witchy basics – Wicca Now – Everything You Need To Know About Wicca

Hi, my loves and welcome to WiccaNow. Recently I’ve been talking a bit about herbs and plants, including these individual posts on cinnamon, lavender and rosemary along with guides to herbs for love spells and herbs for protection as well as a post about the history of healing herbs. I want to deviate a little from that today, and cover a topic that every beginner witch should know more about, namely, what beginner witch supplies are needed in order to begin practising witchcraft. As we’ve learned so far, Wicca and Witchcraft are both very fluid in terms of what they require from you. Depending on what type of witchcraft you associate with, there can be very few rules in place which govern what you need in order to practise magick. Wicca is also quite malleable in terms of what’s needed in order to call yourself Wiccan, the only real rule being “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will” as stated in the Wiccan Rede. Given this fluidity, talking about specific witch supplies seems a little silly, doesn’t it? Basically you can use whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want. You could use nothing at all but the power of your intentions or you could have a huge inventory of magical tools that you like to work with. Both options are completely ok and I encourage you to find out what works best for you before buying a whole store cupboard of magickal tools that you don’t end up using. In saying this, there are some things that are generally good basic supplies which you might like to have at home. Below I’ll give you a quick guide to some things I use regularly in my magickal practice, along with some tips on why each thing is important (for me anyway). This guide is ordered alphabetically and not in order of importance, because I don’t believe that one thing is more important than another. Learn all about the best witch supplies to stock up on in our handy guide below. My Top 13 Basic Witch Supplies for Beginners Basic Witch Supplies #1 An Anthame This is a ceremonial knife that you would use for ritual work. It’s used to channel and direct energies and would often be used for things like marking out a ritual circle. It’s thought to be symbolic of fire, so drawing a casting circle with an Anthame would be like casting the circle in with fire. The anthame would also be used to call the elemental powers into your casting circle. Traditionally it would have a black handle and would be double-edged, although this isn’t a necessity. This is a knife that would never be used for actual cutting. In fact, some people believe that if this knife were to end up accidentally getting blood on it, then it would have to be buried as it’s use as an anthame was now ruined as it has been a part of a violent act. To be honest, I don’t really use an anthame that much. If I’m drawing symbols onto candles during a candle magic ritual, I’ll often use a pin as I find it much easier to manoeuvre. Whether you want to use one or not is completely up to you, just make sure you only use it in rituals if you do end up getting one! I'm definitely a fan of the simpler anthame like this one. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2UEDUFP A lot of people I know prefer the more ornate versions of anthame. If thats more your style, this one is nice as it has the Winged Goddess on the handle. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2WG71Lq Basic Witch Supplies #2 A Boline This is another small knife used in magical work. While an anthame is used for purely ceremonial work, the boline is a much more practical instrument used to chop herbs and spices used in spell work or to harvest ingredients. If you are a kitchen witch, you may choose to use your favourite kitchen knife as your boline. Kitchen witches tend to like imbuing everyday objects and tools with magick rather than having special tools for everything. I actually like this idea much more as I’m all about multi-functional things. Traditionally a boline has been thought to have a white handle as opposed to the anthame's black handle. Whether or not you want to continue with this tradition or not is up to you, I don’t have a white-handled one and I’m really happy with mine! This is a more traditionally shaped boline which I quite like. This would be great for harvesting wild herbs and flowers. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2JbVGdV I love my kitchen knives so much and tend to use them for spell work as well. I particularly like these wooden handled Japanese knives, this paring knife would make the perfect boline. Click here to Shop on Amazon https://amzn.to/39f7x5D Basic Witch Supplies #3 Book of Shadows I wrote a post a while back about how to create your own book of shadows and if you’ve been following the blog for a while you’ll have seen that we’ve been providing downloads to certain book of shadows pages that we’ve made so you can start your own book. Check out this post on crystals for anxiety to find your first download. Your book of shadows is basically the guidebook to your witchcraft. How you want to keep your book is completely up to you. I, for example, like to make my own and illustrate the pages when I have time. It’s also completely ok to use spells and ideas from other witches, provided you have their prior approval, if you aren’t confident in making your own spells yet. If you're interested in starting your own book of shadows but feel a little intimidated by the though, why not start with this great book? It teaches you everything you need to know while also giving you space to write your own notes and ideas. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2JemEBR This is another wonderful resource for those of you who are just starting out. It has around 100 pages of essential info at the beginning to get you started and then it contains over 200 journal pages for you to make your own book of shadows. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2QK9bWB Basic Witch Supplies #4 Books This is one that I can't stress enough! Books are an absolutely essential part of learning about witchcraft. It's a lifelong process and having your favourite resources in a witchy library is not only a pleasure to look at in your bookshelf but is also incredibly useful when you need some specific knowledge or some spell inspiration. We wrote a post about our favourite witchy books, check it out if you don't know where to start your own library. Is there anything better than reading a book on a rainy day? Always aim to further your knowledge and read or listen ebooks whenever you can. Basic Witch Supplies #5 Candles Candles are something that I always like to have a small stash of. They are super useful in many areas of witchcraft and can be an invaluable witch supply to have on hand. I like to use beeswax candles as I’m a huge fan of using the most natural products that I can find. Often spells require the remnants of the candle to be buried or disposed of, so burying beeswax feels ok whereas burying paraffin-based candles doesn't feel that great. Because each spell uses its own candle, I tend to buy relatively small, thin tapers that don’t have an excessively long burn time. Most of us don’t have 15 hours to monitor a candle right? My go-to’s are white beeswax tapers with a 30ish minute burn time. These can be used as a substitute for any other coloured candle a spell might call for. Check out our candle magic 101 for more info on how candle magic works! These types of candles are perfect to keep on hand for whatever magick you might be doing. They burn for 30ish minutes and because they are thin, they are pretty cost effective too. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2JbYIij This set of candles is another good option to have on hand, it's got all the basic colours so you'll have everything you need to perform powerful candle magic. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2UzbmgF Basic Witch Supplies #6 Crystals Amythest has been talking all about her love affair with crystals recently, check out these posts on amethyst, EMF blocking, crystal grids and crystals for protection for a small selection of her posts on this fascinating topic. Crystals are a great way to enhance and focus your spell work. Having a small collection of crystals that you really like brings a good energy to your home and being able to use them in your magickal work is an added bonus. Read up about how to cleanse your crystals here. When choosing the crystals that you would like to keep in your witch supplies, I like to go by how they feel when I pick them up and what I want to draw to me. My favourite crystals at the moment are: Amethyst - helps to expand the mind and to reach higher consciousnessCitrine - draws prosperity and healthTourmaline - a great protection stoneRose Quartz - brings love, peace and gentle healing I prefer to have raw rather than polished crystals but this is really personal preference. If you are looking t stock up on some crystals, I would suggest finding a local crystal store and picking up crystals you are drawn to and that have a good energy when you pick them up. If nothing speaks to you, maybe crystals aren’t something that you need in your magical practice, which is perfectly ok! Consider investing in a box of chakra balancing crystals. It contains all the basics you might need, in both polished and raw forms. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2QK0KdQ Consider starting your crystal collection with a gorgeous amethyst geode like this one. Imagine how pretty it would look next to your witchy books? Click here to shop https://amzn.to/3alabIi Basic Witch Supplies #7 Divination Tools This is something you have to be interested in before you decide that you need any of tools in your practice. Divination tools include things like a special scrying bowl, tarot cards, rune stones and dowsing pendants. Tarot cards can be a fun way to start down this path if that’s what you’re into. Find a set with artwork that you love and feel some sort of connection to. Luckily most tarot card sets come with an explanatory book so that you aren’t completely alone when you first start. Personally, I don’t do THAT much in the divination realm. I like to throw rune stones and get my tarot deck out once in a while but it’s definitely not a central part of my practice like it is for other witches. I'm a fan of simplistic and fun sets like this. We're all powerful bad bitches right so we may as well embrace it! Click here to shop this fun set https://amzn.to/2WHpUgZ These amethyst rune stones are super pretty and are very reasonably priced so are a great place to start your divination journey. Click here to shop them on Amazon https://amzn.to/2vSgg06 Basic Witch Supplies #8 Fire-proof Bowl This is a super useful thing to have in your witch supply kit. Candle magic often required you to burn something over the flame or to place your candle in a fire-proof vessel. I like to use a stone bowl for this as it’s a multi-functional tool which you can use for other witchy things too. A stone bowl can be used as a scrying bowl, as a bowl for offerings and as an altar bowl. This stone bowl is actually for making a (very delicious) Korean dish called bibimbap but I use mine as a fire-proof bowl for candle magic when I need it and it's PERFECT. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2wBiPE4 This is a much more traditional fire-proof scrying bowl made out of soapstone. This one is relatively small at 5". Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2QIRsin Basic Witch Supplies #9 Herbs I’ve previously written quite a few posts on magickal herbs, and even made a Witchipedia of commonly used magickal herbs and plants for your reference. Herbs and plants are one of my favourite things to use in my magical practice. I love how versatile they are and how easily available most of them are. Having a small selection of carefully selected herbs and spices in your kitchen means that you’ll always have something available for magical work. My favourite herbs to keep on hand are: Cinnamon - this will boost the speed and magickal power of other herbs you use in your spells as well as giving the spells themselves a boost. It helps to draw prosperity and luck too. Cinnamon is probably my favourite magickal plant.Lavender - I love lavenders calming effects. Magickally, it’s great for any psychic work you might be doing and will also help with protection, love and purification spells. A great all-rounder really. Rose - Rose not only smells great and can be used as a really pretty baking decoration, it’s also awesome to have on hand should you want to do any magickal work relating to love. Mint - Dried mint makes such a delicious tea, so it’s another versatile herb to have in your witch supply kit. Magickally, it’s great for drawing wealth and abundance while also helping with healing magick. It’ll give you strength and vitality as well. Rosemary - This is a heavy hitter in terms of protection magic. It’s also great in lots of other magickal work which is why it’s wonderful as a basic witch supply. It’ll attract love and positivity, help with improve your memory and can be used in cooking to incite passion.Sage - This is possibly the most well-known purification and protection herb right? I always keep some dried sage in the house and use it if I’m feeling any bad vibes. I grew a lot last year and hung it out to dry when I harvested it so now I have quite a bit stored up. I don’t make a whole smudge stick most of the time and will simply burn a few leaves when I feel the need for some light purification or protection. These are herbs I always have a stash of as they cover all the basics. Again, these are my personal favourites so don’t feel bound by this list at all and experiment around until you find a combination of herbs and plants that makes you feel like you’ve got all the important things covered. Find a selection of herbs and spices that you love to keep in your basic witch supply kit. Basic Witch Supplies #10 Essential Oils These are a great way to capture the magickal essence of plants in a long-lasting way so that you can use them in your spell work. I keep a few different essential oils at home at all times so that I can use them whenever I need them. If you’re doing a sleep ritual, for example, lavender oil is amazing. Add it to an oil diffuser while you complete the spell to help the spell be extra effective. Oils are a compact and efficient way to keep magickal ingredients on hand. I keep 5 or 6 different ones at home at the moment, and I add to my collection when I find one that I feel like I need in my life. My go-to oils for magick are: LavenderPeppermintRosemaryEucalyptusCitronellaJasmine These are picked for their beautiful scent and general magickal uses because I use oils in my diffuser a lot and diffusing garlic oil isn’t something that I’m that in to. Pick a small selection which covers all the bases of love, healing, protection, purification and psychic clarity. Gya Labs makes great essential oils. This lavender oil of theres is what I use the most in my diffuser at home. Check it out on Amazon here https://amzn.to/2UiRXBH As I've mentioned, I love my diffuser a lot and use it almost daily so it was an absolutely wonderful investment for me. I love this black stone one, don't you? Check it out on Amazon here https://amzn.to/2UiKHpy Basic Witch Supplies #11 Salt Salt is a great one because you almost always have it in the house anyway! It’s a great tool when you want to purify your space. You can place a small bowl filled with salt and lemon in your home in order to draw out all negativity. Salt has a long history of being used to ward away malevolent spirits. Ancient Greek custom has people throwing salt over their shoulders to ward off evil spirits, newlyweds are showered in rice and salt when they leave the chapel to ward off bad luck in love, and a common housewarming gift is bread (for abundance) and salt to ward away any lingering bad vibes in the new home. We’ve also all seen a witchy movie where a salt circle has been made to provide a ring of protection right? You can use different forms of salt for different things, however this isn’t a necessity. Use black salt for powerful protection spells, pink Himalayan salt for love spells and regular salt for everything else. Does anyone else remember this scene from Hocus Pocus? Salt in (very haphazard) action for protection! Basic Witch Supplies #12 Smudge Sticks Smudge sticks are always a wonderful addition to your basic witch supply kit. They can help you cleanse crystals and purify and protect your home before you start any magickal work. As I mentioned earlier, my version of a smudge stick is relatively loose. Sometimes I’ll just burn a few sage leaves rather than a whole stick depending on how much protection and purification I need. I’ve been trying to grow more of my own sage (and herbs in general) and have been making sage smudge sticks myself, however, I don’t think there is anything wrong with buying smudge sticks if you don’t have a garden or don’t consider yourself green-fingered. Although sage is the most common herb for making smudge sticks, you can absolutely make them with other herbs and even flowers or tree leaves. Please make sure you don't add anything toxic in there though! If you want to make smudge sticks for a specific spell, consider tailoring them to the spell by adding appropriate herbs and plants. Planning a love spell? Make a smudge stick to purify your space with sage and add jasmine and rose to it to draw in love at the same time. https://youtu.be/WnmUXhiRIKc If you're interested in learning how to make your own smudge sticks, check out this short video. Basic Witch Supplies #13 Sugar This may seem like a bit of a strange one right? Let me explain why this is a great basic to have in your witchy supplies. Sugar is very easy to come by, and is something you mostly would have in the house anyway right? It’s useful in all sorts of spells as it’s used to draw abundance to you and to sweeten people to your ideas and wishes. It’s great when used in conjunction with love or business spells as it can help turn things in your favour. One of my favourite, and easiest, luck and abundance rituals is to mix sugar and cinnamon together and then sprinkle it on my doorstep. Before you sprinkle, hold the bowl in your hands and imbue it with strongly focused intention of what you want to come to you. The stronger you can visualise the luck and abundance you want in your life, the more likely it is to come about. Once you’ve set your intentions strongly, sprinkle the sugar mixture across your doorway and wait for luck to come to you! While I’m saying sugar here, you can actually use any kind of sweetener you like. Check out this honey jar spell for love we posted as a good example of honey as a sweetener. You could also use coconut sugar, stevia, molasses, maple syrup or anything else sweet that you happen to have at home. If you use a stickier sweetener, be careful putting this on your doorstep, ants will love it and you might never get rid of them again! Clearly she's in need of A LOT of luck... So my lovelies, I hope this gives you a little insight into some super accessible and multi-faceted witch supplies which you can stock up on. Until next time, Blessed Be, Amaria xx If you're a beginner witch and you're looking for things to research, we've made this lovely downloadable page for you. Add it to your growing book of shadows so you know which topics to study next. Click here to check it out in our Etsy store.