Charms and amulets - by Lu Hersey

 Everyone would like a powerful amulet, right? A magical charm to help you do whatever - stay healthy,  find love, prosper, get a publishing deal.... Or perhaps you'd rather benefit from others' gullibility and simply invent one to sell? Russell Brand claims his new amulet (retailing at £188) will protect people from 'evil energies' and WiFi signals. 

Anyway, I recently wrote a piece about amulets for Writing the Magic, (my patreon account) so I'll share something of it here - after all, people have put their faith in lucky charms and amulets since the dawn of time, and when I found an obscure book on the subject buried in my tbr pile, it was obviously my destiny to open you all up to the possibilities it offered.

Have to admit, there are books lurking on my shelves I don't even remember buying (often charity shop bargains), and The Book of Charms and Talismans by Sepharial, published in 1924, is one. (Above illustration is the frontispiece)

Sepharial was the pen name of Walter Gorn Old, 1864-1929, once a well respected astrologer and Theosophist. Presumably he was also interested in Enochian magic, as Sepharial is the name of an angel in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. He wrote numerous esoteric books in his day, and was editor of Old Moore's Almanac.

For all his credentials, Sepharial was apparently no fan of indexes or bibliographies. It took me quite a while to find the information to accompany his colour plate of charms and talismans, even using the key he provided (below), so I'll save you the effort.

As a general note, Sepharial tells us that objects 1-8 are from the Petrie Collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts, which is still based at UCL - if nothing else, he's inspired me to want to visit this little museum next time I'm in London. And if you like your amulets tried and tested, probably ancient Egypt is as good place to start as any...

1. The Necklace of Flies

Sepharial tells us the fly is an emblem of activity and swiftness, and a necklace of flies would have been worn as a talisman by travellers to ensure safe and speedy travel. 

2. The crescent

A crescent talisman, taking the form of the crescent moon, which can be worn as a protection against the evil eye. Also symbolic of the new crescent moon (points left) the talisman can help with new projects (Sepharial needed a few paragraphs to say that).

3. Counterpoise of collar (Menet)

A symbolic talisman to bring joy and health, associated with the planet Venus. According to Sepharial, this talisman can help you find true love, as well as strengthening your resilience to illness.

4. A winged Scarab

The scarab was an amulet commonly worn by ancient Egyptians, and is symbolic of the creator of the universe, the sun god Ra. A green stone scarab inlaid with gold was placed on the chest of a dead body, or sometimes embedded in the heart during the embalming process, to help the deceased avoid evil spirits on their journey through the underworld.

5. The leopard's claw

A charm for protection against attack from wild animals. Originally this came from the belief that some people had the power to transform into leopards, which enabled them to destroy their enemies, and wearing a leopard's claw as a talisman protected you from this fate.

6. Crescent 

Another form of crescent moon talisman.

7. Uzat Eye of Horus

Represents the sun, which is the eye of the day, and also the all-seeing eye of the deity. An amulet to protect against enchantment, evil and disease.

8. Frog

Worn by both the living and the dead, frog amulets helped ensure the wearer's well-being in life and the afterlife. The Egyptians probably linked frogs to fertility because of the animal's prolific reproduction, and women may have worn amulets like this one to assist in pregnancy and delivery. (Sepharial didn't bother to include this information anywhere in his book, so I researched it separately)

9. Black Cat

Black cats are considered to be powerful and protective figures in many cultures, and are often associated with good luck and prosperity. (Again, Sepharial forgot to include anything in the book about black cats..)

10. Pentacle of Rabbi Solomon

Magical talismans are Sepharial's key interest, so he provides a ton of information about their meaning and when to make them. Anyway, the Pentacle of Rabbi Solomon the King, shown in the illustration, can be made any day of the week (most talismans have to be made on certain days to be effective), and is an essential talisman for evoking spirits. Also, if you're wearing one, you are protected from all evil genii. (Sepharial goes as far as suggesting you cut the talisman out of his book to save time, and put it in a silk bag to keep it on your person)

11. Fish

A charm of good fortune to help increase wealth and fertility, often made from mother of pearl.

12. Swastika

Of course Sepharial wrote this book before the rise of the Nazis in Germany - and the swastika is an ancient symbol of good fortune, which can be traced right back to the neolithic. A pity the nazis hijacked it...

13. Horseshoe

Again, Sepharial doesn't include any explanation, but the horseshoe is generally seen as a good luck charm, and a protection against evil. 

Of course if you want to know more, there are thousands of other charms and amulets you can research - and when it comes to talismans, Sepharial included a lengthy chapter on that subject alone. 

This is simply an intro to give you some background material if you need an amulet in your next work of fiction. I also guarantee that any of those I've listed will give you protection from Russell Brand, if needed...

Lu Hersey

Patreon: Writing the Magic

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Charms, amulets and face masks - by Lu Hersey

We're now at a point where Covid-19 is unlikely to be going away anytime soon, so (if

you've managed to avoid it so far) you want to feel you have some kind of protection. Looking at the appalling death statistics is very sobering - but sooner or later, we all have to leave home to get food, visit the pharmacy or go to work. There is no vaccine yet - so what do you do?

Tamsin Rosewell (of Kenilworth Books) and I share an interest in folklore, and we were speculating on social media about how long it would be before people turn back to ancient forms of witchcraft, magic and folklore remedies to ward off impending doom. Because it's a subject I research a lot for my writing, I've come up with a few ideas used by our ancient (and not so ancient) ancestors to get you started. I'm only including a very small selection here. Pick whichever you feel most drawn to if you want to make an amulet or charm for yourself (or buy one online if it all looks too complicated).

First off, amulets. People throughout the ages have worn amulets for a variety of purposes, including to attract love, wealth or good fortune, or for protection. Here are a couple of examples of protection amulets, possibly more use than love or wealth if you're worried about catching an illness.

Protective amulet made to the design of Elizabethan magician Dr John Dee's table, filled with complex Enochian magick symbols. He believed the design was communicated to him by angelic forces and would ward off all evil. 

The ankh symbol basically means 'life' - even eternal life, which could be handy. This one in lapis lazuli with reed symbolism possibly represents the life giving Nile. Creating a protective amulet such as an Egyptian Ankh, or a scarab became ritual in itself and could only be made by someone with the power to make it.

Less complicated than amulets are the more folkloric protection charms such as hagstones, which can be found by anyone on the right type of beach. Also witch bottles, which contrary to popular belief, were made to protect a household from ill luck, not curses put on people by witches. Usually placed in the fabric of the building, under the entrance or built into a boundary wall, they were still commonly included in rural constructions until at least the 1960s.

Two witch bottles - the bottle on the left is a modern version (this one was made by Cornish witch, Levannah Morgan) filled with ends of wool from craft makings. (Historically they contained iron nails, urine and hair). It can be placed by the hearth, door or on a window sill. The other bottle is one I found in a crumbling old boundary wall in Cornwall (and cleaned very carefully!) In front of the bottles are hagstones, which are traditionally strung above doorways for protection.

The Nazar eye, a charm to ward off evil, has been made in one form or another for thousands of years. It remains a popular charm today.

Algiz - the Nordic rune most commonly interpreted as meaning 'protection', or 'sanctuary.'  A popular choice as a rune pendant. (This one is part of a rune set  )

Holding faith in ancient talismans and charms might seem quaint, but there are some new, far more dangerous and baffling beliefs already out there. Flat earthers are creationists who think only 'the truth' will save us (whatever 'the truth' is) from the virus. Along with the EDL and the 'there is no virus, it's a conspiracy and the problem is all about 5G' believers (mostly followers of David Icke, who also thinks the queen's a lizard), they've started arranging 'gatherings' of like-minded people across the country. protesting against the lockdown and avoiding any kind of social distancing.

Covering all bases, flat earthers like the owner of this car organise 'gatherings' of like minded people protesting against the lockdown, as they believe the virus is a conspiracy. These 'gatherings' are best avoided by anyone with half a brain.

To cap it all, in Glastonbury (where I live) there's at least one person who thinks playing the bongo drums on Glastonbury tor ALL NIGHT LONG, will do the job of keeping the virus at bay. If he keeps it up and the virus doesn't get him, I might forget social distancing and strangle him myself.

Whatever your opinion on ancient amulets or alternative ways to help ward off illness, it seems most of us can't resist the idea of charms against ill fortune. Even it's as simple as crossing your fingers, or wearing a pair of lucky pants.

However, despite my personal fascination with magical objects, this post isn't intended to stop you using your common sense. I'll be the first to admit that social distancing, plastic gloves, hand gel and a face mask are probably much more effective.

Me, ready to enter Tesco. Stylish face mask, hand gel in bag, sadly no amulet.

by Lu Hersey
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