Koach Ha'tfisa & The Sharpened Arrow

I acquired (koach ha'tfisa) my athame this afternoon. As yet, there is nothing inscribed into it. I laid it angled (opposite to the way a mezuzah angles on a doorpost) across the middle of the altar plate to absorb light from the shabbat candles. I lit Dragon's Blood incense.

Also on the altar for shabbat, I lit 4 black candles at the quarters, an 8 inch black taper in the center, and a 6 inch dark red pomegranate pillar behind the taper (off to the right a small bit as I faced it). A little later into shabbat (a few hours), I noticed that the northern quarter black candle wasn't burning as bright as the others, even though it continues still to burn steadily. Odd, I thought.

After noticing it, a family member came to tell me the news (koach ha'klita) - Saddam Hussein was set to be executed within the next 15 minutes by hanging.

This evening is the first time I've used both Dragon's Blood incense and pomegranate candles. It's amazing how the Dragon's Blood incense and the pomegranate pillar are of identical dark red color.

Still, the northern flame humbly burns unextinguished. Interestingly, as I write this, the flame on the southern quarter has made itself to match the northern one.

The sharpened arrow (חץ שנון): There are 300 halachot concerning "you shall not let a witch live."

R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh (The Hebrew Letters) teaches:

King Yoshiyahu, יאשיהו, one of the most righteous kings to arise from the House of David and referred to as "the mashiach of G-d", was killed - due to the great transgressions of Israel - in battle with Pharaoh Necoh by 300 Egyptian arrows. Three hundred arrows is the secret of חץ שנון, the "sharpened arrow".