Charms

Whenever I hear charm, I think of a little figure on a bracelet.
This isn’t what I’m talking about today though.

In magic or witchcraft, a charm is/are magical words, phrases, chants, incantations, or prayers when verbal.
They’re also incantations or symbols drawn on paper, parchment, wood, or other materials including the body.
There are other charms that include phrases and actions like spitting.

They’ve been common since ancient times and can be used for any purpose: find love or riches, fertility and potency, or to make a man impotent, revenge, to keep a lover faithful, protection of self, property or animals, or to get rid of pests.

Folk witches, and cunning folk were often sought to create a charm to break or repel spells of other witches, ill-wishing, evil eye, etc.
The church promoted the use of holy charms like rosaries, and holy relics. In the 17th Century, the rosary was blessed as a charm/amulet against fire, tempest, and evil spirits.
Abracadabra was originally a charm from around the 2nd Century Rome, probably older, and was believed to cure fever.

Folk witches renowned for their healing abilities used many charms creating the name Charmers for themselves. I’m sure charmers became a nickname the townsfolk called them.
They used Christian prayers spoken or written in Latin. The church was okay with the use of these prayers and scripture quotes for protection and cures, but they didn’t like Charmers and witches prescribing them.
In the 17th Century a sorcerer from Nottingham began selling a charm against witchcraft, copies of St. John’s Gospel, and to break the spell he prescribed herbs and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Mary’s, and one Creed.

In the 19th Century, England poems similar to nursery rhymes were said to protect against witchcraft. Witches had their own good luck charms too. They were also used for other purposes like gathering medicinal herbs.
The belief in charms started to dwindle in the 17th Century. There are some we still use today though, Ladies –guys too- how many times did you pluck petals from a flower while saying, “He loves me…. He loves me not”? I know my friends and I plucked every flower and clover we could find one year.
Wiccans replaced the word charm with chant or incantation.

Images found on Google search

Iron

Considered as near magical and credited with supernatural powers.

The Aztecs called it “the gift from heaven” because it fell from the sky in meteor form.

Specialists were needed to remove iron from the ore and harden it. These specialists of Blacksmiths soon were thought of as magicians.

Iron is used to fight evil, keep fairies and demons away, in some case to keep vampires away. It was believed to ward off witches.

Dog Rose

Commonly found in Europe and Asia. Dog rose is a bushy plant with pink or white flowers and thorny branches.

The area has added dog rose into its vampire lore. Gathering the petals and throwing the blooms and at a vampire will force it to stop and count them.

 

You can also string the blooms up and wrap the garland around a coffin to keep a vampire from rising.

Eyebrows

Today will talk about unibrows.
No, I’m not giving a beauty class.

Many cultures believe the person with the eyebrows that met in the middle were associated with deceit, bad-tempers, witchcraft, vampires.
Wow that’s a list!

The Greeks believed people with unibrows were vampires. Those in Germany, Iceland, and Denmark believed they were werewolves. A general consensus is unibrows brought bad luck, immortality, premature death, and violent tempers to those who have them.

Mirror

Mirrors are associated with magic through many myths, stories and legends.

It was believed that the reflection in the mirror (or any other reflective surface) was a vital part of one’s soul. (sound familiar??? What about a vampire’s reflection???)

Mirrors were thought of as “soul catchers.”

Draping black cloths over mirrors in the sick room of a dying person was to prevent the soul from being taken.

In witchcraft mirrors are used as divination tools, like a crystal ball. The witch sees images in the mirror and interprets them.

Charms

Charms are also called talismans, or amulets.

They’re objects but also words; spells, chants and incantations.

The church has an ambivalent attitude towards charms.

Rosaries and holy relics are encouraged and blessed.

Other objects are thought of as superstitious.

In the 17th century Scotland a charm could be reason enough to condemn someone to be burned.

In South America shamans must have a large knowledge of many charms to battle illness, overcome evil, and destroy enemies.

The Witches’ Cradle

Witches’ Cradle

Have you ever tried to meditate, but couldn’t?
Was it too noisy, hot or cold. Maybe where you were sitting was too hard or too soft.

No I’m not repeating Goldilocks.

If any of those are the case the Witches’ Cradle is for you. The witches’ Cradle is a device created for sensory deprivation.

During the Witch Hunts it was used for torture.

The sack was tied closed with a string tied to a tree branch and there it hung or swung. As the swung it “rocked” giving it the name witches’ cradle.

Most witches who suffered this disorientation had hallucinations and they confessed to all sorts of things.

In modern times to a Sensory- Deprivation devices used to alter states of consciousness. It’s also popular for meditation.

Black Magic, and Poppets. Oh My!

Black Magic harms.
Curses and hexes are black magic.

This type of magic calls on evil forces and destructive elements.

During the Middle Ages, the church, hoping to end the old religion portrayed witches as doers of evil workings with Satan. It was said that during that time all witches practiced Black Magic.

Poppets.

Poppets are also known as Voodoo dolls, or wax dolls. Pins are stuck in to them to cause death.

They are often thought of as used in Voodoo Rituals but aren’t.

Poppets are a form of imaginative magic. The doll is made to look like a person; it’s given that person’s name. Then the figure is abused -a pin maybe pushed into it or it’s slowly melted.

Bridget Bishop (Yes that’s the one, from the Salem Witch Trials) used these poppets. One wall of the house she formerly lived in hid several poppets.

They are usually made of rags and hog bristles they had pins in them.

The Poppets reputation is wrong though, they also used for healings. Healing poppets are filled with herbs and stones in this case.

In 1964, two poppets were found at a castle in Norfolk England. A clay figure of a woman with a Hawthorn pressed through it.

Thorns were commonly used in place of pins and needles, and sheep and cattle hearts were commonly used to make the actual doll.

Horseshoe

The Horseshoe has long been considered lucky. It’s possible that the crescent shape (like the moon’s) being made of iron (considered magical) and being used by the horse (often linked with being used by the horse. (Often linked with Gods and Goddesses) had a large factor.

It’s best if you find the horseshoe. There are rules of how and where to hang it depending on if you wish to bring luck or protection.

There’s an old Gypsy folktale of a young Rom (male Gypsy) who was out late. He was on his way home when he noticed 4 demons (they were named: Bad Luck, Ill Health, Unhappiness, and Death) were chasing him. One of the demons -Bad Luck- was getting closer when the Rom’s horse threw a shoe and hit the demon in the forehead.

The Rom stopped to pick-up the shoe while the other demons took their dead brother away to bury him.

The Rom told the others what happened and nailed the horseshoe to his Vardo (gypsy wagon). The three demons returned the next day. When they saw the horseshoe they turned and never returned.

The Gypsies to this day believe a horseshoe will keep bad luck away.

***It’s now politically correct to use the term Romani or Roma instead of Gypsy. I’ve always loved the lifestyle and I use Romani, Roma or Gypsy interchangibly.***

***!!! I’ll be running a witch feature next month. If you’re interested in being a part of it -short story, or an article, please get in touch with me.!!!***

Tools Of A Witch Part 4

You can find part 3 to this series Here

This series is in no way a full list of a witch’s tools. Each and every witch uses what she feels is necessary for the spell or ritual she or he is preforming at that moment. Some witches don’t use any tools, other use a large array of tools. My lists during these past few months are the most commonly used tools.

Potion

Any Medicinal drink can be referred to as a potion. The wise ones knew how to brew herbs to heal, although potion is most often thought of as a poison. Or to be used in love magic.

Staff
Scotttish Witches use a staff much like other witches use a wand, sword, or asthme, to cast a circle and direct energy. A staff is a symbol of authority.

Crystals and Stones
They’re belived to have energies that aid in magic, and healings.

Swords
A coven tool the HP or HPs walks around the circle allowing the tip of the sword to mark the circle’s line. Can also be used instead of a wand without a coven.

Card from a Tarot deck.

Scourge
The witches’ tools differ from tradition to tradition. Whether the witch is a solitary or part of a coven is also important when looking at tools.

Pentacle and/ or Pentagram
Used in divination. Usually on the altar as a protection symbol.

Tarot
Cards used to tell the future. The Roma or Gypsies brought the cards with them to Europe. The earliest known deck of tarot cards from the fourteenth century. There are 78 cards in total. Twenty-two are figure cards. There are 4 suits usually Wands, Pentacles, Swords and Cups. These cords run from Ace to 10. There are also 4 face cards: King, Queen, Knight, and Page.

White Handle Knife
Used in rituals. Used only to engrave other tools with symbols or names.