Knotty Control Of Light

ד' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 5

In follow-up to the flurry of knotted witch's ladders I've created for WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu within the past week or so and my Torah commentary for this past Shabbat (Mind Magic and the Art of Control), this interesting synchronous news article is reported today by Foxnews:

Twisted physics, scientists create knots of light
By Jeanna Bryner - LiveScience

Like your shoelaces or electrical cords, light can get twisted into knots. Now, scientists have used a computer-controlled hologram and theoretical physics to turn a light beam into pretzel-like shapes.

The twisted feat not only led to some pretty cool images, but the results have implications for future laser devices, the researchers say.

"In a light beam, the flow of light through space is similar to water flowing in a river," said lead researcher Mark Dennis of the University of Bristol in England. Even though the light from something like a laser pointer travels in a straight line, it can also flow in whirls and eddies, Dennis explained.

These swirls of light are called optical vortices. Along the vortices the intensity of light reaches zero, or no light.

"The light all around us is filled with these dark lines, even though we can't see them," Dennis said. "Our work actually twists dark filaments within the light beam into knots."

The researchers knew these optical vortices could be created with holograms, which direct the flow of light. By using so-called fibered knot theory, a branch of abstract mathematics inspired by everyday knots, Dennis and his colleagues created customized holograms and reflected a regular laser beam from them.

Each point on the hologram changes the point of the wave's cycle in that part of the light beam. They created a hologram that would change the phase of light so that it flowed around a dark knot.

Their results, detailed online Jan. 17 in the journal Nature Physics, are "firsts" for a couple of reasons. While so-called knot theorists have studied mathematical equations similar to dark knots, the new research created these knots with math functions that followed rules of propagating light. In addition, unlike other dark knots created that have been tangled up with other knots, Dennis and his colleagues produced isolated dark knots within the light beam, he said.

"For me, it shows how physicists can adapt existing pure mathematics, such as knot theory, and find it manifest in physical phenomena," Dennis said. "It also shows how finely we can control the flow and propagation of laser light using holograms. This degree of control is likely to find applications in future laser devices."

Read the entire article at the link above.

The seven knotty witch's ladders I've created recently, from Manifestation to Earth Light:

Earth Light Witch's Ladder - created 1/17
Earth Goddess Witch's Ladder - created 1/17
Sea Faery Witch's Ladder - created 1/16
Witching Hour Witch's Ladder - created 1/15
Dragon Faery Witch's Altar Ladder - created 1/9 - SOLD
Mysteries of the Flame Witch's Ladder - created 1/6 - SOLD
Manifestation Witch's Ladder - created 1/6

Crown Jewel

י"ו בטבת תש"ע
Grael 18

Yesterday I braided a witch ladder while listening to Legends of the Goddess III. This witch ladder is made of earth tones yarn, dark brown hemp cord, nine wooden beads and a spiral Goddess charm. After completing it, I explored several places in my bedroom from which to suspend it for the night. I finally curled it up in a few circles around my fingers and placed it upon a golden hook on the wall over my bed. The Goddess charm was suspended upright upon my witch ladder, her feet pointed toward my bed.

Last night I dreamt.

I was in a public place with several people. A woman was sitting beside an open Torah. The open Torah scroll was sitting in a Torah holder. It was not on the bimah and neither was the woman. It was off the bimah, near the front but among the chairs where the congregation sits. The open Torah was not facing the the congregation or me, it was open toward the side, toward the woman.

With a look of disdain, the woman expressed to me in the presence of those gathered that "you think you know, but you don't know anything." With the Torah open, it was clear that her intention was to show me and everyone gathered that I didn't know anything, and that I wasn't as special as some people thought I was. She didn't like me, that was clear. I didn't respond.

I noted that both the woman and I were set apart somewhat from the congregation - but my separation was a separation within the gathering of the congregation - a small clear space circled around me even as I was among the congregation. We were all standing.

Her separation was different than mine - she was not placed among the congregation, she sat up in front of us, near the bimah. We were all standing up in the back of the room. She was sitting down in a folding chair at the front of the room.

As I began to wake up, but was as yet unawake, I saw that the woman had with magical intention tied my hands and feet together and hung me upside down from a rope. She wanted me to die. She felt I would indeed die. No one was going to help me and, in her mind, I didn't know anything and wouldn't be able to escape her black magic against me.

But, like my witch ladder the evening before (even with my hands and feet still tied), I curled the rope up and around in circles, throwing my body upwards with the process like doing a sommersault in midair. I landed crouched on my feet in the velvety deep garnet middle of a huge royal crown. The perimeter of the crown was like a circle around me. From within the circle of the crown, I easily untied my hands and feet. Then I stood up, straight and tall. I felt like a crown jewel.

A masculine Voice spoke in my mind, telling me that I was standing "like Kaman (כמן)", and "not Haman (המן)."

I woke up.

Images of my Goddess witch ladder (and magical staff) ...