Last year, during the early months of the pandemic, I fell down a rabbit hole of prepper videos on Youtube. The men* stuffed their backpacks with cash, bandages, pain meds, extra batteries, a multitool, multiple knives, water purification tablets, and even handguns as part of their everyday carry (EDC). Watching these hyper-masculenized loadouts got me thinking about my own EDC, or as I call it, my everyday bag. While I don’t carry an arsenal with me, the things I do carry follow the same “be prepared” agenda as that espoused by the Youtube preppers. Because I’m a witch, my EDC has a decidedly witchy bent. But also because I’m not like other witches, I’m a boring and practical witch, you wouldn’t be able to tell that what I carry has magickal uses unless you knew.
I briefly considered filming a video that sort of mocked the EDC videos from a witchcraft standpoint. I went as far as to write some lines like:
- “A flask of whiskey and this chocolate bar for when I need to make offerings. Although sometimes the goddess I need to appease is me, know what I mean?” [Direction: take a bite out of chocolate.]
- “Grave dirt!”
- [Direction: Pull out multiple mason jars from the bag.]
There’s a reason I’m not a script writer.
Anyway, my preference is to help rather than make light of others so I decided to share what is in my bag in case any witches out there might be curious or looking for inspiration. I am very much of the mind that the witch makes the tool, not the other way around, so much of what I carry is very mundane. I also try to carry things that can have multiple purposes to reduce how much I lug around. There are things in my bag that aren’t on the list below, such as my sunglasses, various pain meds, menstrual pads, etc. because they aren’t used for magick.
With all that in mind, here’s my witchcraft EDC:
A small tin with matches, a striker and salt & a Zippo lighter: If I need to light candles, burn herbs, start a fire, etc. I have two ways of doing so. The Zippo is great because it stays lit even in windy conditions. The drawback is that the lighter fluid will evaporate so I have to remember to keep it filled. Thus the matches. The salt packets I keep in case I ever need salt for rituals or spell work. Most anything else I can forage if I need to, but fire and salt are a little more difficult.
A compact mirror. Mirrors are useful in mirror spells (to reflect away any ill intent sent after you). It can also be used for scrying. And this compact comes with a magnifying glass which is helpful now that I’m growing old and decrepit and need help reading small print.
A mini multitool. I picked this up in the early 2000s from Home Depot for $5. It was sold as a Christmas stocking stuffer and it might be one of my most favorite tools ever. It has pliers, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, a saw, a file, a small blade, scissors, ruler, bottle opener and wire cutters. This tool has come in handy not only for cutting out coupons and tightening screws but also in cutting herbs when foraging, trimming wicks on candles, and serving as an athame when needed.
Empty pill bottles. I’ve mentioned before that I think empty pill bottles are one of the most useful witchcraft tools. I keep a couple in my bag in case I come across a plant, soil or water I want to collect. Anything inside won’t get crushed. You can get little glass vials from dollar and craft stores which are really pretty, but they could break, and I don’t glass all in my bag.
A bandana. I can use this bit of fabric as a makeshift tarot or altar cloth, to wrap around stones, crystals and sticks that I want to protect, tied around materia magica as a spell pouch, or even shaped into a poppet for healing magick**.
A deck of cards. An internet friend gave this deck to me in the late ’90s. I have carried it with me ever since. There are plenty of tarot and oracle decks that are small. I have a tiny one in my collection. However, I don’t carry any everyday because if pressed I can use my Mountain Dew cards for fortune telling. And I can always play solitaire if I am stuck somewhere without any electronics or a book. And if the unthinkable happens and I have to actually interact with other people, we can always play cards.
Not pictured above are a few other items I keep with me that can be used for witchcraft: a small collapsible bag in case of spontaneous foraging, a drink bottle (currently a Hydro Flask) which can be used to gather water or carrying offerings, my journal where most of my writing first takes place and pretty much all the pens (as well as a pencil roll with colored pencils, eraser, pencil sharpener and ruler) for not only writing but marking sigils, runes, etc.
So what do you think? Do you have your own witchy EDC? Do you carry crystals or tarot cards on you? Comment below and let me know.
* And they were all men, because women already carry a corner market’s worth of stuff in their bags
** The poppet could be used for hexing as well, but I want to be able to use my bandana again and I don’t want to keep materials used for cursing with me after I’m finished with them.