An updated version of this web page is now available at the new Teen Witch website athame.
The athame, a witch’s ceremonial knife, if the most important Witchcraft tool.
safety warning: Everything you learned about knife safety applies to an athame. An athame is sharp and dangerous. Always practice knife safety with your athame. If you don’t know knife safety, learn knife safety before you handle or use an athame.
correspondences of an athame
There is honest disagreement among Witches as to which element the athame corresponds with. Some Witches believe that the athame corresponds to the element fire. Some Witches believe the athame corresponds with the element air (and the direction east). Experiment and see which works best for you personally, but honor the right for other Witches to honestly have a different choice.
The athame is considered to be a phallic tool and therefore of masculine element and male energy.
In many Witchcraft traditions the athame must have a black handle (white handled knives being reserved for cutting). If you don’t belong to a restrictive tradition, then you can have an athame with any color handle (although many Witches want an athame with a black handle anyway).
It is your personal choice how decorative the handle is. ManyWitches personalize their athame handle with magick symbols, magick writing, and other decorations. Some Witches keep the athame handle plain so that non-Witches won’t realize there is anything special about it.
You change an ordinary knife into an athame through a consecration ritual. This can be a newly purchased knife or a keepsake you’ve had for years. You might find great knives or daggers to use as an athame at swap meets, flea markets, antique stores, New Age festivals, or Renaissance faires.
purification of an athame
If you purchase a used knife you will want to purify the knife of any bad karma or negative vibrations from previous unknown owners. One easy method is to expose the knife to direct sunlight for at least one hour a day for the full cycle of the moon, usually starting at Full Moon or New Moon. This can be by placing the knife inside a window (to prevent possible theft). Other purification methods include water, alchohol, salt, crystals, and herbal smudgings.
Some Witches believe that an athame should never be purchased, that either you must make your own tools or receive them as gifts. That probably worked fine in ancient times, but how many people know how to make their own knives nowadays?
A gift athame is considered a great honor. The athame will have all the energy of years of use by the previous owner. That energy can help guide and empower your own magick, merging your magickal energy with the magickal energy of the Witch who gave the gift. Obviously you don’t cleanse out the previous energy from a gift athame (in this case, you want that energy to stay in the athame).
Once the knife has been purified (you can skip this step if you or someone you know has owned the knife for years or if you purchase a new knife), you may have a consecration ceremony.
consecration of a sword
Consecration: When you finish choosing or making an athame, you will want to dedicate it to magickal work. You may create your own little ceremony that dedicates the knife for sacred use and transforms it from an ordinary knife into an athame. The ritual should be short and simple: place the tool on the altar, cast a circle, and perform a shrt ritual to consecrate the tool.
A brief ceremonial purification and cleansing of previous mundane uses migh involve mixing a small amount of salt and water in a chalice or bowl and then sprinkling the tool. This is just ceremonial purification. If the tool needs a complete purification, then this should be done before the consecration ritual.
You will probably also want to recite a short poem about the knife being transformed into an athame. One, two, three, or four lines are plenty. It doesn’t have to rhyme unless you want it to. Some Witches directly speak to the new athame.
Eileen Holland suggests the simple phrase “Knife, you are brought into this circle of transformation to be forever after my athame.”
If you have a permanent altar, you might leave your athame on your altar for 24 hours after your ceremony before making use of your new athame. Any of the Sabbats or New Moon or Full Moon are particularly appropriate times to dedicate a new athame.
Feel free to submit JPEGs of your personal athame. Indicate the materials, symbols, deity, Witchcraft tradition, or other special information that may help understand your athame.
naming athames
In some traditions (especially Nordic, Teutonic, or Germanic) the athame is given a ceremonial name. Sometimes this ceremonial name is carved into the handle in runes or magick writing system. There are many examples of European knives and daggers inscribed with runic names by shamans of Odin. You may optionally invoke the name of Odin or any male deity to empower the consecration.
uses of an athame
Uses: There are many uses for your athame:
Casting the circle. Most WItches use their athame to point out (or mark) the borders when casting their circle. Some Witches use an athame for most circles, reserving wands for casting circles of special significance .
Drawing lines. There are many rituals that call for drawing a line. Sometimes the athame marks an imaginary line in the air. Other times the athame actually draws a visible line in something material, such as dirt or salt. Sometimes a line is carved into an object (amulet, talisman, tool, etc.).
Mixing. The athame is the most common tool when used for mixing salt and water or mixing potions. Pick up ingredients with the point of your athame. Proportions may be measured out on the tip of the blade. The tip of the athame may also be used for stirring.
Charging. The athame may be used when consecrating, charging, or empowering amulets, talismans, or poppets.
Setting limits. Often you will have a ritual where you are magickally setting limits of some kind. You can use the athame to ceremonially mark the limit.
Making choices. Some traditions use the athame for making choices and carrying them out.
Some Witches believe that the athame should only be used inside a circle, while other Witches believe that the athame can be used as an ordinary knife outside the circle. During the Burning Times, Witches had to hide their Witchcraft tools in plain sight (which is why every Witchcraft tool other than a sword looks like an ordinary kitchen utensil).
other
You want to be careful about who else touches or handles your athame. Magickal tools are sensitive and will absorb the energy of anyone who touches them. Some Witches don’t let anyone else touch their athame. Some Witches will allow member of their coven, their family, and close friends to touch their athame.
If someone touches your athame, you can smudge it with sage. Light a sage leaf on fire, then gently blow out the flame, leaving a bright red burning ember. Wave your athame through the sage smoke. This will cleanse out the energy from the unwanted touching without driving out all of the positive magickal energy you’ve built up in your athame (a complete purification would get rid of your magicakl energy as well). You can also sprinkle a small amount of salt and water, as described in the consecration ritual above.
A knife that has been used as a weapon shouldn’t be used as an athame. If a knife has ever drawn blood, it must be purified before it can be consecrated as an athame. If you ever accidently cut yourself with your athame, you will want to smudge with sage, sprinkle with salt water, or otherwise symbollically purify it.
web sites
If you follow any of the links offered on this web site, no spell begging. Especially no love spell or curse begging.
Books
If you want your book reviewed, please send a copy to: Milo, POB 1361, Tustin, CA 92781, USA.
The state of California claims that Witches don’t have the same equal protection under the law as Jews and Blacks!
The Blood Libel is the false claim made by the Inquisitions, Witch Hunts, and Witch Trials that supposedly Witches (the Inquisitions, Witch Hunts, and Witch Trials) and Jews (the Inquisitions), who supposedly were extremely ugly with large noses, supposedly kidnapped Christian babies and children (supposedly Witches lured them with offers of herbal candies), supposedly raped Christian babies and children (including oral and anal sodomy), supposedly tortured Christian babies and children, supposedly murdered Christian babies and children by baking or cooking them, and then supposedly committed canabilism by eating the cooked bodies of Christian babies and children.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing claims that Ralphs grocery Company (part of Kroger) has the right to engage in the Blood Libel. The DFEH said it would take action against the Blood Libel aimeed at Jews, but not when aimed at Witches.
If you are against the Blood Libel, please contact California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Call 916-445-2841 now. Or e-mail the Governor (choose “Fair Employment and Housing” from the subject menu). Those outside of the U.S. can write a letter to: the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA. Please be very polite.
Read the Blood Libel web page for more information on the history of the Blood Libel in the Inquisition, Witch Hunts, Witch trials, and Burning Times.
This website gets more traffic than your website.
I am available.
Free lessons on Witchcraft, ancient Goddesses, astrology, and nutrition. I will answer short questions on-line through TeenWitchdotcom at Twitter and in person in the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach area. I will teach you what you need to know to be a successful priest, priestess, or witch, including the ability to perform weddings and readings. For more information read Witchcraft lessons.
private and small group lessons
Contact Milo for information on private and small group lessons in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, California. Tutoring in Witchcraft, chess, guitar, English grammar and writing, history, or computer programming. Low cost or free for the poor. Recommended donation of $25 an hour (or $15 for half an hour). Minors need written permission from parent or guardian. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Milo, PO Box 1361, Tustin, California, USA, 92781.
If you spot an error in fact, grammar, syntax, or spelling, or a broken link, or have additional information, commentary, or constructive criticism, please contact Milo the Witch at PO Box 1361, Tustin, California, USA, 92781.
updated March 9, 2005
May the Goddess grant YOU love, peace, joy, bounty, and wisdom.
using 
.
