Editing Athame (section)

==Use==
The athame's primary use is to channel and direct psychic energy, generally conceived as etheric fire. They are usually not supposed to harm or draw blood. Some modern day magical practitioners believe that if things such as [[herb]]s or cords need to be cut, another knife called a "[[boline]]" is used. The boline is often confused or mislabeled the "white-handled knife", a completely different magical blade. In fact, a boline was more similar to a sickle than a knife and thus would have made chopping herbs very difficult (the boline was, however, handy for harvesting herbs). In the "kitchen witchcraft" tradition, witches are encouraged to use magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch's familiarity with them.

The ritual drawing of the boundary of the [[magic circle]] – also known as "casting the circle" – is usually done with either a ritual sword or an athame, in traditional coven practice. For open rituals in public places, this is sometimes done with a ritual wand or staff instead, since there may be legal complications involved with swords and daggers in public places, even when the edges have been dulled. In most traditional covens, the athame is associated with the magical element of fire, so the circle is considered to be cast in etheric fire. This fire is traditionally envisioned as blue, indigo or violet; although it may equally well be envisioned as other colors. When the circle is ritually purified after being cast, that is traditionally done with the remaining three elements—air (incense), water (salt-water), and earth (salt) – because the element of fire has already been imbued into the circle during the casting, by the use of the athame.

After the casting, the athame is the tool traditionally used to invoke the elemental guardians of the [[cardinal directions|four directions]] (also termed "calling the quarters"), typically by drawing invoking [[pentagram]]s at each quarter.

As a masculine principle, the black-handled athame is often used in combination with the [[chalice (cup)|chalice]], as feminine principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. The athame represents the magical element of fire, associated with the Sun and the [[Horned God]]; while the chalice represents the magical element of water, associated with the Moon and the [[Triple Goddess (Neopaganism)|Goddess]]. The union of the two then represents the union of God and Goddess, male and female, sun and moon, fire and water. The marriage of the Sun and Moon—the union of opposites—is an ancient idea in alchemy; and the ''[[hieros gamos]]'' or sacred marriage of god and goddess is an even more ancient idea in pagan religions. (For example, in ancient Greece—from whence the term "hieros gamos" comes.) This rite is done by dipping the athame into the chalice to bless the wine. This is a symbol of the [[Great Rite]] in Wiccan rituals.<ref>Crowley, Vivianne. ''Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Age'' (1989) London: The Aquarian Press. p.159. {{ISBN|0-85030-737-6}}</ref> Some modern witchcraft traditions may prefer not to use [[iron]] blades, instead preferring alternatives such as [[copper]], [[bronze]], or [[stone]] such as obsidian. This is most common amongst traditions that have a particular fondness of the [[Sidhe]], to whom iron is supposedly baneful.