🗡 WITCH CHALLENGE - Sacred Blades: Athames & Bolines

[Phoenix_Fire]

challenge entry
I dont work with athame and bowlines as such physically but i brainstormed how could incorporate it into my practice in a way i might find it useful. Wuth sll the changes and bew beginnings i was struggling alot with ending one chapter of nearly 13 years and starting a new one and we know i love my cards and self refkection so i looked for a athame themed spread and found this one on pinterest.

Using my enchanted map oracle as been feelibg a bit lost lately so it seemed fitting i used a word document to screen short the spread and cards into one to show what i got for my atheme spread for cutting cords.

I also as the app for enchanted map oracle only had spread 1, 3, 5 or some others not a 4 card sprrad i used the last card ( to right) as an extra advice card.

[cherietta]

I love this spread! Thank you for sharing it. It’s going in my BOS

[Amethyst]

Witch Challenge for Amethyst:

I have an athame but I don’t use it much, I use my wand much more. But I also don’t use it because it doesn’t feel right in my hand, so I put a new on on my Amazon Wish List because of this challenge. LOL! It’s really a letter opener, but I think it’s neat. See how pretty it is?

But I also read a book earlier this year that was awesome. It’s Witch’s Athame: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Blades by one of my favorite authors, Jason Mankey.

It’s got some wonderful information on the history of athames, how to personalize one, and my favorite ritual, how to consecrate one. I thought I’d share a bit of this last one as my entry, but really the whole book is worth a look!

But here’s the Solitary Consecration Rite:

A Solitary Consecration Rite

Before starting, be sure to prepare your altar with representatives of all four elements. I usually use a dish of sea salt (earth), incense (air), a candle flame (fire), and a dish of water. To represent the Lord and the Lady, I generally use deity statues, but you can also use other objects to represent them, such as a seashell for the Goddess or a piece of horn or antler for the God. If those are unavailable, they can be represented by candles. Ask for the blessings of the gods over all of your items before starting the consecration rite. Begin ritual as is customary to you (calling quarters, casting a circle, etc.—directions for both are in this book; however, they do require a consecrated athame—oh, the catch-22!). Once the gods have been invoked, begin the consecration rite. Start in the east and let the incense smoke surround your blade. Slowly and gently cut into the smoke and imagine the incense cleaning any psychic impurities from your blade while saying:

With the power of air, I bless and consecrate this athame that it may serve me in my rites and always honor the Lord and the Lady! By the spirits of the east, this blade has now received the favor of air. So mote it be!

Move to the south and move the blade of your athame through the candle flame on your altar. As the blade is cleansed and purified with flame, say these words:

With the power of fire, I bless and consecrate this athame that it may serve me in my rites and always honor the Lord and the Lady! By the spirits of the south, this blade has now received the favor of fire. So mote it be!

If you are using a bowl or chalice that is large enough to dip your athame into, do so now. If you aren’t using a vessel that large, simply cup a little water in your power hand (the one you predominantly use) and sprinkle it over the blade. As the water covers or drips onto the steel, see it washing the blade and bathing it in the powers of the west. Now ask for the blessings of water for your athame:

With the power of water, I bless and consecrate this athame that it may serve me in my rites and always honor the Lord and the Lady! By the spirits of the west, this blade has now received the favor of water. So mote it be!

Salt can be used in a way similar to water. If your bowl of salt is large, set your blade into it. If your vessel for earth is small, simply sprinkle some cleansing salt along the blade while saying:

With the power of earth, I bless and consecrate this athame that it may serve me in my rites and always honor the Lord and the Lady! By the spirits of the north, this blade has now received the favor of earth. So mote it be!

Once the athame has been blessed by all four elements, it’s time to ask for the blessings of the gods upon it. Hold your athame and place the flat of your blade near the Goddess statue or the object representing her on your altar. (If you are using a candle, place the blade in the candle flame.) As you hold the athame there, close your eyes and picture the Goddess standing behind you. Feel her touch on your arm as you hold your blade and then ask for her blessings upon it:

Great Goddess, Eternal Lady, I ask that you bless and consecrate this athame for my use and your greater glory. May it only be used for acts of love and beauty and in service to the Witches’ Craft. In the name of the Lady, so mote it be!

Now touch the blade to your statue or representation of the God. Close your eyes and feel his power fill the room. When you feel him near you and guiding your hand, say these words:

Horned One, Great Lord, I ask that you bless and consecrate this athame for my use and your greater glory. May it serve me in all of my magical endeavors and protect me from all harm in the magick circle. In the name of the Horned One, so mote it be!

Your athame is now consecrated and ready to use in ritual. In some traditions, however, consecration is only the beginning! Some Witches believe that the newly consecrated athame should be kept in physical contact with its owner for up to a month. Others call for at least sleeping with it (carefully) under a pillow for several weeks. I do believe that if you can, you should touch it and use it as much as possible in the days after its consecration. The more you use it, the better it will work for you in your circle.

Mankey, Jason. Witch’s Athame: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Blades (p. 99). Llewellyn. Kindle Edition.

It’s very Wiccan, so sorry to y’all who aren’t. But it’s a neat ritual that I hope to use as soon as I can get an athame that feels right to me!

[Susurrus]

Oh very nice @Amethyst I like your entry You definitely don’t have to apologize for it being Wiccan, I use things that would fall under Wiccan even though for some time I haven’t “followed Wicca”, I’m a fan of switching things up & personalizing though.

Even so, no need to apologize at all!

[Amethyst]

@Susurrus

You definitely don’t have to apologize for it being Wiccan,

I wasn’t apologizing, but recognizing that this group and grown beyond just a Wiccan group. We’ve got loads of awesome witches here that aren’t Wiccan!

But yeah, personalize it all you can!

[Nikki-Phoenix]

CHALLENGE ENTRY

Hey Everyone, loving all the pretty blades and scissors!

I don’t use an athame or boline in my Craft, mainly because I can’t take the chance K will get a hold of it, but also it just hasn’t come into the picture so far. For this challenge, I wanted to do something I should’ve done a while ago, but I didn’t want to think about chants or spells - I decided to engage with a little Chaos magic.

By the way, I should say that before I joined the site, I thought of Chaos magic and thought of The Scarlet Witch; now, after learning from you all and doing some research, I see Chaos magic as more like Star Wars. Sometimes you can meditate and levitate rocks, and sometimes the situation requires a simple “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for”; the Energy is there, we can choose how we use it.

Anyway, after creating protection for my mind, I decided to do a symbolic cord-cutting inside my Inner Temple. After entering the Temple, I imagined myself floating, and visualised the cords tying me to this person - my mind, my body, my spirit, my soul, my future. Then I visualised an athame - it had a black tourmaline handle and a clear quartz blade - and let it cut each cord in turn. Then I thanked the Divine for making it so.

I may do a cleansing meditation later, just to remove any residue or excess ties from my mind.

x Blessed Be x

[Susurrus]

That makes sense, we are a very diverse group of practitioners! I think that’s why I missed it, there is always something new to learn or explore.

[dan3]

@MeganB

One of my friends has several pairs of really intricate, fancy scissors

I am a scissors geek… in a way. When we needed masks and none was available, I did the sewing thing and to do that required good scissors (and small very sharp blades). I started to appreciate them… I have some expensive ones which I keep like good knives and some cheap ones. But I love those pictures you showed. I could collect them if I wasn’t collecting so much already.

[BryWisteria]

One week to go!

Thank you to all the sharp witches for sharing about your shiny tools and beautiful blades - there are some cutting-edge entries on display this week!

For those still pondering what to share, no fear - plenty of time remains on the challenge clock. There is one more week until this challenge closes.

Looking forward to seeing your entries!

Blessed be

[tory]

Challenge entry

This is my athame. It is always on my altar, but I have only actually used it a handful of times. I think it is quite beautiful. It has the triple moons carved into the blade.

[georgia]

I thought I’d add in a few tips on sharpening scissors, since the economy may require hanging onto things a bit longer than we have been used to lately.

One antique scissors sharpener was not much more than a metal rod. Sharpen (ie remove nicks in the blades) a pair of scissors by acting like you’re cutting the rod- from pivot point to tips.

Cutting paper dulls scissors faster than anything else, so it is advisable to use separate scissors for separate projects. Fabric requires scissors to be super sharp in most instances- kind of like trying to cut a tomato with a dull knife.

If you don’t have a metal rod, get sandpaper. Cut super thin strips from the sandpaper using the entire blade length. It works!

[KylaD]

CHALLENGE ENTRY

This is my first ever challenge entry!!!
This is my Athame. Actually it was my mum’s. It was one of several of her Witchy tools that I kept after she passed.

I have NEVER used it and I have had it for 20 years. I feel like this challenge has given me “permission” such a weird word but feels appropriate, for me to begin understanding how to use it. I’m excited and feel blessed to have a one that was technically passed down to me.

I’m not sure why, but I have not really used any of my mother’s tools. I was very angry at her and Goddess that she “left” me. I put all her Witchy items away. I now have them around me and can’t wait to use her Athame as I know how much she loved it and used it often!

[cherietta]

Those are great blade sharpening tips! I’ll have to try the sandpaper. Does it matter how coarse it is?

[Susurrus]

@georgia, those are good ones. I agree with @cherietta. I want to say that crumpled aluminum foil can work for scissors. I’ve never tried it on any other blade type, except my Cricut, until I could get another one.

@KylaD yay for your first entry! I think it’s terrific that you have that & feel that you can use it now. That has to be a good feeling!

@tory that is gorgeous & the cloth is too. I love to look at it, it’s so pretty!

[dan3]

Witch Challenge - Sacred Blades: Athames & Bolines

Witchy Tools with Sharp Edges – sorta

Congratulations to all the great Athames and Bolines posted. They are very nice. Mine are much more mundane but they are quite good… but I don’t use them (at least the Athame) in my work. However, I like good tools.

Part 1 - Athames

[My Athame]

Athames have been around a long time and their origin is not well dated but Gerald Gardner (credited with modern Wicca) popularized the athame in the 20th century, and it’s remained a central part of many Wiccan and eclectic witchcraft toolkits ever since.

An Athame is a ritual knife, typically with a double-edged blade and a black handle. Double edged usually means like a dagger. Mine is dark brown and the metal is Damascus (layered steel beaten together and then machined into a blade/barrel/tool). An Athame is not used for physical cutting—more for directing energy in magical rituals. Mine is very sharp since I didn’t dull it (couldn’t make myself do it since it is a nice knife).

I’ve run into the idea of an Athame in a lot of the reading I do and when I came over to my current path, I was excited to get one. Which didn’t work out well since my path wasn’t very defined at first and I thought all of us carried Athame shivs around all the time so I absolutely needed one to be the cool witch. I already had the hat, just needed a blade to cut magic stuff.

An Atheme is like a wand, but with a more assertive, commanding vibe. It’s used to channel, focus, or direct magical energy during rituals—say, when you’re casting a circle or invoking the elements. It has a symbolic power and can represent the element of Air or sometimes Fire (mine represents Fire… no way is it representing tooky little air). It is seen as a tool of intellect, will, and clarity. It is sharp like the mind is sharp… not like steel is sharp. It is a ritual tool used to draw symbols in the air, invoke spirits and metaphorically cut through spiritual barrier.

An Atheme is not for actual cutting—which was a major downer for me.
It becomes a personal item and some bind with their blade and feel it is imbued with their energy and intentions. Sort of like that ring of Gollem’s… well… maybe not that bad.

Athames can be personalized with stones, runes, ribbons, etchings, or any number of items. I etched runes in mine they are on the other side of the knife (private).

Part 2 Boline Knives

While the athame is often used to direct energy in ritual settings and rarely cuts anything physical, the boline is a practical tool used for actual cutting tasks. Yesssss! Here is where I didn’t miscalculate. I have a nice boline. The blade is not curved or crescent shaped (like a carpet knife) since I wanted a folder knife so I could carry it when needed. It is used to cut things like plants/herbs, cords, string, and carve magical items. The Boline, as with the Athame, should be consecrated and used only for magick purposes. That can be a broad range of things. I used mine last night to trim Poppet shells and cut tubing for an herb infusion container.

Think of the Boline as your witchy utility knife — it’s the blade you actually use when working with the physical world. When you go to your garden to gather herbs during a waxing moon, you’re reaching for your boline. If you’re carving a rune into a candle or slicing a cord in a cord-cutting ritual, that’s also boline territory. It’s sacred but still practical.

Here is my boline. It is an older Buck knife that I’ve had for a lot of years. It holds a great edge and is very handy. I relegated it to my ‘magick’ workspace.

---

The path I’m currently on doesn’t require an altar or the typical Wicca trappings. While I do spells, I do them in a different way – which is vaguely outlined in the book “Practical Techniques for Directing Your Reality” by Adam Blackthorne.

[brandy20]

I love seeing everyone’s different style they have! Surprisingly this is the one tool I do not have for.

[Susurrus]

My athame is selenite, I need to make it to my room to take a picture… I can’t say that I actively use it for my practice other than it’s selenite & on my altar. I do have the pocket knife (Honestly, I’m not sure what kind it would be, but I think it’s pretty close to a pocket knife either way it’s pretty) in one of my witchy wooden boxes because I keep odds & ends in there.

@dan3, I like your blade/boline. I forgot bolines were a thing because I don’t have one, haven’t used one, or consecrated one. I love that there is a difference in your entry between the athame and the boline! Great job!

Now that I think about it I haven’t consecrated anything in any actual ritual or anything. As it turns out, the last few years I’ve been a pretty mundane and on the go liminally chaotic witch

I do use the Selenite athame to cleanse things though

[dan3]

@Susurrus

I haven’t consecrated anything

First, thanks for reading my entry!

You commented that you haven’t consecrated much. Other than my original flurry to do what I thought I was supposed to do, I have stepped away from it, too… with minor exceptions.

I was more traditional Wiccan for a short while but after I started digging into everything, I ended up finding a modified path that loosely falls under the Chaos umbrella. Of course, with Chaos, a lot of traditional Wiccan stuff is set aside and a more mind centered path is used. I still bless things - such as those Poppets. Belief is a big deal and adopting something outside my path makes me do what is traditional for that something.

Just an observation after being here a few months, I think many have found their own way and do what feels right… which is quite nice.

[dan3]

@CasLyn

I absolutely love this athame!!

It is really beautiful. I would love it, too!

[cherietta]

@dan3

I’ve run into the idea of an Athame in a lot of the reading I do and when I came over to my current path, I was excited to get one. Which didn’t work out well since my path wasn’t very defined at first and I thought all of us carried Athame shivs around all the time so I absolutely needed one to be the cool witch. I already had the hat, just needed a blade to cut magic stuff.

Oh my goodness! I do feel this. I’m an in for a penny, in for a pound kind of girl. I’m really good at divination, especially with tarot. I’m also pretty clairvoyant and clair cognizant. And, I didn’t know that astral traveling was a thing. I just thought it was something people use their imagination and did. I’ve had some pretty cool experiences during astral traveling.
Anyway, my point is that I thought I could dig deeper and learn to cast spells and do other types of magic. I got excited and thought oh, I’m going to get to buy all these cool witchy things. Of course I really love all my cool witchy things, but I’m starting to realize they may not be the way of my path. I don’t think it makes me any less than if I’m not a circle casting, ritualistic kind of witch. I’m a solitary witch who just loves learning about everybody else’s way of doing things too.