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The Basics of Tools and Rituals
Many spell makers like to have a variety of different coloured altar
cloths so that they can be varied in accordance with the phase of the
moon, the sabbath being celebrated and the spell being cast. Others make
do with just the one, which they decorate with suitably coloured crystals,
flowers and the other appropriate objects.
Amulets are used to protect the spell caster from any evil influences that
may be about. According to Pliny, the 1st-century Roman author, an
amulet is ‘an object that protects a person from trouble’. They can be
man-made, such as a horseshoe or a piece of jewellery decorated with a
precious stone or made from a metal that corresponds to the wearer’s
astrological sign, or naturally occurring, such as a rabbit’s foot, a seashell
or a stone, again with astrological correspondences to the wearer.
In Mesopotamia, animal-shaped amulets were popular with Babylonians
and Sumerians, especially for fertility, protection and strength. Cylinder
seals made from precious or semi-precious stones engraved with prayers
and religious scenes have been found dating back to 2500 BC. Later ones
that have been unearthed include figures of male and female deities,
reptiles and curious winged creatures, half man, half lion.
In Ancient Egypt, numerous animal-headed gods prowled the pantheon:
their sacred names and images were commonly inscribed on amulets,
worn for protection or painted on the walls of tombs to protect the dead
in the afterlife. Amulets that were blessed by Egyptian magicians were
held in the highest regard and were believed to be particularly potent.
Ankh
The oldest Egyptian amulet is probably the ankh, which was normally
fashioned out of wood, stone, metal or even wax. Symbolizing life, ankhs
were sacred to all Egyptian deities. Known as ‘the Key to the Nile’ and
to early Christians as an ‘ansated cross’, the ankh was believed to ensure
the immortality of all the deities in the pantheon who were almost
always depicted in Egyptian art as carrying it in their right hands.
Composed of a cross (the male symbol) surmounted by an oval
Scarab
(symbolizing the female), the ankh represented the sacred union of God
and Goddess whose marriage was said to take place every year at the
source of the River Nile, just before the inundation that was so vital to
Egyptian life.
Other Egyptian amulets include: the scarab, which represented
resurrection and the eternal life and was worn as a protection against all
forms of evil; the Eye of Horus (or the udjat), which was worn for
protection and also to promote good health and well-being; and the lute-
shaped nefer, which bestowed physical strength, joy and youth on those
who wore it.
Eye of Horus
The Hebrews are known to have used a wide variety of amulets, the most
famous of which is probably the Star of David, which actually pre-dates
the Jewish faith and was used as a magical symbol in Egypt, Babylon and
Assyria. To Jews, the six-pointed star is symbolic of their faith; to others
it offered protection from enemies, lethal weapons and fire. The letters
Star of David
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