, Almond, Apple, Ash, Aspen, Chestnut, Cypress, Dogwood, Ebony, Elder, Elm, Fir, Hawthorn, Hickory, Holly, Juniper, Oak, Olive, Orange, Pine, Plum, Redwood, Rosewood, Rowan, Sassafras, Sequoia, Spruce, Thorn, Willow, Yew, etc.

Tree Parts: Acorn, Bark, Bough, Branch, Crown, Leaf, Root, Twig, Wood, etc.

Vocations: Clown, Farmer, Fool, Healer, Hunter, Jester, Forester, Ranger, Seer, Smith, Teacher, Warrior, etc.

Weather: Breeze, Calm, Cloud, Dew, Lightning, Mist, Rain, Rainbow, Sirocco, Snow, Storm, Thunder, Typhoon, Weather, Wind, Woods, etc.

Witch Words: Amulet, Athame, Bolline, Chant, Caim, Chalice, Charm, Crone, Cup, Deosil, Incantation, Pentacle, Rede, Sage, Scry, Shadowbook, Sigil, Sign, Song, Spell, Sword, Talisman, Torc, Wand, Will, etc.

Other Ideas:
North, East, South, West, Circle, Agrippa, Alchemy, Paracelsus, Athanor, Elixir, Shadow, Glow, Rune, Serenity, Radiance, Stillness, Silence, Courage, Dawn, Day, Morning, Noon, Dusk, Sunset, Twilight, Evening, Night, Midnight, names from other languages, etc.

Now you can round out your toolbox with a few of the lesser-known items that most Witches own. You may already own some kind of divination tool: tarot cards, a pendulum, a scrying bowl (a dark-colored bowl that you fill with water and look in for images), stones or bones to cast, or rune stones (more in chapter 10). Many Witches have a staff (part walking stick and part overgrown wand), a bolline (a white-handled knife used to cut material objects, like carving runes in candles, and cutting herbs), and of course a drum or six for raising power or just getting down in a drum circle. Flutes and other musical instruments are always welcome in ritual, and incense is another tool representing air.

Then there are the tools of your specialty. If you are an herbalist, you will have gardening tools, your mortar and pestle, the pot in which you make your teas and infusions, perhaps equipment for making herbal soaps. If you are a tarot reader, you may have several decks, a cloth on which you do the spreads, and a notebook of past readings. If you are shamanically inclined, you will have a journey drum or rattles and bundles of sage or other herbs for cleansing. Don’t worry about collecting these all at once; they will come to you gradually as you find your calling within the Craft (see chapter 12).

You will probably be doing most of your magickal work at home, so make your home a magickal place. If possible, your home should feel sacred when you walk in, and be a canvas on which you can paint your magickal life. If that’s not possible because you share the space with muggles, or for any other reason, at least set aside a temple space of your own. You may be lucky enough to have a whole room you can devote to this; most people can’t. One Witch made her “temple” in the bottom drawer of the bureau in her bedroom. She had everything set up in there, and when she wanted to do ritual, she pulled out the drawer, lit the candles, and was good to go.

The making of a besom

Doreen Valiente, in her book
An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present
(Phoenix, 1973), tells us that the traditional “besom,” or broom, was made of sacred woods such as oak (strength), ash (magick), birch (purification), or hazel (wisdom). Of course, often the broom plant was also used for the brush part, or “sprays.” Witches might also favor a “bune wand” (Scots for a forked stick) or a plain staff, or, on the Isle of Man, even a ragwort stalk.

Bell, book, and candle

One of the early movies about Witches was
Bell, Book, and Candle
, starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Jack Lemmon. Though the movie’s view of Witches was complete fantasy, the title is evocative of actual ritual practices. Sometimes Witches and ceremonial magicians use a bell to “alert the quarters,” or inform the elemental spirits that they will soon be called to the circle. The book is a Book of Shadows, the personal or coven journal that is part of Craft tradition. And of course, candles are always the preferred lighting for magickal work, unless we can manage a bonfire.

You will probably find yourself collecting at least a few Witch tchotchkes—witchy things that you just want to have around: a nifty cast-iron cauldron with a pentagram on the side; a picture of the animal spirit you work with; a miniature disco ball to represent Deity in all its myriad manifestations; a Green Man mask to hang on the wall of your home office to remind you of the beauty and power of nature even when you are sitting at your computer; a collection of interesting chalices; a statue of Pan as the centerpiece of your backyard herb garden, etc. That’s not even counting the books you will collect. We don’t know any Witches who are not readers, and voracious ones at that. Most have five or more witchy books on their nightstand or next to their favorite easy chair.

You may get into color theory or feng shui, the Chinese art of placement for harmonious living. You may decide to make your temple room a miniature replica of the inside of the Parthenon, or paint a goddess on the wall of your garden. At some point, your home and your Witch identity will meet, and, since all things are connected, you will find your Witch life seeping into your ordinary life; it’s all good.

You will also find yourself collecting clothing and jewelry—particularly ritual robes and Witch jewelry. Over the course of the years that we have been together, our taste in jewelry has boiled down to one statement: if it has no spiritual or witchy significance, we don’t wear it. Every stone necklace and pendant has a special meaning or energy. Our earrings range from Isis earrings to dolphins (Amber’s “younger self” animal) to carnelian drops that give Azrael strength to face new challenges. What significance does your jewelry have?

While it’s hardly necessary to have a new robe for each ritual, a basic collection is not a bad thing either. We suggest one basic green, black, or white robe for general use, plus a few for the various sabbats: perhaps a brown one for the harvest sabbats, a light pastel one for the spring sabbats, and a red one for Candlemas. Others will find their way into your closet over time—we’ve just added a honey-gold one for a honeybee ritual we did. You may also want to have special clothing for Pagan festivals. Show up at the festival, see what other people are wearing, and stroll down merchants’ row until you find something that you like.

Horse brasses

It was customary in earlier times for protective talismans of brass—one or many—to be fastened on the harness of horses. These horse brasses or smaller “pony brasses” were originally shaped like suns, moons, or other symbols of good fortune, but in time many designs were crafted to commemorate interesting places or people in history, as well. Some show horses, especially the draft breeds, still wear the brasses as part of their show regalia, and many people collect them.

While we will admit we like witchy things, we hope you realize that the trappings don’t make the Witch. The tools and tchotchkes speak to younger self/inner child, but it is the mind, heart, and spirit that make the Witch. Knowledge, imagination, will, silence, faith, and love together make magick happen, and your quest for these is what will make you a true Witch.