Athame : An athame is one of the common altar tools. Traditionally, it's a double bladed knife with a black handle. Sometimes they can be difficult to find, so many modern Wiccans will use any kind of knife or blade as their athame.
The athame represents the element fire (or air, in some traditions) and is often used to cast the circle. Athames are not used for cutting or other mundane tasks, though they can be used to cut the cake at a handfasting.
Alter: A place where you do rituals, or spells. It is often a special table or shelf where your ritual tools are kept or displayed. Your altar does not need to be a permanent location, but can be set up when or where your needs suit.
Bell : The bell is a ritual tool of invocation and banishment. The bell is a feminine symbol of the creative force, that of the Goddess. The bell can be rung to indicate the start of a rite by banishing negative influences before the ritual begins. Often it is used to invoke the Goddess during ritual, or sounded at the four quarters to call forth such spirits as the Watchers and Elementals.
Bells can be used to guard the home by warding off evil spells and spirits, or evoking good energies when placed in cupboards or hung on doors. Hung from a cord the bell symbolises the human soul suspended between heaven and earth.
Book of Shadows:A collection of rituals, spells, lore, songs, and invocations. Has information on divination and correspondences.
Broom : - The broom is a ritual tool of the witch, sacred to both Goddess and the God. The God - through its symbolic phallic shape, The Goddess - through its three-piece make up, the stick, brush and binding cord being symbolic of the triformis aspect of the Goddess.
Traditionally the broom was made from three different woods. Ash for the handle, Birch twigs for the brush and Willow for the binding cord. Ash is protective and has command over the four elements. Birch is purifying and draws spirits to one’s service. Willow is sacred to the Goddess.
The broom is used for a variety of purposes but most generally to purify and protect. It is used to ritually cleanse an area before magick is performed by symbolically sweeping away negative energies and astral build up. Of old it was used to guard the home and persons within against psychic attack or evil curses, this by placing it across the threshold, windowsills or doorways. It was also placed under the bed or a pillow to protect the sleeper.
Traditionally and perhaps the use which most people identify it with, are the old wedding ceremonies of the Gypsies and the early American slaves, where a couple leapt over the broom to ensure fertility, domestic harmony and longevity. Today pagan hand-fasting rituals often include a broom jump.
The Bolline : A White-Handled knife as it is now known, is the practical knife of the craft. Traditionally, it was used to harvest herbs and had a blade in the form of a small "crescent". Today, it is normally a simple knife used for cutting and carving. It has a white handle to differentiate it from the Athame, which usually has a black handle and is used only for magickal purposes. The bolline is used to cut wands and herbs, to mark and carve candles with symbols and to cut cords for use in magick. Any other ritual function requiring the use of a knife, such as cutting flowers for the altar, can be performed with the bolline.
Cauldron:A cauldron or caldron (from Latin caldarium, hot bath) is a large metal pot (kettle) for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and usually attached to a hanger with the shape of an arc.
Cauldrons have fallen out of use nowadays in the industrialized world as cooking vessels. They have solely become associated with witchcraft, as a cliché popularized by various fictions, including the play Macbeth: in fantastic fiction, witches often prepare their potions in a cauldron. Also, in legend, a cauldron is purported to be where leprechauns keep their treasure.
In Wicca witchcraft a cauldron is often placed at the centre of a sacred circle, and used to contain items that will be set alight during a ritual. Greg Evans of Sydney does not recognise these as cauldrons.
Censer ;A typical censer is a small metal or stone dish used for burning incense, often on small legs. In many cultures, burning incense has spiritual and religious connotations, and this influences the design and decoration of the censer. Designs vary from simple, earthenware bowls to intricately carved silver or gold vessels.
Chalice:As a feminine principle, a chalice is often used in combination with the Athame, as male principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. This is a symbol of the Great Rite in Wiccan rituals.
Pentacle: the symbol of Witchcraft, is a bold and fascinating statement about our place in the Universe. The pentagram represents an ancient concept that can be found in philosophical thought in both East and West. Although over 8,000 years old, the image of the pentagram is applicable in our modern world. The pentagram tells us that we have the ability to bring Spirit to Earth; this applies to every area of practical day-to-day living, as well as spiritual thought. The ability of bringing Spirit to Earth is what makes us whole.
Wand:The wand is the instrument of invocation of spirits. In most traditions, the wand represents the element of fire (in other traditions, earth, air, water or spirit) and symbolizes the life-force within the Witch. The wand dates back to prehistoric times. The Greek god Hermes is represented with a caduceus, a wand entwined with snake and winged top, a symbol of power, wisdom and healing.