Pagan Products shopping?

Question

Do you as a practicing pagan shop for your products and if so what type of places and what kind of things? And if you don't shop for products that you use in your practice, doesn't it kind of limit the works that you are able to do or do you find other ways to improvise for missing ingredients?

Answer 1

www.paganpacks.com has free samples from a wide number of pagan businesses. I'll get one every so often and pass them out to Pagan Friends so they can see the wide variety of gifts and spell ingredients and other Pagan Businesses.

I run my own pagan Business, and before I opened my doors, I went to a few local shops, and shopped from www.azuregreen.com where the majority of pagan shops, online and in the real world get their supplies. That and www.abaxion.com with Pentacle rugs, draperies, altar kits spell kits and lots of other fun stuff!

If you're not on a budget, and want something fun, try www.pyramidcollection.com

The complete Idiot's guide to Wicca Crafts lets you make your own ritual tools, rather than buying them!

Answer 2

There are a few occult shops in my area that ususally have what I need, sometimes I buy online depending on what I need. You're only limited by your imagination, anything in the house can be used for ritual purposes as often was the case in the old days. Today's "specialty tools" were mainly created to make money. That's my opinion anyway, some may feel differently and that's cool. I mean no disrepect to them.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 3

While Cunningham's work (link below) will show you how to make the Magick work for you using various substitutions, the real issue is not Magick but the economics of the community. If we do not support our local Metaphysical shops, the will not exist. I do most of my shopping at Enchanted Forest in Fort Worth on Lancaster. The guys who run it are great people. I shop there, even thought I can get things elsewhere because they are good people, and we need the service they provide. It is not just the items they sell, but the wisdom to answer questions if/when needed.

Answer 4

For my religious practices, there aren't many things that we buy. We buy incense and tea lights in bulk at regular stores. We use too much to be able to afford it at pagan shops. We use things we find in nature or make things for our altar. Our books aren't found locally so we have to order on-line (I've tried ordering locally but it takes longer and is much more expensive). Offerings are food and drink we grow or purchase at the grocery or farm market. I buy pure sandalwood oil from a specialty herb shop, it's expensive but I don't need to buy it often.

For magical purposes, I usually use my stones. I have a good collection of different rocks and stone bowls that I've collected over the years. To that I add the incense and candles and herbs from the kitchen. I guess I'm a simple kind of person. I really don't need much.

Answer 5

I buy many herbs and incense from a local pagan store.

i made my Athme, Wand,Staff, Robes, Altar, Sickle, offering plate, and chalice, dance sticks and rattles and drum.

i also purchased a bohran (drum.)

for travel reasons(and for when i officiate at handfastings) i purchased a chalice and bell, and a silver offering plate.

I am a Celtic Pagan, ingriedents are not as importent as the intent behind their use.

I am just as capable with my wand, or a pointed finger.

with white sage or with some dried oak or maple leaves found on the forest floor.

Answer 6

Most of my stuff I do myself. I make my own incense, including ritual blends; I don't use a wide variety of herbs, but what I do use often I grow myself; and I'm a firm believer in making any magical objects myself if at all possible (I knit altar cloths for various purposes, I made my runes out of polymer clay, etc). This isn't possible for everyone, i know, but if you're able to do any of it I highly recommend it. Really, the only things I buy are candles and essential oils, and I'm looking into getting my own oil distiller next year sometime.

Answer 7

I'm lucky in that we have a very well-stocked store near me that carries a wide variety of supplies. It's a "New Age" bookstore, and they are also open to doing special orders.

But if I couldn't find a specific item that I wanted, pretty much I'd figure that I didn't really "need" it that badly and would need to improvise around it.

Answer 8

I live near Salem Ma, there are a few reputable shops - and a few where everything is tainted - you just have to know which is which. Fortunatly I have never had the problem of not being able to find something

Answer 9

You would be surprised at the number of things you can find in pharmacies and supermarkets. I am able to shop wholesale because of the shop we owned but I do better with somethings at the mundane stores.

Blessings )O(

Answer 10

Many, actually most, of my supplies I shop for. I know two shop owners personally and I am happy to bring my business to them. One of the owners is my mother-in-law! So I know that I can trust them there... it is a wonderful, people-oriented business (as opposed to profit-oriented). She is very protective, energy-wise of her store so I am happy to buy things from her.

I also make magick wands (custom-made for people) so all of my wands are hand-made by yours personally.

If someone is 'crafty' enough (pun intended) they can MAKE their own altar tools. Raymond Buckland explains how to make your own athame in his big blue book.

You could easily use a sea shell in place of a cauldron, make your own altar pentacle, and those are the important tools. But the truth is that tools are just a psychological tool to help you get into the proper frame of mind for magick -- the only tool you REALLY need is yourself!

Blessings and Light!

~RW