Although Egyptian amulets were made of every
known material, the finest ones were carved out of
stone, such as lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, feldspar,
serpentine, and steatite. Sometimes metals such as gold,
copper, bronze, and iron were used. However, the
largest number of amulets found in excavations were
made of faience. Faience is a paste made out of ground
quartz crystal, molded, covered with an opaque colored
glaze, and then fired. Today, copies of Egyptian amulets
are frequently made of clay, ceramic, or silver. In this
section, I will use the amulet to describe all of these
magickal objects, whether they are amulets, talismans,
or charms.
Types of Amulets
There are actually two kinds of amulets. One type is
inscribed with magickal words, and the other type is
not. For example, Egyptian amulets such as the scarab
were inscribed on the reverse side of the amulet, while
those made by medieval ceremonial magicians often
consisted only of magickal words engraved on metal or
written on paper.
You can make many of the amulets out of clay, thin
wood, thin pieces of metal, or draw them out on paper
(see the illustrations on this page). Paper amulets are
usually carried in a small cloth or leather bag. Each
amulet is activated by chanting prayers or certain words
over it. You can do the blessing yourself. If you purchase
an amulet, you still need to activate it by chanting.
Amulets can be a valuable healing tool, for the visible
images work on the patient's subconscious mind and
reinforce any other healing methods you are using.
A typical ritual for activating the powers within an
amulet is simple to do with a minimum of material.