A is for Amulet – Pagan Blog Project

Hi everyone,

As you can read from my previous post regarding my PBP post for last week, this post is late because my man was in the hospital. He injured his hand and ended up with emergency surgery and the MSRA infection so 5 days and a PICC line later we are finally home! I am grateful to everyone for their thoughts and healing energy, it has been much appreciated. Now for my second post for the letter A

A is for Amulet

Amulet is from the Latin amuletum. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Amulet a: a small object worn to protect the person wearing it against bad things (such as illness, bad luck, etc.);  a charm (as an ornament) often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to aid the wearer or protect against evil (as disease or witchcraft).

 Amulets are a wonderful type of magic which have been used from before the times when the Egyptians were building their pyramids. The most important purpose historically has been to protect the owner from harm but these fascinating pieces can be ornate or plain, worn openly or carried in a purse or pocket and can be charged not only for protection but for a specific person and/or also for a specific purpose.

A couple of years back I was able to take a wonderful jewelry making class where I explored working with metal and I created these Goddess shaped, copper amulets. The one with the moonstone center is one that I wear often. This simple copper amulet is something that has specific magical correspondences based on the materials I used to make it and not only offers protection but helps me reconnect with the power of the moon, strengthen my ability with negotiations and quite a bit more.

Many cultures believe that amulets made from specific materials will offer specific results.

For instance:

In India, Nepal and Sri Lanka some believe that an amulet made from the jackal’s horn (this is a cone-shaped growth that sometimes grows on the skull of a golden jackal) can grant wishes and find its way back to its owner when lost.

The Celts believe that the four leaf clover symbolizes good luck.

In Papua New Guinea they still make amulets known as marupai which help protect gardens from evil spirits, offer assistance during the hunting of wild pigs among several other things. These amulets are carved from a dwarf coconut and then rubbed with lime to make the design stand out.

Amulets can be a highly artistic form of magic and are something that I enjoy working with.

I had a great time researching more about amulets as I was getting this post ready and here are the fabulous sites I visited. http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets.html has an amazing downloadable .pdf booklet on amulets and their history and if you are interested in amulets it is definitely worth reading!

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amulet

http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets.html

http://www.astralmagick.com/

http://powerbeforewisdom.com/16-personal-magick/46-how-to-make-rings-amulets-staffs-and-other-magickal-items

http://secretamulets.com/magic-amulets.html

Thanks for dropping by,

Autumnwind