Although not included as a standard Craft tool, many magickal people have a favorite basket that they use to collect herbs, stones, or other magickal objects from nature. Normally made from natural materials, the basket is also used in ritual to carry objects to the quarters for placement during the ceremony, or when offering an object to the quarters for blessings. You can decorate your basket with ribbons, bells, and other magickal items. The basket is cleansed, consecrated, and blessed in a short ritual before use.
In magick, the basket becomes a reminder of our responsibility to nature, to other people, and to ourselves. The cupped shape of the basket tells us that if we give our problems and cares to deity in prayer, deity will hold that energy and surround your request with love, regardless of what you have asked. This doesn’t mean that you will always receive what you work for, but it does mean that your request is always heard. Many Witches have a basket on their altar that contains the requests of others for help. Some magickal people call this the prayer basket. When a person asks for assistance, the Witch writes the request on a piece of paper, passes that paper through incense, then drops it in the basket, asking divinity for help. Once a month the magickal person may go through the slips of paper and burn those prayers that have been answered. Those that have not are re-empowered and dropped back into the basket. If, after time, a request has not been answered but is no longer relevant, you should think about why what was asked for did not come to pass. Over time, you will see the wisdom behind the silence, if you truly seek an answer.