Amulet

AMULET is also an ARM asynchronous microprocessor.

An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire

An amulet (from Latin amuletum) is "an object that protects a person from trouble". Amulets were originally substances worn about the neck or other parts of the body to prevent or cure diseases. The ancient belief that spirits were the cause of disease meant that amulets could ward off the evil spirits. Amulets are either naturally embued with powers or they are given powers by spiritual leaders.

Closely related to the amulet is the talisman (from Arabic tilasm, ultimately from Greek telesma or from the Greek word "talein" which means "to initiate into the mysteries"), which is any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner.

Antique amulet collecting has become a modern phenomenom while amulets are still used today for protection from modern manifestations of evil.

Amulets in ancient history

Throughout history, on every continent and in almost every culture, amulets have offered protection against negative forces.

Egyptians believed that amulets had powers not only during life, but also in the afterlife. Egyptian amulet's powers came from following strict instructions written in the Book of the Dead. Amulets were carried, used in necklaces, bracelets, or rings. The Egyptians used a frog to protect fertility; ankhs symbolized everlasting life and generation; the udjat, or eye, was for good health, comfort, and protection against evil; the scarab beetle was for resurrection after death and protection against evil magic. These were frequently found in the bandages of a mummy to ensure the deceased a safe, healthy, and productive afterlife.

Drawing of clay amulet unearthed near Săliştea, Alba, Tǎrtǎria, Romania.

One of the best known amulets of ancient Egypt is the Eye of Horus. Horus was an Egyptian God and the amulet consisted of an image of either the left or right eye and eyebrow, along with a stylized beard, the symbol of divine kingship.

In Asia figures of elephants are said to attract good luck and money if one offers banknotes to them. In ancient China capturing a cricket alive and keeping it in an osier box attracted good luck (this tradition is also found in the Philippines). The Chinese also sometimes spread coins on the floor to attract money and rice also has a reputation for attracting good fortune.

For the ancient Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxons and Germans the rune Eoh (yew) protects against evil and witchcraft; a non-alphabetical rune representing Thor's hammer still offers protection against thieves in some places.

An Omamori, a Japanese amulet

The ancient Celts, believed the clover, if it has four leaves, brings good luck (not the Irish shamrock, which symbolizes the Christian Trinity).

In ancient African culture, the carrying of an animal's foot, or other parts of a swift creature were supposed to help a person escape or flee with the speed of the animal. This 'lucky rabbits foot' charm was handed down and assimilated into modern western culture by the enslaved Africans who were brought to the New World.

Amulet types

Potential amulet materials include: gems or simple stones, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants, animals, etc.; even words said in certain occasions – for example: vade retro satana – (Latin, "go back, Satan"), to repel evil or bad luck.

Perfumes and essences (like incense, myrrh, etc.) also serve to attract or repulse. In Central Europe, people believed garlic kept vampires away, and so did a crucifix. Corals, horseshoes and lucky bamboo also allegedly make good amulets.

Every zodiacal sign has a corresponding gem that acts as an amulet, but the type of stones varies according to different traditions.

Religious objects

Evidence of religious objects serving as amulets was not limited to the ancient Egyptian culture. In Thailand more than one Buddha hanging from peoples necks is a common sight even today; in Bolivia and some places in Argentina the god Ekeko is a standard amulet.

Because the Second Commandment of the Old Testament forbids the making of idols to represent God, Jewish amulets, also called Khamsa, emphasize text and names - the shape, material or color of an amulet makes no difference. The Seal of Solomon is probably the best known of Jewish amulets. It was said to be a magical signet ring possessed by King Solomon, which variously gave him the power to command demons (or jinni), or to speak with animals. Another Jewish tradition is the kimiyah or "angel text". This consists of names of angels or Torah passages written on parchment squares by rabbinical scribes. The parchment is then placed in an ornate silver case and worn someplace on the body.

The Jewish tallis (Yiddish-Hebrew form; plural is talleisim), a prayer shawl with fringed corners and knotted tassels at each corner, is a talismanic object that was originally intended to distinguish the Jews from pagans. The Jewish name for the prayer shawl is very close to the more ancient term "talisman."

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, most Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Orient believed in the protective and healing power of amulets and talismans as a result of pagan conversions. There is evidence that they all used their holy books in a talisman-like manner in grave situations. For example, a bed-ridden and seriously ill person would have a holy book placed under part of the bed or cushion.

Christian authorities have always been wary of amulets and other talismans. Believing that the reliance placed upon amulets demeaned one's faith in God, the Council of Laodicea, in the fourth century, forbid the clergy to make amulets and those who did were threatend with excommunication. But even with such restrictions their most holy symbol, the cross, was often used as an amulet. An upward cross drove demons and vampires away but in downward position it was viewed as favorable for communication with demons and to show friendship towards them. Even in the 19th century the Carlist soldiers of Spain wore a medal of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on their chests with the inscription ¡Detente bala! ("Stop, bullet!").

In Afro-Caribbean syncretic religions like Voodoo, [Umbanda]], Quimbanda and Santería, drawings are also used as amulets, such as with the veves of Voodoo. These religions also use colored candles as amulets. The candles are believed to have different effects of attraction or repulsion based on their color. African Voodoo ceremonies used a Mojo or luck bag that carried many lucky objects or a spell. Mojo bags are still popular today as many advertisements in magazines and on web sites promote their use and distribution.

Buddhism also has an ancient talismanic tradition. In the earliest days of Buddhism, just after the Buddha's death circa 485 B.C.E., amulets bearing the symbols of Buddhism were common. Symbols such as conch shells, the footprints of the Buddha, and others were commonly worn. Somewhere around the end of the 2nd century B.C.E. Greeks began carving actual images of the Buddha. These were hungrily acquired by native Buddhists in India, and the tradition spread.

The use of tattoos on the body as amulets is found in many different cultures. The Christian Copts used tattoos as protective amulets, and the Tuareg still use them, as do the Haida Canadian aborigines, who bear a tattoo of the totem of their clan. Some Thai Buddhist laypeople are tattoed with sacred Buddhist images, and even monks are known to practice this form of spiritual protection. The only rule, as with Jewish talismans and amulets, is that such displays may only be applied to the upper part of the body, between the bottom of the neck and the waistline.

During the tumultuous Plains Indians troubles in mid-19th century America, the Lakota Tribe adopted the Ghost Dance ritual, created by a Paiute Indian living in northwestern Oregon. Black Elk, the great Lakota Holy Man, received instructions on how to create a talismanic shirt that would protect the Lakota from the Greedy White Man's bullets. Tragically, the shirts failed to offer the Lakota any protection.

Hermetic talismans

The word talisman also describes a number of consecrated magical objects used in Hermeticism.

Instructions for how to create a talisman can be commonly found in Grimoires. These talismans, sometimes called pentacles, were usually either made to protect the wearer from various influences of disease and other forms of danger or to protect the wearer from demons and to seal a certain demon under the users control.

A common version of the later talisman is known as the Seal of Solomon. This became an extremely important talisman due to the legend that Solomon used demons to create Solomon's temple and was protected by a seal sent by God (although the earliest accounts describe this seal as a ring: see Testament of Solomon; later innovations were made by various ceremonial magicians and authors of other grimoires where they have described the seal as a ring.)

Evil Eye

A belief in the Evil Eye is practically universal: it exists on nearly every (if not every) continent of the world. First recorded by the Mesopotamians about 5,000 years ago in cuneiform on clay tablets, the Evil Eye may actually have originated as early as the Upper Paleolithic age. Amulets designed to protect against it have been found on every continent of the world. In some cultures, It was widely believed by the Ancients that certain envious or evil people could induce sickness and death merely by casting their Eye on another person. Its piercing force avowed to be so powerful could infect surrounding objects. These beliefs gave way to birth of many amulets and charms as well as blue-colored evil eye beads. “Evil eye” was the name for eye pictures, eye shaped beans or any other charms supposed to provide protection against evil eye strike. It was in the sixth century B.C.E. that ancient Greeks manufactured black-figure wine drinking vessels (literally known as “eye vessels”) with exaggerated eye figures on them, which were believed to prevent evil spirits enter the drinker’s body by mouth while drinking wine. some Asian and African peoples the evil eye is particularly dreaded while eating and drinking, because the soul is thought to be more vulnerable when the mouth is open; thus; the ingestion of substances is either a solitary activity or takes place only with the immediate family and behind locked doors.

Modern occurrences

Darfur war raises profit for makers of amulets 2004 would Darfur be an exception? The war that has inflamed Africa's largest country for more than 18 months and has come to represent the ugly divide between Sudan's Arab-led government and the communities of Darfur has also revved up business for the makers of hijabs, leather-pouch amulets believed to ward off harm that are worn widely across the parched Muslim region of the Sahel. The hijab makers here cater to all sides of the conflict. The rebels fighting the Sudanese government hang hijabs in ...

Demand for protective amulets on the rise as Thailand's drug war escalates 2003 Thailand Thailand's crackdown on drugs, which has seen the deaths of hundreds of suspected dealers, has had an unforeseen side effect _ boosting the market for amulets believed to offer magical protection against bullets and other violence.

Metal or clay talismans, often picturing Buddhist symbols or monks and worn on a neck chain, are a staple of Thai culture.

"Amulet collection has become fashionable lately

The Nation (Thailand) Trade in antique amulets soaring 12-08-2003 Collectors of antique Buddhist amulets pushed profits at related businesses to almost Bt10 billion this year, a 40-per-cent rise since the gloomy post-1997 economic crisis. The Kasikorn Research Centre estimates that the trade will grow 10 to 20 per cent a year on average. The "boom-or-bust" antique-amulet trade has always been closely aligned with the state of the country's overall economy and was dealt a severe blow in 1997. Prices nosedived 40 to 50 per cent, although those of the most sought- after Phra Krueang pieces, such as the "Benjapakee" or "Grand Five," ... [1]

MICHAEL MARMUR Jerusalem Post 12-25-1998 It's election time, and the amulet industry is moving into full swing. Many political parties will be issuing them wholesale in the coming months to encourage citizens to vote the way God intended. All over the country, extra staff is being employed to meet the expected upsurge in imprecations and incantations.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Paine, Sheila. 2004. Amulets: Sacred Charms of Power and Protection. Inner Traditions. ISBN 1594770255
• González-Wippler, Migene. 1991. The Complete Book of Amulets & Talismans. Llewellyn's sourcebook series. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 087542287X
• Koltuv, Barbara Black. 2005. Amulets, Talismans, And Magical Jewelry: A Way To The Unseen, Everpresent, Almighty God. Nicolas-Hays. ISBN 0892541172
• Andrews, Carol. 1994. Amulets of Ancient Egypt. University of Texas Press. ISBN 029270464X

External Links

• Hassett, Maurice M. Catholic Encyclopedia. 2007. New Advent. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
• Yronwode, Catherine. 1995-2003. The Lucky W Amulet Archive. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
• Bohak, Gideon. University of Michigan Library Exhibit. 1995. Traditions of Magic in Ancient Antiquity. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
• Stratos, Anita. Tour Egypt. 2006. The Charm of the Amulet. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
• Nazar Boncugu/ The Evil Eye Bead. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
• JJKent, Inc. 2004. History About Talisman Stones in Spain and Russia. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
• Festivals and Talismans Japan National Tourist Organization. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
• Crystal, Ellie. 1995-2007. Stone Amulets Crystalinks.com. Retrieved April 4, 2007.

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