Articles — tools

Create an Ancestor Altar for Samhain: 7 Easy Ways to Celebrate Your Honored Dead

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

Create an Ancestor Altar for Samhain: 7 Easy Ways to Celebrate Your Honored Dead

You may already have an altar to your deities, but what about the human spirits that have made you who you are? An ancestor altar is a sacred space that honors your deceased loved ones and can be used for prayer, offerings, and spells. Creating an altar is a beautiful way to remember your ancestors and to show them how much you appreciate their presence in your life. YOU can make an ancestor altar! Yes, you--even if you happen to be spirit-deaf, very busy, or hate your family. If you're not sure how to get started, here are seven easy steps for...

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All about wand woods: Magick and meaning from Alder to Zebrawood

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

All about wand woods: Magick and meaning from Alder to Zebrawood

Welcome to the world of woods! As a wand-maker (or wand purchaser), you may wish to know more about the different woods that lend their character to your magickal tools. This list is alphabetical and includes many of the most common wand woods. The woods on this list are drawn from three broad categories: The traditional Celtic (Ogham) trees, domestic trees that are more commonly found in American parks and backyards, and the exotic imported woods that are favored by luxury wandmakers. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start. I’ve included an overview of each tree, personal notes...

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Pennies, acorns, and cracks: The magickal truths behind 7 old superstitions

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

Pennies, acorns, and cracks: The magickal truths behind 7 old superstitions

"I don't really believe in it, but I'll do it just in case." That's the definition of a superstition. Even though such practices seem quaint or illogical, some part of you feels that you should heed them...just in case. Superstitions are remnants of old occult beliefs preserved in folklore for the rational age. If you practice magick, as I do, it's easy to see that many folk sayings conceal old truths about how magick works. Their core ideas are so old and so true that they cannot be erased. Though we may think of them as relics of a religious...

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What's up with the blank rune? How (and whether) to read it

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

What's up with the blank rune? How (and whether) to read it

The blank rune is a curious appendage to most rune tile sets. Called the “Wyrd rune” or “Odin’s rune,” this mute little tile is a topic of much debate among rune readers. The 24 Elder Futhark runes are—among other things—an archaic alphabet and a divinatory system. Each character has three broad levels of meaning: a phonetic sound, a worldly object or concept, and a spiritual/esoteric idea. The blank rune is no exception to this schema. It represents, respectively: The sound of silence (phonetic), the absence of things (material), and the unknown/unknowable hand of Fate (abstract). That’s why it’s associated with...

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New Witch's Runes!

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

New Witch's Runes!

    We're excited to announce the completion of our new Witch's Runes! Our exclusive set of eight rune tiles will be available in the shop at the beginning of August 2018. (Hooray! They're here.) The Eight Witch's Runes are an extremely accurate, concise, and portable oracle. The system has its roots in the early human art of lithomancy, where stones, bones, and wood tiles were shuffled as a method of divination. The Witch's Runes use simple, evocative symbols to provoke a universal response. Our Witch's Runes are burned onto round tiles of Baltic Birch. Each set comes with a...

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