The Sword
Declarative. Few implements are so obvious as the sword in their declarative purpose. Phallic in every respect, direct, obvious, impossible to hide, it is a declaration of war while drawn and implies a readiness for battle while kept on one’s person.
Authoritative. The sword is used to attack above all else, and can puncture all but the strongest defenses, and it lends the same to the workings its practitioner uses. Better at deflecting than defending, the sword remains predominantly concerned with war and offensive and defensive uses.
Socio-cultural. In the United States and England, the Sword as an implement has an unfortunate tendency to come about when young men decide what their implement will be. At this time in their lives, their hormones are at the highest point and their ‘maleness’ is most pronounced. Nearly nine percent of male practitioners under the age of eighteen pick the sword, only to find it serves less of a purpose as they reach adulthood. Some have suggested that this is linked to the same trend where youths are introduced to the practice and largely abandon it later in life.
The Chalice
Declarative. The chalice is a hard item to carry about day to day, though it can be kept in a purse or bag. At the same time, it is not explicitly out of place in the world. More often, however, the chalice is ornamental, found in a home or on a table or desk rather than outside that home or room. The chalice is explicitly female, in shape (note the profile of the chalice itself), in the link to water and wine, and the passive, receptive nature of the piece. The chalice is not the province of women alone any more than the sword belongs to men alone, but a man wielding a chalice might be viewed in a light very similar to a woman holding a sword, especially by the more traditional. As a drink is rarely taken alone, the chalice might be declare something on a social level.
Authoritative. The chalice is a container, and as such, can be used to hoard a measure of power, but unlike the box, it does not contain or store it long-term. Many will use the chalice to hold blood from a sacrificed individual or being, and as such it becomes a battery for power. As the chalice holds liquid, the implement allows the wielder to hold or sustain effects, using the aforementioned battery.
Socio-Cultural. The use of the chalice wanes in almost perfect accordance with the rise of women’s rights and female independence. Once a traditional and even expected implement for woman practitioners, the chalice is being replaced by things more personal, dropping from a fifty-nine percent usage in Europe to an eleven percent usage at the time of this text’s publication.
Exercises for the Novice
Take time to consider how the other fifteen iconic implements might be viewed and exercised in a declarative, authoritative or socio-cultural light: Tome, Ring, Chakram, Plate, Staff, Coin, Emblem, Chain, Skull, Knife, Standard, Lens, Mask, Lantern, Trumpet, and Coffer.
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Demesnes
Chapter Nine: First Steps in one’s Place of Power
In chapter nine, we introduce a new example. Fionna is one of the Draoidh, a priestess, alone. She has blood, family and the woman as her personal totems, a drinking vessel crafted of her brother’s freely given skull as her implement, and no familiar.
She bought the building her apartment is in, made her claim, fought for the property, and won it. After weeks of effort and days of challenges, she has a place of power.
For so many practitioners, the question is simple: ‘now what’?
It is easy to be caught up in the hectic and thought-consuming task of staking one’s claim, making the claim and dealing with the challengers. In Fionna’s case, she incurred several debts, but lost nothing of substance in negotiating matters when the challenge was lost.
In the quiet that follows the storm, it is easy to make the simple, damning mistake of thinking one must maintain that pace. Practitioners must remember that once the final challenge is past, they have a lifetime to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Fionna forces herself to step away from the demesne for a time, to better ensure her perspective is fresh and unsullied by recent events. She sees to the small debts she can in the practitioner community, works at her day job as a nurse in obstetrics, and takes the time to meet with friends she has neglected while seeing to her side project.
Remember that the demesne is a reflection and an extension of the self. The practitioner should remind themselves of who they are and reacquaint themselves with forgotten interests, hobbies, connections, and matters of taste and style.
When Fionna does return to her place of power, she finds herself disappointed. There is little doubt this is her place of power, but the effect is minor at best. The spirits and entities that have not been driven away by the challenge are few in number, and she finds herself less powerful in her domain than she is elsewhere.
After the monumental investment in time and effort, and the debts incurred, initial reactions can be devastating. This, in itself, can be damaging, because one’s mood and ideas can influence the demesne, and the demesne at this point in time is in a fledgling state.
Fionna is more or less at ease, thanks in large part to the time she took to herself. She focuses on the details. She sees how the very air in her demesne cooperates. It tastes cleaner, it does not bar her movement, but buoys her. The ground accommodates her footfalls. She tries to manipulate the environment, by combinations of touch, word, and will, and finds it easy. The aesthetics are the easiest part of it to change, and she takes her time altering her surroundings.
Fionna makes wall and floor into flesh, the place of power becoming a womb of sorts. All things in her place of power are moist, and the ticking of a clock becomes the dull, distant thud of a heart. Veins on every surface throb in time with the sound.
There are no wrong answers with how one customizes their place of power, but one should keep in mind that they may want to invite another into the area, and make the necessary arrangements.
The area is very easy to influence, and this can prove problematic, if one has other power sources in play. The biggest and most obvious issue is when the familiar enters the picture. As an extension of the practitioner, they have a claim to some of the place of power. If the practitioner and familiar are in accord, the issue is a minor one. If they are not, it can be a source of friction that compromises the demesne. In any event, the familiar’s nature, background, mentality and power will affect the demesne.
In other cases, the practitioner may be drawing personal power from another source. To use a metaphor, this may add a dollop of color to the paintbrush, leaving streaks on the demesne as the practitioner paints. If they draw power from death and decay, they might find these elements alter the surroundings.