Amulets and Talismans
Amulets and Talismans (2)
An amulet is an object that is said to ward off evil, protect the owner and bring good luck. Amulets are usually worn or carried by the person concerned, or sometimes placed in the person's environment (house, doors, windows, field etc.). The word amulet is derived form the Latin word amuletum which means an object that protects one from trouble. The Arabic version is a talisman.
An amulet can be any object. Some common types of amulet are paper charms, gems, simple stones, coins, pendants, figurines, drawings, plants and animals. Sometimes certain words used in specific occasions (e.g. chants) are also referred to as amulets. In modern times amulets are often used as a fashion accessory without any real supernatural intentions.
The symbol of Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor
The symbol itself is very old and has many myths and legends associated with it – largely involving the God Thor beating giants up with it and using it to bless rites of passage (birth, marriage, death, rebirth). Thor was seen as the protector of Midgard and Asgard (the realms of men and of the Gods) and his Hammer was the weapon he used to do this. Mjolnir is the symbol of boundary protection, keeping order and chaos apart and protecting those who pass from one state of being to another (and from one world to another). The Hammer of Thor Rite is a means to invoke the power of the Mjolnir.
Friday, 21 October 2011 22:52
The pentagram
The pentagram, or five-pointed star, may be the most misunderstood religious symbol around these days. Being the most common symbol of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, it has nevertheless been denigrated by movie and publishing industries which seem 'hell-bent' on connecting it with Satanism and other malevolent practices. However, like the Roman Cross or Crucifix, it is only when the symbol is INVERTED that it alludes to negativity. And even then, there are exceptions, as we shall see.