Sometimes you just have to make it work.
Tuesday, 11Nov2014 Filed in: practicals
The other night a companion and I were discussing the sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who. We agreed that it was overused and did far too much. It’s become a crutch for the writers again. Although we did speculate on alternate sonic uses…
Anyway, the modern equivalent is probably a multitool. The thing is with a multitool, it does several things acceptably, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally. It just happens to be the tool you are most likely to have on you. The same with a smart phone. What you carry is what you use. It’s not the best possible solution but it works and it can be done now.
If there is a practical form of magick, that has to the keystone. You don’t always have the time, energy, or materials to make it perfect or pretty. Sometimes you just have to make it work.
Now I will say that study and preparation makes that possible. You prepare what you think you’ll need ahead of time.
And that is where the technopagan bit really comes in. Some of my tools started as parts and tools. For a couple of years I carried a wand made out of an walkie talkie antenna. I got the idea from a kids book I’d read years before. I never gave it a second thought until I really REALLY needed a wand. It got bent up when I fell down a trail in the dark. These days I use an extendable pointer from Amazon.
One of my best finds are these test tubes. They are absolutely amazing in the field and very close to unbreakable. But it’s hard to beat old Mason jars for around the house and home workshop.
Thrift shops and dollar stores work great.
Once you get the items, you have to figure out what they want to be. Sometimes I am not sure what my desk really is. Today I might have glue and beads, yesterday I had my microscope set up with my computer. Tomorrow I may be winding wire. The day after I might be grinding herbs.
If I knew what I needed I’d be a lot more organized. As it is I spend more time trying and failing than I do actually producing something.
But when I absolutely need something that works and fast, I have a small selection of things ready to go and ready to grab.
Anyway, the modern equivalent is probably a multitool. The thing is with a multitool, it does several things acceptably, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally. It just happens to be the tool you are most likely to have on you. The same with a smart phone. What you carry is what you use. It’s not the best possible solution but it works and it can be done now.
If there is a practical form of magick, that has to the keystone. You don’t always have the time, energy, or materials to make it perfect or pretty. Sometimes you just have to make it work.
Now I will say that study and preparation makes that possible. You prepare what you think you’ll need ahead of time.
And that is where the technopagan bit really comes in. Some of my tools started as parts and tools. For a couple of years I carried a wand made out of an walkie talkie antenna. I got the idea from a kids book I’d read years before. I never gave it a second thought until I really REALLY needed a wand. It got bent up when I fell down a trail in the dark. These days I use an extendable pointer from Amazon.
One of my best finds are these test tubes. They are absolutely amazing in the field and very close to unbreakable. But it’s hard to beat old Mason jars for around the house and home workshop.
Thrift shops and dollar stores work great.
Once you get the items, you have to figure out what they want to be. Sometimes I am not sure what my desk really is. Today I might have glue and beads, yesterday I had my microscope set up with my computer. Tomorrow I may be winding wire. The day after I might be grinding herbs.
If I knew what I needed I’d be a lot more organized. As it is I spend more time trying and failing than I do actually producing something.
But when I absolutely need something that works and fast, I have a small selection of things ready to go and ready to grab.
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