'Round the Cauldron

If you have an object that you’d like to use for your practice, but you want to ritualize it, then a consecration ritual is exactly what you need! Consecration is the act of making something sacred — usually a tool, in the case of witchcraft — and giving the tool a purpose in your practice. Consecration is different than cleansing, and both are often confused for each other. So, let’s talk about what consecration is, how it’s different than cleansing, and how you can perform your own simple consecration ritual!

What is consecration?

The word consecration comes from the word consecracioun, meaning “the act of separating from a common to a sacred use, ritual dedication to God”^[1]. This doesn’t just take place in witchcraft or paganism, either. It’s a common practice in Catholicism when the bread and wine are consecrated in the Eucharist ^[2]. In a witchcraft practice, we may consecrate our tools in a ritual to give them purpose. When we do this, we are claiming that tool as sacred — it will serve only that purpose from then on.

Consecration vs. Cleansing

To put it very simply, cleansing an object means removing any unwanted energy or attachments from an object or space. Consecrating an object, as I said above, is the act of making it sacred for your practice. You may cleanse an object without consecrating it, but you shouldn’t consecrate an object without first cleansing it.

Items to Consecrate

You may be thinking of your usual witchcraft tools when it comes to consecration. Things such as athames, besoms, bells, and wands are the first things that come to mind. However, you can consecrate literally anything that you want to! I believe Thorn Mooney, author of The Witch’s Path, has said that she has very special pens that she uses when she writes her books. I’m not sure if they’re consecrated in a ritual format, but they could be! Here are a few ideas for objects to consecrate if you want.

• specific pens used for journaling in a Book of Mirrors
• a special cup or mug that you use for your daily coffee or tea
• a miniature besom for cleansing your sacred space (like in my video below!)
• specific adult toys for specific adult rituals
• …and so many other things!

Simple Consecration Ritual

Many consecration rituals exist, both from traditions of witchcraft and secular witches. The don’t have to be elaborate, mystical, and performed skyclad (such as the consecration ritual written by Gerald Gardner). They can be as simple or complex as you’d like them. In fact, I believe that the consecration ritual should be specifically tailored to your practice. This helps you feel connected to the ritual you’re doing and remember why you’re doing it.

Fortunately for us, I performed my own simple consecration ritual for two objects that I recently obtained. One is an altar besom I won in a giveaway on Instagram. The other is a crystal bell I found at an estate sale. If you’d like to consecrate a tool or two, feel free to use my simple ritual as a guideline for crafting your own!

You’ll need…

• the tool(s) to be consecrated
• a cleansing method of your choice
• holy water of your choice

1. Begin by cleansing yourself, your tool(s), and the space, if necessary.
2. Create sacred space in your preferred method. You may cast a circle if that’s part of your tradition, or you can just proclaim the space sacred.
3. Hold your tool in your hands, dominant hand on top if you’re able, and close your eyes. Connect with the energy of the tool that you hold.
   • Feel the tool, the weight of this element of your craft in your hands. Meditate with the tool for a few moments. As you build that connection, this is a good time to visualize working with the tool. What is it for? How will you use it? Is there a spirit connected to the tool or are you imbuing it with the energy it will need? Does it have or want a name?
4. When you’re ready, open your eyes and place your tool in front of you.
5. Dip the fingers of your dominant hand in the holy water and trace a pentacle over the tool.
   • As you do so, you may want to say an incantation proclaiming the tool’s sacredness. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. For me, I simply chose to acknowledge the tool, how we will work together, and a name if it was given to me once.
6. The tool has been claimed as sacred, it’s time to close your Sacred Space and place your consecrated tool in its new home.

Now that you’ve completed the ritual, it’s time to put your tool away in their new home!

---

[memberful_if_has_active_subscription]

[/memberful_if_has_active_subscription]

[memberful_if_does_not_have_active_subscription]

[/memberful_if_does_not_have_active_subscription]

---

---

Don’t forget to follow me on social media and subscribe to my newsletter.
Facebook| Instagram| Pinterest | YouTube | Newsletter

---

Sources

[1] Online Etymological Dictionary
[2] Eucharist – Wikipedia