by Magenta Griffith
Being able to do magic when you are away from home has gotten more complicated over the years. It used to be limited mostly by how much you were willing to carry. Now, there are rules and regulations that everyone must follow, which can make matters more difficult for the Witch or the magician. Whether you travel monthly—or weekly—for your job, take an occasional vacation, or make a trip to Grandma’s house, it can affect you. Practicing magic or Witchcraft on the road now presents many challenges.
For example, if you are flying, there are a number of items you can’t take in carry-on luggage and a few things you can’t take at all. Due to most airlines charging for checked bags, people often want to put everything in a carry-on for a short trip. But you can’t take an athame in carry-on, and you can only take one book of matches. Only small amounts of liquids are allowed, they have to be in containers that hold less than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters), and security has to be allowed to inspect them if they want. Oils or other liquids that look “suspicious” can be confiscated, so labels should be innocuous but truthful. If asked, oils are “perfume oils,” for example. Other common carriers, like trains, may have other rules. Laws vary from country to country, so if you are traveling internationally, it’s an excellent idea to check each country’s laws; there are usually websites for this purpose. Traveling by car gives you more flexibility, but you still want to be compact and efficient when packing.
Due to fire hazard, California and other places now ban candles and incense in hotel rooms; in any event, these can set off the smoke alarm. An oil infuser can substitute for incense, and electric tealights for candles. Many cities and towns have made it illegal to possess a knife over a certain size no matter where it is. There are at least two approaches—find substitutes or figure out ways to do without one’s usual tools. For example, could you use a wooden wand to cast a circle instead of a metal athame? If an athame symbolizes air for you, could you substitute a feather? If you need a chalice, will a drinking glass be adequate, since most hotels have them? Which tools do you actually use every day, and which have become altar decoration?
Toolkits for Travel
If you are staying in an unfamiliar place, such as a hotel, I think it’s a good idea to ward your room or area—that is, put up an astral or psychic barrier against hostile or unpleasant influences. Warding can be kept simple, which is good if you are short on time. If you are only staying a night or two, a quick warding can help you sleep better and feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar space. If you are staying longer, I would suggest a longer-lasting form. A simple warding my partner and I do anyplace we sleep that is not our own bedroom is a short version of our house wards. We cast a circle to purify the space, then put a very small amount of essential oil (a blend my partner compounds himself) on doors, windows, and mirrors. Many types of essentials oils are available either as a single scent that feels right to you or as a blend—there are several that are sold specifically for protection. Most are in a small enough container to pass TSA requirements: less than 3.4 ounces in a one-quart bag, along with things like toothpaste. I put our tiny “imp”—a bottle that holds about an eighth of a dram—in a tiny, ziplock bag, then in the larger bag so our toiletries don’t pick up the scent. At a Pagan festival or other event, there is no need to hide what you are doing, but you still may want to ward your tent or sleeping area. Festivals can be very intense, and you may want to have a little space that feels like yours alone.
If you travel by air frequently, it might be useful to assemble a minitravel kit, ready to grab. It should have its own case, perhaps an extra makeup bag or small toiletry kit. Put in a scarf or other piece of cloth to use as an altar cloth, a miniature tarot deck, a container of salt (I like kosher salt for ritual purposes), and a wooden (or other nonmetallic) letter opener for an athame. Salt and water combined can be used to bless yourself, your bath water, the bed, or even the whole room. You might include a postcard or other small picture or a very small deity statue. Since most hotel rooms include glasses, I don’t bother with a chalice, but if you have one that’s small and unbreakable, you can include that. Small stones that could symbolize the directions might be included: for example, an agate with shades of brown for north, a fire opal for south, turquoise for west, and citrine for east.
If most of your travel is by car, a small box kept in the trunk of your car could contain more tools—candles and candlesticks, incense and incense holder, or an extra-light robe (perhaps one that could go over clothing), as well as an athame, boline, wand, pentacle, and other tools you want to have with you. The box itself could be used as an altar and could even be decorated if you wish. In this case, you want salt and water dishes, and perhaps bottled water as well as a container of salt. Extra altar items like shells, rocks, or feathers and an extra tarot deck round out your supplies. If you can find a small bottle of wine and a small box of cookies or crackers, you have the ingredients for the “cakes and ale” at the end of many Witches’ ritual. If you think you might be working magic, having food along in the form of granola bars or individual packages of cookies or crackers is important to use to ground afterwards. You’ll have something you like to eat and not have to raid the overpriced minibar or hotel shop. In fact, packing snacks is an excellent idea for almost any trip.
After you do your working, be sure to clean up completely. Put everything away, wipe down any surfaces you have used with a damp washcloth or some tissue. Do a grounding and centering, if only something as simple as looking at yourself in the mirror and repeating your mundane name three times.
A tarot deck is especially useful to have along. Divination aside, aces can be used to represent the four major tools or the four directions. Various majors can be used as symbols of deities and principle of magic—the Priestess can represent the Goddess, for example. The Tower symbolizes sudden change—reversed it is stagnation, so if you want a situation to stay the same, the Tower reversed could be used to work magic.
Astrological Considerations
Take along a pocket astrological calendar or datebook if you can. Moon void-of-course, when the Moon has already had its last aspect with any sign but has not yet moved into another sign, and other times that are astrologically unfavorable should be avoided or warded against if you are engaged in business transactions or important events. Most Moon voids are brief. One technique to safeguard yourself is to cast a circle before you leave your room and shrink it to just around your body, keeping yourself in the time before the Moon went void until after an important event like a sales presentation or meeting your future in-laws. Knowing about difficult astrological events can often be enough to help avoid their worst effects.
Pay special attention to Mercury retrogrades, since these can interfere with travel and business. This influence is longer and trickier than a Moon void, lasting about three weeks. To make a Mercury talisman, obtain a small object such as a medallion with the astrological symbol of Mercury. Bead stores will sometimes have small charms of planetary symbols. You can even draw one on heavy cardboard. If you prefer a less obvious object, you might use a yellow agate or a yellow or orange topaz. If you can find an old United States Mercury dime (minted between 1916 and 1945) that would be excellent; they are often available at coin dealers. You need an object that resonates with you, that symbolizes the energy of the planet Mercury to you. Consecrate it in a circle at home, or wherever you usually practice, on a Wednesday if at all possible. Concentrate on the idea that this will be a shield, protection against adverse influences. Leave it in a safe place at home when not in use, not on your altar. When Mercury is about to go retrograde—consult an astrological calendar for the date—take it out and ask for protection from the effects of Mercury retrograde. Carry or wear it at all times during the retrograde; when it is over, do a short ritual to thank it and put it away again. If you are going to be traveling and Mercury has not gone retrograde yet, take it along in a small pouch so you can activate it at the proper time.
If you need to travel when there is a holiday or Moon you wish to celebrate, you can compile a list of must-have items to take. For a Full or New Moon, it might be as simple as the basic circle-casting equipment discussed earlier. For Pagan holidays, think of what is central to that holiday in your practice and what might be available at your destination. Flowers on the altar for Beltane can probably be bought almost anywhere. A skull could be used as a focus for Samhain; skulls are common Halloween decorations and easy to find. You could even take a picture of your altar set up for the holiday and use that to concentrate your attention.
Covert Ops
A different set of challenges is connected to visiting family or friends who are not aware of your Pagan or magical practices and when you want to be circumspect. This is a time when being able to work without tools comes in handy. A few things can be found and used in most cases—salt and water, for example. Don’t take a tarot deck if it might upset people; learn the correspondences between a deck of playing cards and the tarot. The aces are in both decks and could still be used to symbolize the major tools and directions. Think of substitutions of ordinary household items, like a kitchen knife for an athame.
Ultimately, your mind is your first and best tool. An old friend of mine learned from his first teacher that “ritual is meditation with props.” The props are useful, but learning to do more with less can be even better. You can direct energy with an athame, your finger, or just in your imagination. If you practice doing ritual without tools on a regular basis, you’ll find it easier to cope with a situation where you have to do without. One way to do this is to build up an imaginary temple or circle in your mind. You can make sketches or even make a diorama to show your inner eye what your ideal ritual space looks like. Imagine yourself doing a ritual entirely in your head on a regular basis, in addition to your standard practice, and you will find yourself able to do ritual with whatever you have handy. Bringing those items you most need so they are available to you makes ritual on the road that much easier. As the Boy Scouts say, “Be prepared.”