As a hedgewitch, I work primarily with natural materials. Although I can successfully do magic without the aid of things, I like to incorporate the energies of the natural world into rituals often. This makes traveling to do ritual a bit complicated in terms of planning and packing. I like to bring so much with when I go to Sabbats or mid-forest rituals and it usually takes a while to collect everything that I want. And then I have to think in practical terms, like what am I going to feasibly want to carry out with me for miles?
I imagined a small carrying case that could be tucked into my purse and be with me wherever I go, just in case I want to do a bit of spell-working or ritual impromptu. And this is how my Bag-O-Tricks began!
I chose a sturdy purple tapestry fabric for the cover and I used dark purple felt for the interior. There are four pockets, six vial holders, two loops to hang things and one tiny candle holder sewed inside. I made it so that the bag could roll up into any size and a long Japanese silk cord could be wrapped around the whole thing and weaved around two buttons to secure it together.
Inside is what holds all of the fun… A tiny lighter, sage stick, candle, wood-burned pentacle, incense cone and a Shiva and Shakti statue to honor Goddess and God. There is also a pouch for collecting any wildcrafted items, tobacco, my counsel of stones (see below), elemental correspondences: corn for air, crystal for fire, shell for water and lightning struck pine for earth. Some of the vials hold citrine for cleansing energy and nature offerings, salt, moon-blessed water, shapeshifting oil (Otherworld Apothecary), and sacred life oil (read Courting the Lady by Patrick McCollum for more info). Believe it or not, my small rattle was made using pistachio shells! I placed small bits of glass and rock inside the shells, superglued them together and sewed it inside fabric. They actually sound pretty loud considering how small they are. The natural silk cord that wraps the bag can be easily broken off in bits to leave as spirit offerings, too. I find that ritual is not negatively impacted due to the small size of everything.
Counsel of Stones: These are sacred stones that I like to meditate with or go to when I have a question. Each one represents a different aspect of the sacred for me, for example, I have a “Shaman” stone.
It feels good to make something for me! I had been so busy making things for TwitchyWitchy that Ganesha finally told me that I needed to get back to crafting sacred items for myself, too. Here’s a picture of matching coyote teeth necklaces I made for my husband and I:
May the light shine upon your path,
Cicada
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