Silver-plated altar bell, 2 1/2″

Church bells across Europe were once rung against thunderstorms, in the belief that their sound drove off the spirits that raised them.

Origin & Traditional Use

Bells have marked sacred time for thousands of years, from temple and monastery bells to the small hand bells rung at the altar during the Mass. Their sound is widely believed to scatter harmful spirits and to call good ones. In modern witchcraft a hand bell opens and closes a circle and clears the air between workings.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Clearing a room: ring in each corner, moving clockwise, and listen for the tone to become clear and even.
• Opening and closing: three rings to begin a rite and three to end it.
• Quarter calls: one ring at each direction as the elements are invited.

Ceremonial & Occult Magick

• Marking stages: rung to divide the parts of a ceremony and to signal the opening and closing of the temple.

A Simple Working

• Open the windows of the room.
• Light a stick of frankincense incense and carry it once around the room.
• Stand in the east corner and ring the bell three times.
• Move clockwise and ring three times in each corner.
• In the centre, ring once more and say ‘This room is clear.’
• Close the windows.

Pairs Well With

• Frankincense incense: for smoke cleansing alongside the sound.
• A pentagram candle snuffer: to close a rite quietly after the final bell.
• A chalice: a standard altar tool beside the bell.
• Sea salt: to seal the corners once the room is rung.

Lore & History

The phrase ‘bell, book and candle’ comes from the medieval rite of excommunication, at the end of which the bell was rung, the book closed and the candle put out. Medieval bells were often blessed and inscribed with prayers against storms and demons, and bell-ringing during thunderstorms persisted in parts of Europe into the eighteenth century.

What You Receive

Silver-plated altar bell, 2 1/2″ x 1 3/4″, available with a pentagram design, a triple moon design or plain.