Sumerian Goddess Inanna (Ishtar)

"My father gave me the heavens,
 gave me the earth,                  
 I am Inanna!

 Kingship he gave me,
 queenship he gave me,
 waging of battle and attack he gave me,
 the floodstorm he gave me,
 the hurricane he gave me!

 The heavens he set as a crown upon my head,
 the earth he set as sandals on my feet,
 a holy robe he wrapped around my body,
 a holy scepter he placed in my hand.

 The gods are sparrows, I am a falcon."

Inanna is among the most important deities and the most important goddess in the Mesopotamian pantheon. She is primarily known as the goddess of sexual love but is equally prominent as the goddess of warfare. In her celestial aspect, Inanna is the planet Venus, the morning and the evening star.

Ishtar is the East Semitic, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna, and is the cognate for the goddess Astarte.

The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar. The roof and doors of the gate were of cedar, according to the dedication plaque.

Through the gate ran the Processional Way, which was lined with walls covered in lions (about 120 of them) on blue glazed bricks. She was associated with, and often shown in the company of, a lion.

Inanna figures in various myths and epics, including The Epic of Gilgamesh. She got Enki drunk and tricked him into bestowing many attributes and powers upon her. In the myth The Elevation of Inanna, Enki, An and Enlil all give their powers to Inanna, making her the Queen of the Universe.

Inanna is a femme fatale whose lovers always seem to come to grief. She is impatient, impetuous, and demanding. Gilgamesh risked death when he spurned her advances, comparing her to a back door that would let cold air into the house.

The original Dance of the Seven Veils was Inannaís descent into the Underworld, her sister Ereshkigalís realm, where she was gradually stripped naked as she passed through the seven gates. First went her crown, next earrings, then necklace, breast pins, belt of birthstones, then bracelets and finally her gown.

No acts of procreation took place on earth while Inanna was in the Underworld.

When she discovered that her only way out was in exchange for someone else, she betrayed Damuzi into taking her place. Inanna's time in the Underworld is a myth of the lunar cycle, Damuzi's a myth of the seasons.

Magic in Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia was a vast region in Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system which has become known as the ‘cradle of civilization’ due to the huge number of feats the culture achieved. Agriculture, animal herding, and domestication had developed there by 8000 years ago. 

Magick and religion for Ancient Mesopotamians were inseparable parts of the same whole, because both were seen as the link between the physical reality and the subtle spheres of existence.

It can be difficult to grasp Mesopotamian magic as a cultural concept. Steeped in the philosophical traditions of Western dualism, we often view magic in a binary relation to religion, yet no such distinction existed in Mesopotamia. For people living in ancient Iraq and the imperial peripheries in Syria, Anatolia, and Iran during the first millennium B.C., magic was a part of everyday life. Far from being considered irrational, it was the guiding principle by which Mesopotamians understood various natural phenomena and their positive and negative consequences. For example, celestial omens could reveal a king to be in imminent danger, or portend fortuitous circumstances in war. 

Magic could also be used to combat the negative actions of ghosts, demons, and human sorcerers, as well as protect against the curse that resulted from unknowingly committing a sin, and thus losing the favor of one’s personal god or goddess. The responsibilities of a Mesopotamian magician could come under the umbrella of a number of specialties that we might refer to as magical, scientific, medical, literary, and religious.

A deep insight into the Mesopotamian civilization has been gained from the hundreds of thousands of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of writing, that they left.

Maqlú, which means ‘burning’, is a work composed around 700 BC spanning nine tablets. 

It details a ceremony which was supposed to thwart and drive away evil magic, protect the intended target from the bad magic, and weaken the person who was responsible for casting the malevolent spell or curse. The first eight tablets feature almost 100 incantations, and the ninth gives directions for the ritual. It is a work intended to aide an exorcist and his patient.

Maqlú, along with several other Mesopotamian texts, paint a picture of a society where magic was practiced both legitimately and openly, and illegitimately and maliciously.

It is implied that evil magic worked as the practitioners tricked the Gods into believing they were assisting a genuine need. The ritual in Maqlú was supposed to work by revealing the deception to the Gods so they would reverse what they had done to help the evil doer. But we can also build up a picture of a society in which ‘good’ magic was an everyday part of life for many people.

Although many people believed in or even practiced rudimentary magic, there were also professional magicians in ancient Mesopotamia. These professional magicians would have been specialists in a particular field of magic. Some would have been specialists in divination, while others would have been professional exorcists. As with some other ancient societies, many of those who worked in a field that was not fully understood were considered to be magicians; so scientists, doctors, and astronomers were placed alongside mystics and exorcists.

It was also possible to specialize within these fields. One set of mystics who specialized in a particular form of divination were the bārû, performed divination by consulting the livers of animals and also by observation of the flight of birds.

The liver was considered the source of the blood and hence the basis of life itself. The liver was divided into sections, with each section representing a particular deity.

(Picture: Divinatory livers, clay models for the training of soothsayers, in the Louvre).

Mesopotamian divination was not just divination, and not limited in development to a type of superstition, but was developed to the extent to which it was in fact a science.

One magical tradition which was quite widespread in Mesopotamia is that of the herbalist. Herbalists had access to long lists of plants which gave the names of plants, how they were to be prepared and what ailments they were to be used for and in what way. 

The herbalists did not only have to know his herbs but also when best to harvest them and had to observe the correct rituals when doing so. Also, there was a correct time when to administer the medicine to the patient. This timing was usually connected to celestial phenomena.

Ritual prescriptions included time and mode of harvesting, for example:

Look for a gourd which grows alone in the plain;

when the sun has gone down,

cover your head with a kerchief,

cover the gourd too,

draw a magic circle with flour around it,

and in the morning, before the sun comes out,

pull it up from its location,

take its root.

Often, the plant or its root may not be exposed to the sun or daylight at any time. The plant may also be addressed in speaking, asking it to give up its life or part of its substance for benign purposes.

Plants were seen to come in two varieties: male and female. This is not connected to any actual sex, but rather refers to potency, with 'male' usually referring to greater potency.

Plants growing in remote places such as on mountains may be seen as more potent than easily collectable plants. In addition, plants on mountains are nearer to the stars and thus more potent.

The role of stones in Babylonian magic is comparable to the role of herbs. Stones can have magical properties which are also collected on long lists.

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art  there is a cuneiform tablet with a list of 303 magical stones dating to mid- to late 1st millennium B.C. (picture left).

This multi-columned tablet contains a list of stones with their magical associations and medical purposes.

Stone, precious or not, could be used for figurines and statues who then had magical properties (e. g. guarding a place). Various metals such as gold and silver were also considered imbued with such properties. More often, however, stones were used for amulets on a piece of string or tendon (which in itself might be part of a charm) or could be tied onto the body with a strip of cloth, usually in the area which was supposed to benefit from the influence of the stone. Thus, a stone supposed to remedy stomach cramps might be worn in a bandage around the hips. Stones could be used as remedies and as prophylactic means.

Magnetite is known as a stone evoking the truth; he who carries it is obliged to speak nothing but the truth. Stones may be male and female just as herbs; this applies especially to the tone of colour, paler colours being female.

The power of the stones is supposed to be derived from the stars. Amulet stones are exposed to starlight over night to be 'charged'.

Two concepts are inseparable from all kinds of magic in Mesopotamian culture: the gods and the stars. All magic is connected to one, the other or both.

Magic rituals were often connected to the invocation of the gods who were likened to star constellations observed in the night sky, the planets, or the sun and moon. 

Anu, Enlil and Ea are represented by the whole sky, having their three regions staked out on the night sky the so-called Paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea respectively; Venus is Inanna / Ishtar in her female aspect as morning star and goddess of love, Mercury is the same god(dess) in her male aspect as evening star and god of war; Mars is the destroyer and god of pestilence Nergal; the Moon is Sin / Nanna, the sun is Shamash, and both are male gods; Marduk was Jupiter. The names for gods and planets can be used interchangeably.

The Egyptian Dream Book

Do you believe that dreams can foretell the future? If you do, then you are not alone. The divination of dreams, or oneiromancy as it is also called, has its roots in the ancient world. Dreams played a powerful role in the past.

From ancient Egypt to Greece, Rome, China, and the European middle ages dreams have been an important means for communicating with the dead, predicting the future and diagnosing illness. To many cultures the dream was an extension of reality, though often more powerful.

In the Book of Genesis, Joseph, the son of the Jewish Patriarch, Jacob, had the ability to divine the future based on dreams. According to the Bible, this ability allowed Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, which foretold a 7-year famine. This enabled Egypt to avoid this disaster and contributed to Joseph’s meteoric rise in the Egyptian hierarchy. 

The Bible is not the only ancient literary source that records the interpretation of dreams. The Egyptians had a ‘Dream Book’ which set on the meaning of many different types of dreams.

Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians used the messages in their dreams in order to cure illnesses, make important State decisions, and even to decide where to build a temple or when to wage a battle.

The ancient Egyptian word for Dreams was "rswt" meaning "To be awake". 

In ancient Egypt, priests acted as dream interpreters. The ancient Egyptians were often considered the fathers of the dream incubation technique. When an Egyptian had trouble he would sleep in a temple where he would dream, sometimes to the sleep enhancing fragrance of lilac oils. Upon waking the priest would interpret that night's dreams.

Dreams were considered to be divine predictions of the future. They were messages from the gods that could be foretelling of impending disasters or, conversely, of good fortune; therefore, understanding the significance of ones dreams was an important part of the culture.

It was also believed that dreams served as a window to the other side. Living people could see the activities of the deceased through dreams.

The ancient Egyptian Dream Book is a hieratic papyrus that probably dates to the early reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC). The papyrus  was found in the cemetery at Deir el-Medina, near the Valley of the Kings. 

According to the British Museum, “it is uncertain who the original owner was, but it passed into the hands of the scribe Qeniherkhepshef; on the other side of the papyrus, the scribe copied a poem about the Battle of Kadesh, which took place in the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC).

The book passed to Khaemamen, Qeniherkhepshef’s wife’s second husband, and then to his son Amennakht (both added their name to the papyrus). It passed down through the family for more than a century.

On each page of the papyrus a vertical column of hieratic signs begins: ‘if a man sees himself in a dream’; each horizontal line describes a dream, followed by the diagnosis ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and then the interpretation.

For example, ‘if a man sees himself in a dream looking out of a window, good; it means the hearing of his cry’. Or, ‘If a man sees himself drinking beer, bad; it means suffering will come to him.’ The text first lists good dreams, and then bad ones; the word ‘bad’ is written in red, ‘the color of ill omen’.

Dreaming of for example a deep well meant prison. A mirror indicated a second wife. Getting bitten  by a snake was associated with gossip and a blossom symbolized prosperity.

Other examples are:

• If a man sees himself plunging or swimming or diving in a river, good; it means he will get rid of all illnesses.
• If a man sees himself drinking wine, good; it means he will live in righteousness.
• If a man sees himself dead, good; it means he will live in a long life.
• If a man sees himself drinking blood, good; it means he will put an end to his enemies.
• If a man sees himself reading aloud from a Papyrus or an old (sacred) book, good; it means he will feel his dominion established.
• If a man sees himself watching a blossom, good; it means he will be blessed with prosperity.
• If a man sees himself watching the Moon shining, good; it means he will be blessed by the Divine Powers.
• If a man sees himself in a dream, his bed catching fire, bad; it means driving away his wife.
• If a man sees himself getting hurt by a thorn, bad; it means his lies will get him in trouble.
• If a man sees himself having sex, bad; it means he will hear sad news.
• If a man sees himself throwing a piece of wood in fire, bad; it means pain will come to his house.
• If a man sees himself cutting his hair, bad; it means he will experience a loss in his house.
• If a man sees himself getting bitten by a dog, bad; it means magic is against him, probably someone casted a dark spell on him!

Around 108 dreams, which describe 78 activities and emotions, are recorded in the ‘Dream Book’. These activities may be said to be things commonly undertaken by the average person. Most of these activities deal with some form of sight or seeing. The second largest category deals with eating and drinking, and a few more deal with receiving and copulating.  

Another interesting thing about the ‘Dream Book’ is that it was once part of an archive. In addition to this papyrus, there were a variety of papyri which dealt with literary, magical, and documentary works. 

The Indo-Greek king Artemidoros Aniketos who first wrote the most important ancient book of Interpreting dreams, the Oneirocritica based his work so much in this Manuscript. 

This manuscript now is being exhibited by the British Museum “No. III (BRIT. Mus. 10683)“.

Also read:

• 10 Ancient legends about dreams

Moon Worshiping

Hunter-gatherer societies generally thought of the moon as male, and its absence during new moon periods as dangerous.

Conversely, agrarian societies regarded the moon as female and benevolent. This may be because the planting and harvest schedules were based on moon cycles, and the moon came to be seen as a symbol of fertility. Over time, that relationship towards agricultural fertility expanded to include human and livestock fertility, hence the female symbolism.

Evidence of moon worship has been uncovered at archaeological digs all over the world, from the ancient Celts to the Egyptians.

Because of its size and also because of the events which accompanied the first appearance of the Moon, many ancient peoples regarded the Moon as the chief of the two luminaries. “The sun was of smaller importance than the moon in the eyes of the Babylonian astrologers.”

The Assyrians and the Chaldeans referred to the time of the Moon-god as the oldest period in the
memory of the people: before other planetary gods came to dominate the world ages, the Moon was the supreme deity. Such references are found in the inscriptions of Sargon II (ca. -720) and Nabonidus (ca. -550). The Babylonian Sin—the Moon—was a very ancient deity: Mount Sinai owes its name to Sin.

The moon has always played an important role in Egyptian religion. During ancient times, it was never as important to the Egyptians as the sun, though the moon was considered by them to be the nightly replacement of the sun. Within all of the known creation accounts, the Sun is always paramount. However, in the relationship between the Moon and the stars, the lunar god can be designated as "ruler of the stars”. The associated genders and level of benevolence changed according to dynasty.

That symbolic tradition survived and traveled to the Middle East, where the crescent symbol figures heavily into Islamic tradition. Archaeological evidence shows that Allah was initially the moon god, married to the sun goddess, and the stars were his children.

Modern pagans are primarily responsible for the resurgence of moon worship, although the attitude is somewhat different from the ancient traditions. Wiccans, especially, freely admit that they do not necessarily worship the moon itself, but use it as a symbol to represent the Goddess. The Goddess is the female aspect of deity, associated with fertility, while the sun is the male aspect associated with protection - these traits are often invoked during ceremony or magic rituals, to exploit the predisposition of the state of the sky to enhance the ritual's outcome.

Most moon festivals take place in autumn, because they are normally associated with the harvest. Halloween began as the pagan Samhain, and Thanksgiving is another modern interpretation of ancient harvest festivals.

Modern Chinese culture still celebrates the Mooncake Festival, which falls towards the end of September - another harvest festival. The bearing of lanterns and the giving of mooncakes commemorates a 14th-century uprising against the Mongols, but the holiday itself is focused upon the moon. Altars are set up to face the full moon, and the moon goddess Chang'e is a prominent figure of the day, prayed to by women hoping for good husbands and fertility.

Also read:

• Who is the Moon Goddess?
• Plant your own magical moon garden
• Inspiring Quotes About Autumn

The Vatican and the Goddess Vatika of the Underworld

The origin of the name Vatican is unclear. It has nothing to do with the Bible, Greek language or Latin, but most researchers think the name was borrowed from the Etruscan language. 

More than twenty-eight centuries ago, and before the legendary founding of Rome the mysterious Etruscans ruled the region of the Mediterranean before the rise of Rome.

Although the Etruscans developed a system of writing, the Etruscan language remains only partly understood, and only a handful of texts of any length survive, making modern understanding of their society and culture heavily dependent on much later and generally disapproving Roman and Greek sources. 

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the origin of the name Vaticanus is uncertain; some claim that the name comes from a vanished Etruscan town called Vaticum.

The Etruscans did not bury their dead inside the walls of their cities. Instead, they built a large cemetery on a hillside slope outside of their ancient city in the area that later became the city of Rome. The area, which is now St. Peter's Basilica, thus became known as the "Vatican". 

The guardian was the Etruscan goddess Vatika. She was the goddess of the Underworld and it was her duty to keep a watching eye on those who had passed away. 

It seems that the Etruscan’s beliefs about the afterlife were similar to those of ancient Egyptians. Treatment of the deceased's remains was important for survival and successful journey to next life.

Vatika had several other related meanings in ancient Etruscan. The name was not only associated with the goddess of the Underworld. 

It was also the name of a bitter grape that grew wild on the graveyard slope, which the peasants made into what became infamous as the name of one of the cheapest (and worst) wines in the ancient world.

It was also the name of a hallucinogenic weed, that grew on the slope and when chewed, was thought to produced prophetic vision.

Vaticinia was the name of the Etruscans female oracles. And according to a Vatican curator, the Vatican Hill takes its name from the Latin word Vaticanus, a vaticiniis ferendis, in allusion to the oracles, or Vaticinia, which were anciently delivered here.

The word passed into Latin as a synonym for "prophecy". The Latin word vaticinor means "foretell, prophesy" from vatis "poet, teacher, oracle".

Also read:

• Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec Goddess of the Underworld
• Scrying, The Ancient Art of Revelation
• Origins of the Magicians 

Scrying, The Ancient Art of Revelation

“People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.”

–Kahlil Gibran

Scrying is the occult practice of using a medium, most commonly a reflective surface or translucent body, to aid perceived psychic abilities such as clairvoyance. The media often used to "see" are water, polished precious stones, crystal balls, or mirrors. There are some who believe the art of scrying is not limited to the use of "reflective" or "translucent" bodies only, but includes other media. 

Scrying comes from the Old English word descry meaning "to make out dimly" or "to reveal." Adding the prefix/suffix 'be' (often 'gye' in Germanic languages), gives us the modern word 'describe'.

The objective might be personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, or inspiration, but down the ages, scrying in various forms also has been a prominent means of divination or fortune-telling. It remains popular in occult circles, discussed in many websites, and books; both modern and centuries old.

Scrying has been used for thousands of years by different cultures. Ancient Egypt used scrying in their Initiations. This included water scrying, dream scrying, oil scrying, and mirror scrying. One legend states that the goddess Hathor carried a shield that could reflect back all things in their true light. From this shield she allegedly fashioned the first magic mirror to "see."

One of the earliest written works of scrying comes from The Shahnameh, a historical epic work written in the late 10th century. Used in pre-Islamic Persia the epic gives a description of the Cup of Jamshid or Jaam-e Jam, as a cup of divination which, according to mythology, was long possessed by the rulers of ancient Greater Iran. The cup was filled with an elixir of immortality and was used for scrying. Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda explains that one could observe all the seven heavens of the universe by looking into the elixir and the whole world was reflected in it. In popular stories such as The Heroic Legend of Arslan, the cup is depicted as a crystal ball. Helen Zimmern's English translation of the Shahnameh uses the term "crystal globe".

Ancient Greeks practiced scrying using beryl, crystal, black glass, polished quartz, water, and other transparent or light catching bodies. 

In 1958, Classical Greek archaeologist, Sotiris Dakaris discovered a scrying center near the Dodona oracle. This temple was described by Homer and Herodotus, as a place where people would sit in complete darkness while awaiting their turn in front of the oracle. An extensive maze led to a long hallway where the 'gazing' would take place. Dakaris found the remnants of a bronze cauldron ringed with a banister which made it appear that people stand around the cauldron and gaze into it's contents for enlightenment or visions.

Dakaris also describes psychomanteums (sometimes spelled as psychomantium) used by ancient Greeks. These are mirrored rooms designed to communicate with the spiritual realm. 

Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD. He is famous for his Description of Greece is a ten book series that is dedicated to some portion of Greece from firsthand observations. In his observations of Patras, he writes:

Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its based touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the presage of death or recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect.

One of the most detailed examples of oil scrying are written in the Greek Magical Papyri written in Egypt between 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. This method of scrying is traced back to ancient Babylonians and found its way to the Egyptians and Hebrews.

Cloud scrying was actually used by the ancient Celtic Druids in order to further their intuition. Instead of looking for specific shapes in the clouds, they would allow the clouds to spontaneously form and give spiritual images for insight in battles, spiritual rites, or the harvest.

In A.D. 312 when Emperor Constantine was marching against the army of Maxentius at Rome, both he and his entire army saw a shining cross of light amid the clouds. This form of cloud scrying has been used as a form of divination around the world. Clouds are said to be the written messages of the Heavens, foretelling the outcome of current events. This is also the predecessor to the modern childs game of seeing objects in the clouds.

There was an entire Aztec cult dedicated to the god Tezcatlipoca, which literally translated means ‘smoking mirror’ or ‘lord of the smoking mirror’, whereby priests would use flat black obsidian mirrors for obtaining their visions (black being the color of Tezcatlipoca reserved only by priests and also represented strength). 

Franciscan Friar Bernardino de Sahagún, who collected ethnographies in the New World, once commented about Tezcatlipoca, “like thewind he is invisible and, like a shadow he moves across the land.” Within the mythology itself Tezcatlipoca’s omniscient powers derived from the implementation of his obsidian mirror in which he was able to know everything and ‘see into the hearts of men.’

Native Americans used a form of scrying by way of rising smoke. This isn't just the stereotypical movie version where a blanket is draped over a small fire and then lifted to release the smoke. Rather watching the rising smoke from a flame and divining images held within the smoke stream.

Nostradamus is believed to have employed a small bowl of water as a scrying tool into which he gazed and received images of future events. 

Alchemists Edward Kelley and John Dee employed a form of scrying using a small crystal ball or shewstone - a piece of polished obsidian. The crystal ball and wax tablets used by Dee and Kelley are on display at the British Museum in London.

This powerful tool is now even being used for therapeutic purposes, as Dr. Raymond Moody has utilized scrying techniques to allow people to access an altered state of consciousness so they can connect with the spirit world and departed loved ones.

One class of methods of scrying involves a self-induced trance, with or without the aid of a medium such as a crystal ball. Some say that the sensation is drug-like, some that various drugs can potentiate the experience; others categorically exclude any connection with drug usage, claiming that it invalidates any images observed.

Many practitioners say that the scrying medium initially serves to focus attention, removing unwanted thoughts from the mind in much the same way as repetition of a mantra, concentration on a mandala, inducing the relaxation response, or possibly by hypnosis. Once this stage is achieved, the scryer may begin free association with the perceived images. The technique of deliberately looking for and declaring these initial images aloud, however trivial or irrelevant they may seem to the conscious mind, attempts to deepen the trance state. In this state some scryers hear their own disassociated voices affirming what they see, in a mental feedback loop.

Practitioners apply the process until they achieve a satisfactory state of perception in which rich visual images and dramatic stories seem to be projected within the medium itself, or in the mind's eye of the scryer. 

What each person sees is different. Some readers see only colours and light from which they can divine meaning. Others see shapes or cloudy figures in their visions. Still, others get perfectly clear images they are able to remember. It is very personal and there is no one right answer.

More than what a person sees, how they interpret the images varies as well. Depending on what you are seeing, whether colours or full scenes, will inform what you take away from it. Some people use scrying to get a feeling for a situation while others are able to read symbols and explain the meaning behind them.

You don’t have to do either. Scrying can just be a meditative process for you. This form of divination can also just help you relax your mind and find your inner self.

Scrying helps us to get in touch with our unconscious minds: the realm of the soul. As such, it can be used as a powerful form of self-understanding and psychoanalysis. If you’re struggling to find direction, meaning or purpose in life, scrying could be a wonderful way to get in touch with your core needs, dreams and goals.

Also read:

• The Folklore Of Iron
• Key Symbolism and Meaning
• Origins of the Magicians 

Key Symbolism and Meaning

The first lock with key was discovered in Egypt and dates from about 3000 BC. It was made of teak wood, measured about 60 cm and controlled the access to a temple. It could be actuated by means of a curved key, provided with pins, with lengths and specific provisions. The principle of the Egyptian lock was extremely innovative and influenced the field of the locksmith around the world.

Some keys dated from the second millennium BC. were indeed discovered in Iran, Morocco, India, Africa and China.

This system also influenced the Romans whose keys were made of bronze. 

Medieval Europe largely operated and realized goldsmith masterpieces. It was at this time that the first keys with rings appeared, depicting religious buildings facades.

But it was during the Renaissance that the art of locksmithing peaked. During this period, the key was a full-fledged artistic object and had finely crafted rings. It was not unusual for sculptors and artists, in Italy in particular, to propose very sophisticated models of keys to master locksmiths, which could take years of work. Sometimes characters and faces were well represented in finely crafted rings. In France, King Louis XVI, who was himself a locksmith, possessed an extraordinary workshop and regularly indulged in this passion.

Picture above: The key to the Petit Trianon. Given to Marie-Antoinette by her husband Louis XVI in June of 1774. When he gave it to her there was a ribbon on it with 531 diamonds.

The Victorian era was a period in which the artistic side of the key yet rubbed its security function, but over time, with huge advances in metallurgy of iron, the key radically transformed and lost its beauty and finesse to become only functional.

Today, despite the emergence of electronic locking systems, the key still withstands modern technology thanks to its reliability and simplicity.

The Symbolic Meaning of Keys

Keys have represented various spiritual symboligies for as long as man has had locks. They are connected with gateways and portals, doorways to the unknown, knowledge, mysteries, powers, initiations, new ways, forbidden things and answers to curious questions.

keys represent knowledge and success. They can open doors which are closed to other than the key holder. Possessing a key gives a person access to locked rooms. The key is also a symbol of freedom and liberation.

Keys have been used as a symbol of authority and power for ages in many societies and ceremonies around the world.

They are often associated with various literary idioms, specific deities or spiritual figures, and are often used as part of charms or other magical tools. 

In modern romantic notion a key necklace may symbolize “the key to my heart”. 

Let’s look at some spiritual figures that are most often associated with keys:

Janus is the two-faced Roman god of gates. He could look in both directions at the same time. All doors have an entrance and an exit. He was the gatekeeper. He could see the past as well as the future. Janus was the beginning and the end. He was wisdom. He could grant success and new opportunities. He is sometimes shown carrying keys in his left hand and his staff in his right hand. The month of January is named after Janus.

In Christianity, the visage of Saint Peter holding the keys to the gates of Heaven can be easily found in religious art from Christendom to the modern era. 

A newly consecrated Pope will receive two diagonally crossed keys in silver and gold. This emblem symbolizes supreme authority and the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven”. The crossed keys are shown in the coat of arms of the Holy See.

In Voodoo practices, Papa Legba, often depicted as an elderly man with a cane, a dog and keys is also a gatekeeper, acting as a liaison for those between the spiritual and the physical realms. He is said to speak every human language and be a conduit between the mortal and deities, allowing for communion and safe passage if travel into the astral planes is granted.

Lord Ganesh in the Hindu spiritual path is the great elephant god, the mover of obstacles and for this reason very often associated with keys. Commonly locks or keys can be found with a Ganesh design on it to symbolically representing the unlocking of a path or knowledge. Ganesh is associated with wisdom and spiritual knowledge, making him not only a prime example of key symbolism but also a deity, like so many others, associated with journeying.

Hecate, a goddess often described as the Queen of the Witches, is another underworld deity associated with gate keeping and keys. Much like Papa Legba and Saint Peter, she holds the keys that allow passage into the spiritual realm.  She is a great protector and is associated with keys, and dogs among other things. Trivia is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hecate, goddess of the three-way crossroads.

Anubis, the dog headed ancient Egyptian god of the dead was often associated with keys. He would escort the soul of the dead to the underworld after its heart had been weighed and measured.

There are about 20 additional Chinese deities for the protection of city walls and all associated with keys.

Korean mythology has another two and Hindu religions include the solar deity Pushan, who not only oversees the journey of the dead but is also responsible for journeying and cattle care.

In other paths like Santeria, voodoo both Haitian and Louisiana paths there is Ellegua who is a messenger god.

Key Superstitions

Earlier it was not uncommon that Jewish midwives would place a key in the hand of a woman giving birth. Preferably the key should be to a synagogue. The sacred key was meant to “unlock” the infant and ensure a safe delivery of the baby.

In Eastern Europe there was a superstition that a key brought good dreams to the owner. The key had the power to prevent all bad dreams. To make this work a key was hung upside down on the wall over the bed.

In Ionia, located in present day Turkey, there was a tradition to bury the dead with an iron key. It was important the dead could unlock the door to the Underworld.

And in Japan, the key is a symbol of prosperity because it opens the rice granary. In tales and legends, it marks the steps of purification and initiation.

The Ceremony of the Keys

The Ceremony of the Keys is quite famous. It takes part in the Tower of London every single night. It is a gate closing ritual performed by Yeoman Warders, often called Beefeaters.

The chief Yeoman Warder carries a candle lantern and the Queens keys. This ceremony is a very old tradition. It has been performed every single night at 21:52 for the past 700 years.

Earlier it was more about securing members of the royal family and other important people staying at the Tower of London. Today it is mostly about securing the crown jewels.

This ceremony is extremely popular. It is possible to attend, but you will have to book your ticket months in advance. They do not allow any pictures to be taken.

Girl Scouts Key Symbolism

In the Girl Scouts there is a tradition to have a ceremony when a girl scout advances from one level to the next. When a Junior Girl Scout advances to the Cadette Girl Scout she is presented a silver key.

The leader declares:

”I present to you a Silver Key, which symbolizes that you are seeking to unlock the doors to Cadette Girl Scouts a as you begin work on the Silver Leadership and Silver award.

Wear it as a symbol that you are passing through the doorway to new experiences where you will gain an understanding of your own self-worth and individuality. Now as Cadette’s, let us recited the Girl Scout Promise and Law.”

Skeleton Keys

Skeleton keys are keys that can unlock multiple locks. Some call them pass keys. The name skeleton keys came about because the keys have been filed down of its essential parts. Some people also call antique keys for skeleton keys.

Skeleton keys are used as amulets and talisman all over the world. They are used to help the owner make all their innermost and important dreams come true.

It could be in any area; love, finances, career, exams. The skeleton key is there to assist you see possibilities and solutions. It opens the doors of opportunity so that you can reach your goal.

Key Charm and Key Necklace

“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

The symbolism of the key is quite obvious; it opens a door. It is a symbol of opening the door to your heart.

A key charm or a key necklace is a popular gift to give on important birthdays as the 16th, 18th and 21st birthday. It symbolizes opening doors for a brighter future. It represents opening of the doors to a successful career and new possibilities.

Many may wear a key charm or necklace when looking for a job or a change of work place. It is believed to be an amulet that will assist the wearing find doors of opportunity.

Some people will buy a key charm for themselves when they move into a new home. This will ensure a happy home.

In Japan it is not uncommon to find charms made up of three keys joined together. The three keys are said to unlock the secrets to wisdom, life and love.

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• The Folklore Of Iron

The Folklore Of Iron

Iron has played a curious role in witchcraft, sorcery, and the supernatural. It is found mentioned in folklore around the world. Belief holds than iron is one of the best charms in providing protection against demons, ghosts, evil spirits, and other malevolent supernatural creatures.

Iron is a symbol of strength, protection, and life-giving warmth, as it is seen as a combination of the elements of Earth and Fire. Until the introduction of steel, iron was the most durable metal known to man, and this was reflected in mythology and folklore as well. Thor's hammer Mjolnir was forged of iron, and even in the Norse myths the legendary heat retention properties of iron were demonstrated: the hammer would become so hot when thrown, Thor wore iron gloves to protect his hands.

Iron has been considered sacred in some cultures. The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians and Aztecs believed it came from heaven, perhaps because the composition of meteorites is of iron and other metals.

The earliest iron artefacts were made millennia before the Iron Age, from meteoric iron that had fallen from the sky. This was when the sky was still the realm of the gods. Therefore, iron was a gift from the gods, and must be imbued with godly powers. Accordingly, these first artefacts were fit for our gods on earth. For example, the pharaoh Tutankhamen.

Being that iron is a mineral buried within the earth, once it was uncovered that you could obtain iron not only from meteorites, but deep within the earth, certain cultures regarded iron as the lifeforce of the earth. It was regarded as a magical substance because it could withstand both the elements of fire and a deep freeze of the cold, and because it was still harder than most if not all metals at the time.

Many people have heard that horseshoes are good luck, but not many sections of the lore go into depth that they are only good luck because they are made out of – you guessed it – iron.

Iron has been a popular metal for making amulets with which to ward off danger, bad luck, and the evil eye.

Ancient Saxons would not put iron rune wands in cemeteries for fear that the iron would scare away the departed spirits.

In India iron is believed to repel the Djinn and other evil spirits.

The Chinese sometimes wear outside of their clothing a piece of an old iron plough-point as a charm; and they have also a custom of driving long iron nails in certain kinds of trees to exorcise some particularly dangerous female demons which haunt them.

In Morocco it is customary to place a dagger under the patient's pillow, and in Greece a black-handled knife is similarly used to keep away the nightmare. 

In Germany iron implements laid crosswise are considered to be powerful anti-witch safeguards for infants.

Iron amulets were worn by ancient Babylonian and Assyrian men in the belief that it would enhance their virility; the women rubbed themselves with iron powder in order to attract the men.

The ancient Egyptians inserted iron amulets in the linen of mummy wrappings in order to invoke the protection of the Eye of Horus.

In certain areas of Burma, the river men still wear iron pyrite amulets for protection against crocodiles.

In Scandinavia and in northern countries generally, iron is a historic charm against the wiles of sorcerers.

Picture: A trollkors or troll cross is an amulet made of a circle of iron crossed at the bottom (possibly in the shape of an odal rune), a charm worn by early Scandinavian peoples as a protection against trolls and elves, and to ward off malevolent magic.

The legendary strength and durability of iron makes it a natural component in spells of protection. Witches and sorcerers have constantly used iron throughout history for items as cauldrons, wands, and utensils they employ in magical practices.

If magic is an energy, a physical force, then perhaps iron makes more sense as wand material. We know that iron can attract and conduct electricity, focus and release it, store it as magnetic energy, or disperse it by returning it to the earth. Iron can change form. It can be made molten, fluid, and malleable, and then set into unbending forms of our design. 

In the 18th century Franz Anton Mesmer used iron in his healing treatment (see Mesmerism). He believed iron conducted animal magnetism, a vital energy which every body had and needed.

Alchemically, iron is associated with physical strength, protection, energy, masculinity, and Mars, which makes sense considering that iron was one of the first metals used for weapons of war and has often been a display of power.

It also makes sense given that too little iron in our blood causes fatigue and weakness—anemia.

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Sinister Sparkle: 10 Mysterious & Cursed Gemstones

They're beautiful but deadly. Here is a collection of terrifying accessories that have killed their owners, or driven them mad — at least according to legend. From the Hope Diamond, to a stone that was almost worn to a recent Academy Awards, here's our list of the most cursed pieces of real-life jewelry.

The Hope Diamond

Tantalizing beauty, rare color and impressive size are just trivial attributes of this most notoriously infamous diamond Jewelry.

Arguably the most famous and most cursed precious gemstone in history. Rumor has it the original stone was stolen from a Hindu idol and acquired by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.

The Hope Diamond has been blamed for a laundry list of tragedies, including but not limited to: beatings, stabbings, murder, insanity, and suicide. In fact, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette owned the fancy blue diamond during the French Revolution and their beheadings.

The last person to privately own the diamond – an American socialite named Evalyn McLean – had her daughter die of an overdose, her son die in a car crash, and her husband leave her for another woman. The trustees of her estate sold the Hope Diamond to Harry Winston, who eventually donated it to the Smithsonian. It remains there to this day, so you can view the Hope Diamond’s rare, deep blue coloring whenever you’d like.

The Black Orlov Diamond

Also referred to as "The Eye Of Brahma Diamond" this stone was allegedly stolen from one of the eyes in a statue of the Hindu god Brahma in Pondicherry by a monk. Which would explain the curse, and the many suicides to follow the owners of this black diamond.

In 1932, a diamond dealer took the Black Orlov to New York City to try and find a buyer for the famous stone. He killed himself by jumping from a skyscraper just a few months later. 

The next owners were two Russian princesses, Nadia Vyegin-Orlov (whom the precious stone was named after) and Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky, who both committed suicide (months apart) by jumping to their deaths from buildings in Rome in 1940. 

The diamond was later cut into three smaller pieces in an attempt to break the curse by Charles F. Winson. Most famous is 67.5 carat Black Orlov pendant set into 108 diamond setting suspended from a 124 diamond necklace that has been displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Natural History Museum in London and many more. 

The actress Felicity Huffman was supposed to don the necklace at the 2006 Academy Awards, but mysteriously decided against it. Smart move.

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond

“He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God or woman can wear it with impunity.” With such an ominous warning in old Hindu transcripts regarding this fine stone, one can only be too cautious about it. 

The allure is not just that this huge diamond stands tall in the British Royal Crown, now displayed at the Tower of London, but the tantalizing history that follows it. Fought over by rulers all over the world, the Koh-i-Noor has a particularly bloody history. Its early history is 5,000 years long, where it was captured and re-captured by India, Persia, the Afghans, and the Sikhs. The Koh-i-Noor’s curse is rumored to only affect men; women are immune to its bad luck.

The whopping 739 carat rock in uncut form has traversed many hands; from the memoirs Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, it once belonged to Rajah of Malwa but stolen in 1306. 

The British Royal family acquired it in 1950 with the reign of Queen Victoria and since then it has only been worn by women of the royal family, including Queen Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Mary of Teck and the late Queen Elizabeth to heed the legend.

The Delhi Purple Sapphire

This jewel was discovered just 30 years ago by Peter Tandy, curator at the Natural History Museum in London. Found inside the museum's "mineral cabinets" the gem was supposedly sealed up in several boxes, surrounded by protective charms and came with a warning:

“Whoever shall then open it, shall first read out this warning, and then do as he pleases with the jewel. My advice to him or her is to cast it into the sea.”

Many suspect the gemstone (which is not technically a sapphire) was part of the looted treasure stolen from Temple of Indra in Cawnpore during the bloody Indian Mutiny of 1857. The cursed quartz was brought into England by Bengal Cavalryman Colonel W. Ferris, who eventually went bankrupt, as did his son (after he inherited the stone).

It was then purchased by writer Edward Heron-Allen, who later claimed it brought him nothing but bad luck. So he gave it away to friends, who promptly returned it after experiencing mountains of misfortune including a singer who lost her singing voice (forever!) after possessing the stone. Gem Select even claims that Heron-Allen threw the Delhi Purple Sapphire into Regent's Canal, only to have it returned a few months later (after a dealer bought it from a local dredger). The jewel was eventually sealed up and sent away to the family banker with the instructions that it should stay forever locked away until Heron-Allen's death. Only after three years after his death would his banker be allowed to donate it. And under no circumstances was Heron-Allen's daughter ever allowed to touch or possess the stone.

The Sancy Diamond

The Sancy is a 55.23-carat pear shaped diamond with a pale yellow hue. Like some of the other cursed diamonds on this list, the Sancy Diamond was allegedly stolen from India. A French soldier sold the Sancy to King James I of England, who actually wore it as a good luck charm. 

The Sancy Diamond is believed to be cursed because it has disappeared and reappeared so many times in its history.

At one point, the diamond was “stolen” from a messenger and believed to be lost to thieves. However, the Sancy was found just a few days later in an unexpected place. Medical examiners discovered that the diamond was inside of the messenger’s stomach during his autopsy. He had swallowed it so that the robbers who murdered him would not steal it.

The Lydian Hoard

The Lydian Hoard is a collection of elaborate jewelry, plates, pots and other golden pieces. But the brooch and necklace from the Hoard have caused its owners nothing but trouble. 

A part of King Croesus' treasure, the loot dates back to 547 B.C. But in 1965 (when it was discovered in an dig in the village of Güre) is when the real trouble begins. The treasure was found in the tomb of an unknown princess, and promptly looted by just about everyone. 

Over 150 relics were ransacked. Almost all the looters met with sickness, bad luck and death.

The Regent Diamond

Famous for decorating Napoleon’s sword, the 140.64-carat Regent Diamond has a faint blue hue. The diamond originally rose to fame after it was – you guessed it – stolen from India. The slave who stole the Regent from India’s Golconda Mine is the origin of its curse.

To swipe the diamond, the slave had to hide it in an open wound on his leg. He then hopped a ship for Europe in hopes of selling the diamond, but the ship’s captain got word that the slave was carrying an extremely valuable gemstone. The ship’s captain murdered the slave and sold the diamond himself, starting its long history of being handed down through generations of French royalty.

Nowadays, Regent Diamond can be found not in a slave’s leg wound, but rather on display at the Louvre, along with the Sancy Diamond mentioned earlier.

The Shah Diamond 

This rough-looking lasque-cut diamond has a dark and violent history. Ever since the 16th century it has been at the center of many usurps and invasions, with each new shah and conqueror seizing it from his predecessor and transferring it to their own headquarters. 

As a result, this diamond has made its way from India, to Persia, to Moscow. 

Three shahs have even engraved their names in it, making it even more mysterious and unique. This cursed diamond is displayed today in the Kremlin building, along with the Orlav diamond, where they are both exhibited as one of the seven famous gems.

La Peregrina Pearl

La Peregrina (literal translation “the pilgrim” or “the wanderer”) has most certainly wandered the hands of many rich, royal and famous. Never has history seen such a tumultuous token of love for the possessor suffers heartbreak. 

Discovered in the Gulf of Panama in 16th century, this large pearl was a gift from King Philip II of Spain to his betrothed Queen Mary of England before their marriage as a token of his love in 1554. 

Queen Mary also nicknamed Bloody Mary, for ordering execution of hundreds of Protestants during her reign, was abandoned by King Philip and died without an heir. After her death La Peregrina was given by the king to Elizabeth I, Queen Mary’s half sister, when he proposed to her. 

It remained with the Spanish Royalty until Napoleon Bonaparte seized the Spanish crown and the pearl. 

The Pearl came in to much lime light because of its legendary owner, the glorious Elizabeth Taylor. It was Valentine’s gift from then husband Richard Burton. We all know her infamous scandalous romantic liaisons which seem to never last for long. And while she got married for total eight times the pearls remained with her throughout her topsy-turvy relationships.

Black Prince’s Ruby

They might call it a ruby but this fiery red rock isn’t a ruby at all. It in fact is a large spinel, a hard glassy mineral worth much less than a ruby gemstone, giving it its infamous name “The Great Imposter”. 

This blood red ruby has a bleeding yet glorious history. The first record dates back to 14th century when it was pillaged by Don Pedro the Cruel, emperor of Seville, Spain from the Moorish Kingdom of Granada. From one conqueror to another the “ruby” was next famously owned by the Black Prince – Edward of Woodstock, so known because of the his success in the battlefield during the Hundred Year’s war. The next conqueror with yet another success at war was King Henry V who had set the Black Prince’s Ruby in his helmet and wore it when he defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. The gem passed on to British Royalty who almost lost it twice but now is sits regally at the dead-center of the Imperial State Crown of England exactly above the Koh-i-Noor Diamond.

With such scandalous and blood trodden history build on castle of lies, deceit and desire for power, is it much of a surprise that these fine piece of gemstones jewelry carry with them bad luck and ill will? 

Some legends surrounding these artifacts might be hyped for the curses they carry but it sure makes for an intriguing bed time story.


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