Magic Forums

I noticed that wands seem to be the major focus of the magic items board, but I thought I'd bring up a topic dedicated to the other classic magician's tools: How many here use them? What purpose(s) do you put them to, and what do you substitute for them?

To my understanding, drawn from the Western magical practice feature four classic tools of magic:

1.) The PATEN. Also called a coin, plate, or pentacle. Folk etymology has the word pentacle a portmanteau of "pentagram" and "circle" but it may also come from the word pantacle meaning talisman, so can bear any symbol other than the pentagram, even though the pentagram is the most popular symbol of protection. The paten represents earth, in the tarot means wealth and security, and the season of spring. I use mine (a cat's eye shell,) to maintain wards and shields, and sometimes for grounding excess, negative, or otherwise unwanted energy.

2.) The CHALICE or cup represents the element of water, intuition/emotions, relationships, and the season of summer. I use a nautilus shell that I visualize as a reservoir for raw energy. I also have a small obsidian bowl that I feel is fated to play a part in a summoning ritual, but haven't gone that far yet.

3.) The STAFF, like the wand, represents the element of air, activity, challenge, and the season of autumn. It can also have some earthiness to it (so its power can come with stamping as well as point-and-waving.) It can support you on long walks or long waits without chairs, and it may look cool if not weirdly conspicuous :-p I have a very short, quite delicate staff (so no stamping,) made of corals glued together, and like to use it more than my knitting-needle wand because it goes with the theme (All shells, picked up off several beaches, 'coz I'm a water sign.) But sometimes the wand's just more convenient.

4.) The SWORD or dagger, while probably more associated with knights than magicians, holds significance in a set as representing fire, intellect, conflict, and the season of winter. It can be used instead of a wand to draw wards and sigils in the air, or cut herbs from their stems and chop them up. Some traditions distinguish between the object-cutting white-handled boline dagger and the energy-directing athame dagger. I personally just use mine (a shard of cowrie,) to break spells after they've served their purpose... like all my tools, it's mainly a concept-focus point.

So... what do you use for these?