David’s post on magical tools got me thinking about what I use in my own work. Animism is at the heart of my world view, so in my interactions with objects, I don’t tend to think of them as tools so much as I think of them as friends. There are inanimate people in my life who have been with me for a long time – runes, oracle cards, jewellery, fossils, a dripstone quartz with a naturally formed hole through the centre, and things that belonged to my grandmother. There are often nuts, stones and other small local friends who find their way into my pockets. I don’t usually have any specific intentions for working with them, it’s more about a companionable way of being and the connectedness this gives me.
I’ve been reading a lot of Maria DeBlassie’s work around everyday and domestic magic, and this has impacted on how I think about some of the more mundane objects in my life. Knitting needles, sewing needles, rag rugging tools, wooden spoons in the kitchen and so forth. I’m currently making friends with a pressure cooker, and learning its ways and habits, confident that it will prove to be an excellent kitchen ally when I properly understand it. There’s everyday magic to be had in treating spaces kindly and living in gentle community with the objects that are part of my ordinary life.
When it comes to making magic, what’s most important to me are my bardic friends. The computers I write on. Pens, paper, notebooks, my viola, and the large spoons I use for percussion. These are the objects that allow me to bring my own magic into the world. I have a deep love of them all as physical items, and as collaborators in my own creative processes. I’m aware of how other objects around me support all of this – good places to sit being key. Most importantly, The Cushions Of Power (because they deserve a title) which allow me to sit anywhere comfortably and which protect my dodgy circulation from hard surfaces.
For me, tools are collaborators. Sometimes they are the inspiration – that’s especially true of musical instruments. Their presence makes me want to create. A beautiful notebook invites poetry. A really good pen helps the story flow.