Chapter III - BEGINNING NIGHT MAGICK
9. A Night Magician's Tools and Weapons
These are the Night Tools a Night Magician will need to set the proper atmosphere and conduct the basic rites. You will conduct these rites in the room you have designated as your Magician's Study within the Magick Circle which you will define its area with the Night Cord.
This cord should be made of silk, cotton, or wool. The cord needs to be long enough so that when it is laid down on the floor it will form a circle that contains the altar and yourself. If there are more people than yourself conducting Night Magick or even possibly just observing then you will need a long enough length to make a large enough circle to contain them. Within the Night Circle you will build the Night Altar.
The Night Altar is symbolic for your physical being in which is focused the Night Spirit. You will build an altar upon which you will focus your Powers of Eternal Darkness here on the Earth plane. It is best to keep it simple. The basic structure can be a small table, box, or anything which is sturdy. The altar should be about three feet wide by six feet long. The height of the Night Altar is your decision. You can have one which is at waist height when you are standing and one for when you are sitting. It is best to have both in your magickal inventory. Place the Night Altar so that when you are standing or sitting behind it you are facing North. Use a compass if necessary so that you can place it facing North. Then cover the Night Altar with a cloth of your choice. If at all possible choose a black, red, or silver colored cloth. It is best if the cloth has no distinctive pattern on the surface portion of the altar. This is your Night Altar. You then must place upon it some very special articles.
Upon the altar and towards the back left side place a red candle and on the right side place a black candle. On the left side and in front of the red candle place an incense holder and on the right place your copy of Night Magick. You may also place any other small trinkets that help build your feeling of Night Magick. Dragons, wizards, owls, and so on are fine. The Night Altar is a sacred symbol before which you come to release Night Power. It is the physical symbol of your body and heart and serves the same purpose: an anchor of the Night Force. You will need a good supply of incense to fill the incense holder on your Night Altar. Through trial and error you will find the right incense that fits your personal vibration. Each incense creates a vibration in the air and as you grow more magickal, you will be ever more sensitive to its vibration. Incense, which is of the stick variety and is thick in nature is good or you may have a small charcoal brazier and powdered incense. On the Night Altar you will also need the following things: a silver or crystal dish of sea salt; a vial of patchouli oil; a crystal bowl of water; a silver or crystal chalice; and a silver or crystal bell. Now all these articles sit on a Pentacle which is in the center of the Night Altar.
The Pentacle is a symbol of the Earth. It is a round plate made of wood and inscribed with sacred symbols of Night Magick. The plate is thirteen inches in diameter. For an example of such a plate and the layout of the articles see Figure 1. Then you will need a loose leaf notebook which will become your Night Magician's Grimoire.
From the very beginning of Night Magick you will have practices, exercises, and rites to perform and grow from. After each practice, exercise, or rite you should develop a grimoire which records the date, time, and experiences felt in that session. Record in as much detail as possible the successes and difficulties experienced. Keep a separate section for each type of practice, exercise, and rite. This will allow you to see your progress in each and to help you see where your difficulties are and how to possibly solve them. Be faithful and accurate in all entries made and this record will help speed your progress. These are your Night Tools. Next you will need your Night Weapons the first of which is a Night Amulet.
You need to make for yourself an amulet of black quartz crystal. This is a grounding and power stone of Night Force. If you want, the necklace the stone hangs from can also be made from quartz. I recommend though that the necklace be made of silver or amethyst. This will help balance the power of the black quartz stone. The Night Amulet will help keep your physical body in tune with the Night Force. You can tune into the Night Amulet and by holding it increase your vibration in the Night Force. You will also need to make a Night Ring.
This should be a ring made of silver. You can set the Night Ring with any combination of amethyst, black quartz, emerald, ruby, or diamond. A plain band of silver is fine. You may later want to add Night Runes and Night Magick Symbols to the Night Ring as you learn them. The Night Ring is a symbol of union with the Night Force. Next you need to make your Night Wand.
The wand should be about thirteen inches long. It should be made of wood or silver. You may encrust the wand with a combination of semi-precious and precious jewels. You may inscribe the Night Wand with Night Runes and Symbols. You will find these in Appendix C. You may place a crystal at either or both ends of the wand. The Night Wand is a focus of the Night Energy that leaves your body to be transmitted to an object or place. You now need to make a Night Staff.
The Night Staff is a symbol of Night Guidance, Power, and Authority. The Night Staff is to be made of wood. The kind of wood is left up to you but it should be one which you are in harmony with. The Night Staff should be approximately six feet high. You should leave the staff in its natural state or paint it black, red or silver if you feel its necessary. As said earlier, the Night Staff is a symbol of true Night Power and the Night Spirit's support to you. You will need a Night Athame.
This is a small dagger whose blade and handle is about twelve inches in length. This is used for ceremonial purposes only. Do not use this knife for cutting. You may want to place special symbols on the handle and/or blade to add magickal importance to your athame. Make for your Night Athame a scabbard which you can place on a belt on your person. You will also need a Night Sword.
You can use any style of sword. Japanese samurai, scimitar, cavalry sword, or excalibur style sword. You should also have a scabbard which you keep the sword in and attach it to your side under your Night Cape. Of course, the next item you need is a Night Cape.
There is an easy way to make the Night Cape. Take enough cloth so that you have a square which is twice your height long on each side. Now go to the center of the cloth, and using a string that is half the length of one side of the cloth and on one end has a chalk stick attached, draw a circle on the cloth that has the radius of half the length of one side of the cloth. Also draw from the center a circle that has a radius of three inches. Now cut out the small circle and the large circle. Then place a slit from one edge of the small circle you just cut down the center of the cloth and through the edge. Sew ties into the material on the edge you just cut and near the top of the cape. You will also need to make a hood that will cover your entire head and will go over the head far enough to cover the face. You may attach the hood to the cape. See Figure 2. The Night Cape serves a valuable purpose.
The Night Cape acts as an insulator to the outside forces that surround you. It will help block them out of your inner world and keep them from interfering in your magickal operations. Keep the cape secured in a cloth bag and put it where no one else may touch or bother it. Use it only in the practice of Night Magick. Next you will need to make the Night Plate.
Actually this is a breast plate. The basic shape and size of this plate is given in Figure 3. You may change the size and shape as fits you best. You may place upon the plate Night Symbols and Runes. You may also want to place stones of black quartz, amethyst, emerald, ruby, or diamond on it. The color of the plate should be black with runes and symbols in red and silver. Finally you will need to make a Night Shield.
The Night Shield is patterned after the shields used by knights of chivalry. Some basic shapes and sizes are given in Figure 4. Again the background may be black and symbols and runes can be in red and silver. Choose the colors that work best for you. The runes and symbols you place on the shield as with the Night Plate should help you increase your feeling of strength and courage in Night Magick. These runes and symbols should help place you in Night Consciousness. The Night Magician's Tools and Weapons are very valuable to you. They provide for you a means to advance in Night Magick. They provide the proper atmosphere in which to practice the lore of Night Magick. There are other devices that will be needed as you progress in your studies. As a rule, each will be relatively simple to acquire. They will be brought to your attention as you proceed. The Night Magician's Tools and Weapons given here are those which you will need before you proceed further in Night Magick. Once you have your tools and weapons made it is time to select your Night Name.