The Toolbox

             
              An important aspect of tactical magick is the sorcerer’s toolbox. This can be an actual container or a metaphorical description of the sorcerer’s collection of magical tools and components. The toolbox is the source from which the practitioner draws the various materials and elements of his or her magical workings. Naturally the more personally relevant the materials the magus gathers, the more potent the results of the magical endeavors. Though the variety of the materials is also important, as to provide a material flexibility when working magick in the vast spectrum of situations in which the practitioner may find a use for magical workings.
              For example, a magus could take a container that has some personal significance (perhaps an old heirloom trunk or a handmade wooden chest), and place upon it sigils of creativity, inspiration, or whatever else is seen as advantageous. Then inside the toolbox there are magical items of personal relevance: perhaps a few vials of essential oils, incense sticks, a ritual dagger, tarot cards, two red candles, occult themed pieces of jewelry, several pieces of wood from the local craft store, a wood burning tool, a porcelain doll, a plastic mask, a few empty bottles, and an old monocle from a grandparent. Of course there are many sorts of items that one might find use for in a toolbox. Perhaps instead of keeping an actual container, the magus simply keeps a stash of useable materials in the home, car, and office. There could be sigil paintings, blank books, and old pieces of circuit boards at home, while in the car there is a magical wand on the dashboard and an altar cloth draped over the back seat, and in the office their may be a few enchanted suit ties, a collection of occult spell casting software, and the statue of an ancient god sitting on the desk. Just about anything that can be of personal magical significance, possess a powerful magical association, or be usefully symbolic is a viable element.
              The idea is that by keeping a full toolbox the magus will have access to materials that will aid in the creation of effective magical manifestations without having to go hunting about for useful components. Often the practitioner will not require physical items or accoutrements to aid in the use of magick, though having such materials on hand is advantageous. Which leads to a more compact version of the toolbox, the sorcerer’s kit. The kit is nothing more than a portable toolbox that can be carried on a personal level by the individual practitioner. For example, a magus that carries a backpack already may choose to include a cigarette lighter, a few vials of salt, a handwritten spellbook, blank sheets of paper, a portable music device, a compass, and a box of crayons. This way the magus will always have a multitude of items at his or her disposal with which to work more effective magick than had the items not been present. The author usually carries two pocketknives, sidewalk chalk, a handful of crystals, several feet of waxed string, matches, and a few blank pages of parchment. The key to kit creation is to make an effort to gauge what sorts of items you might find yourself in need of, meaning that one mage’s kit will be quite different from another’s.