Course Three: Practice 115
create a special Wizard’s belt. You can go to a used
clothing store and hunt through the racks for the long-
est 2” belt you can find, or you can make one your-
self out of a long strap of 2” wide leather, which you
can buy at any leatherworking supplies store. You will
also need a leather punch to make buckle holes in the
right places. Your Wizard’s belt should be at least a
foot longer than the diameter of your waist, so you
can knot and hang the loose end. Wear it with your
robe, tunic, or jerkin. You may have to search a while
for the perfect belt buckle. Flea markets and county
fairs are good places to look, as well as Renaissance
Faires and
magickal mar-
ketplaces. Your
belt buckle is a
very personal
and unique
item, and you
will know the
right one when
you find it!Pouches and Bags
You will need to have several pouches and bags
to hang from your belt, to keep things in. These can
be of different sizes and materials, and you can buy
them or make them yourself. Simple drawstring bags
are both easy to make and readily available, but they
aren’t very convenient for getting stuff into and out
of. I always wear one or two larger leather pouches
with closable flaps on my belt, in which I carry my
wallet, glasses, and various other small items I like to
keep with me. Simple belt pouch designs are avail-
able at the same leather supplies stores where you can
also get the leather and tools with which to make them,
so I won’t bother with further instructions here.Your Reticule
However, there is one very simple kind of draw-
string pouch that I will show you how to make. This
is called a reticule (“net”), and it is used particularly
for holding runestones. To make a reticule, get a piece
of chamois material from your local auto-supply store.
Spread it out on the table and lay a big dinner plate
face-down on top of it for a template. Trace the out-
line of the plate with a felt-tip marker, and cut out thecircle of chamois with scissors. Now use a paper punch
to punch evenly spaced holes every two inches all
around the edge of the circle. The holes should be
about 1” in from the edge, which is about the depth of
the punch. Get about 3’ of cord or leather thong (from
a fabric or leather store), and thread it through the
holes. Then tie the cord off with an overhand knot,
and pull the thong to gather the reticule into a bag.
When you spread it out flat, it becomes a round sur-
face for casting your stones.Belt Knife
A belt knife is a pretty essential item for a Wiz-
ard, but you may not be able to wear it in public (and
certainly never at school!), as many places have laws
against double-edged knives. However, you should
have no problem wearing such a knife at Renaissance
Faires, magickal gatherings, and other special events
where the rest of your wizardly ensemble will also be
suitable. Your athamé for this is perfect, provided you
have a good sheath for it. The sheath should have a
little snap-strap above the guard to keep your knife
from accidentally falling out. If there isn’t one already
included, you can easily make it.Drinking Horn
Anywhere you venture forth in your wizardly
regalia, you will find it useful to carry a drinking horn
slung from your belt. I have made several nice ones
from simple cow horns, which I spent many hours
sanding and polishing. After your horn is all cleaned
up, polished, and beautiful, you should wash it out
thoroughly with hot soapy water, dry it very well, and
then fill it with melted beeswax that you must pour
out immediately to coat the inside with a thin layer.
To attach it to your belt but still have it removable,
you can tie a leather strap anchored at both ends of
the horn, and have a belt
clip, like for car keys,
with which you
can clip it on and
off. To keep the
leather strap
from sliding off
the horn, use a
bit of Super Glue.Lesson 6: Your Wizard’s Cloak
When you go out into the magickal world, you
will find that the most immediately recognizable item
of clothing worn by just about everybody (especially
in the evenings, or when the weather is cold!) is a
long dark cloak. A Wizard’s cloak forms a full semi-
circle when spread out, and you will come to really
love yours! It will keep you warm sitting around a
campfire; it can be wrapped around someone sitting- Practice.p65 115 1/14/2004, 4:20 PM