So...this was on the old forum as the thread "Don't have money for ritual supplies?", and *somehow* it became and on and off favorite exchange of ideas for supplies for the thrifty natured. I managed to find the pre-crash cache of a couple pages, and cut out some of the more pertinent parts...so feel free to add on now that we are in our new home!!
I got this from a group that I belong to also.
Too Poor for Sage and Candles.
Author: Tiamat
Look, I'm really frightened to post this at what some might say. In
Some communities, kitchen witchery is highly frowned upon, but I would
Appreciate it if I wouldn't be berated for this. This is my craft.
This is how I will approach it.
Honestly, I don't believe that the Goddess needs for you to have a $50
Athame, a candle in each color, an incense of every scent man has to
Offer and an altar cloth made of pure silk or crushed velvet.
I think it's a load of hooey.
Some people have that money to throw around, and more power to them,
But there are also a lot of solitary practitioners like myself that
Are just dead poor, and this sort of thing just isn't an option for us.
We aren't cheapening up our religion. We're making use of what we have
And being practical.
And you can tell me all you want that you can get these things at
Discounted rates on www.whateverwitchst ore.com, or that it's really
Not that expensive to begin with, but all the same, I make things work
Without it.
Right now, I am in such poverty that my mother has been buying me
Groceries for the past few months so that I don't starve to death. Do
I have money for a solid gold cauldron? No, and unfortunately I will
Have to do without one.
At any rate, I wanted to describe to some of the kitchen witches, or
Some of the just dead poor people out there, how you could substitute
Some items for others and still have a very decent effect.
Here's an item I know we all (should at least) have around the house:
Soap. Soap can be used for many things. For one, purification and
Consecration. I can't think of many things that are cleaner or cheaper
Than soap, can you?
It's also just as useful as incense or essential oils for relaxation.
While you are in the bath, imagine that the soap is washing away all
The negative energies; it's very useful for helping you ground and center!
I've used soap and an empty water bottle for consecration water. I
Simply bless the soap and infuse it with my intent, and let the faucet
Run over it into the bottle.
Another useful item is salt. Salt, if you know anything about
Nutrition, `sucks' (For lack of a better term.). When you eat some
Pretzels, you get thirsty because the salt is sucking away the
Hydration. Salt can be used to absorb negative energies in a small
Pouch. It also makes a great offering to the Goddess.
Sugar is a natural money-magnet, I've read somewhere. Next time you go
To a restaurant or general store, grab one or two of those
Complimentary sugar packets and put them in your wallet to attract wealth.
I think I've read somewhere that it takes several years for a plastic
Bottle to decompose. When I used to live in New Jersey, this was of
Little consequence because it was mandatory to recycle in the
Neighborhood I was in, and you'd suffer fines for each item that
Wasn't recycled.
But now that I live in Pennsylvania there are no such laws. I couldn't
Honestly tell you where the closest recycling center is, but no
Problem, because those bottles are useful for storing mixtures and
(surprise surprise) jar spells.
Captain Planet would be proud!
For candles, I've found that tea lights are very useful. They are
Usually white, which is a good color for most rituals. They burn for
Just the right amount of time and are easily disposable.
The thrift store is honestly one of the best places on earth to get
Some tools. A silk scarf will work wonderfully as a small altar cloth.
I found a lovely silk bathrobe that I think is perfect for ritual
Gowns (it's purple with silver moons and stars.).
You can find beautiful bowls and goblets there, as well. I suppose
Some stores might have candles and incense as well.
Old jewelry with precious and semiprecious stones for 50 cents?
Count me in.
Just remember to consecrate these items since you don't know what sort
Of environment they are coming from and what energies they carry. I'm
Currently looking for a Goddess statue; I plan on checking my local
Goodwill very soon.
Lastly, cooking is a lot like casting a spell. There are specific
Techniques and ingredients, and you can work it until it is just
Right. Tune it to your own ideal. You can infuse any meal you make
With such intent that upon first taste, the magic will have begun
Working if you so choose.
So just some things I've thrown out there to think about. My house is
A cluttery mess right now and I'm very humiliated about it, but I'm
Working to get it better.
Each day I do, I find more things that are useful to my craft. You
have all the tools and ingredients you need to do powerful magical
workings right in your own home, I promise.
I also want to remind you that perhaps to not take everything you have
ever learned and set it in stone. It's easy to apply sentience to
colors, shapes, scents and tastes. It's more difficult to replace the
ideas you already have about them.
For one, cinnamon is used for many things, but I've never read
anywhere that it promotes happiness.
However if you grew up loving cinnamon and the smell of cinnamon bread
brought joy to your heart, then perhaps cinnamon would work for you in
a happiness spell.
Likewise, if cinnamon for some reason brings you to gag every time you
smell it, obviously you don't want to use it in a happiness spell.
Perhaps you won't want to work with cinnamon at all and may want to
replace it with sugar or something.
I wish you all an abundance of blessings, and hope that this was
somehow useful to you.
Posted by: moonstone-opal on February 15, 2008
I got this from a group that I belong to also.
Too Poor for Sage and Candles.
Author: Tiamat
Look, I'm really frightened to post this at what some might say. In
Some communities, kitchen witchery is highly frowned upon, but I would
Appreciate it if I wouldn't be berated for this. This is my craft.
This is how I will approach it.
Honestly, I don't believe that the Goddess needs for you to have a $50
Athame, a candle in each color, an incense of every scent man has to
Offer and an altar cloth made of pure silk or crushed velvet.
I think it's a load of hooey.
Some people have that money to throw around, and more power to them,
But there are also a lot of solitary practitioners like myself that
Are just dead poor, and this sort of thing just isn't an option for us.
We aren't cheapening up our religion. We're making use of what we have
And being practical.
And you can tell me all you want that you can get these things at
Discounted rates on www.whateverwitchst ore.com, or that it's really
Not that expensive to begin with, but all the same, I make things work
Without it.
Right now, I am in such poverty that my mother has been buying me
Groceries for the past few months so that I don't starve to death. Do
I have money for a solid gold cauldron? No, and unfortunately I will
Have to do without one.
At any rate, I wanted to describe to some of the kitchen witches, or
Some of the just dead poor people out there, how you could substitute
Some items for others and still have a very decent effect.
Here's an item I know we all (should at least) have around the house:
Soap. Soap can be used for many things. For one, purification and
Consecration. I can't think of many things that are cleaner or cheaper
Than soap, can you?
It's also just as useful as incense or essential oils for relaxation.
While you are in the bath, imagine that the soap is washing away all
The negative energies; it's very useful for helping you ground and center!
I've used soap and an empty water bottle for consecration water. I
Simply bless the soap and infuse it with my intent, and let the faucet
Run over it into the bottle.
Another useful item is salt. Salt, if you know anything about
Nutrition, `sucks' (For lack of a better term.). When you eat some
Pretzels, you get thirsty because the salt is sucking away the
Hydration. Salt can be used to absorb negative energies in a small
Pouch. It also makes a great offering to the Goddess.
Sugar is a natural money-magnet, I've read somewhere. Next time you go
To a restaurant or general store, grab one or two of those
Complimentary sugar packets and put them in your wallet to attract wealth.
I think I've read somewhere that it takes several years for a plastic
Bottle to decompose. When I used to live in New Jersey, this was of
Little consequence because it was mandatory to recycle in the
Neighborhood I was in, and you'd suffer fines for each item that
Wasn't recycled.
But now that I live in Pennsylvania there are no such laws. I couldn't
Honestly tell you where the closest recycling center is, but no
Problem, because those bottles are useful for storing mixtures and
(surprise surprise) jar spells.
Captain Planet would be proud!
For candles, I've found that tea lights are very useful. They are
Usually white, which is a good color for most rituals. They burn for
Just the right amount of time and are easily disposable.
The thrift store is honestly one of the best places on earth to get
Some tools. A silk scarf will work wonderfully as a small altar cloth.
I found a lovely silk bathrobe that I think is perfect for ritual
Gowns (it's purple with silver moons and stars.).
You can find beautiful bowls and goblets there, as well. I suppose
Some stores might have candles and incense as well.
Old jewelry with precious and semiprecious stones for 50 cents?
Count me in.
Just remember to consecrate these items since you don't know what sort
Of environment they are coming from and what energies they carry. I'm
Currently looking for a Goddess statue; I plan on checking my local
Goodwill very soon.
Lastly, cooking is a lot like casting a spell. There are specific
Techniques and ingredients, and you can work it until it is just
Right. Tune it to your own ideal. You can infuse any meal you make
With such intent that upon first taste, the magic will have begun
Working if you so choose.
So just some things I've thrown out there to think about. My house is
A cluttery mess right now and I'm very humiliated about it, but I'm
Working to get it better.
Each day I do, I find more things that are useful to my craft. You
have all the tools and ingredients you need to do powerful magical
workings right in your own home, I promise.
I also want to remind you that perhaps to not take everything you have
ever learned and set it in stone. It's easy to apply sentience to
colors, shapes, scents and tastes. It's more difficult to replace the
ideas you already have about them.
For one, cinnamon is used for many things, but I've never read
anywhere that it promotes happiness.
However if you grew up loving cinnamon and the smell of cinnamon bread
brought joy to your heart, then perhaps cinnamon would work for you in
a happiness spell.
Likewise, if cinnamon for some reason brings you to gag every time you
smell it, obviously you don't want to use it in a happiness spell.
Perhaps you won't want to work with cinnamon at all and may want to
replace it with sugar or something.
I wish you all an abundance of blessings, and hope that this was
somehow useful to you.
Posted by: moonstone-opal on February 15, 2008
You can grow sage, thyme, and/or basil in a large pot or window box if you don't have garden space. You can do a lot with salt and black pepper, which you can get at the local discount store. You can also get red pepper, basil, and other "cooking" herbs at discount stores sometimes too. Baby food jars are really great to work with for spell jars or to hold things like blessed water. 
Comment