Iynx is an ancient hellenic tool for drawing magickal energy towards you or generate energy from your body. It is also used to send energy out of you to others or to a situation. This is described by the philosopher Damascius. Iynx or strophalos is a magickal tool used especially by Witches-devotees of Hekate as it is written by the Byzantine scholar Michael Psellos. In ancient Hellas it has been used with an appropriate bird and alternatively it was used as a spinning wheel. The tool was created by gold, crystals, leather or other materials. Special characters were written and they were spinning as the inyx was spinning too.

It was spring of 2016. My friend Katerina (devotee of Hekate) came to Hellas and she brought with her an iynx she had since she was a child. It was a wooden game for children. Well, she used it now for magick and she introduced me to this special tool.

According to Sarah Iles Johnston "a string or thong was passed first through one and then through the other of two holes pierced in the middle of a four-spoked disk. Finally the string was tied to gether so as to form a loop. By alternately increasing and relaxing the tension of the two sides of the loop, the operator caused the disk to spin." (Hekate Soteira, Scholars Press 1990) I decided to make an iynx like the one she describes, that will reflect the energy of Hekate. I was thinking of making it from iron, but the iron rope could not spin well. So, I chose wood.

The Iynx you see is a personal variation I made out of wood, based in the descriptions given from ancient texts. It is 100% handmade. Total length of the tool is around 60 cm. The wood is beech (Fagus sylvatica). It is ruled by Saturn. So it has protection powers and in Witchcraft when you engrave a beech with your wish, it comes true. In the middle we see an ancient hellenic symbol, triskelion, the three legs. As you spin the iynx the triskelion draws energy. The shape of this symbols helps in that process.

It is not difficult to make your own iynx if you know woodworking. You need an electric drill with circular drils to make the circle and with sandpaper you will smoothen it. A board of your favorite wood. You are going to secure the board with f clamps and you will use the dril to a part of the board to cut the circle. Don't use hand bandsaw. Make sure you have adjusted the drill correctly to low speed. After the cut, you need to smoothen the perimeter.  I used sandpaper no 60, 100, 220, 400. The handles ara made of cylindrical wood which you will cut with a thin saw and again with sanpaper you will make it smooth (no 100 and 400). With a small drill (size 2.5 or 3) you will make the drills for the rope. Try to use thin but hard rope with a natural color made of natural fabrics. Use soap to remove bacteria and a special oil for the wood, to preserve and refresh it. Teak oil, tung oil are good choices.

Use Of The Iynx

Iynx or strophalos is a symbol connected with Hekate. After being blessed and consecrated to Her, you hold it with your hands and you spin it towards or against you. It had been used in the past for love spells and especially from the hellenistic period to the byzantine period, to invoke the Goddess Hekate, inside of you. So, you will act with Her after using the strophalos. You have to align yourself with the Goddess's aspect as a Cosmic Soul.

As you spin you say magickal words like voces magicae, a charm, your wish and you spin. You have the image of what you want to draw in your mind's eye and when the iynx is returning to the normal position (after you have spin it) you stop saying any words and you visualize. Repeat this process to raise energy and direct it to the desired goal. If you are in the circle raise energy by spining the iynx and do the visualization when you finally stop the process.

An ancient use of strophalos is by prouncing correctly each of the seven vowels which have been connected with the sephiroth and the planets and the astral spheres. More specifically the vowels used like a transformatory formula using the breath to make the cells of the body vibrate a special planetary energy, always prepare the mind for a deeper connection during invocation. The fourfold breathing technique is what I use and a typical way to start before making some serious ritual.

• A = Moon
• E = Mercury
• H = Venus
• I = Sun
• O = Mars
• Y = Jupiter
• Ω = Saturn

This method can be used to connect yourself with the Goddess or a specific aspect of Her. The sound and the movement of the iynx should be perfectly aligned.

Seeing Hekate as the Cosmic Soul that is receiving the ideas from the Paternal Intellect and she sends them to the Creator God. The iynges are linked with those ideas of the Father. (Hekate Soteira, Sarah, Illes Johnston). According to the law of sympathy the whirling of the iynx and its association depends on Hekate. The Witch-Theurgist should use this power wisely. The functionality of the iynx is the invocation of Hekate inside the Witch-Theurgist.