I started adding moddern stuff to replace the old cause why not. I found a pistol works well for an athame, but as far as cutting.... nope but you can sacrifice animals in some instances. I also use good whiskey instead of wine ( some entities dont respond but most do) >> and A Katana works for a sword even though evryone says it dont.. but it has to be a hand forged one I have two for sale. ive noticed ( so far) that as long as the materials are pure everything is quid pro quo. but its not that important just my crazy ideas and my fearlessness to attempt them.
I will soon see if they work for the current 218 but there is just so much prep work that i really dont want to risk wasting a whole night and day and ruin a sacrifice at the end...It works for the Primal curent if thats not funny idk what is because its so inwraped in megalythic ways.
Speakin of the Primal current, Its easy to get blow back from The green eyed hottie so watch your wordage personal preferance is to Liliths Triple aspect I actually most likely wont even work with the greek aspects anymore. my current merging is going absolutely great even my failiers yeild some amount of desired resaults. which tells me im missing something really tiny but im trying to keep it bare boned to eleviate the nessessity of tools down to just the dagger fire and voice. after all dont our bodies represent water and the "spark"Good for you that you’re mAkinh majick your own!
Something to keep in mind though.
It doesnt matter what you use as an extension of your energy and/or power.
I myself just use my hands for the most part.
The athame and in your case a pistol are just extensions of ourselves to let the power from us to flow through an object no matter what it is.
If using a pistol helps you in your practices then by all means use it.
Props such as these just help us get into the states of mind required for ritual.
Just keep in mind that the power from the ritual is coming from YOU.
Keep up the good work and keep us posted.
MK
I don’t like tools to be called props. They have life ya know. And when properly created, can have powers all their own. Wands made by cutting from a tree with the proper harvesting rites calls upon the powers of the genius of the tree just as much as the wielder. The metal of athames carry their own power and vibration.
Most importantly, to me at least, the plant allies aren’t just dried powders you get in grocery stores. They’re living, vibrant spirits dwelling in the plant just as our own spirit dwells in our flesh.
Tools don’t get their power from you. You aren’t even the source of your own power. It comes mostly through ancestry and spirits in your spiritual court.
It’s a whole shit ton of things that come together to give life and power to our spells.
Anyway, just felt like ranting
I agree you can substitute things that are personally meaningful, but yes tools DEFINITELY have a life of their own, then again I’m an animist so think everything does. Before buying any tools, I send out an intention for the spirits of any ancient mages’ tools that have been wanting to come back into action to enter them.
As for where power comes from, seems to me it comes from desire, even for the nicest most white-light work there’s “the way things are” and “the way I want them to be” so that’s a gap, an absence between the current state and the desired state, so you could argue the power comes from that gap, absence, void? 'Kay gonna shut up before I get into Block World, spacetime, et al… 
Eoui let’s agree to disagree.
I never said anything about plants and herbs for one and I do agree that tools props whatever you want to call them could possibly have their own vibration.
My point was that these vibrations and lifeforms are just that.
Lifeforms and tools until given a purpose by the sorcerer/ESS.
Just my opinion and my experiences.
Well ya, tools are meant to be made. But to say they are just props is downplaying their power.
All I’m saying is I haven’t done anything with an athame that I couldn’t do with my hands.I haven’t done anything with a chalice I couldn’t have done with a McDonalds cup.
And weren’t you saying on other posts that hoodoo is the use of YOUR power? Not the spirits although they can help?
An athamel,chalice,branch,whatever may hold their own vibrations but those energies do absolutely nothing until wielded by a majician.
So that being said where does the power lay in these tools until given a purpose (IE power) bythe majician?
No, hoodoo uses materia. That materia has it’s own powers that are given direction by your will. Same with every other single kind of magic.
So what? They’re tools. They don’t do anything without being used. But how does that mean they don’t have power?
And power isn’t purpose. Purpose/intent directs power, but they are two different things.
Don’t get me wrong now all of my new implications do have significance in some manner or another. My atheme is in production now. I am flint knapping it from a green and blue aggat I found in a river. And I will use leftover skins to fation around a bone for the handle. But that’s because I believe in personal connection as well as spiritual… That’s these newer manufactured tools our working for me so I believe. I just have to figure out y things arnt as potent as my original ( I destroyed them b4 my move I have good reason) anyways I’m just working with what I have and know without being too cheep. Thank you all for the input