Articles — materials

Gold may be the most prized of earthly materials, but the magickal gleam of silver puts it (traditionally) in second place. Silver was one of the first metals known to the ancients—the Bible mentions riches of gold and silver. Silver deposits are found in nature, but (unlike gold) rarely in a pure state. Over the centuries, miners and crafters learned to take this dark grey rock and turn it into tools and ornaments of luminous beauty. Its Latin name, argentum, comes from the Sanskrit, arj-una (“light”). Just as gold is linked to the vibrant hue of the Sun, the gentler...

If you’ve shopped for clothing or décor lately, you might have noticed that antlers are having a moment. But humans have been fascinated with antlers long before they were adorning T-shirts at Urban Outfitters. Shamans, magicians, and ancient Pagans have all adored the antler as a symbol of masculine power and the cycle of life. Let’s look at some of the ways antlers can be incorporated into your magickal craft. Antler Facts First, the basics. Antlers grow from the heads of members of the deer family, or cervids. Normally only males have antlers, except among reindeer, which have antlers on...

Sandalwood is a slow-growing wood with a rich, complex scent. Indigenous to Southeast Asia, Sandalwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world. It has a long history of use in the spiritual practices of both the East and West. Sandalwood is labor-intensive to propagate, as it requires both a host tree and adequate sunlight to nourish itself. Sandalwood trees can take up to 80 years to reach full maturity. The concentration of scent in the heartwood increases as the tree ages. Trees that are planted today will not reach their aromatic peak for two generations. There are...

Once upon a time, there were only three kinds of smudge sticks in most witchy shops: Small, medium, and large.  These days, you can choose from a vast array of smudging herbs, each with a different energy, aroma, and cultural history. In this article, I’ll walk you through the plants that are most commonly used for smudging. (We’ll limit it to smudges that are derived from woods and leaves. Resin incenses are divine—but that’s a topic for another article.) The variety of smudging herbs is incredible. But you’ll also notice some similarities. First, most of them come from the leaf...

A sachet of leaves tucked under a pillow, a handful of berries strewn across a doorway: Herbal charms and remedies are one of the most familiar forms of magick. Herbal (“green”) witches keep elaborate pantries of herbal ingredients, each with a different power to enlighten or heal, bother or protect. (To be clear, we’re talking about the ritual use of herbs here, rather than the medicinal and psychoactive effects they can have on the human body.) But how, exactly, does herbal magick work? How does an unassuming pinch of bark or leaf become a partner in a magickal charm or...