The idea of one particular way to do something, being better than another is seen everywhere, and the Wiccan community is probably no exception. It's natural for the human mind to gravitate towards the 'This way is right, that way is wrong' state of mind. But is this way really right, or is it just the right way for me? These two are interchanged far too often. There is no right way to do spells, as long as you're not doing them to hurt anyone else. Are all those tools that someone were to use really the right way to perform a spell? Or is it just the right way for the practitioner?

A person does not actually need any physical tools in order to work magick. There's an old saying, "Six of one, half dozen of the other, " and I think that it applies to this topic. If someone doesn't want to use a lot of elaborate tools, or if they don't know where to get them, then a person can still work magick! If a person did want those things, then that can also help your magickal experience. It's one of the most common sentiments in the Pagan community: if it works for you, and nobody is hurt, then why not?

Your hands work as most things: a finger instead of an athame (a black handled knife used for ritual), cup your hands instead of a chalice, clap your hands instead of a drum... etcetera. Other things, such as candles, a person can visualize. Tools aren't necessary for magickal working—as long as you have the right discipline. It's the thoughts, the energies that are being sent into the world that really makes or breaks the spell.

However, tools can certainly help. For those people who can't visualize well, or that need physical manifestation for their thoughts and energies, then tools aredefinitely the way to go. But do we need all the traditional tools? The answer is definitely NOT! Part of the beauty of the Craft is that it isn't necessary to slavishly follow any stifling rites. We don't have to have everything exactly this way. Whatever we use for our rituals, if it comes from the heart and the energy is sent correctly, then the ritual will work, no matter what physical tools are used.

I have a friend who only uses crystals for her magickal workings. She uses them as symbols for the elements, to raise the magick circle, to pray and meditate. Her spells work; the Lord and Lady don't care whether or not my friend uses the traditional tools.

Still more people use the energy almost purely through visualization. Raising a magick circle could be done purely with visualizing the energy. One person I know imagines a blue light rising out of the ground and encompassing her, or perhaps a circle of fire if she is feeling energetic and passionate that day. If she were to do a healing spell, she could picture the sick person happy, walking around, dancing, etceteras.

I personally cast a circle with my "athame" (a black-handled knife stolen from my kitchen), holding it out from me and directing it around in a counter-clockwise motion. A purple light, which symbolizes protection for me, comes out of the tip of the athame. Occasionally I'll use a rope I have in the corner to create physical boundaries of the circle, but not often.

Some of my own tools do edge near the 'traditional' ones. I use candles, salt, incense, and a bowl of water for my elements. When a spell calls for a candle, I use a candle; I act out most of my rituals and use both physical and verbal actions. I write the rituals that I perform, but they're acted out in a rather typical way.

I mentioned earlier, however, my 'athame' is actually a black-handled knife (but it uses the charged energy that I give it just as well as a real athame would). Many things that could be found around the house could be used for your altar: a wine glass for a chalice, a cup to burn candles in or put water/salt in, table salt, or a cup filled with sand to burn incense in, to name a few. Things that you find outside, such as branches, stones, leaves, flowers, anything really, can be put on the altar. If it looks good there, keep it! What these tools really do is set the mood. A candle doesn't have to be used as a tool for it to help a ritual; using that instead of electric light does add a certain feeling that helps spark the imagination. You don't have to do something special with your incense; the smell can help your imagination and do what all tools do: a sort of trick of the mind, something to convince your conscious mind that what you're doing is real.

The color and scent of the candles I use also have meaning, though I don't use any set meanings. Certain colors mean certain things to me; when you get right down to it, the colors only have to have meaning to one person: the person working the ritual. For me personally, blue seems like a soothing color, so if I wanted to calm someone, a friend or myself, that is the color candle that I would use. I don't know whether that's what's commonly used for that sort of spell; and really, does it matter?

Many of the materials I use really are what others use. I use them now because a book said that's the way it should be when I was just beginning. Now, I see past that and accept that there's really no set patterns, but the original meaning of them still speak to me. There's no reason to change the way I'm doing things—if it symbolizes what I want it to symbolize then that is the perfect object to use.

Of course, many of the tools I use do need some imagination to power them. I don't have a wand, or a chalice; only sometimes do I make the trip downstairs to get my dad's drums and send energy into them. When I'm feeling more imaginative I can do without tools. It works no matter what I do; do the gods I honor really care whether a drum or my thighs are hit? Of course not! In fact, it wouldn't be a good idea to become too dependent on tools. If there was an emergency, it would be nice to know that you could perform a spell even without access to the objects that you normally use.

In all honesty, I don't actually perform many spells. For me, magickal workings are sort of a side dish. Yes, they are important, but the religion itself, the beliefs, and overall how someone incorporates his or her beliefs into everyday life, (and how that life is lived), is what makes Wicca what it is to me. If all I focused on was the spells, there would be something wrong, and no amount of tools or lack thereof would change that. In fact, it could certainly make the situation worse, considering that concentrating on spells could detract from the faith that someone would already be sorely needing.

The place of tools in magickal workings is wherever the user sees them. If the user prefers not to use any tools, fine. Or just using things that are part of your body, that works too. If you want all of the "correct" tools and all of them used in a certain way, then go for it! There should be no stuffy rules and regulations regarding something so personal as spells.

So please, don't feel like you can't have magickal experiences because tools can't be found, and don't feel like you're being over-dramatic if you like to make it seem like a production. As long as the energy comes from the heart, and as long as you're comfortable working with what you have, then that's the best way for you to work. Don't be afraid to experiment, to try something new, or to add a sympathetic friend to the ritual.

Good luck on your spiritual journey!