Keys are a worldwide symbol of good luck and new opportunities. They open doors to new worlds, new faces, and fresh beginnings. They also lock doors and protect us from taking certain destructive paths and protect us from intruders. Keys have been a part of folklore and magic for centuries. Let’s explore the importance of key magic and how to incorporate keys into our spiritual and magical practices.
Magical Keys of the Gods
Certain gods and goddesses are known to be key-bearers. We see them wearing keys on their belts or around their necks. Or they’re known by their culture for opening doors and pathways for those who ask them. Hecate is an ancient Greek goddess of witchcraft, the life/death cycle, and of the crossroads. She’s known as Lady of the Keys and is said to be the goddess who opens the doors/portals to the spirit world. Berchta, an ancient Celtic alpine goddess, wears a set of three golden keys on her belt. She is a psychopomp, escorting the souls of children to the other side, and therefore carries keys to the spirit realm just like Hecate. Truly any liminal deity bears keys of some kind, including: Minerva, Hermes, Papa Legba, and Ellegua.
Menshen: God of Doors and Keys
The Chinese God Menshen is a god of doors and gates and therefore presides over keys as well as bears them. Being that Menshen is a threshold deity, he is also a liminal deity. He guards doors that are portals to other places and in the spirit realm are portals to other worlds. When his presence is in a home, he holds the keys that lock your door from intruders or opens it to loved ones.
Key magic is ancient and powerful.
An elaborate lock, doorknob and door knocker on a Medieval door.
Medieval Iron, Blacksmiths, and Church Key Magic
In modern times, it seems we’ve forgotten the magic of small contraptions like locks and keys. But imagine what our ancient ancestors endured before the invention of locks and keys! There was once a time when people didn’t have locks and keys or even heavy doors to protect their homes from outside threats. We know that keys and locks existed as early as four thousand years ago, whence began their magic.
Protective Iron and Sacred Blacksmiths
In Medieval times, locks and keys were made from iron, which in and of itself had protective properties. Iron was believed to ward off evil spirits and dark magic, which is why locks and keys were made of it. Spirits can get through small spaces like locks but not if those locks are made of iron! This is why blacksmiths were considered magical people: they made things with iron! They forged protective magic with their hands, tools and fire.
Magical Church Keys
If we look at Medieval locks, we see how important they were. They were iron but also decorated or forged with symbols like dragons and lions. This added extra protection to the keyhole/lock from evil spirits. Some old churches in Europe still bear their Medieval iron locks and keys. Old lore says church keys were especially powerful in that they held healing properties. To pour water through a church key and let a sick child drink it meant healing was inevitable. It was an honor to be trusted with the keys to a church or any important building just as it’s modern tradition to grant the mayor the “keys to the city”.
The Keys of King Solomon
King Solomon is said to be one of the greatest sorcerers of all time. He commanded a whole host of celestial spirits like angels, demons and djinn. The Key of Solomon is a grimoire written in the fourteenth century that’s attributed to King Solomon’s magic. The “key” in this regard is representative of Solomon’s magical abilities and spells to open doors to the spirit or celestial realms.
The Key as a Female Symbol
The key as a symbol is seen in nearly every culture. In ancient Norse culture, the key was a symbol of female power. Women were given the keys to the household and therefore became the key-bearer of the family. It was an honor and tradition. She wore the keys on a belt or cord along with other sacred tools like a knife and sewing tools. Beccause of the association between keys and women, keys have been used in the childbirthing process. To place keys under a laboring woman’s bed aids her delivery. To learn more about the lore and power of keys in history visit historicallocks.com.
There are so many ways to use keys in your practice!
Simple Ways to Do Key Magic:
Old keys always call to me. Any time I’ve found them at a thrift store or yard sale, I pick them up and keep them. There’s a reason keys are so powerful. In addition to using keys as offerings to your ancestors and liminal gods, they can be used in your craft easily in these ways:
Worn around your neck as a good luck charm
Hung above an ancestor altar as “keys to the other realm”
