Somewhere along the way, witchcraft acquired a shopping list. Starter kits, crystal sets, hand-forged knives, and jars of herbs from the far side of the world are all presented as things that a real witch needs. None of them is.
For most of history, the people who practiced folk magick were poor. They used what was in the kitchen, the hedgerow, and the pocket. That is still the best way to do it, and it has the advantage of being nearly free.
What you already own
| You have | It serves as |
|---|---|
| Table salt | Purification, protection, and the element of Earth |
| Birthday candles or tealights | Spell candles. Small ones are better in any case. |
| The spice rack | A working collection of herbs: rosemary, basil, bay, cinnamon, thyme, black pepper |
| A favorite cup | A chalice |
| A saucer or small plate | A pentacle or an offering dish |
| Empty jars | Storage, spell jars, and moon water |
| String, thread, or yarn | Cord for knot magick |
| A notebook | A Book of Shadows |
| Your finger | An athame and a wand |
What the outdoors gives away
- Stones. A pebble that you chose on a good day will do the work of any crystal.
- Fallen wood. A stick becomes a wand. Slices of a fallen branch become a rune set.
- Feathers, shells, acorns, and leaves. Altar pieces for every season, as long as you take only what has dropped. Check local rules first, since in some countries it is illegal to keep the feathers of wild birds.
- Rain and moonlight. Both are free. See moon water.
- The sky. The moon and the turning year are the heart of the practice, and nobody has yet found a way to charge for them.
Things you can make
- A scrying mirror, from a secondhand picture frame and a little black paint
- A besom, from a bundle of twigs bound to a stick
- Charm bags, from scraps of cotton
- A pendulum, from a ring and a thread
- An altar cloth, from any square of fabric that you like
Things that you make carry more of you than things you buy. That is not a consolation prize. It is how the magick works.
Where a little money goes a long way
If you have a small amount to spend, these are the things that I would choose.
- A box of plain white household candles. White serves for every purpose.
- A sturdy notebook that lies flat when it is open.
- A pot of living rosemary. It is the most useful herb in the Craft, and it will keep supplying you for years.
Thrift stores and yard sales are the witch's best suppliers. Cups, bowls, candlesticks, brass bells, picture frames, and scarves can all be found there for pocket change. Wash them, cleanse them, and they are yours.
What to skip
- Starter kits. They contain small amounts of things that you could have found at home.
- Expensive ritual knives and wands. Beautiful, and entirely optional.
- Rare and imported herbs. There is always a local substitute, and it is usually rosemary.
- Large crystal collections. One or two stones are plenty. See crystal magick for the ethical side of buying them.
- Anything described as essential. Nothing is.
The real cost
What the Craft asks for cannot be bought. It asks for ten minutes a day, for attention, and for the patience to keep going when nothing dramatic happens. Those are harder to find than money, and they are worth a great deal more. A person with a candle stub and a daily habit is far more of a witch than a person with a full cabinet and no time.