Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 12, 2014 12:08:45 GMT -5
Jewelry has long been used in magick. Its most common historical use is protective, to guard against demons, malicious creatures and attacks adversaries. With the rise of metallurgy, specifically designed pieces came to be used as magickal talismans. This is prevalent in both indigenous and modern societies.
Jewelry can be a stylistic way to display your beliefs and alignments either inside or outside the ritual circle. Practitioners of numerous spiritual paths prefer wearing ritual jewelry in the form of charms, amulets and talismans. Each piece is a significant reflection of a practitioner’s individual calling. Some ritualists go skyclad, yet choose to wear jewelry. Metal shimmers and reflects light, becoming important focal points during rituals, especially those held under the shroud of night. Gemstones are also common, being direct manifestations of Mother Earth.
Pointers on Magickal Jewelry: When searching for jewelry, or crafting it oneself, one must be mindful of the piece both in a magickal and physical sense. Magickal jewelry should be an extension of the practitioner’s internal spiritual being. Not only is the symbolism of a piece significant, but its physical origin and placement on the body are also important.
Sadly, because of corporatism, much jewelry is mass-manufactured overseas. Most of these pieces are made of tin, pewter or reconstituted silver – metals that hold a low concentration of energy, making them more difficult to enchant or imbue with magickal properties. Though the price of “real” metal may be considerably higher than the mass-produced variety, it is spiritually and aesthetically worth it! Naturally, handmade pieces hold more sentimental and actual value, even if the wearer does not personally know the creator. Each handmade piece is unique and can conduct and hold a greater capacity of personal energy.
Any item added to the body influences the body’s energetic flow. Metals have specific properties, which can either inhibit or increase the energetic flow in the area in which it is worn. If a piece is worn near a chakra, it will likely have some sort of influence simply because of energetic proximity (especially if the piece has been enchanted) . The area on which one wears jewelry is of particular importance, which brings us to the following list:
Rings: Fashioned as a perfect circle, the ring represents eternity, reincarnation and the cycles of the universe. It acts as a smaller representation of the magician’s sacred circle. Because of the ring’s shape, magickal energy flows very well through it when charged. Its smoothness and shape symbolizes life’s perpetual cycles.
The ring has long been associated with love. It is a symbol of unity in modern marriage and handfasting ceremonies, solidifying the connection between two people and the influence of the Divine in ritual. The ring is placed on the third finger of the left hand, which was once believed to have a vein or nerve connecting to the heart. This was actually a misunderstanding by the Egyptians, later adopted by Greeks and finally Europeans.
Magickal folk have long worn rings. The famous Babylonian magician King Solomon had a ring called Solomon’s Seal, which mythically allowed him to accomplish any task he wished, including controlling demons, genii and other spirits.
Rings can be magickally imbued with any purpose the wearer desires. Because they are worn directly on the flesh, the energy of the charged ring has a constant connection to the body. Rings worn on the projecting hand (the hand with which one writes) should be imbued with properties you wish to project to others such as healing, awareness, peace and so forth. Rings worn on the receiving hand should be imbued with properties you wish to invite into yourself.
For some wearers, the finger on which the ring is worn is of extreme importance. Traditional Hermetic elemental attributions are: Thumb – Water, Pointer – Fire, Middle – Spirit, Ring – Earth and Pinky – Air.
One can also channel the elements through the fingers when inviting them into ritual space. In some modern traditions, the associations between the ring finger and the thumb are switched. This actually makes more sense to me than the former, considering that the thumb is more solid or earthy, and the ring finger is more undulant or watery. I do believe that the finger best associated with Spirit is the middle because it’s the longest of the five. Think twice before flipping someone off … your spirit may be open for anyone to grab!
Necklaces: Necklaces are a part of every culture and included in popular myths. A necklace called the brisingamen was worn by the goddess Freyja in Norse mythology. The necklace was made of gold, created by dwarfs and associated with the ability to bring out the beauty of the wearer. The enchanted necklace was later stolen by the trickster deity Loki.
A necklace absolutely surrounds the wearer with the energies of the piece, mending its energy with that of the wearer constantly throughout the day. This is one reason the jewelry worn should be chosen with care! Necklaces can hang at the throat or heart area. Therefore, the piece works with energies of each: The heart chakra is associated with the color green and contains the vibratory qualities of love, compassion, empathy and understanding. The throat chakra is believed to be blue in color, connected to energies of communication and self-worth. The jewelry worn on each chakra point can be attuned directly to these associations, or simply carry their own magickal charge using these chakra points as an entryway into the energy body.
Bracelets: Fashioned in a circular form, bracelets hold similar properties to rings. Wearing empowered bracelets on each wrist is extremely effective for imbuing the magician with particular vibrations, either balancing one’s energy or attuning it to an intended purpose. For this reason, bracelets are especially good for magick of a self-transformative nature. (Many would argue this is the most important of all magick.) Bracelets made of stone or a series of threaded stones can be highly charged with magickal associations appropriate to the stone. Metal bracelets carry associations with the list of metals belo , while magnetic bracelets are reserved for a specific energy healing practice called magnotherapy.
Earrings: Ear piercings were once thought to guard against disease, head pain and “sinful words.” This is more in the realm of superstition than magick, but earrings can still have magickal associations. Because earrings in pairs are usually worn on opposite sides of the head, they may be empowered with balance and equilibrium. Throughout the day, energies bounce from one earring to the other and thus through the head. If enchanted as magickal polarities, earrings can lend an extreme amount of power to the wearer, especially if the symbolism, structure, or content of the pieces are considered.
Crowns: Ceremonial crowns are impressive. They are most common with females because of their historic usage, though some male practitioners of magick like wearing Horned God crowns or those aligned to the Holly King or Oak King as popularized by poet Robert Graves. In traditional Wicca, the Coven’s Priest and Priestess wear crowns, symbolizing a connection to the gods. Most crowns are made of sterling silver and those that are well-made tend to be pricey. If the Lady chooses to wear her ceremonial crown outside the circle, she best be prepared to live in magickal consciousness the whole day through, standing strong and spiritually aware as a Priestess of the Goddess. Some people wear tiaras and crowns non-ceremonially for fashion’s sake. This is simply for decoration, but as with all jewelry, it may be used to top off a magickally enchanting outfit.
Metals. I have always seen molded metal (such as jewelry) as corresponding to both the elements Earth and Fire, regardless of the type. Metal is a natural substance of the Earth and is melted, molded and crafted with a process involving extreme heat in order to take on a shape. The element Earth represents strength, grounding and connection to Mother Earth. It is the rational and logical portion of the human psyche. Fire represents passion, motivation and strength. Its flame is a guiding light to spiritual awakening. Beyond the Earth-Fire connection, the various metals also carry their own unique vibrational currents. Metal jewelry may be worn to draw upon Earth and Fire alone, or magickally worked to fine-tune the specific qualities of the individual metal.
The Witches’ athamé and sword are metal tools used to pierce between the worlds and serve as strong energy conduits. Though I may draw Earth-Fire correlations with physical metal, the magickal blades are under the Air element in western occultism (such as Hermeticism) and thus, Wicca. This makes sense as a blade is used in ritual to project intention, command forces and direct energies and the force of will behind it can easily align with the element Air.
Following is a list of generally recognized associations with various metals:
Brass: Deflecting harm, fire, magick, healing, love, luck, mental powers, money, projection. (See also Copper)
Bronze: (See Copper and Tin)
Copper: Amplifying energy, balance, beauty, calming, clarity, compassion, conducting energy, confidence, cooperation, creativity, divination, emotions, empathy, fire magick, friendship, harmony, healing, intuition, love, luck, lust, money, motivation, newness, passion, physical health, pleasure, preventing illness, prosperity, psychic development, sexuality, sociability, strengthening spells, sustenance, unity.
Gold: Acceptance, affirmation, art, assertion, balance, calming, courage, creativity, dedication, direction, energy, esteem, god invocation, guidance, happiness, healing, health, individuality, inspiration, life choices, male mysteries, mental powers, money, power, prosperity, protection, purification, realization, rebirth, satisfaction, seasonal connectedness, self awareness, spiritual direction, strength, study, success, wisdom.
Iron: Action, aggression, balance, change, chaos, courage, cursing, deflecting harm, determination, emotional control, extraterrestrial communication, faerie magick, facing challenges, grounding, healing, instincts, justice, motivation, physical health, protection, pursuance, releasing anger, sexuality, strength, strengthening spells, success, wealth, willpower.
Lead: Ambition, banishing, binding, boundaries, business, change, chaos, cleansing, cursing, death magick, deflecting harm, discipline, divination, exorcism, fear-based issues, freedom, grounding, habit breaking, healing, introspection, introversion, laws, magickal petitions, materialism, meditation, necromancy, new beginnings, past life regression, protection, receiving, recurring cycles, releasing, restrictions and freedoms, self control, stability, strengthening spells, thaumaturgy, transformation, wishes.
Pewter: (See Copper and Tin)
Platinum: Abundance, balance, channeling, communication, friendship, growth, health, hope, intuition, love, materialism, memory, mental powers, money, optimism, psychic powers, sustenance, transformation, upperworld communication. (See also Iron)
Silver: Acceptance, alignment, art, astral projection, balance, beauty, care, communication, dance, divination, dreaming, eloquence, empathy, female mysteries, fertility, gardening, goddess invocation, guidance, healing, hope, inspiration, intuition, love, lunar attunement, meditation, menstrual attunement, money, night magick, nourishment, nurturing, optimism, peace, personality, prosperity, protection, psychic powers, purity, self reflection, sensitivity, study, travel, wealth.
Steel: Deflecting harm, divination, dream protection, grounding, healing, protection, stability. (See also Iron)
Tin: Abundance, balance, creativity, divination, expansiveness, generosity, growth, healing, health, hope, ideas, intuition, justice, learning, love, luck, mental powers, money, opportunities, philosophy, prosperity, spiritual awareness, success, travel, wisdom.
Source: Raven Digitalis, TheMagicalLife, February 2, 2014.
