Despite the convenience of the internet, most Neo-pagans love the experience of a brick-and-mortar magic shop. The incense, statues, music, and company are inspiring. For vegans who may be trying to avoid the use of animal products (including feathers, fur, and leather), finding that perfect something can be a little more difficult. With the addition of some down-home craftiness, we can make certain objects and have fun cruising the shops for the rest.

            One of the easiest ways to attain ritual objects is to find them in nature. Stones, feathers, shells, bones, shed reptile skins, and leaves are just a few examples of items you can just pick up on a walk in the woods or on the beach. Finding animal products is often considered a better alternative than buying them. Buying them sometimes sustains a market for animal exploitation. Finding items gives you a more magical connection to them. They remind you of an experience that you had in nature.

For a Vegan Pagan, picking up fur or feathers while doing work at an animal sanctuary is even more powerful. This connects your magical work to activism that you have done in fulfillment of your ethical convictions.

            Some ritual items are easy to make, even for those of us with few “artistic talents.” Wands are quite easy to make. Craft stores have a large selection of modeling clay that is quick drying and comes in many different colors. This makes it easy to construct altar tiles, pentacles, offering bowls, and simple statues of the deities. A cheap wood burning stylus can allow you to create many great things.

Magic Mirror:

            Black mirrors are traditionally used for “scrying,” or divination. Like a crystal ball, these are tools that we look into and try to get spiritual messages from shapes that we see.

            To make a scrying mirror, buy a mirror that comes in a removable frame. Take the glass out and paint the back of it. You can also glue on glitter or dried herbs. Mugwort or catnip are herbs traditionally associated with scrying, so you could use them. When the glass is dry, place it into the frame.

            Take your scrying mirror into one of your ritual circles before you use it and ask that it be blessed for your spiritual work.

Magic Wand:

            By making your own wand, you can assure that all the components are ethically derived. You can make a wand from found objects like a tree branch or from purchased objects like a long, narrow, gemstone. I once repurposed an interesting walking stick as a large wand. A larger wand or staff is good for casting circles outdoors.

            If you make a wand from a tree branch, pick one that still feels heavy. If it is dry and brittle it may break.

            Whether you peel the bark or not is a personal decision. You may want to let the branch dry a few days, so the bark is easier to remove. If you remove the bark, you may wish to sand the wand with sandpaper and even treat the wood with a protectant, but this is up to you.

            Whatever wand you use, you can decorate it or keep it very simple. I wrap a colored cloth around the base of my wands to serve as a decorative handle. You can get end remnants of fabric at craft stores or use pieces of your own old clothing!

Some people use glue or wire to attach stones to a wand. It is all personal preference and you can get more information about different techniques from books or online.

            No matter how you make your wand, the most important thing is to charge it and dedicate it to your purposes in one of your magic circles.

Rattle:

            A rattle can be an elemental tool of the air because, like a bell, it carries sound. A rattle is also a tool in sound healing that is used to clear the mind before meditation or to clear the aura before a healing.

            You can repurpose an old food container with a lid by decorating it and filling it with sand, rice, or beans. Experiment with different sounds.

            Drums are a bit trickier. I have always purchased mine, and I find that searching for “synthetic” drums is easier than using the term, “vegan.” There, I’ve just given you an excuse to shop!

            These are just a few ideas for creating simple and vegan ritual objects. Maybe the spare change you save by making these items can give you a little more purchasing power the next time you go to your favorite store.