Sacred Circles' Coven

The Folk Magick of Hair

by David Harrington

Hair is a magickal substance, springing from our heads, repository of our divine energy, home of what makes us human. In cultures worldwide, hair is a symbol of the individual, subject to suffering in negative spells, or potent as a blessing and talisman. Any time hair is tied or braided, or a magickal knot of protective energy is formed, keeping the person safe from harm.

In Inca highlands, at one year of age, a child's family invites the villagers to the house. Everyone brings a gift, a blanket, a llama, gold jewelry, or other items. They place the offered gifts around the child. The child's hair is sectioned off and tied with colorful ribbons, often red in color. Throughout South America, and elsewhere, the color red is symbolic to life. Burials often include red pigment sprinkled over the body. The family takes a special pair of scissors--probably a modern version of the sacred obsidian knives used in the region--and at the point of where the hair is tied off, they cut off a lock. This is then given to the visitors, who takes the tied lock home and keeps it in the house. In this way the child's life force is protected in many places, and also brings into the other houses some of the exuberant energy of the child, where it serves as a talisman of fertility for the keepers of the lock.

The magick behind this ceremony is universal. A remnant that survives in our own culture is the "Boy's First Haircut," which has unfortunately has been revealed of much of its original ritual significance. But this magick can be reclaimed easily and added to a child's first birthday party, or better yet, to a special celebration just for relatives. As hair is magickally powerful, you don't want to give these locks to just anyone who you do not love and trust. And you probably won't want to shear your child's head so throughly as the highland villagers do, but little bows can be placed at the end of locks of hair, and trimmed, leaving a two inch piece of hair bound with a ribbon. While red is traditional for this spell, other colors from our culture can be used, including traditional pink for girls and blue for boys--or the longstanding compromise color yellow, which can be seen as a symbol of solar energy and the power of life.

Traditional worry dolls have found new life as a modern amulet [in the original article it is called a talisman] for protecting of the hair, and the person wearing it. These little dolls in the forms of men and women have been used for centuries. They are made of wire or clay, thread, and topped with a bit of black paint, often mixed with shiny metallic grains. The custom is for a child to tell these dolls his/her problems, one problem for each doll, then place them in a little box beside the bed at night before going to sleep. During the night the tiny dolls will work to solve the problems.

These popular little dolls are now being made into hair barettes, where they serve a protective function and see a bit more of the physical world than from the traditional box inside the bed.

These, and othe, hair ornaments are orginally reflective, distracting those who have the power of the evil eye. Instead of meeting the eyes of the individual, the malefic gaze is directed to the sparkling objects in the hair, and the evil effect is averted.

Folklore of Roses

by Magenta Griffith

Much as the lotus plays a significant role the folklore and art of the East, roses have long been important to Western cultures. For instance, roses have been sacred to many goddesses throughout history. In ancient times, the rose was the symbol of Aphrodite and Venus, the Greek and Roman goddesses of love. Later, the rose became the symbol of Mary, who was sometimes called the Rose Mystica, or the mystical rose.

According to the Greek poet Anacreon, when Aphrodite was born, rising from the sea, the sea foam that dripped off her body turned into white roses. This image is a representation of her purity and innocence. When she found her lover Adonis dying the blood from his wound coloured her flowers red.

Another Greek myth concerning roses tells of Rhodanthe, a shy maiden of Corinth known for her beauty, charm, and modesty. A devotee to Artemis, the chaste goddess of the hunt, Rhodanthe was nevertheless courted by many suitors. One day, she was tired of staying indoors to avoid her persistent paramours, and she went into the woods alone, where a would-be lover found her. She ran from him, but he chased her. Another lover came upon them, then another. She fled to a nearby temple and prayed to Artemis for rescue. Artemis turned her into a rose, blushing with embarrassment forever at her near-dishonourment.

During feasts in ancient Athens, the streets were strewn with rose petals. Youth of both sexes danced naked before the temple of Hymen, wearing crowns of roses to symbolize their innocence.

The Roman attribute the creation of the rose to Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers. When on of her nymphs died, Flora turned her into a flower. She asked the gods for help. Apollo gave the flower life, Bacchus gave nectar, and Pomana contributed a fruit. Thus was the rose created. Bees were attracted to the rose. When Cupid shot arrows at the bees, the arrows that missed the bees became the thorns.

To some Romans, roses symbolize the two side of Venus, White roses were associated with purity and innocence; red roses with fiery lust. The Romans celebrated a rose festival every year on May 23, and many Romans believed that by planting roses on their graves they would appease the spirits of the dead. Rich patricians would plant entire gardens on their tombs and would leave money in their will to maintain the garden. The use of roses in burial ritual can be found throughout the former Roman Empire, including Wales, where white roses are still placed on graves of the young children as a sign of their innocence.

The rose was sacred to Isis as well, and she is sometimes portrayed with a crown of roses. In Apuleus' classical epic tale. The Golden Ass, Lucius is turned into a donkey and wanders the Roman Empire. He has many adventures, all the while constantly praying to the gods and goddesses to change him back into human form. Finally, Isis comes to him in a dream. She tells him, in an oft-quoted passage, that, "She is Nature, the Mother of all, the queen of the gods. She is called by many names, but that her true name is Isis." If he will promise to worship her, she will restore him to his true form. She tells him to go to the sacred ceremony of Isis that will be held the next day, and instructs him to eat the sacred roses that her priest carries in the procession. Lucius did as he was instructed, and was immediately turned back into a man. In the end, he became an initiate of the mysteries of Isis in gratitude.

Symoblism of Roses

Roses, since they conceal a hidden inner core, have been thought of as a symbol of secrecy by many cultures. The rose was the flower of Harpocrates, the young Horus, who is the god of silence. This god is usually pictured as a young boy with his finger to his lips. He stumbled upon Venus when he was engaged in one of her amorous liasions. Cupid gave Harpocartes a rose in return for his silence. Thus, the custom of the Middle Ages of putting a rose on the ceiling of a meeting room. Anything said there was considered sub rosa, or under the rose, and therefore could not be repeated. Roses were often painted on ceilings of meeting rooms, which led to rose motifs becoming popular as ceiling decortations.

A white rose is said to represent innocence; a pink rose; first love; and a red rose, true and lasting love. The red rose is also a symbol of beauty and devotion.

The rose represents the feminine in alchemy, and corresponds to the female sexual organ. The cross is the symbol of the masculine, thus the rose cross, the primary symbol of the Rosicrucian order, is a symbol of union, and of the sacred marriage. The rose cross also represents the union of the natrual world [the rose], and the world constructed by man [the cross].

The rose of the rose cross has five petals, and is therefore a pentagram. The petals represent the five senses, among other meanings. The pentagram, the symbol of witchcraft, has been called the Witches' Rose, because of the fivefold nature of both the pentagram and the rose. It's difficult to observe with modern hybrid roses, but if you look at the older varieteis, you will find the petals usually number in multiples of five-tthat is, five, ten, or fifteen petals.

Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of love, the most beautiful goddess in the Hindu pantheo, is said to have been born from a rose composed of 108 large and 1,008 small petals. She is always pictured either sitting on a rose, holding roses, or both.

A Christian legend says that the rose was thornless in the Garden of Eden. Once Adam and Eve were expelled, the rose grew thorns. Although the rose was associated with goddesses of love [including physical love] in ancient times, by the Middle Ages the rose was the symbol of the Virgin Mary and so came to symbolize purity and innocence. Rosary beads were originally made from rose petals. The word 'rosary' comes from the Latin, rosarium, a rose garden. The first rosaries have 165 beads and are sacred to Mary.

The fairy tale Beauty and the Beast starts with a rose. While Beauty's sister ask for rich clothing and jewels, she asks her father only to bring her back a rose from the voyage. During his travels, while looking for the elusive rose, he is caught in a bad weather and has to spend the night in the Beast's castle. He goes into the Beast's garden and find a perfect rose and picks it for his daughter. The Beast catches him taking it, and demands Beauty come to him in exchange for the rose. The rose and Beauty are, effect, interchangeable.

Here are some final beliefs about roses. The Romans believed that rose petals floated in wine would protect against drunkenness. In medieval Europe, roses were worn as protection against the evil eye. An old German love charm says;

Take three roses and wear them over your heart for three days. Then steep them in wine for three days. Strain the wind and give it to the one you desire.

Perfumes and oils derived from roses may be one of the oldest scents used by humans. Rose petals are used in cooking, and yield rose petal jam and candied rose petals. Rosewater, made from rose petals, is also an ingredient in foods and magickal spells. The fruit of the rose, or rose hip, is used in many ways-to flavour jellies, preserves and syrups. Tea containing dried rose hips is rich in vitamin C.

In all, roses, originally a symbol of love and beauty, have come to be widely used for thier medicinal properites. And even in these harried modern times, roses are still the most popular flower to give your sweetheart to express your love.

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