What in the World is a Witch's Ladder?
A witch's ladder is one of those nifty things we sometimes hear about but rarely see. Its purpose is similar to that of a rosary - it's basically a tool for meditation and ritual, in which different colors are used as symbols for one's intent. It's also used as a counting tool, because in some spell workings there is a need to repeat the working a particular number of times. You can use the ladder to keep track of your count, running the feathers or beads along as you do so.
Traditionally, the witch's ladder is made with red, white and black yarn, and then nine different colored feathers or other items are woven in. You can find a number of different variations in metaphysical shops, or you can make your own. The witch's ladder shown in the photo was crafted by Ashley Grow of LeftHandedWhimsey, and includes sea glass, pheasant feathers, and charms.
History of the Witch's Ladder
Although many of us in the modern Pagan community use witch's ladders, they've actually been around for quite some time.
Chris Wingfield of England: The Other Within, describes the discovery of a witch's ladder in Somerset during the Victorian era. This particular item was was donated in 1911 by Anna Tylor, the wife of anthropologist E.B. Tylor. It was accompanied by a note that read, in part, "An old woman, said to be a witch, died, this was found in an attic, & sent to my Husband. It was described as made of "stag's" (cock's) feathers, & was thought to be used for getting away the milk from the neighbours' cows - nothing was said about flying or climbing up. There is a novel called "The Witch Ladder" by E. Tylee in which the ladder is coiled up in the roof to cause some one's death."
An 1887 article in The Folk-Lore Journal detailed the object more specifically, according to Wingfield, and when Tylor presented it at a symposium that year, "two members of the audience stood up and told him that in their opinion, the object was a sewel , and would have been held in the hand to turn back deer when hunting." In other words, the Somerset ladder could have been used for this purpose, rather than for malevolent ones. Tylor later backtracked and said he had "never found the necessary corroboration of the statement that such a thing was really used for magic."
More at site
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These are also known as Pagan prayer beads. Many religions have prayer beads of some sort...the pagans are no different!
A witch's ladder is one of those nifty things we sometimes hear about but rarely see. Its purpose is similar to that of a rosary - it's basically a tool for meditation and ritual, in which different colors are used as symbols for one's intent. It's also used as a counting tool, because in some spell workings there is a need to repeat the working a particular number of times. You can use the ladder to keep track of your count, running the feathers or beads along as you do so.
Traditionally, the witch's ladder is made with red, white and black yarn, and then nine different colored feathers or other items are woven in. You can find a number of different variations in metaphysical shops, or you can make your own. The witch's ladder shown in the photo was crafted by Ashley Grow of LeftHandedWhimsey, and includes sea glass, pheasant feathers, and charms.
History of the Witch's Ladder
Although many of us in the modern Pagan community use witch's ladders, they've actually been around for quite some time.
Chris Wingfield of England: The Other Within, describes the discovery of a witch's ladder in Somerset during the Victorian era. This particular item was was donated in 1911 by Anna Tylor, the wife of anthropologist E.B. Tylor. It was accompanied by a note that read, in part, "An old woman, said to be a witch, died, this was found in an attic, & sent to my Husband. It was described as made of "stag's" (cock's) feathers, & was thought to be used for getting away the milk from the neighbours' cows - nothing was said about flying or climbing up. There is a novel called "The Witch Ladder" by E. Tylee in which the ladder is coiled up in the roof to cause some one's death."
An 1887 article in The Folk-Lore Journal detailed the object more specifically, according to Wingfield, and when Tylor presented it at a symposium that year, "two members of the audience stood up and told him that in their opinion, the object was a sewel , and would have been held in the hand to turn back deer when hunting." In other words, the Somerset ladder could have been used for this purpose, rather than for malevolent ones. Tylor later backtracked and said he had "never found the necessary corroboration of the statement that such a thing was really used for magic."
More at site
____________________________________________________________
These are also known as Pagan prayer beads. Many religions have prayer beads of some sort...the pagans are no different!
