T: I would not have it.
S: Regrets? Things you didn’t expect?
T: You learn a great deal about humans, being mortal, spending so much time around them. I’ve grown better at what I do. Knowing the physical responses, what it feels like to have a heart thudding in the chests.
A: It opened up a whole world for me. Dream, fear, a bit of the divine. I’ve taken a more old-school path, Valkyrie-wise, with a little bit of worship in there.
S: No regrets, then?
A: None worth speaking of. I mean, I probably won’t ever marry. Or have friends. Anyone who interacts with me too much has bad dreams. But I’m at peace with that.
S: Anything else to add?
A: We’re wrapping up already? No. Nothing else.
■
Implementum
Chapter Five: Symbol of Office
This chapter, like previous chapters, has a dual purpose. The first is on a new subject: the effects on personal presentation and the status afforded by one’s implement. Second, by examining the role of the implement on a symbolic, social level, we can review the major elements of the implement covered already in this text and view these things in another light.
When addressing the relationship between the implement and the context we find it in, we aren’t interested in the implement that just so happens to be found in a particular context. Rather, we are concerned with how implements of a particular type form trends and patterns as they find their ways to certain types of individual, and the status and ideas they present to others.
To these ends, we will be using some of the twenty-one example implements we used in previous chapters to illustrate.
The Stone is, of course, not an implement anyone would choose. It is empty, base, simple and unrefined. However, as in previous chapters, the stone can serve to introduce and illustrate ideas. Fitting, perhaps, given the stone’s already stated nature as the ‘zero’ of implements.
What is the stone’s relation to others? There are three dimensions we can study:
The Declarative. What does the stone convey to others, in terms of what it is and what it says about you? In every case, every obvious aspect about the object itself will say something about the wielder. If the stone is rough, it may convey the wielder is rough. An ornate object might convey the wielder has a certain prestige. When you read the second chapter and imagined the type of individual who might wield a stone as an implement, did you think of a cave man or thug? Someone earthy? Someone crude? Someone stupid? Certainly possible, if the stone is so heavy it cannot be readily carried, and the practitioner still chose it. This is the implement’s declarative aspect. From the manner that the object must be transported or carried, displayed or hidden, we can determine certain things about a practitioner.
The Authoritative. What does the stone convey to others when it is used? In chapter three, we discussed the effect of the implement on the practice. This is a related element, but our concern is on others, and others will find the stone and any workings utilizing the stone to be blunt, direct, unrefined, and hard to ignore once it comes to bear.
Socio-cultural. What groups use this implement? Why? What is their focus? From here, we draw statistics from communities around the world where implements are used. We don’t have hard data on who might have used the stone as an implement or where, as it isn’t in common or uncommon use.
The remainder of the implements, Declarative, Authoritative and Socio-Culturaclass="underline"
The Wand
Declarative – The wand is not in common use in the world, barring stage shows. However, it is easily hidden, indicating a balance between the two worlds. It can easily be decorated or high quality, and is distinctly of practitioners and the practice. As such, the wielder can be assumed to be focused on practitioners and their workings. The result might be an ease with altering or adjusting the work of others, defense against workings, and especially offense against workings (see the notes on the Authoritative, below).
Authoritative – The Wand is short and readily hidden. It is adroit, easily flourished, stylish and not without some small versatility. It lends itself to creativity and movement, but is phallic and direct in demeanor, implying conviction and a more aggressive nature when brandished in seriousness.
Socio-Cultural – The Wand is predominantly used in London, with a surveyed sixty-three percent of practitioners carrying wands there. In the practitioner schools in the United Kingdom, wands are provided to the students by default, for their convenience, easy portability, and a prevailing sentiment that the wand is the strongest implement of choice for practitioner dealings against hostile practitioners.
The Talisman
Declarative – The talisman indicates an idea or object of importance to the wearer. It can be readily worn in plain sight, but indicates a manner of symbolism and power that isn’t evident at first sight. The wearer might be assumed to be more intuitive than direct, more wise or focused on the abstract than brash or real. The nature of the talisman, once it is recognized as an implement, might indicate a great deal about the wearer, leading to fast conclusions.
Authoritative. The talisman is subtle and readily hidden, but unlike the wand or knife, it isn’t inherently threatening. The emphasis might be on symbols and depictions, secrets and bindings, but not necessarily traps, as well as elements of larger fixtures. As something worn, it tends to relate to the practitioner and their being, and to the practitioner and things they can touch or touch the talisman to.
Socio-Cultural. Talismans used to be worn by sects in what would become Ireland, but they have fallen out of favor, given their naturally passive nature. It is interesting to note the recurring rise and fall of talismans as implements in sisterhoods, with some appearing in small covens, even in modern times.
The Scepter
Declarative. The scepter is bold, brilliant, almost always dramatic in appearance, and is impossible to ignore. It is not readily hidden, and with its natural link to presence, station, and organization, suggests a kind of personal power and aspiration on the part of the wielder. Despite the phallic shape, the scepter is rarely pointed, but is instead held, prominent and visible.
Authoritative. The focus of the scepter is not necessarily on striking, nor does it flourish so well as the wand. The scepter is focused, instead, on presentation. The wielder of a classic scepter might be more focused on the manner of things, not alteration, but on granting and lending effects to things. As the king wields a scepter to represent the royal family, the scepter wielder’s reach may also extend to their organization or family.
Socio-Cultural. Few organizations make use of scepters en masse. Instead, the scepter is chosen in isolated cases as a statement, a subtle challenge that indicates a desire for power or station in some form, or one’s representation of their family. The largest group that might be said to make regular use of the scepter would be the Anglo-influenced Japanese families of practitioners, who have taken on the Western traditions of choosing implement, familiar, and demesnes for their personal power. The proposed head of a household of practitioners bears a symbol of office that resembles the scepter in execution, though it is typically a blade that never leaves its sheath.