Let’s Talk Witch – Knot Magick
A lot of Witchcraft involves what we call sympathetic magick. No, this doesn’t mean doing magick for people you feel sorry for (although that’s okay, too). Sympathetic magick is when you use one thing (a poppet or doll, for instance) to represent another (the person the spell is going to affect).
Knot magick is one of the oldest and simplest forms of sympathetic magick. Its use dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, and it went on to spread through Greece, Rome, and on into the rest of Europe. Although it originated with male mystics, it eventually came to be thought of as “women’s magick” because working with thread was seen as a woman’s occupation. (As if woman’s magick was somehow less powerful because a woman did it. Silly, I know, but there’s the medieval male mind for you.)
Knot magick is a type of sympathetic magick because the knot represents binding. Essentially, tially, you tie the knots as you cast your spell, and this action binds the power of the spell into the thread or cord you are using, making the spell more powerful and longer lasting.
You can tie just one knot or you can use the more traditional practice of using a long cord and tying nine knots, with the first knot at one end, the second at the other end, the third in the middle, the fourth and fifth halfway between the end and the middle, the sixth and seventh between the fourth and fifth and the end, and the last two between the central knot and the ones closest to it. (If this is too confusing, don’t worry about it: just tie nine knots anywhere.)
Either way, remember to focus on the spell you are doing and what you are trying to achieve.
There are many variations on the words to say while you are tying the knots, and you can always just make up your own.
But here is one example I particularly like:
By the knot of one, the spell’s begun.
By the knot of two, it cometh true.
By the knot of three, so mote it be.
By the knot of four, open the door.
By the knot of five, the spell’s alive.
By the knot of six, the spell is fixed.
By the knot of seven, the stars of heaven.
By the knot of eight, the stroke of fate.
By the knot of nine, the thing is mine!
When you are done with your knot magick, remember to put your thread or cord on your altar or someplace else that is safe–there is a lot of power “tied” up in it now.
Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft
Deborah Blake
Witches Of The Craft® 