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Lady_Elaine

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Forest Queen

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Posted Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:20 pm...

Hands

The hand of a corpse, preferably a hanged criminal, was ,long thought to contain powerful magic.

A candle made from such a hand was thought to render the carrier invisible, or to cause everyone in the house to sleep until it was distinguished. It was thought that this was used by thieves to conceal their activities. This was called the Hand of Glory. Another version of this legend called for the hand to be used as a candlestick for the same purpose. The hands of the dead were also thought to be able to effect a cure when rested on a sick person. A dead man's hand removed by the woman of the house would also enable her to create better butter than her neighbors.

While we do not, in the Craft, use real hands we do use wooden or ceramic ones. The former, carved so that is seems to beckon from the knuckle side and warm from the palm side, would be stood upright in the window to indicate whether it was safe for other Witches to call. These are very similar in appearance to the ones sold as "ring stands" these days. Ceramic hands are often made and given as Handfasting gifts to ensure a long and happy relationship. Making a cast of a baby or young child's hand is thought by some to ensure that the child will grow up to be successful. If you feel tempted to do this please ensure that you create a mould from each side of the hand separately, rather than encasing the whole in plaster which may shrink and cause distress, and possibly damage.

"Self-forgiveness is the most effective kind."

~from the Real Witches Year by Kate West

If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough.-- Albert Einstein

Blessings Bright and Dark,

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