Oct 7

Magic of Knots by Heather

How many of you reading this sew, quilt, weave, spin, macrame, knit or crochet? Have you made a special something for yourself, a friend or a loved one? Perhaps you’ve made friendship bracelets/necklaces from embroidery threads?

If you have, then you have performed knot magic.

Then the cotton hankies we always had in a pocket or tucked somewhere, if you happen to be of that age, and being told to tie a knot in a corner to remind us of something we were tasked to do!

Or have you plaited some yarns together to make a hanging decoration for holidays or house protection, these can be called witch’s ladders, Rachel did a talk on these, you will find the link below.

Yarns and threads weave through mythology, leading us to present day practices. We find theses yarns in the classical histories depicting the Fates and the Moirai, to the Norns of the Norse. There is documentation describing how Seidr workers or Volvas, the practitioners of Norse magic, would sell three knots containing wind to sailors before they left on voyages. The first knot gave a gentle breeze, the second stronger and the third gale-force, the sailors could undo the knot to release the wind they needed.

Knots do appear to have been important to both Norse and Celtic cultures. Their artwork and jewellery often depicted what today is called knotwork designs. These patterns were then incorporated by monks into beautiful edging as they transcribed documents, either from other written works or when recording oral histories, whether as decoration. or as some scholars have hypothesised as protection, the knots possibly a symbol to tie up anything evil that tried to use the words.

Cords and yarns do seem to have a mysterious life unseen to us! We carefully put away cables in drawers, strings of lights, jewellery chains and cotton reels, but when needed again, they have managed to become tangled and knotted.

Knot magic is at its core a simple practice, with as many variations as there are practitioners. It is basically the tying of a knot or creating a stitch, whilst you breathe your intention into it, either by blowing, talking, chanting or singing whilst visualising your intention. It also wonderfully versatile, as it can be used for just about any type of spell you want to use it for. Looking into this subject, I would speculate that there could be as many ways of practicing this as there are the spell workers using it!

The ‘simplest’, I have put that in quotes as the only simple thing is that you use just one long piece of …. string, ribbon, rope, cord, yarn, wool, cotton etc.. Then you could incorporate colour to match your intention. Add in charms, feathers or other natural items.

You can use 3, 6 or nine knots, the multiples of three does seem to be a consistent theme. There is then the number of variables as to where the knots are started and placed. The first knot can be at one end, then alternating sides of the yarn as each is tied, or just following on from that end. Or the first knot can be placed in the middle, the next at one end, the third on the opposite end, then continuing to alternate – this is just a few examples I found several more.

There is a common theme of breathing your intention into the knots, as well as saying it, keeping the wording simple, for example just using one sentence, 'I am protected' as you tie each knot, but there are many different examples of rhymes that can be said, here are two;

This is repeated at each knot as you visualise your intention -

I tie the knot and set it right,

I tie it true and tie it tight,

I tie the knot and count to nine.

Now the thing I want is mine.

This one counts the knots as you visualise your intention –

By knot of one, the spell’s begun.

By knot of two, the magic comes true.

By knot of three, so shall it be.

By knot of four, this power is stored.

By knot of five, my will shall drive.

By knot of six, the spell I fix.