#consecrating

1. Can Be Found Here: Consecrating Your Athame

What You’ll Need: Your usual circle casting tools Your athame Fire incense (or use frankincense) Fire oil (or one of the following oils: cinnamon, bergamot, clove, orange, or pennyroyal) A deep bowl of earth

To begin, prepare a small altar at the southernmost point of your sacred space. Cast your magic circle. Once the circle is cast, transfer your pentacle, incense burner, incense, fire candle, essential oil, and water, and salt bowls from the central main altar to the one you have prepared in the south.  Set the athame on your pentacle, kneel before the altar with your arms open to the sky, and say: Lady and Lord, God and Goddess, I bring before You this athame, ready to Receive Your blessing, that it may ever Be guided by Your hands–in the ways of nature. Sprinkle water on the athame from hilt to blade-point and say: Consecrated are you with the element of water. Take a small portion of salt in your hand and rub it onto the hilt and blade, saying: Consecrated are you with the element of earth. Place a small amount of fire incense onto the hot coals of your censer.  Hold the athame over the smoke and say: Consecrated are you with the element of air. Hold the tip of the athame in the flame of the fire candle for 10-15 seconds.  While it is there say: From fire, fire is made.  Consecrated are you with the element of fire, your brother. Plunge the tip of the athame into the bowl of water and hold it there until the blade is completely cooled.Finally hold the athame between the palms of your hands and imagine that you fill it with your own life energy. Rub the blade with fire oil, saying: Consecrated are you in the art magical.

Your athame is now consecrated. Plunge the blade into the deep bowl of earth and allow it to stay there for twenty-four hours. Close your circle as usual, and use the athame in your ritual work from now on.

2. Can Be Found Here: Why Consecrate? Ritual Included

In many modern Pagan traditions, magical tools are consecrated before use. This achieves a couple of things -- one, it purifies the item before it is used to interact with the Divine. Secondly, it removes any negative energies from the tool. This is particularly handy if you aren't sure of a tool's past history or who owned it before it came to you. Keep in mind that many magical traditions do not require the consecration of a tool before its use.

Basic Consecration Ritual for Magical Tools This ritual is a simple one that can be used to consecrate any magical tools, clothing or jewelry, or even the altar itself. By offering the tool to the powers of the four elements, it is consecrated and blessed from all directions. Keep in mind that just like with everything else in Pagan ritual, there's rarely a right or wrong way to do things. This ritual is simply a sample of how you can do things - many traditions have their own unique method of consecration. For this ritual, you'll need: a white candle a cup of water a small bowl of salt & incense.

If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, do so now. Light the candle and the incense. Take the tool or other item you wish to consecrate in your hands, and face north. Pass it over the salt and say: Powers of the North, Guardians of the Earth, I consecrate this wand of willow (or knife of steel, amulet of crystal, etc) and charge it with your energies. I purify it this night, and make this tool sacred.

Now, turn to the east and, holding the tool in the smoke of the incense, say: Powers of the East, Guardians of the Air, I consecrate this wand of willow and charge it with your energies. I purify it this night, and make this tool sacred.

Next, face the south and pass the tool over the flame of the candle -- be careful if it's a flammable material like Tarot cards or a robe! -- and repeat the process, saying: Powers of the South, Guardians of Fire, I consecrate this wand of willow and charge it with your energies. I purify it this night, and make this tool sacred.

Finally, turn to the west, and pass your ritual tool over the cup of water. Say: Powers of the West, Guardians of Water, I consecrate this wand of willow [or knife of steel, amulet of crystal, etc] and charge it with your energies. I purify it this night, and make this tool sacred.

Face your altar, hold the wand (athame/chalice/amulet/whatever) to the sky, and say: I charge this wand in the name of Old Ones, the Ancients, the Sun and the Moon and the Stars. By the powers of the Earth, of Air, of Fire and of Water I banish the energies of any previous owners, and make it new and fresh. I consecrate this wand, and it is mine.

Now you've not only consecrated the tool, you've claimed ownership. In many Pagan traditions, including some forms of Wicca, it's considered a good idea to put the item to use immediately to bind the consecration and strengthen the energy of the tool. If you've consecrated a wand, athame, or chalice, you can use those in a ceremony to consecrate another tool. If you've consecrated something that is worn, such as an article of clothing (for example, a ritual robe) or a piece of jewelry, begin wearing it now.

3. Can Be Found Here: The Three Cs of Wicca*

*Cleansing, Consecrating & Charging (Note: I am only reposting the consecrating portion of this post)

Consecrating an object is to make it sacred through some minor rite or act of blessing. I only do it to my main ritual tools used in the circle. For almost everything else, just cleansing is enough. Some ways to consecrate an item include:

simply say a prayer over it and dedicate the use of the tool to your Gods

If you keep oils that are cleansed, charged and consecrated, you can anoint an object with those oils and blessing symbols.

If you work a lot with the four elements you may wish to consecrate it by Air, Earth, Fire and Water in ritual: run it through incense smoke, sprinkle some salt on it, pass it over a fire flame and sprinkle some water on it.