Amber, Jet, and Bone

Black, White and Red are reoccurring themes throughout our Tradition.  They are reflected in the Gods, the cords, the knives, the Triple Soul, and our Witch regalia.  This regalia includes a traditional Amber and Jet necklace, with the addition of bone.

Amber, jet and ivory jewelry has been found in Beaker-people tombs in Spain, and amber and jet jewelry was a common feature in Scottish barrow mound tombs of the Neolithic period (approximately contemporary with the mastabas of the archaic period of Egypt, the brick temples of Sumeria, and the first cities of the Harappa culture in India).

Amber and Jet are traditional ornaments of rank in British Traditional Witchcraft. In Gardnerian Craft, the High Priestess is permitted to wear amber and jet jewels upon obtaining Third Degree.

Amber and Jet are unique to the world of gemstones in that they each are capable of holding a negative charge, allowing them to attract small particles of positively-charged objects.  This "inner electricity" has been valued by magical practitioners and shamans for countless ages.

Amber

Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times.  Amber has been used since antiquity in the manufacture of jewelry and ornaments, and also in folk medicine. Amber also forms the flavoring for akvavit liquor. Amber has been used as an ingredient in perfumes.

Amber occurs in a range of different colors. As well as the usual yellow-orange-brown that is associated with the color "amber", amber itself can range from a whitish color through a pale lemon yellow, to brown and almost black. Other uncommon colors include red amber (sometimes known as "cherry amber"), green amber, and even blue amber, which is rare and highly sought after.

The two main sources of amber on the market today are the Baltic states and the Dominican Republic. Amber from the Baltic states is older, and therefore preferred on the market, but amber from the Dominican Republic is more likely to have insect inclusions.

The modern name for amber is thought to come from the Arabic word, ambar, meaning ambergris. Ambergris is the waxy aromatic substance created in the intestines of sperm whales and was used in making perfumes both in ancient times as well as modern. The scent of amber was originally derived from emulating the scent of ambergris and/or labdanum but due to the endangered status of the sperm whale the scent of amber is now largely derived from labdanum.

The Greek name for amber was ἤλεκτρον (elektron), "formed by the sun", and it was connected to the sun god Helios, one of whose titles was Elector or the Awakener. According to the myth, when Helios' son Phaëton was killed, his mourning sisters became poplars, and their tears became the origin of elektron, amber.

The modern terms "electricity" and "electron" derive from the Greek word for amber, and come from William Gilbert's research showing that amber could attract other substances.

Authenticating amber

Some very convincing artificial amber is currently on the market. Real amber releases a piney, resiny scent (rather than a chemical, burnt-plastic smell) when touched with a hot pin. Amber warms to slowly to the touch and is very lightweight.  Try to purchase your amber from a reputable source.

Magical Properties of Amber

Because amber, unlike other gemstones, is warm to the touch and often contains insect fragments, it was thought to possess life. It was once believed to contain the very essence of life itself - the animating principle.

Due to the fact that amber is a fossil, is has associations with time, cycles and longevity. As it once was a living substance, it is related to spirit.  All of these mysterious properties and associations make amber on of the most widely used and prized magical substances of all times and places on Earth.

Yellow/Gold/Orange amber is said to enhance the beauty of the wearer. It is used to tap into the power of the Sun, and is good for success, abundance, healing, vitality and joy. It brings the energies of patience, protection, psychic shielding, romantic love, sensuality, purification, balance, healing and calmness to those who wear or carry it. It is considered a good luck charm for marriage.

A powerful stone for manifestation, amber is also used for healing of the physical body as well. For over 7,000 years it has been used to stimulate the metabolism and treat skin ailments caused by a metabolic imbalance. Because of it's warmth it is used also in the treatment of asthma and allergic respiratory problems. Generally wearing amber in a necklace is the most effective for this ailment.

Amber carries a negative electrical energy charge and therefore is good to draw power and energy into its bearer. Amber gives a soothing, light energy that is both calming and energizing at the same time. It can help manifest desires and heighten intellectual abilities, clarity of thought, and wisdom. It cleanses its environment by drawing out negativity, and relieves physical pain the same way.

Cleanse amber under lukewarm water, when you notice that it warms ever so slowly when you wear it or hold it. Negative energy can make amber cloudy. Never leave amber in the sun as it may become brittle.

Jet

Jet is a product of high pressure decomposition of wood from millions of years ago.  The oldest jet jewelery was found in Asturias, Spain, dating from 17,000 BC. Whitby jet was a favorite material in the Roman period. It was seen as a 'magical' material, frequently used in amulets and pendants because of its supposed protective qualities and ability to deflect the gaze of the evil eye.

Jet has also been known as black amber, as it may induce an electric charge like that of amber when rubbed.

Authenticating jet

Unlike black glass, which is cool to the touch, jet is not cool, due to its lesser thermal conductivity. When rubbed against unglazed porcelain, true jet will leave a chocolate brown streak.  Real jet, when rubbed against your front tooth, feels like it's "writing," and if you breathe on it, it shows the condensation from your breath longer than onyx or most plastics. The touch of a red-hot needle should cause jet to emit an odor similar to coal.

Magical Properties of Jet

Jet has historically been used as a protection stone and is said to have very powerful protection energies to ward off evil, negativity, as well as psychic attacks, it is considered one of the most powerful absorbers of "negative energy, i.e., depression. Because it absorbs so much negative energy, and therefore very beneficial if you are prone to depression or it's ailments.

Jet helps the wearer to be alert to all things and quickly come up with constructive solutions to any problems. Jet is said to control all demons and thus prevent demonic possession. It draws out negative energy from the aura, and can initiate psychic experiences. It uncovers past negative energies a person still carried in their subconscious mind, and will help in understanding and working with life and cycles.

Mystically, jet is considered a stone of sympathy, as it will provide great support and help alleviate the pain and suffering associated by separation of the death of a loved one.

It also helps to ease headache pain directly behind the eyes.

Jet is said to absorb and neutralize negative energy. Jet is believed to protect against nightmares and astral entities. Jet is also attributed with the property of increasing psychic abilities. The black nature of jet also associates it with the Underworld, and with spirits & deities of a Chthonic nature.

Jet should be frequently cleansed of the acquired negative energy and recharged by placing it in sea salt one night and among rock crystals the next. Neither water nor sun should be used in it's cleansing and charging.

Bone

Bones are symbolic of the Red Soul, or Bone Soul, which is the eternal "self" that lives from each life into the next, and carries the mark of the Witch.

We use snake vertebrae in our own witch necklaces. The serpent is the symbol of kundalini energy, which Robert Cochrane writes about in his letter to Joe Wilson.  The spine itself houses the kundalini energy serpent, and the energy is raised by witches through mill-treading, seething, visualization, and other means.

We also use bone as our coven rings.  Bone roses are secured on sterling silver wire to create a ring that honors the compass, the Goddesses, and the vows of working Sub Rosa.

* Note: This article was adapted from a piece written by Laurelei for the Blade & Broom blog.

The Witches' Garter

The magical garter has significance dating back to prehistoric times. Cave art in eastern Spain that dates to the Paleolithic period shows a sorcerer performing in a ritual while wearing nothing but a pair of garters just below his knees.

In many traditions the garter is worn only by a Witch Queen, or Queen of the Sabbat. However, the traditional dress of Morris dancers consists of garters, usually red, and "Green Garters" is a traditional Morris Dancer tune.  

In the trial recond of Margaret Johnson (Lancshsire 1633) the Devil was said to wear: "a suite of black, tyed about with silke pointes (garters)."  If we take the position that the "Devil" was the Magister of the coven, then we see that the garter is not the sole province of the Queen of the Sabbat, but was also worn by men.

Red garters were said to be worn by a witchcraft coven Summoner. The Summoner's job was to advise members on meeting days and times. The red garters signified to others that s/he was genuine.  Gerald Gardner used the red garters as a plot device to this effect in his novel about the witch cult, High Magic's Aid.

In some traditions the garter is prepared with green leather or velvet with a lining made of blue silk. In others the garter is made of red leather or snakeskin. There is usually one large, silver or gold buckle on the garter, representing the Queen's own coven, with additional, smaller, silver buckles for each of the other covens under her authority. The garter is worn on the left leg, just above the knee.  It may be fastened with the large buckle or with silk ribbons.

Queens stitch garters, circa 1753. Wintertur Museum

Pennethorne Hughes states that when a tortured witch was likely to reveal others, he or she may be murdered in jail by the other witches to avoid further arrests and tortures. To prove that the murder had been done under those circumstances, a garter would be left tied loosely around the victim's throat. Such a potential informant would be known as a "warlock," meaning traitor. The case of John Stewart of Irving in 1618 is one such example. John Reid, of Renfrewshire in 1696, is another. Many legends and folk tales have a garter as the leitmotif.

The Witch Garter is found in English history as being linked to the creation of the Order of the Garter. This order is Great Britain's highest and most ancient order of knighthood. The most widespread story states that the countess of Salisbury was dancing with King Edward III at a court function. As they danced, the countess's garter fell to the ground. The king picked it up and, to save her embarrassment, put it on his own leg with the words, "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (Shame be to him who thinks evil of it.") He went on to found the Order of the Garter, with that phrase as its slogan. The precise date for the founding of the order is not known, since the records have been destroyed, but it is thought to be 1344 or 1350. The most likely date, however, appears to be 1348.

Margaret Alice Murray mentions that it took more than a dropped garter to embarrass a lady in the 14th century, even a lady of the court. However, if the garter dropped was a ritual one, demonstrating that its owner was in fact a leader of the Old Religion, then there would be very real embarrassment, particularly since there were high personages of the Christian Church in attendance at the event. Edward's action, then, was incredibly smart thinking, for in placing the garter on his own leg, he not only saved face for the countess, but also proclaimed himself prepared to be a leader of the Pagan population as well as the Christian. This was a clever move taking into account that a large portion of his subjects were still Pagan at that point in time. Murray is puzzled by Edward's words, but if deemed as referring to the Old Religion itself, rather than the action or the garter, then they make very good sense. Edward then went on to form the Order of the Garter with twenty-four knights, himself, and the Prince of Wales-a total of twenty-six, or the number of two traditional covens. As Chief of the Order, the king wore a blue velvet mantle powdered over with 168 tiny garters. Along with the one on his leg, that made 169, or 13 times 13.

According to the Key of Solomon by Mathers this is the proper procedure for making magical garters:

HOW TO MAKE THE MAGIC GARTERS

TAKE enough of the skin of a stag to make two hollow tubular Garters, but before stitching them up thou shalt write on the side of the skin which was next the flesh the words and characters shown in Figure 8, with the blood of a hare killed on the 25th of June, and having filled the said Garters with green mugwort gathered also on the 25th of June before sunrise, thou shalt put in the two ends of each the eye of the fish called barbel; and when thou shalt wish to use them thou shalt get up before sunrise and wash them in a brook of running water, and place them one on each leg above the knee. After this thou shalt take a short rod of holm-oak cut on the same 25th of June, turn in the direction thou wishest to go, write upon the ground the name of the place, and commencing thy journey thou wilt find it accomplished in a few days and without fatigue. When thou wishest to stop thou hast only to say AMECH and beat the air with the aforesaid wand, and incontinently thou shalt be on firm ground.

Fig 8. "The Magick Garter" From the Key of Solomon

*Note: This article was originally written by Laurelei for inclusion on the Blade and Broom blog.