by Amber K
Folklore gives us many ways to protect and bless our homes, from a sprig of rowan fastened near the entryway to the brightly colored hex signs of the Pennsylvania Dutch, to the inverted horseshoe nailed above the door to "catch the luck" and hold it. The "Witch Ball" is one more protective device.
A Witch Ball is a hollow glass sphere hung at a window, or in a corner of a room near the ceiling, that averts or traps evil before it can bring harm to the occupants of the home. It may only a couple of inches in diameter, or large as a pumpkin.
Some writers have said they were called "Witch Balls" because they were made to protect a home from Witches. It is just as possible, however, that the balls were used by Witches to ward their own homes, and those of their clients.
No one knows exactly when these talismans first were used. The manufacture of glass and the ability to make blown-glass vessels are very old skills; the Roman Empire had a lively trade in glass two thousand years ago. We know that Witch Balls were used in Old England, but whether this was a legacy of the Roman occupation or a later custom is uncertain. Certainly Witch Balls were common in colonial America.
Many witch balls were coated inside with silver notrate. It was said that these reflected the "evil eye" or any negative spell back on the sender. Also, any demon seeing his face reflected in the silver ball would be frightened and flee, or maybe seeing the world reflected in a curved, distorted way was enough to confuse him. Other balls are created with slender threads or pillars of glass inside to catch any evil spirit that ventured within. Yet others were simply the glass balls, clear or green or blue, used by fishermen to float their nets. Perhaps these were reflective enought to work the same way as the silver balls.
Witch balls have also found their way into the garden as a form of the large "gazing globes" on pedestals that adorned many Victorian gardens and are still seen occasionally today. If a flower garden is a place of beauty and serenity, a refuge from the cares of the world, certainly it deserves protection as much as the house itself.
Another place where Witch balls turn up is on the family Christmas tree - or more accurately the Yule tree, as the custom of dragging a tree indoors is doubtlessly Pagan in origin. The tree may be a variant on the Yule log, which was orignally a huge dead tree (and phallic symbol), conveyed to the manor house by the men of the village with much singing and ribald horseplay. There one end was placed in the great hearth, and a fire kindled. Over several days of feasting and festivity the Yule log was gradually pushed into the fire as the end was consumed.
The Yule tree may also have been a representation of the World Tree of old Northern Europe. The whole universe was imagined as a great ash tree, called Yggdrasil. Its roots reached down into the Norse underworlds, Niflheim and Muspelheim; its crown stretched up to Asgard and the halls of the gods; and in its branches deer and other wild creatures browsed. This great tree is akin to the Tree of Life of the ancient goddess civilizations of the Near East.
On our Yule trees today we place lights and stars and candy canes, carved animals and elves and Santas and - of course - little glass spheres. Witch Balls. Gold for the reborn Sun god, and silver for the Moon Goddess, whose blessings and protection we ask for the coming new year. In Ancient Ways, Pauline Campanelli suggests that the "shiny glass balls catch the light of the new born Sun and send it back as a magical means of enhancing the Sun's energy."
You can have your own Witch ball up year 'round. Buy a large and beautiful Yule ornament, or seek out a glass fishermans's float in an antique shop, or look in a catalog of garden statuary such as Toscano's for a "gazing globe." Give it a special place of honor in your home or garden, invoke the gods of your choice, and consecrate it to its protective purpose. Dust it frequently to remove any negsativity from its surface. Perhaps it will make your home that much more of a safe have.
How To Make A Protection Witch Ball
glass ball or Yule ornament with an opening
bottle of silver paint
a spool of read thread
few drops of frankincense or patchouli oil
scissors
Cover you working space with newspaper to protect against spills. Take the metal cap off the ornament. Carefully pour a little of the silver paint inside the ball and swish it around until the inside is completely covered with the silver. Set it aside to dry.
When the paint is totally dry, cut the red thread into three inch-lengths. Carefully poke this thread into the open end of the ball. Continue cutting and putting the thread into the ball untill the ball is nearly full. Put in a few drops of oil. Then put the end back on the ornament. If it has no end, seal it with candle wax.
When you hang the protection ball, chant:
"Symbol of the Moon, symbol of the Lady divine,
Reject all negativity, defend this home (car), me and mine".
This protection ball can be hung in the window of your home or in your car. Any negative thoughts or ill-wishes directed against you are reflected back to the sender. You can also decorate the outside with appropriate designs. You can put them onto wreaths or make them part of a dried flower arrangement. Programmed for protection, these little Witch balls do a very good job.
http://groups.msn.com/Covenstead/witchballs.msnw
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