History, especially during ancestral times, identifies men as the protectors. It is written about how they protected women from predators and rival tribes. This continued as the predominant view throughout history and is still considered true in many countries, cultures, and personal beliefs. Often now, men continue to be viewed as the primary protectors.
In history, men went off to war, men brought home the food, men went out to sea, and many more examples can come to mind that prove them the protectors. Meanwhile, women were the bearers of children and tended the home. This patriarchal view does not give recognition to how powerful women were as ritualistic protectors.
The general historical representation of how societies operated with their patriarchal roles does not acknowledge the vast amount of influence women had in the greater picture and specifically in quiet, behind the scenes. To begin, many women also had to provide physical protection, go to war as caregivers, bring home food, work alongside men, cook and clean, train the children, and complete all the tasks men did. Men, however, were unable to bear children and seldom acknowledged or saw value in women’s home chores and, worse, gave value to their participation as protectors through their spiritual intention practices.
Quietly women began to first use knots, in accordance with universal laws, to tie an intention between spirit and an object. This first began with concerns for the birth and safety of children. Then they began to find ways to strengthen universal connections through the use of amulets, talismans, sigils, and many other ways of using form to set an intention for an object.
The women’s practice is a form of curiologics, a representation of something formed through a picture. Hieroglyphics is a common way of picture writing. There are some sources that do not include symbology in curiologics. However, more sources say symbols are used to represent words or thoughts and therefore are a form of curiologics. When women developed the use of knots and amulets to call in intentions, their knots represented words and ideas as a means to call in the connections and intentions for an object.
It’s not known exactly when women first began using knots, but there are many archeological digs that have found evidence of women with their ceremonial knots. Since women were the first herbalists, it has been theorized that knots for intention came about at the same time women learned how to use herbs for food, flavor when cooking, and healing. Knots were simply an extension of their healing magic and skills.
There is archeological evidence that this magic was passed down from mother to daughter for several hundred years. The information was kept exclusively by the women for women to use and not shared with men. Over time, history has records that show women shared the topic with their men, but not for a few more hundred years did men as well take up the magical practices.
Though it’s been known for centuries, women have called in spiritual and universal entities, to help bring intentional desires to seal well-being and protective agreements together through the use of words, symbols, and items. Throughout many indigenous cultures and for centuries, knots, amulets, and talismans were commonly used to form a protective band with the earth and divine for various things under women’s care. It is thought, a mistaken belief, that this practice originated with witchcraft.
Actually, the belief in knots, amulets, and talismans for general use and especially protection, predates both witchcraft and Christianity. It was called women’s earthen magic before it became popular for tribal and village men to use these spiritual methods as a part of their skills.
Tying knots and creating amulets and talismans was considered women’s practice. The belief in forming external forms by agreements with earth and divine entities for well-being and protection was initiated by women and was practiced in many cultures for centuries throughout the world. In the various cultures and regions of the world, women used both public and private ceremonies to create the original forms of intention, in agreement with universal understandings, agreements, and laws. It was believed women, out of their connection with Earth’s plants, instinctively knew how to create and form agreements centuries before men.
They began by wearing something that would bring luck, protection, or other intentions and keep evil away from the wearer. Then they expanded to include family and community members, until it was further expanded to include objects of personal interest. There was a strong belief that when calling an intention, it could only be done for good; if done for harm, equal harm would come back to the person who called the intention.
Many of these ritualistic practices are considered Earthen agreements, with the originator calling in spirits to help them maintain well-being and protect what they wished. The women used wisdom and ceremony to decide what to include when requesting help.
Knots were considered the very earliest form used for intentional agreement with universal laws. Women found their first desire was to protect their children. At first, it was only the mother or grandmother to create the child’s first cord. Since it was common enough for a woman to leave their community to join her husband, the practice of creating the child’s cord expanded to the midwife being the first to create the cord. If the community had a soul keeper, it was her responsibility to not only create the cord but keep the cord in goodwill and safety.
The first cords, used for children, included tying a cord around the child’s wrist, keeping locks from their first haircut, and later having tied knots woven within children’s clothing. When this practice seemed to have some success, it began to be expanded to include more objects and uses over time.
Following knots being used as protection, knots took on different forms of recording. Initially, individual knots recorded important dates or were used as numbers (quipu). Quipu was a main cord with smaller cords or varying colors that represented numbers, dates, and calculations. Then knots represented ways to not only count and record events but also to communicate. Knots represented words through the use of different colors and forms of knots.
Knots began what was considered women’s magic. Women’s magic evolved from knots to include using symbols on amulets, talismans, and the like. There became a perception that stronger connections could be formed by symbols calling in divine and earth spirits to create stronger intentions.
As women’s magic progressed, they wanted to formulate stronger connections than they thought the knots held. Women therefore created new forms of connections through word and picture symbols called amulets, talismans, lucky charms, sigils, and such. What the practice was called directly had an association with the group of a specific region of origin, culture, and group using this new way of calling in an intention. The ideas were generally interchangeable; however, the specific practices and beliefs began to change from one group or region to another. They also evolved from the belief that a calling could not be used to harm to some groups practicing harm against an opposing group or other.
Amulets, talismans, charms, and sigils are all somewhat interchangeable, though, over time, the definitions have become a little more defined. In general, all of these items are an object, either natural or human-made, that are believed to be endowed with special powers for protection, well-being, or to bring good fortune. Only later were some forms created to bring protection by creating harm toward an enemy.
These forms of protection use words, phrases, symbols, and pictures with a calling to create an intended outcome. Often these forms of calling are done and reinforced through personal or private ceremony. Most are done for personal use with a few to assist a group with their intention, and some are created to bring a specific intention to another person or object.
While some symbols are personal, others are created for usually a living creature, such as a pet, farm animal, or other important life form, and some may be created for an object, such as a home, car, or other important item. All these forms of intention are linked to providing protection or for some good intent. Even those who bring harm to an enemy believe they do so in the protection of self or group.
Charms are the less-identified items. They are considered simple objects meant to bring luck or fortune. Common examples of charms include dreamcatchers, four-leaf clovers, ladybugs, and fortune cookies. They are often found in nature but may be human-made, as well.
In some cultures, amulets are items from nature that are carried on a person or kept within close proximity to keep one safe. Some practices believe an amulet is created to ward off evil by using something natural; some examples include a four-leaf clover, rabbit’s foot, shells, and bells. All of these are meant to enhance the life of the person who carries it.
Talismans in belief systems are human-made and all are a symbol that possesses magical powers. Talismans are created symbols, often worn on the body to bring good intent to the one wearing them or having them near them. The symbols may be a picture or a design created by words from a phrase.
Sigils are most often associated with witchcraft. They are created through acts, rituals, drawings, objects, and pictures. It is believed sigils are created through the use of the most magical intention and may leave a marking on the bearer.
in all my research, I found the names initially interchangeable by the differing groups using them, and only over time did groups begin to define the difference between names as being different methods, brought about in different ways and with slightly different uses. I personally am using an eclectic approach that comes from the oldest cultural practices before the methods were more separately defined. Most of the original practices included ritual where the calling encompassed intent, object, words, and others in conjunction with an element or base.
At one time, all these items held the same intent: to enhance, through protection, well-being, and goodwill to a specific person, group, living creature, or important item. This piece is not intended to finely define each method. Rather, this is to bring forward information in a way to use an item with positive intention for a living creature or significantly important item, into practice. Whatever you call the method, the intention is based on good faith and a desire for good to come to whatever or whoever receives the calling of the item.
The next part will focus on knots, the first form of protection. After that, the following piece will provide further information on amulets/talismans. The last piece will describe ways to use these methods with your pets.