Tools of Kautantowit Mecautea
Inside the spiritual tool chest of Kautantowit Mecautea you will find a wide array of items and objects along with wisdom teachings to go with them. Many of these tools are used during ceremonial rituals which both honour the deities and the spiritual work.
Each of these tools has different uses and associations, and serve primarily to direct magical and psychic energies to perform a certain action
The tools used by the spiritual leaders of Kautantowit Mecautea are extremely important as well as sacred and should always be treated and viewed with the upmost of respect and our members with courtesy,whatever there disposition.
Before tools are used in ritual, they first are consecrated, or in other words purified and blessed. How this transpires is that each of the sacred items must be consecrated within a magic circle, at whose centre lies a paten. Each item that is to be consecrated is in turn placed upon the paten (alter). Then, the items are sprinkled with salt and water, and then passed through some incense. This is followed by the declaration,
The altar is often the focus of religious ceremony, and is usually found at the center of a Pagan ritual. It’s essentially a table used for holding all of the ritual tools, and can also be used as a workspace in spell casting. You can have permanent altars that stay up year round, or seasonal ones that you change as the Wheel of the Year turns.
The Pentacle or Paten disc is an altar consecration tool with a sigil or magical symbol engraved or inscribed upon it. The most common symbol is a pentagram within a circle, specifically a pentacle, although some other symbols may be used such as the triquetra. The disc is symbolizes the element earth. It is typically used to represent the element of Earth during evocation, as a symbol which blesses items, as well as magically energizing that which is placed upon it.
A bell is a prime example of a good noisemaker. The ringing of a bell causes vibrations which are the source of great power. Variations on the bell include the shaking of a sistrum, a ritual rattle, or the use of a “singing bowl”. All of these can help bring harmony to a magical circle. In some forms of Wicca, the bell is rung to begin or end a rite, or to evoke the Goddess.
A sword or a ritual knife, commonly known as an athame, is often used in Wiccan ritual. In Gardnerian Wicca these are associated with the element of fire. and in Golden Dawn influenced traditions with air. This is only true, though, of the Dagger, which is painted with a yellow handle. The Sword itself is fire in that it is attributed to Geburah and is under the presidency of Mars. The Sword should not be confused with the Dagger in the Golden Dawn or Hermetic systems. The Dagger is Elemental in nature, the Sword is Planetary/Sephirotic in nature.
the wand is symbolic for the element of Air, though in some traditions it instead symbolises Fire. It can be made from any material, including wood, metal and rock, and Wiccan wands are sometimes set with gemstones or crystals
The candle is a commonly used tool in Wiccan and Pagan rituals. In addition to being used as symbols of the god and goddess, and the element of fire, candles are often used in spell workings. The theory is that candles can absorb your personal energy and then release that energy as they burn. In some traditions of Hoodoo and rootwork, candles are burned for a specific amount of days as part of the working.
The chalice, or goblet, is symbolic for the element of Water. Many Wiccans do not consider it to be a tool, but instead to be a symbol of the Goddess, particularly her womb. The chalice, or cup, is found in many goddess-oriented traditions of Wicca. Like the cauldron, the chalice is feminine and womblike, the vessel in which life begins. Typically, it represents the element of Water on the altar. In some covens, the chalice is used in tandem with the athame to represent the female aspect of the Divine during a symbolic re-enactment of the Great Rite.
The besom, or broom, is used for sweeping a ceremonial area out before ritual. A light sweeping not only cleans the physical space, it also clears out negative energies that may have accumulated in the area since the last cleaning. The broom is a purifier, so it is connected to the element of Water.
One candle for each of the directions, colour-coded, are often used on a Wiccan altar. One would go in each appropriate direction . . .
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For North: black, green, or brown
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For East: yellow or white
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For South: red or orange
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For West: blue or aqua
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For Centre, where you aren't using God and Goddess candles: white, silver, or gold.
Candles are used to invoke and hold the Powers of each direction.
A book of shadows, or BOS, is a Wiccan's or Pagan's notebook of information. It usually contains spells, rituals, correspondence charts, information about the rules of magic, invocations, myths and legends of various pantheons, etc. Sometimes information in a BOS is passed along from one Wiccan to another (and in a coven setting, there may be a coven BOS as well as individual members' books), but you can create your own with a little bit of effort. A BOS is a very personal thing, and should contain the information you find most important.
The cauldron, like the chalice, is found in many goddess-oriented traditions of Wicca. It is feminine and womblike, the vessel in which life begins. Typically, it represents the element of Water on the altar. In Celtic mythology, the cauldron is associated with Cerridwen, who has powers of prophecy. She is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration in the Underworld.
A small bowl of water with salt dissolved in it, for cleansing. This would be appropriate in the centre. Alternatively, the altar chalice may be used to hold the salt water.
Water and salt are both purifying agents, not only in the physical realm but the energetic as well. Salt water also represents the energies of earth and water united, the ocean womb which gave birth to all life on the planet. So while this may seem an insignificant addition to your altar tools, it holds great power.