This is sort of a spin-off of the "Ritual swords" thread. While reading that thread, I read a post by Techno involving the use of a spear or scepter rather than the traditional sword, and this got me thinking...

I am moving in half a year, which will require me to set up a new ritual chamber, and while I am at it I may make/obtain new ritual tools, and possibly retire an old favorite or two. I would like to hear what other people use for their ritual tools--swords, altars, chalices, elixir, clothing, or anything else, whether it's included in the Satanic Bible or not.

I am curious as to what different people find evocative, and if people choose to indulge me by replying to my thread, I may be inspired by someone else's post to try something different (as Techno's post inspired me in the ritual sword thread). Like I said, I'm moving this year, so I figure that if I'm making one change, I should be open to making more changes, to possibly incorporate new ideas.

Hail Satan!

It dawned on me that if I'm going to ask other people to list/describe their ritual tools, I should probably post my own.

CLOTHING: All black--black jeans or work pants, black shirt, black dress socks, black boots. Once my Baphomet medallion arrives in the mail, I'll proudly wear that, as well.

ALTAR/RITUAL CHAMBER: Since I'm living with my (Christian) family, my ritual chamber is my bedroom. The room itself is ordinary in appearance; during ritual, I put a blue light bulb in the ceiling light and black light bulbs in my lamps; this gives me enough light to comfortably read incantations, while enhancing the atmosphere. For my altar, I use an inconspicuous movie cabinet, conveniently placed on the west wall. For the Sigil of Baphomet, I stand a copy of The Satanic Witch on the altar. (The white Baphomet on the cover shows up well in the black light.)

CANDLES: I have two black candles (with black candle holders) and one white candle (with a silver candle holder).

BELL: I used to use an old cowbell, but I disliked the sound. Now, in lieu of the bell, I scrape two blades together.

CHALICE/ELIXIR: The Elixir varies widely. When I was younger, I used anything from Mountain Dew to vanilla coffee creamer. Now that I'm old enough to buy liquor, I sometimes use that. My chalice is a glass goblet I found in a rubbish pile.

SWORD: As I mentioned in the ritual sword thread, I ground a piece of steel into an approximation of a sword. I also painted the runes for Leviathan down the length of the blade, though I'm embarrassed to admit that I got them in the wrong order. (At the time, I didn't know they went counter-clockwise, so I guessed at the order.)

PARCHMENT: Plain paper.

Since I only ritualize alone, I do not use a live altar, nor do I require a gong or any phallus except the one attached to me. Also, I have taken to using incense, which I find enhances the atmosphere of the ritual chamber, especially in conjunction with the lights.

And that's about it for my tools.

You see, in the members area we have a specific forum for these kinds of discussion.

Even down there most people are reticent to reveal the exact machinations of their magical endeavours. Most of the power of magic, for the vast majority of practicioners, is in its esotoric nature.

I see. Thank you.

The blue and black lights is actually a pretty good idea. I'd imagine that gives everything a very different tone, at least in comparison to what kind of set up is described in The Satanic Bible.

As Reverend Strongbone said, Magic is usually a private thing for Satanists. But I will say that even if you are living in a situation that makes a full-blown chamber impractical, you can still manage to create a proper ambiance. Then, of course, sometimes the best chamber is your own mind.

Damn. Your socks gotta be black too? Satan can't see those yo. You wearin' pants man.



What?? You ain't got a LIVE ALTAR??

If you want to impress the Dark Lord Of All Players then you gotta get you one of those man. No exceptions!

I figure if the dress socks are taking up space in my closet, I might as well put them to use. Besides, I don't wear pants in EVERY ritual.

And, as we all know, black socks offer better protection.

Wouldn't want to get your ritual chamber pregnant and stuff.

LOL That was great!



Yeah they are... I would only use candle light though. It would give me some sense of an ancient tomb-like enviroment.



I use that most often. Everybody is religious and paranoid. Expressing Satanism here would get me kicked out at the wrong time.

"Then, of course, sometimes the best chamber is your own mind."

My feelings exactly. When I first started out with Satanism I followed the procedures in the Satanic Bible almost exactly, as if those were the rules that I am supposed to follow in conjuring the Devil. Now I realize there are no rules.
I don't even do rituals anymore. Why bother dressing up, setting up the chamber etc? I know that many people would like doing all these things, and find aesthetic pleasure in doing so, which is great.
But for me, the best chamber really is my mind. Save for a few props, everything is simple and casual when I do my thing.

Now I realize there are no rules.

Aaahhh, you may want to rethink this.


...conjuring the Devil...

Are you sure you read the same book I did, ie The Satanic Bible?

Just checking. Perhaps your wording doesn't convey your thoughts properly.


Why bother dressing up, setting up the chamber etc?

Really!

There is more to it than just aesthetics.

Throwing out the baby with the bathwater may not be as great as it seems. There is a reason why The Satanic Bible contains what it does. Everything there has a purpose. A careful reading of the appropriate chapters will divulge the purpose of it all.

While the format of the rituals may be adjusted and personalized, there is an underlying current, the reason for the rules, that leads to effective workings. Disregarding those rules is folly.

Even mental rituals have rules and guidelines. And it takes a well trained, disciplined mind to carry out these things.

I see where you're coming from (at least I think so), but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss a full-blown ritual chamber as being merely an "aesthetic pleasure".

But that is a matter for downstairs, not here.

No no, of course I didn't mean really conjuring the Devil, just a figure of speech. The Satanic Bible is clear on the issue, I understand the whole point of psychodrama.

When I was doing rituals as outlined in the Satanic Bible it was certainly a nice experience for me, but now I moved away from that. Now I kind of enjoy doing things my own way. All I can say is that what I do works for me.

"Even mental rituals have rules and guidelines. And it takes a well trained, disciplined mind to carry out these things."

Since the rules for the mental rituals are not outlined in the SB, what are they? Or is that a topic for downstairs discussion?

If it works (and it's legal) there's nothing more to know.

The Satanic Bible does an excellent job of outlining the reasons and rules for all Satanic rituals, mental or otherwise.

I will try not to repeat what has been said concerning this post.
Two things jump out at me:

1) Having spent the first half of my life convinced that the better part of me was between my ears, I assure you it is not. If there is one thing that the study of life has taught me, it is that the brain follows the body. A strong and active body makes for a strong and active brain. A lazy and half-hearted body guarantees a lazy and half-hearted brain; which brings me to...

2) Laziness. I am not saying that people who do not perform rituals are lazy. I am saying that a successful work of magic is performed by an active will, an active mind and an active body. Some are already "in the flow", so to speak. Others may need to jump start things, which is where ritual may come in.

I am an oldish man. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that the body is important...very important.

I'm dizzy...so I will get off my soap box now.

"A strong and active body makes for a strong and active brain."

I totally agree with you on that point.

"Others may need to jump start things, which is where ritual may come in."

I understand why the rules to others may be beneficial. A structured setting would help you focus your will, which in turn will lead you to perform your greater magic successfully. There is an underlying reason for all the elements of a Satanic ritual, but I don't think the point is to do things "properly." What it comes down to is the question: did you get the desired results? If the answer is yes, then what you have done speaks for itself.
I am not scoffing at the rules that others follow (I know that there are reasons for them), and I am not trying to come across as "I am so great I don't need to follow any rules".
There is always room for improvement. Could I do things better and get better/faster results? Of course. I may want to incorporate some elements of a ritual to help myself (the point being of course not to follow the rules but to get better results)
What works for you works for you. What works for me works for me.

While they are not specifically stated, they are alluded to.

Think in terms of visualization techniques, focusing techniques, some forms of yoga, etc.

Says who? The Satanic Bible details a number of rules and necessary components to a ritualistic working. While there may be no single "right" way to do Satanic ritual, there are plenty of clearly wrong ways. For example: trying to do a ritual while watching TV, making idle chat during a ritual, using mind-altering drugs (which inhibit control of the emotions), etc.


My mind is easily the best fantasy creator I have too. But that doesn't mean I'm going to throw my 5.1 home theater system out the window.

As Dr. LaVey said and Reverend Strongbone just reiterated, "There is nothing intrinsically esoteric about any combination ... unless one considers the keeping of the secret combination esoteric".

But since I don't really fall into that second category, here you go:

• CLOTHING. I have several black robes. Most of these are just altered graduation robes.
• ALTAR. I have a 2-3 ft tall cabinet piece with black cloth draped over the top. I keep my altar tools on top, and any extra things (books, ritual CDs, etc.) underneath in the cabinet part.
• SYMBOL OF BAPHOMET. Tapestry of the Sigil of Baphomet, hanging on the wall above the altar.
• CANDLES. I have several wide, black "column" candles, plus a small white tea light candle.
• BELL. Like a lot of Satanists I know, I happen to use a Tibetan bell. Not too surprising, since a lot of catalogs carry them and they are "loud and penetrating" like the Satanic Bible demands.
• CHALICE / EXLIR. I have a couple of different chalices, but I pretty much only use a silver-colored one that has the Sigil etched on the side. The elixir varies, but I have my favorites.
• SWORD. Small dagger that I bought in an occult shop some years back. Though I may end up getting an actual sword some time.
• PHALLUS. A friend of mine owns an occult shop and sells genital candles, one of which I bought years ago for the phallus.
• GONG. I have two gongs. One was a birthday gift I received a while ago from some friends who are fellow Church of Satan members. They bought it at Guitar Center. The other is something I stumbled across at a flea market.
• PARCHMENT. Office supply stores such as Staples carries a few different 8.5x11" varieties of parchment-style paper. I buy boxes of these to use for ritual and printing up fliers.

I'm working on gathering materials but I got a dagger and a sword. My sword is cheap, dull, and only for looks.

I bought it at a gas station and it has Medusa as the handle.

While I don't want to go ahead and list all of my ceremonial ritual items here as it can vary depending on the circumstances, I thought I'd enter into this part of the thread by adding that I have a Baphomet which goes everywhere with me in the form of a tattoo.

If ever I feel the need to 'phyche myself up' I can look to it as a talisman of power. Let's say I were to perform a certain set of chi kung breathing exercises and movements and viola, 'instant ritual to go' as it were.

In no way do I mean to downplay the power of a grand ceremonial ritual but I do believe that small scale everyday rituals such as this can have an accumulative effect if one chooses to allow it to.

At first, I only used candle light, but with only 2-3 candles and poor night vision, I found myself straining to read. Rather than buy more candles, I decided to try the lights. I liked the ambiance so much they're now standard.


I am aware of the combination lock principle, and fully understand that what works for one may be useless for another. I also suspected when I posted that many Satanists would prefer to keep their tools private, which is of course their choice. Since most of my tools were improvised at first, and I consider them less important than the mental component of ritual, I had no problem sharing mine, and I thank you for taking the time to share yours. Most of my rituals are "mental", but I am always open to experimenting and incorporating new ideas into formal rituals.


I agree. I've devised a few of my own "daily rituals".

Yes he can! You just got to show some teeth when you want the LOD to notice you.

Check this out:

1- Bang gong.
2- Recite the Unholy Names
3- Grin an Unholy grin.

Simple.

-Bang gong

It is usually better to master the basics before reinventing the wheel.

Priestess Heather appeared on WE Entertainment and gave the fundamentals of Satanic Ritual:

The Secret Life of a Satanic Witch.