by Janette Peel

Created on: May 14, 2008

Charms and symbols can bring powerful positive vibrations into your life.

Most of us use charms without realizing their power and significance. We touch wood' for luck, exchange wedding rings and wear the colors of our favorite sports team whilst watching a match. All of these actions originate from a time when everyone believed that the energy of the universe could be channeled into objects and symbols.

Charms and symbols are still effective tools today when used with awareness and clear intent. For example, a horseshoe hung with the points facing upward brings you luck as it symbolizes a new Moon; wearing the same clothes as a celebrity allows you to feel as successful as them.

There are also certain symbolic items that Wiccans, may use when performing rituals and casting spells.

An altar: Creating an altar is an essential part of being a witch. It provides you with a special place in which to practice magic. All religions used altars and the items that are placed there, such as chalices and candles are imbued with a significance that helps to maintain a sense of holiness. The altar is a place set aside from daily life and is used as a focus for the meeting of the spiritual and material worlds. It is here that deities and humans interact. Altar items should be kept for sacred work and never used for any other purpose.

o In ancient times, the hearth was the first altar. It was the life blood' of the home, a place where the family would gather as the fire provided light and heat. Even today, many people still keep their special items, family photographs and mementos on the mantelpiece above the fireplace unknowingly maintaining this tradition.

o In Ancient Rome, people maintained special shrines in their homes dedicated to the household deity. They worshiped there at every lunar quarter and redecorated the altar according to the phases of the Moon and seasons.

o In the same way, Wiccans maintain their own altars and keep their magical tools there. The flames of the ancient hearth are recalled in the lighting of the ceremonial candles.

Amulets: Amulets are used to protect the spell-caster from any evil influences that may be about. They can be man-made, such as a horseshoe or a piece of jewelery decorated with a precious stone or made from a metal that corresponds to the wearer's astrological sign, or naturally occurring, such as a rabbit's foot, a seashell or a stone, again with astrological correspondences to the wearer.

o In Ancient Egypt, numerous animal-headed

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