One of my absolute favorite ways to use pop culture in my magick is in my choice of altar swag, tools, and props for spells.
Traditional tools and altar pieces, while lovely to look at and nice to own, can be both pricey and impractical. As much as I would love to have the $600 hunk of labradorite as a part of my altar, it's just not in my budget (and really, the piece would needs its own custom liturgy just to keep it charged). So instead I have action figures and toys on my altar. They have the benefits of being inexpensive (unless you're talking serious collectibles, jeebuz!), easy to get a hold of, and are relatively innocuous when people come over.
Here's a little altar I set up for doing a prosperity spell during the Superbowl (with all that energy running rampant, why not take advantage of it? It helps that my city was overflowing with successful and joyous energy). I specifically used the figure of Loki to represent the silver-tongued skills I need to improve in order to wrestle a raise out of my firm's rather reluctant partners. I used the figure of Boba Fett to represent the ability to find a better position if my firm won't pony up appropriately. Nothing quite like using strong and tenacious characters with a big ol' free energy source to fuel a potent working.
I also enjoy using pop culture characters in protective workings. At work I keep a small stuffed Chtulu as an anchor for a ward to keep my more annoying co-workers from hanging out near my cube. Lovecraft's Cthulu is one of the most terrifying characters in 20th century literature, that has somehow morphed into the poster child for weird creepy people everywhere - I love him. A stuffed Cthulu embodies everything I want to evoke in my work area - cute an innocuous if you don't look too closely, but foreboding and uncomfortable if you dig where you're not welcome.
Pop culture geekery is also treasury of potential tools. Need an athame, why not get a replica of a dagger wielded by a DnD barbarian? Need a coven sword for your den of nerds, why not a Klingon bat'leth? Personally, I use three different wands (pictured above) - depending on what I'm doing at any given time. The top wand is one of a pair of arnis sticks that I use in defensive/offensive work; the middle wand is an ebony wand in the Harry Potter style that I use for more finessed workings; and the bottom wand is the 10th Doctor's sonic screwdriver that is marvelous for workings involving heavy intellect or air energies and any kind of creative problem solving.
Harness the power of your nerdness and make thinkgeek.com and Toys R Us your primary shopping places for spell components (and don't forget second-hand toy stores, they can be amazing!). Who says a line of little green army men in your garden can't work as an amazing ward? Use the images of characters you already love and obsess over to make your magickal workings more natural for you. An object is no less sacred for being mass produced and loved by children everywhere, as long as it holds special meaning for you. Magick is all about harnessing natural energies and nudging them where we want to go, if it makes more sense for you to do that with action figures than herbs and crystals (or all three!), then go forth my nerdy brethren :)
Other Posts on Pop Culture Magick for Geeks
The Things With The Stuff - A basic introduction to using pop culture characters in magick
Who's Your Doctor? - Thoughts on determining version of a character you want to work with
Traditional tools and altar pieces, while lovely to look at and nice to own, can be both pricey and impractical. As much as I would love to have the $600 hunk of labradorite as a part of my altar, it's just not in my budget (and really, the piece would needs its own custom liturgy just to keep it charged). So instead I have action figures and toys on my altar. They have the benefits of being inexpensive (unless you're talking serious collectibles, jeebuz!), easy to get a hold of, and are relatively innocuous when people come over.
Harness the power of your nerdness and make thinkgeek.com and Toys R Us your primary shopping places for spell components (and don't forget second-hand toy stores, they can be amazing!). Who says a line of little green army men in your garden can't work as an amazing ward? Use the images of characters you already love and obsess over to make your magickal workings more natural for you. An object is no less sacred for being mass produced and loved by children everywhere, as long as it holds special meaning for you. Magick is all about harnessing natural energies and nudging them where we want to go, if it makes more sense for you to do that with action figures than herbs and crystals (or all three!), then go forth my nerdy brethren :)
Other Posts on Pop Culture Magick for Geeks
The Things With The Stuff - A basic introduction to using pop culture characters in magick
Who's Your Doctor? - Thoughts on determining version of a character you want to work with
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