Sanguina Cruenta
I've been starting to pay attention to the bazillion emails that end up in my inbox daily from "Beginning Wicca" and "Amber and Jet", and one of the topics from the latter has been whether Wiccans actually wear necklaces of amber and jet. Apparently they don't (or rather, they can if they choose to do so, but it isn't actually traditional).
I've always been fond of jet, it being preserved wood, black, and apparently a protective stone for witches ("witches amber"). Amber, too, is very pretty and a traditional stone linked with the Northmen.
I like the opposites represented by the two stones, of life and death. Tree "blood" and dead tree
wink I'd happily wear both stones myself.
Is there a particular importance of amber and jet in your own religion or tradition? Do you place any value in them yourself? Do you wear them ritually?
Who said amber and jet aren't worn by Wiccans? It's worn by every initiated Wiccan I know!
It's never been presented to me as a choice - rather, it's an honour and a priviledge. I guess it is optional; I don't -have- to wear amber. But I do. It's one of my favorite stones, and I worked for years to have the right to wear it at coven. We often tell guests to grab the attention of someone wearing amber or jet beads if they have a question or need help; it's an easy way to identify priesthood.
I have handled and strung much of the amber and jet for my own coven. I always treat it with reverence, and handling very old amber or jet that's often worn will always suprise you with how charged it is with energy.
The gems themselves are dual in nature, possessing the proper polarity to represent the polarity inherent in Wicca. Jet, the bones of the earth, dark, female. Amber, the blood of the earth, bright, solar, masculine.
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