| Ritual is an act of being in between the spiritual and material, so apparel takes on a different appearance from ordinary daily wear. Wicca prefers simpler clothing or gowns or nudity, closer to the Goddess, whereas magical traditions use elaborate dress and even magical personalities. |
| Some witches carry out ritual naked, called skyclad, or perhaps a gown is worn often in green or black with colours added by way of tying cords around the waist. The gown should be organic in material and more insulating cloth for outside. If a gown is not wanted then simpler clothes reserved for ritual use can be worn. This can be outside where a circle is cast or indoors in a special room with its altar. Even naked witches can tie a coloured cord around the waist, sometimes earthy colours, sometimes a mixture of elemental colours, and perhaps colours of the season, of about nine feet long. Whatever, feet may be removed of shoes when in the sacred space again for contact with the sacred. Many witches wear the five pointed star, looped cross or an amber/ amber and jet necklace. |
| Not being of the world means not wearing watches, and there should be no clocks in the room if indoors. |
| The ritual can then take place within a circle with an altar to the north. The circle itself needs sanctifying. Salt can be a part of this process, added to water to consecrate and purify. Incense (loose or joss sticks - these can also represent air) cleanse and sanctify the space for the ritual. These elements can stay present in their places. Candles can be placed around the circle perimeter in colours red (fire - south), turquoise (water - west), blue (air - north), and brown (earth - east). They may be used in the consecration and can mark the circle's boundary throughout. Candles may need wind protection containers outside. The athame can be held to cast the circle and to pint magical energy and again used throughout. The athame or knife should be organic in material, probably not iron based if seen as offending to the other worlds, possibly self-decorated and restricted to personal use and that of a magic partner. |
| A wand is an alternative to an athame. The wand can also be self decorated. It should be of a length from the elbow to the finger tip or longer. It should be made of wood: perhaps hazel (air, good energy conductor), holly (fire, fights back), rowan (fire), mountain ash (fire), willow (water, the moon, females) or oak (earth, males, good fortune, rule). A fire may be in the centre (in a cauldon if indoors). A cup and plate allow communions and cakes to play their part in rituals. |
Source: Cowley, V. (2001), Way of Wicca, Thorsons, 52-54, 126-129, 129-136.