The Hand of Glory is probably the most powerful tool made out of a man’s corpse. With such a candle, witches and sorcerers could cast a spell over the inhabitants or any home, rendering them insensible and motionless. The potential for burglary is obvious.
The following ritual must be observe to acquire a fully-effective one :
Go to a gallows near a highway or crossroads and cut off a hand (preferably the right hand) of a hanged felon.
“Using a strip of the burial shroud to wring it dry of any remaining blood, you then put the hand into an earthenware pot, filled with a concoction of herbs and spices, and left it to marinate for two weeks.”
Take it out and expose it to bright sunlight until it is dry. If it is not a sunny day, it is permissable to heat the hand in an oven along with vervain and fern.
Make a candle out of the fat of a hanged man, ponie (probably horse dung), sesame, and virgin wax. The dead man’s hair should be used to make the wick
Place the candle between the fingers on the hand.
There was also a way to ensure your home could not be broken into with the help of a Hand of Glory.
During the dog days of summer (July 3-August 11), one should prepare an unguent from three ingredients:
- The gall of a black cat
- The blood of a screech owl
- The fat of a white hen
This ointment should be smeared over the thresholds, chimney stack, window frames, and any other place a person might use to break into one’s home.
Once the unguent was in place, no one can break in using the Hand of Glory.
