In the next series of articles, I will be focusing on the subject of lesser known tools of the craft. I’ll even talk about items that potentially could have been used based from folklore and record account.
PART 1: The Moon Rake, Scourge, and Bull-roarer
The (Moon) Rake
I’ve spoken about this tool briefly before, but I feel it deserves a bit more attention. I’ll also include regular rakes as well, since they were also used in folklore.
A moon rake is described as a 6 foot wooden pole with a large horse shoe attached to the end. Described in two different rites, it is used to coax items into the light of the full moon, as it is being reflected upon a large body of water (such as a lake or pond). It is also described as being used to gather the power of the moon, which is done by raking the reflection in the water.
Both normal looking rakes and the one described above were used in water magic, specifically relating around the moon.
Then his mother went in quest of him; she questioned the trees, she questioned the pathway, she questioned the golden moon in the sky. But the trees, the pathway, the golden moon in the sky, all had their own troubles, and they would take no trouble for any woman’s son. She questioned the sun in the heavens, and the sun told her that her son was in Tuonela’s River.
Then to the smith Ilmarinen went Lemminkainen’s mother. For her Ilmarinen fashioned a rake, a rake with a copper handle and with teeth of steel–a hundred fathoms was the length of the teeth, five hundred fathoms was the length of the handle. To Tuonela’s River she went: there she chanted a Magic Song.
She prayed the sun to shine with such strength that the watchers in Manala would sleep and that the powers of Tuonela would be worn out. And the sun stooped upon a crooked birch-tree and shone in his strength so that the watchers of Manala were worn out–the young men slept upon their sword-hilts; the old men slept resting upon their staffs; the middle-aged men, the spearmen, slept resting upon the hafts of their spears. Then Lemminkainen’s mother took her rake; she raked the river against the current; once she raked it, and she raked it again. The third time she raked the river she brought up the hat and stockings of her son Lemminkainen. She went into the river, and she waded in its deepest water. She drew up the body with her rake of iron.
The rake tended to be used for healing based rites. As described by Cecil Williamson and Gemma Gary, it was used to to push a copper bowl of urine into the water, so that the light of the full moon could purify it.
Though, it could also potentially be a tool used to raise the dead and call upon spirits by the power of water and the moon. The tale above depicts a mother going out on the night of the full moon and using a rake to gather up her dead son from the river.
The same could potentially be done in rights of necromancy and raising the spirits from the waters, essentially dragging them from the underworld across the river Styx.
It could also be used to drag the waters of the moon’s reflection for such rituals as “Drawing down the moon” or various purification rites.
The materials that make the rakes vary. Specifically, the Moon rake was made with an iron horseshoe, though other rakes could be made of various materials like copper, steel, wood, and even bronze. The specific materials being dependent upon what the rake is being used for.
The Scourge
A Scourge is a whip like item multi-thong whip. It is best known for its use in Gardnerian Wicca, though it also has uses in various other neopagan religions and witchcraft practices.
It has a number of different uses. In the Gardnerian 2nd degree initiation, it is quoted as such…
Priestess or Magus: “To attain to this sublime Degree it is necessary to suffer and be purified. Art willing to suffer to learn?”
Initiate: “I am.”
Priestess or Magus: “I purify thee to take this great oath rightly”.
Strike three strokes upon the bell. Scourge 3, 7, 9, 21. “I now give thee a new name: …” [kiss]
Like above, it is used in rites of purification stating to “purify the soul.” Besides this, it is used in a number of other uses. It can be used to raise up spirits from the land, cleanse the ground for ritual work, be used like an aspergillum, chase spirits out from a possessed item/creature/person, raise the fetch, and so on.
A scourge can be made from a number of different things, though usually has the whip’s thongs be made of leather and the holder made of wood. It can also be made of horse hair. Below is an example of such use in Gemma Gary’s “The Devil’s Dozen”.
From reading folklore, the scourge could even be used to whip a person’s soul out for spirit flight. In “The Witches’ Reel”, the whips the one lagging behind. The scourge could easily be used in a similar way to assist with spirit flight during the Witches’ Sabbat.
Bull-Roarer
A rather simple item. A bull-roarer is an oval or rectangular shaped piece of wood tied to a long cord. It is twirled around to make a sound. As it is twirled, it vibrates and makes a uniquely roaring type sound.
Bull-roarers come in a variety of shapes a, sizes, and colors.
Compared to the other tools, it has been around a lot longer. Some are dated back to 17,000 BC.
Today, it is used in rituals for calling up spirits. It could also potentially be used to magically charge a space or to place spirit wards upon ritual areas (in order to keep them hidden).
fair--y backup 
