Modern Magick Carpets
by Estelle Daniels
When I was a kid I all read the Arabian Nights Stories and remember about the wonderful magic carpets. The hero would ride through the air to all sorts of wonderful places, with only a single magical word needed to command the carpet. I would dream of having a neat thing like that, but as I grew up I realized that it was not to be. The magic carpet was a thing of fantasy, and existed only in fairy stories.
But then I became a Witch, and discovered that some of those magical things in fairy stories can and do exist in the 'real' world, much to my delight. Today, it might seem impossible to have a magic carpet of your very own, but I will let you in on a little secret; I do have a magic carpet, and furthermore, you can too!
In my living room, which doubles as my temple room, I have an oriental carpet. It's nothing really fancy, it's domestic and contemporary. But the pattern is an old Persian pattern called the "Tree of Life". This is a common pattern for oriental carpets, in fact it is a classic pattern for oriental rugs. The colors may vary, but the design always has several features. It is symmetrical, from side to side, no matter which axis you measure from. It has a central design which branches out to the edges of the rug. This is the "tree". It is bordered with designs, and usually has some design in the exact center of each side. The carpet may be most any size from 12" X 18" to 12' X 16' (or larger) rectangular, to octagonal, round, square, or a long runner for a hallway. The traditional colors are wine red, with navy, gold and white, and light blue or green accents, but they are now made in many color combinations. Traditionally, the best carpets were made of silk, but nowadays they are made also of cotton, wool, and acrylics.
After years of doing magic in the living room, on the carpet, I came to discover, that my carpet has come to hold quite a bit of magical energy by itself. I can lie on the rug, centered on the "tree" and feel a circle, ready to be activated. It takes but little concentration to activate the circle, maybe as little as a Word. Sitting in the center of the carpet, I can meditate and travel to wherever I want, both within and without this world. Divination on the carpet is better; stronger, more clear and centered. I get better results while studying or reading on occult and magical subjects there, than in other rooms of the house. Some days, I can feel the carpet being both in the solid mundane world and also simultaneously in the magical world of the inner planes.
When the carpet is freshly vacuumed, it seems to work better for my magic, than when it's dirty. As I clean it, admittedly with a thoroughly modern tool, it seems to realign the energies to where they should be, straighten out any stray influences and reset the circle for use.
This Tree of Life pattern is very ancient, and is capable of storing much power. My magic carpet just happens to be oriented north-south in the long axis (it's rectangular 11' 6" X 8' 6".), it's wool and the colors are light blue, cream, gold, black and pink. When I do circles in the living room, I put the quarter candles on the designs in the border at the center of each side in the rug, where the "quarters" of the rug are. The carpet is big enough to easily hold eight people in a circle, but rarely do we 'limit' our circles to just the area of the carpet. Still, when magic is done there, either solo or in class or in groups, the carpet is in the center of the circle.
This is a really interesting phenomenon. I have several oriental rugs in the house, and two others have some residual energy potential, others do not. The ones that have 'traditional Persian' patterns are the ones with energy potential. The colors and fabrics of these rugs vary. The rugs without energy potential, are Chinese, 'contemporary' or abstract in pattern, or are plain and have no pattern at all.
It would seem that those ancient Persian rug makers, along the silk trade routes, developed more than just pretty patterns those millennia ago. These traditional Persian patterns carry magical potential, and can act as batteries for magical energy, when used for ritual purposes. I think of them as magical energy battery sigils. I have found that it seems to matter little what colors or fabrics are used; even acrylic rugs exhibit battery potential. This might seem impossible, but I have friends who swear by their Lucite wands also. The pattern itself holds the magical potential, and though it might operate better if executed by hand in traditional silk and wine red, navy, white and gold colors, the pattern still has quite a bit of potential no matter what color or fabric it exists in. Even machine-made rugs, made in the USA, in various colors and fabrics (which all of mine are), still work for magical purposes.
You could get elaborate, and have a magic carpet that you could roll up and carry with you for an instant circle, wherever you might go. Take it on trips, to festivals, to your regular coven meetings. Of course, you would have to take care of the carpet, keep it clean and not let it get wet or mildewed. And, depending on the size, you could just have a carpet for one (or two) or a carpet for a large group. Think of the endless possibilities. A magic carpet for every occasion! And if you started with the idea of making your carpet a magic carpet, putting deliberate energy into it, rather than just accidentally discovering the energy uses as I did, your carpet might be ready for those magical journeys in no time at all.
So next time you are out driving and see one of those roadside rug venders or a garage sale, think about purchasing yourself a magic carpet. It takes a bit of time and energy investment, but with work and Intent, you too can have your very own magic carpet, to ride the ether on your magical journeys.
Blessed Be.
© 1995, 2002 Estelle Daniels, all rights reserved.