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Horseshoe Magic

Horseshoe Magic

You may be lucky enough to find a horseshoe when you are out and about on your travels but what is all the fuss about them?

There is a very big connection between horseshoes and the Faerie folk, horse shoes being made of iron and the fair folk having a great aversion to the stuff.  The Faerie were blamed for all sorts of mishaps within the house such as things going missing, milk going sour and chickens not laying and to be honest they probably were responsible for a fair few of those things.  The belief was spread that Faeries did not like iron and so apparently people started hanging iron horseshoes on their front doors as protection and to bring luck into the house.  The horseshoe not only had the protective quality of being iron but it was also shaped like the moon which also had power and was believed to bring fertility and luck.

There are many stories all along the same theme about the blacksmith and the devil…the devil appearing inside a smithy one day and demanding that the blacksmith fit him with his own iron shoes.  The blacksmith realising that it was the devil made a shoe and nailed it to the devil’s hoof whilst it was still burning hot.  The devil was in such pain that he ripped off the shoe and swore never to go back to a smithy again.  Horseshoes were hung over the entrance of the house to ward against the devil and any evil spirits.

Another branch of folklore believed that the horseshoe was a symbol of the moon goddess and hanging the horseshoe over your door brought blessings and protection of the goddess.   There is also the suggestion that a horseshoe hung points downwards represented the feminine energy of the Irish goddess sheela na gig or the Christian Virgin Mary the inference being that the horseshoe was shaped like a yoni…obviously they had way too much time on their hands to think about things…

There are two schools of thought; one is that the horseshoe should be hung points upwards to stop the good luck from falling out and the second believe that the points should be downwards so that the luck pours out over those people walking through the doorway.

The horseshoe was also hung over doorways points downwards so that no witch would be able to pass under it and enter the house...which is frankly just rude...

In some cultures the horseshoe is hung in the house and touched to bring luck and in Mexico there is a tradition of wrapping the shoes in coloured thread and decorated with holy prints with a prayer added.

The horseshoe shape as a symbol has been adopted for luck and used in all manner of items such as jewellery to bring luck to gamblers particularly but also because it is shaped somewhat like a magnet it can be used to ‘draw’ money to you in magical workings.

The horseshoe has traditionally been made from iron which was the strongest known metal to our ancestors and it was also attached to the horse using seven nails, seven was thought to be a lucky number.   Horses of course had their own power and strength and when walking on cobblestones the metal of the horse shoe could have thrown off sparks which would have added to the magic.  Iron itself would have been believed to be magical because it was taken from the earth and could withstand fire and cold so it would have been very highly regarded.

Whatever the reasons for the belief, a horseshoe can be turned into a very effective protective or lucky charm and the symbol can be used in all kinds of magical workings.

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Rachel is a witch...has been for a very long time, not the green skinned warty kind obviously...the real sort - but she is also a working wife and mother living in Hampshire, England who has also been lucky enough to write and have published a growing stack of books on the Craft. She loves to learn she loves to study and continues to do so each and every day but has learned the most from actually getting outside and doing it. She regularly gives talks and workshops at pagan events. Rachel is also founder and an Elder at the Kitchen Witch online school of witchcraft. She likes to laugh...and eat cake...
 

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