Preparing the Athame for Ritual
Before being used for ritual, the athame should be cleansed and consecrated. Cleansing the blade isn’t a physical washing but a spiritual one. It’s done to remove any lingering psychic residue that might possibly be on the blade from a previous owner or even the knife’s manufacturer. To consecrate an athame is to dedicate the blade to your ritual practice and the gods you serve. Many times “cleansing” the blade isn’t necessary, but consecrating always is.
Cleansing an Athame: Outdoor Method
If you bought your athame used or it was given to you as a gift, you may want to cleanse the blade. I’ve had friends who have received used blades and sometimes they prefer to keep a little of the original owner’s energy in their knife, but that isn’t always the case. If the previous owner of the knife is unknown to you or your athame just doesn’t feel right while holding it, I suggest cleansing the blade before taking it into ritual space.
The easiest way to cleanse a blade and remove any old energies attached to it is to dig a hole in your backyard and bury the blade for about a month. Let Mother Earth take away any negative energies lingering in your athame! If you do decide to bury your blade, it’s best to bury it on a night of the full moon. As the moon wanes from full moon to new, the negative energies that are in the knife will seep into the ground and away from your blade. If the ground in your area is excessively moist, wrap your athame in a small piece of canvas to protect it. Barring that, a piece of plastic will work too, though I’d put a small hole or two in it to allow the energy from the knife to dissipate into the ground.
There’s no need for an extensive ceremony when burying your athame, but a few words stating your intent would be a good idea. I usually dig my hole and set the tool I’m cleansing into it. Then I say:
Great Goddess, Mistress of the Moon and Mother of us all, into your womb I place this blade. Take away from it all impurities and negative energies so that it might be a valuable tool to use in service to you and your consort. So mote it be!
While filling the hole and burying my athame, I usually say a few words with each scoop of dirt I throw over it, such as Earth, cleanse my blade! or Be gone into the ground, My blade now safe and sound!
When I’ve finished burying my blade, I mark the spot and then leave a gift to the earth on that spot. A coin would work, but I think the earth would most likely prefer a big drink of water.
Two weeks later, on a night of the new moon, return to where you buried your athame and dig back to the spot where it’s resting in the earth. Now place something in tune with your own energies (such as another working tool, an item you have an attachment to, or even just a rock that you’ve charged) next to your athame so that the blade starts to feel comfortable with you. Again, it’s best to speak your intent while going through this next step:
Lady Mother, Great Goddess, hear my prayer as I place this (name of item) next to my athame. May my blade learn to recognize me and my energies so that I might use it in service to you and your consort. So mote it be!
After stating your intent, rebury your athame and the additional item together, making sure that they are touching each other. If you are wrapping your athame in anything, be sure to rewrap it and the extra item.
On the night of the next full moon, dig up your athame and, under the light of the full moon, take a moment to feel its energies. If your athame still doesn’t feel right, leave it in the ground for another month. Most likely, though, your blade will be cleansed of any negativity and will be ready for consecration. After you’ve refilled the hole where your blade was buried, look up at the moon and drive the blade of your athame into the earth while saying:
Great Goddess, Mistress of the Moon and Mother of us all, you have heard my prayers and cleansed this blade. I give my thanks to the earth and to the Lord and the Lady for helping me to prepare this blade! Blessed be!
This process can be repeated with any tool that needs special cleansing.
Cleansing an Athame: Indoor Method
If you don’t have access to a backyard or are unable to dig a hole, there’s a slightly less involved way to cleanse an athame entirely indoors. I call this the “altar method,” and it is generally what I use to prepare all of my ritual tools. For most Witches, the altar is where they store their magical tools and do most of their work. Because of that, it’s a very “charged” space and is generally filled with the essence of the Witch who works there.
When a Witch doesn’t have a permanent working altar, there are other options. For some of us, the top of our dresser where all of our “stuff” accumulates works well as a makeshift altar. The top of a bookshelf or coffee table is another option, and if your life revolves around your kitchen, a spot in there works well too. The important thing is that whatever space you use should be filled with your own energies.
Ideally the blade should be placed on the altar (or other space) on a night of the full moon, but if you can’t wait that long, that’s okay too. I usually build a “nest” around my athame out of silk cloth before setting it down on my altar. Part of this is presentation; as a new addition to my magical arsenal, it seems fitting that my athame should come wrapped in swaddling clothes. And part of this is for practical reasons that we’ll get to soon. After setting down your athame, speak your intent:
Great Goddess, Mistress of the Moon and Mother of us all, on my altar I place this blade. Take away from it all impurities and negative energies so that it might be a valuable tool to use in service to you and your consort. So mote it be!
Now take some salt (sea salt is best, but even good old iodized table salt works) and sprinkle it on the blade while saying:
With the power of the earth and the sacred salt, I remove from this athame all negativity so that it might do good in my practice. So mote it be!
Once a week and for a full moon cycle, repeat the sprinkling of salt on your blade. Salt is one of the best cleansing items available to the Witch and has all sorts of practical applications.
The salt will remove anything negative from your blade, and putting the blade in your place of power will get it in tune with your personal energies. There’s no better place to help a new tool find “you.” After a month on your altar (or longer or shorter, depending on your personal preference), take the athame in your hands and thank the gods for cleansing it:
Great Goddess, Mistress of the Moon and Mother of us all, you have heard my prayers and cleansed this blade. I give my thanks to the Lord and the Lady for helping me to prepare this blade. Blessed be!
Now your athame is ready to be consecrated.
The Whys and Whats of Consecrating
Consecrating an item serves many functions. First of all, it’s a declaration that whatever you are consecrating is special and being singled out for a specific purpose—in our case, for Witchcraft. Consecrating an item is a way of declaring to the world and the gods that your tool is sacred and holy and worthy to be used in rites praising the Lord and the Lady.
Consecration also bonds an item to you (or, in some cases, the coven). Consecrating your athame is a way of saying, This object is mine and is in some ways an extension of me. The consecration of the athame prepares it for your use and helps to create a bond with it. Your athame should not just feel good in your hand, it should feel like a part of you, when all is said and done.
Finally, consecrating a tool makes it sacred to the gods you serve and honor. As a Witch, I worship the Horned God and the Great Lady, and when I consecrate my ritual tools, I ask for their blessings so that I might do their will with my ritual tools. My gods would never ask me to give up my sense of self for them, but I feel as if what I do as a Witch is influenced by them and I often ask them to guide my hand.
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 circle.
A Coven Consecration Rite
If you practice with a coven or have a working partner, here’s an alternative consecration ritual. I actually prefer to consecrate my tools privately and then present them and consecrate them a second time in a coven/group setting, but this double dipping is not necessary. This particular rite calls for only two people, but with a little creativity, the parts can be split up to bring more people into the ritual.
Whoever you perform this ritual with should be someone you hold “in perfect love and perfect trust.” Not only will they be helping you to consecrate your blade, they will also be handling the blade for large parts of the ritual. If the person helping you with the rite has their own athame or sword, they should place it upon the altar at the start of ritual with your athame lying on top of, and touching, it. As for the solitary rite just described, be sure to have water, salt, incense, and fire available to represent the four elements.
Begin the ritual as your coven normally does, calling the quarters, casting the circle, etc. After the gods have been invoked, pick up your athame and hold it above your head. Address the coven and tell them your desires, then present the athame to your coven’s high priestess/priest or whoever is helping you with your ritual:
I come here tonight seeking your blessings and assistance in consecrating this athame. Will you lend your light and love to me in this task?
The high priestess should pick up the blade and nod, saying:
Yes, we will help you with this task. Now stand beside me and place your hand upon the athame with mine.
Now stand beside the priestess and join with her as she consecrates the blade. You can say the words provided here together, or repeat them after her.
Through smoke and flame, we bless this blade. Through air and fire, we consecrate thee, O blade, so that ye might serve (your name or magical name) in beauty and strength upon the magical path of the Witch!
Slowly drag the athame through first the incense smoke and then the candle flame. Be sure to flip the blade over so both sides of it are exposed to the air and fire.
Still holding the blade, together place one measure of salt into the bowl of water upon the altar and mix them together. (If you already have some salted water on your altar, you can just use that.) Once the two elements are mixed, set your athame down on a pentacle (if available). You and the priestess should be touching the athame with your non-dominant hands. With your power hand, sprinkle some salted water on the blade and hilt while saying:
Through rain and salt, we bless this blade. Through water and earth, we consecrate thee, O blade, so that ye might serve (your name or magical name) in beauty and strength upon the magical path of the Witch!
The high priestess should now touch the tip of your blade to her own, speaking these words:
Point to point, tip to tip, I now pass on a spark from my blade to yours. From the first gods to the first Witch, I consecrate this athame that it might be powerful in the circle and serve our sister (or brother) well.
With the high priestess, hold on to the hilt of the athame and ask for the blessings of the gods for your blade. Place the blade upon a statue or representation of the Goddess and recite these words separately or together:
In your presence and alongside my working partners in this coven, I seek your blessings for this athame, O Gracious Goddess! May this blade ever draw me closer to your ways. May it only be used for acts of love and beauty and in service to the Witches’ Craft. So mote it be!
Now the two of you should hold your blade against the God statue upon the altar. These words can again be said by only one of you or together in unison:
In your presence and alongside my working partners in this coven, I seek your blessings for this athame, O Great Horned One! May this blade draw me closer to your mysteries. May it serve in all of my magical endeavors and protect me from all harm in the magick circle. So mote it be!
Let go of the blade and stand before the altar, leaving enough room for the high priestess to perform this version of the fivefold kiss in front of you. After saying each line, she should place the athame upon your body and then kiss the blade.
May you ever walk forward in the path of the wise.
(Athame is placed on the top of each foot and is then kissed.)
May you ever be free to kneel at the sacred altar.
(Athame is placed on each knee and is then kissed.)
May you ever love and be loved.
(Athame is placed upon the genitalia and is then kissed.)
May your heart ever beat in courage and strength.
(Athame is placed on the heart or between the breasts and is then kissed.)
May the names of the Lord and the Lady ever be upon your lips.
(The blade should be held straight upon your lips, with the high priestess then kissing you and the blade simultaneously.)
After the fivefold kiss is enacted, the high priestess should present you with your athame once more, saying:
By the power of the gods, the four elements, and this coven, your blade is now consecrated and ready to serve in the ways of the Witch. So mote it be!
The athame is now consecrated and ready for use.