Internationally acclaimed author, Desmond Morris, has traced the history and mythology associated with over one hundred amulets. The protective amulets and charms featured in Body Guards are among Morris' personal collection.
Photography
Morris has acquired these objects from his worldwide travels to more than seventy different countries. What makes this book so wonderfully enticing are the beautiful photographs of the fascinating variety of artful charms, crystals, beadwork, pottery, woven articles, and animal totems embedded within its pages.Symbolism
Body Guards is a representation of amulets and talismans with which we adorn our bodies. Each symbol, crystal, or power animal has its unique history originating in superstition, legend, and cultural or religious traditions. Mystical powers were once (and perhaps still are) believed to have been bestowed upon the owners of certain objects or sacred symbols such as the wish bone, rabbit foot, scarab, crescent moon, horseshoe, etc. Morris indicates that the four-leaf clover is the most popular of all good luck charms. If you want to know why some people superstitiously consider the four-leaf clover luckier than the three leaf shamrock, the author offers the history of both in his highly interesting descriptions.Content
Two of my favorite chapters are Helping Hands, which focuses on hand gestures that we use in our body language, and Rock of Ages, which describes the mystical properties held within a selection of choice crystals. I learned that my birthstone, the topaz, was said to protect the wearer from any cooling in a relationship and that it was also the favored stone of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. A general outline of the topics within the chapters of Morris' book include animal magic, crystals, plant power, religion, inscriptions, body parts, eyes, hands gestures, and dwelling protectors.
