Hand of Glory

A while back I traded my modern wicca-inspired rites in favor of works of raw energy and studies of the old ways and I find this one to be particularly fascinating. I could be posting a lot of magic(k) as I am well versed in many areas of the concept, but I've come to understand the basis for every ritual of that nature is the same - intent and will, and these are things that can't be explained no matter that people have tried to explain it. In my opinion you can or you can't, simple as that. In other words, expect little more than ritual posts of the following nature from me. On with the Hand of Glory:


Though the rite can be traced back to early 14th century Europe, I get the feelings it's much older than the best evidence conveys. Back in the day it was believed the hand of a newly hanged man held mystical powers and was incredibly lucky. So as you can imagine, when someone fucked up and was strung from a tree thieves were standing in line with a hatchet to chop of the hand and either sell it or harvest it for personal use. More often than not, it was the thief himself who cultivated the power of the Hand of Glory by lighting the fingers on fire, rendering whomever he chose motionless for as long as the hand was lit. Surprisingly no preparation was needed in making the hand flammable, as human fat burns easy - ask any mortician with an an urn and an oven. Burnable fat is also the reason why the hand had to be fresh. Too bad people don't get hanged anymore, otherwise instant power would be ripe for the pickin'.


Another superstition like it is one in which the tooth of a hanged man was charged and could be used for many ritualistic purposes, though these were often extracted and cultivated by women.




A Hand of Glory from the 'glory days'