Censer: Though the cauldron can accept most flammable spell items, the censer is reserved for burning one important spell component: incense. Censers come in two basic types, brazier and open. A brazier holds a base layer of charcoal, over which loose incense can be sprinkled, and will produce more copious smoke than an open censer. A ventilated cover is common on brazier-styled censers, especially if you happen to find a Far Eastern design. The thuribles commonly used to cense the altars and celebrants during Roman Catholic and Episcopalian services are brazier censers, though these, intended to be swung about during the service, are hung from long chains or cords. The incense used inside them is most likely to be flaked, dusty, or some loose form. Open censers, on the other hand, are used primarily for incense sticks and blocks. Often little more than a weight with an opening into which a stick can be inserted, this form of censer takes up very little space. Equally simple in form is the open plate designed for blocks or cones. Your censer choice will be based on the incense you prefer, but if your ritual clothing includes loose folds or long sleeves, keep in mind when furnishing your altar, and pick a heavy design that completely encloses any burning material or flame.
Century plant: One of fifteen plants identified as magical in a 1610 manuscript, the century plant then, as now, was known for its protective qualities. Powered, mixed with common salt (which wasn't so common in the 1600s), and cast in a circle, it turns aside the attention of ill-wishers. (If the various explosions and puffs of smoke commonly seen on Charmed are any indication, the witches might well be keeping this special herb in the family pantry. Cast into a fire, the dried power from a century plant bursts into flame, producing dense, heavy smoke that falls quickly to the floor).
Chalk: For casting a protective circle, adding an element of earth to a working, or outlining a spiritual space, chalk is a traditional ingredient. In "Witch Trial," chalk outlines a magical doorway; in "Morality Bites," a doorway through the more prosaic material of a concrete prison wall. In "She's a Man, Baby, a Man!," a chalk circle on the floor both encloses Prue Halliwell and the Book of Shadows , and symbolizes the spell's intent with the shape of the traditional sign for masculinity. Chalk can also be used for written elements of spellcasting and, like ink or candles, takes on different attributes when the symbolism of various colors is incorporated. In "That Old Black Magic," the symbols that contain an evil menace were chalked in red. Red was also used to outline the pentagram enclosing the components of a lusty endeavor in "Animal Pragmatism."
Chalice: This tool, a stemmed cup, does precisely what is appears to do: It holds infusion and tonics, libations of all sorts, drunk to promote health or visions or to honor the earth or the creator. Do make sure, therefore, that, regardless of its appearance, your chalices made of nontoxic materials-no pewter or lead-based enamels as ornamentation. Numerous beautiful old cups can fulfill this role, but be positive that the components meet modern standards for contact with foods. Like the cauldron, the chalice is a vessel of health and vision, a feminine component in magical ritual, and, in any number of traditions and mythologies, a source of life, whether actual or spiritual. Its use in ritual is an affirmation of life, a pleas for fertility, a thanks for health. Not surprisingly, it brings the element of water and its symbolism to a working.
Cleavers: For use in spells of binding, cleavers is notable for its physically sympathetic properties. As its name implies, cleavers clings to anything and everything. Before relegating this plant to the list of things that only a warlock or other evil practitioner would traffic in, consider its use in spells that promote harmony between members of a coven and to strengthen friendship. It's also found in one of the few two-person spells, one traditionally cast between partners voluntarily joining their lives to each other.
Cloth: While you may want to create a cloth that serves as a portable altar, and keep it for only that use, a supply of colored cloths for making pouches, wrapping spell components, or the ritual cleaning of other implements will also come in handy. As seen in several Charmed episode, pouches often end up on a brazier, so expensive fabrics aren't necessary. Colors that reflect your usual magical practice work well.
Copal: Not all components are meant to be consumed during everyday work; some are used to prepare other items for long-term use. Stones and crystals can become permanent parts of a witch's ritual space, used for a variety of applications. While this reuse is considered beneficial overall-stones and crystals are believe to absorb energy over time, becoming more potent with each ritual-each working is still an individual endeavor, and always desirable. Copal, which burns slowly to a release a scented smoke, is the "washing-up" liquid of the magical kitchen. Stones and crystals passed through the smoke receive a mystical refreshing that leaves the underlying works intact while sloughing off the associations of the last ritual.
Copper: This pliable metal is fashionable now as an arthritis inhibitor, but in spell work, it symbolizes luck, love, and wealth. Whether powdered, used as a metal for magical implements and containers, or left to oxidize and grind later, copper's happy associations are welcome additions to a wide range of spell purposes.
Crystal Ball: Often jokingly referred to as the domain of sideshow mystics, the use of a crystal ball of some type for divination goes back at least forty-five hundred years in Mongolia, Turkey, Ethiopia, and dozens of other locations. Originally, lumps of raw native crystal were the medium of choice. The first polished crystals date to about 400 B.C., but, as polishing crystals was much harder than shaping balls of glass-once glassblowing itself was mastered-glass balls later became popular choices as well. A few of the rarer type of glass balls, those filled with unmixable colored oils or equal parts of water and a colored oil, can still be found, but these fragile antique constructs command high prices. Much more available and reasonably priced are the so-called witch-balls, balls of silvered glass, usually with an unusual coruscating color cast over their surfaces. For the truly economy-minded, there's even a theory that modern snow globes and lava lamps refer to this most common of divination tools. The primary method of crystal divination, with the ball substituting for a scrying bowl or mirror, is self-evident. Or is it? The most oft-heard comment from the patron sitting opposite the sideshow mystic is, of course, "Hey, I can't see anything down in there." And he or she can't. Contrary to the patron's belief, the practitioner of crystal divination wasn't seeing anything in the ball either, and certainly not down in the ball. Contemporary hypnotists might encourage their subjects to focus on a swinging object held just above the normal line of sight. Religious mystics of a variety of faiths tend to adopt the same posture during their meditations, sitting or kneeling, usually on the floor with their gaze fixed on a candle or other object, once again slightly above the immediate lie of sight. In the original form of crystal divination, the crystal became the focus object, with the gazer seated on the floor looking up into a ball or unworked crystal. One of the most famous of crystal balls, the Curraghmore Crystal, which was "liberated" from the Holy Lands by Godefroy de Bouillon in the twelfth century, is surrounded by a silver ring and was always hung from a set of chains (just above the normal, sight line for a seated individual), and was never placed on a stand, as most modern balls are, or held in the hand. Light playing on its surface, or the interior motions of fluid-filled glass balls, created patterns similar to those found in candle flames and, like the twirling watch, allowed conscious thought to be pushed gently to one side while unconscious perceptions, even perhaps outside perceptions, rose to the forefront for contemplation. Learning to direct that thought flow, while maintaining the free-floating mental state where inspiration is most fertile, is the heart of divination, the much-maligned crystal ball is a valuable tool in learning this vital skill. Crystal's secondary use in divination is considerably more active and makes for much better TV than having three women simply stare into a ball for long periods of screen time. Crystal-dowsing, a related skill, is showcased in episodes like "That Old Black Magic." Though, strictly speaking, almost any item of the right weight could function as a dowsing object to hold over a map, crystal, with all its meditative and divinatory connotations, is the one that opens the mental gate for many. The purpose of the crystal, in addition to acting as a pointer over maps or photos, is to allow the scryer to focus conscious thought on the reflections and refractions of light in the swinging pendulum. Time spent before a regular crystal ball pays off in an almost automatic triggering of those deeper mental reactions. Once the conscious concerns and questions are put in a secondary position, dozens of tidbits of knowledge can bump freely against one another until insight sharpens to certainty and the pendulum points to a site suggested by a very different sort of logic. Needless to say, either use of your crystal will require concerted practice. After all, few of use know someone "lucky" enough to locate the lost or stoles as easily as Phoebe and Piper find Prue when they use Maggie Murphy as a living pendulum in "Murphy's Luck." Emerald: More monetarily valuable than diamonds, the emerald's aspects are, nonetheless, much more "down to earth." Practitioners seeking wisdom, discernment, and the ability to discriminate or deal justice might well consider adding and emerald to their list of tools.
Feathers: While constructing a spell that requires the feathers of an extinct or endangered bird is possible, as in "The Witch Is Back," most spell uses of feathers aren't that particular. Representing flight, freedom, and lightness, feathers bring the element of air to workings and can invoke the imagery of breezes or hurricanes. (For your further consideration: Melinda Warren cast her curse in Salem; where did she get a spotted owl feather?) Garnet: A historic reputation as a revealer, even neutralizer, of poisons coincides neatly with the garnet's mystical attributes. Marked as particularly reflective of higher energy, strong purposes, commitment, and courage, a garnet is appropriate in especially difficult or challenging workings.
Glass, colored: In esoteric terms, glass is often equated with a veil through which the skilled practitioner can see into other places. Crystal balls, mirrors, and the reflective surface of water or light seen through it. I you had only white tapers and an array of colored glass, you would invoke the same imagery as a practitioner with a rainbow of candles.
Gold: Generally accepted as representative of masculinity, gold can help a female practitioner achieve a more balanced perspective or heighten the self-awareness of a male practitioner. In keeping with the notion of balance, some witches place a gold object on one side of their work space and a silver object (traditionally held to be a feminine metal) opposite, to help visualize both the male and female aspects found in a single individual.
Hematite: Black, shiny hematite jewelry illustrates this stone's contradictory nature. Hard yet surprisingly fragile, this brittle material transforms from apparently invincible stone to fine dust with any unwary tap. It represents the need for balance and is frequently present when spells for centering, grounding, and reestablishing mental discipline are worked.
Holly: Commonly used in many American traditions, holly is widely available in three different forms in eastern North America-which is good news to advanced practitioners. It is, however, toxic-bad news to neophytes. Still, used with care, in the form favored by many Native American shamans, the plant is a powerful addition to the witch's pantry. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with this component will widen your spell-casting options without endangering your health. As an herbal medicinal, holly is sometimes linked to astringent qualities, or, like strawberry, to use as an antidiarrhetic. Unlike strawberry extract, however, the difference in dosage between medicinal and poison is far narrower. Unless you're an experienced herbalist, you might want to ignore holly's medicinal virtues in favor of its magical aspects. Burned with incense, holly has a mildly narcotic effect. Under its relaxing influence, mental imagery is often clearer, more detailed, and more fluid. A tiny amount of the dried plant (leaves, not berries), crushed and dusted on incense sticks before lighting or sprinkled over coals in a burner, provides the perfect degree of mental relaxation. Ritual magicians report a heightened ability to envision the magical aspects of the workings under holly's influence. Meditation is deeper, with richer imagery.
Ink: One use of ink that has been overlooked in recent times is as a scrying aid. Poured into a bowl, it makes a dark, reflective surface that is the negative image of a container of water. Dropping small amounts of ink into pure water is another time-honored means of freeing our physical vision and concentrating on the visionary. For the most part, however, you'll use ink for writing or illustrating your spell pages. Like candles, crystals, and glass, ink comes in many colors, and once you've given some practical thought to the archival quality of your ink-and whether or not it's going to soak through your pages-you can turn your attention to the creative aspects of inks and spellcrafting. You can even make your own inks and paints, though these might be better used as spell components than as archival materials. Many natural sources provide the ingredients for inks, and beautiful colors can be achieved after relatively little study.
Jade: Though primarily a product of the Far East, jade is most celebrated for its magical significance in its unworked forms along the Mediterranean coasts. Alone of the many gems, stones, and crystals available to modern witches, jade is believe to facilitate astral travel not only through dreams and trance states, but through a bilocation similar in effect to that portrayed on Charmed as one of Prue's burgeoning abilities. Tempting as these spiritual journeys may be, jade should be included cautiously in ritual work, as it's widely held that only its geological opposite, red jasper, can ground the individual once again.
Lavender: In teas, sachets, or pillows, lavender serves many purposes, both banal and esoteric. Fortunately, even the nonmagical effects of this herb, often linked to the moon, can be useful to knowledgeable practitioners. Dried at the height of its fragrance (August to September, in most areas where you can grow it fresh in your own garden) and bundles into sachets, lavender permeates your work space, creating, especially for those who must work confined or urban settings, an essential connection with the outdoors and a sensual remembrance of summer's vitality. In an herb pillow, lavender deepens sleep, a useful effect for those whose best divination or devotional work is done during dream time. A dab of essential lavender oil on an ordinary pillow can provide similar results and, in healing magics, is highly recommended to protect young children from nightmares. Lavender tea relaxes, soothes an overexcited or troubled mind, allowing even a beginning practitioner to enter the light trance suggested for mental or spiritual exercises. In esoteric work, lavender's associations with the moon, especially the dark of the moon, make it the idea symbol of the practitioner's search for hidden knowledge. Mixed in dried preparation, burned as an oil, or scattered over the work surface, this plant opens the heart and mind to new experiences. Because its scent is so strongly intermingled with memory, lavender is a favorite for those hoping to regain a connection with a younger self, or, in some cases, with a past self. Perhaps this connotation prompts its use in "That `70s Episode" as one of three ingredients burned in the Halliwell women's attic ritual space.
Mirrors: Not that long ago, mirrors were believed to be magical in and of themselves. Their reversal of reality even led them to be seen as evil in seventeenth-century Naples, and women were forbidden to keep them in the house. (And people call witches superstitious!) For the spellcrafter, that reversal of normal images may become part of a ritual seeking. Mirrors also serve as scrying tools and, being a little more mobile than bowls of water or forest pools, can be added to a portable altar.
Mistletoe: On one level, mistletoe's action is comprehensible to modern pharmacologists. It can cause the blood pressure to jump, often dangerously, then plummet to equally dangerous levels, all the while speeding up the heart rate. Modern chemistry, however, doesn't explain mistletoe's other traditional property-the revelation of prophetic information though visions.

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