Indholdsfortegnelse for Book of Spells i All About History

Primal rites Paleolithic peoples create artwork based around the acknowledgement of prey animals and the ritual propitiation of their ancestors. Some paintings include strange, human-animal hybrids that are later theorised to be shamanistic figures. Paleolithic era Defining moment Pyramid scheme c. 2686–2181 BCE The Pyramid Texts, dating from the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom, are the oldest still-extant magical texts. Primarily related to the ancient Egyptian religion, particularly the cult of Osiris, the god of the afterlife and rebirth, they describe magical processes by which the dead can transform their spirit into an akh, an aspect of the soul that was believed to allow them to assume any form and visit the world of the living. Achieving the state of an akh required certain things: the soul had to be worthy…

The Age of Reason was closely tied to the Age of Discovery, the colonial era in which Western powers, buoyed by their advanced technology, conquered and commandeered vast tracts of the rest of the world. In these mysterious new territories, notably Africa, European colonists came across indigenous religions and practices. With overwhelming arrogance, the patriarchal European power structure showed no interest in learning about these rites and beliefs, instead syncretising them with the assumptions that had been made about European folk magic in the 16th and 17th centuries. At best, they were seen as foolish anthropological quirks, symbolic of the misguided notion that the conquered peoples were intellectually inferior to and culturally less advanced than their oppressors; at worst they were seen as proof that these people practiced witchcraft, devilment…

The ancient world was steeped in magic. From the chanting of priests at a sacrifice to private imprecations muttered in the home, there was a magical solution to all of life’s problems. Many, if not most, of the magical texts and rituals in use at the time have since been lost, but a project is underway to recover as much as possible of these traditions. The Greek Magical Papyri are texts, mostly from Egypt, of spells, charms and rituals written in Greek and preserved on papyrus fragments. They date back to between the 2nd to 5th centuries CE when Greek was the language used in much of the eastern Mediterranean for trade and literature. From the 17th century antiquarians began to buy up as many of these precious relics of…

“The maid milking a cow might sing to ‘Mary of Light’ to increase her yield” Starting in 1860, Alexander Carmichael, an excise man and amateur folklorist, spent over 50 years gathering together everything he thought was at risk of vanishing from his native Scotland. In the Highlands and Outer Hebrides where he travelled for his job he collected folklore, spells, charms, poems, blessings and prayers from the Gaelic communities he met. Carmichael brought all that he had learned together in two volumes that he called the Carmina Gadelica – ‘The Hymns of the Gael’. With a fondness and sympathy for the people he met, describing them as “goodly to see, brave to endure, and pleasing to know,” Carmichael amassed hundreds of notebooks full of folk wisdom. Eventually the Carmina Gadelica…

Earth is the first of the four traditional cardinal elements, associated with the north and with all that is material and physical. It is terrestrial and practical – quite literally ‘down to earth’ – but that doesn’t mean that it’s without its mysteries. Earth holds within itself both the promise of life and the certainty of death. It’s both spring growth, first fruit and harvest, and winter cold, barrenness and mortal remains. This duality is often symbolised by the union of Persephone, goddess of spring, with Hades, the god of the underworld, in Greek myth. Deities that are associated with earth are often called chthonic – the word literally means subterranean or underground, but is used to particularly describe deities that relate to the underworld. Even the most above-ground vegetation…

When the Moon is new, and waxing, its curved edge is on the right. It increases in size every night until it becomes the full Moon. Then it begins to shrink from the right – its curved side is now on the left, until it disappears from view to become the dark Moon, before beginning the cycle again. The Moon is known as ‘waxing gibbous’ when it’s over half full with the curve on the right, and ‘waning gibbous’ when it’s half ‘empty’ with the curve on the left. You can look up online what the phase of the Moon is at any given time, and also when moonrise and moonset for your local area will be each night (or day!), but it’s worth taking the time to look up…

The idea of the year as a wheel, cycling through the four seasons in a never-ending journey from darkness to light, features with varying degrees of prominence in the beliefs of many modern Pagans. Although there are variations between groups and locations, the Wheel of the Year generally marks eight (or in some cases four) seasonal festivals that celebrate the cyclic nature of the world around us. Linked to the annual journey of the Sun and the birth, death, and rebirth of the gods, the wheel is based on the natural solar divisions of the solstices and equinoxes, with four of the festivals a direct continuity from the past to the present, historically, evidence suggests that in practice, the wheel of eight festivals was not celebrated in its current form…

Ostara is a festival of spring time. Usually celebrated by many at the time of the spring equinox, falling between 19 and 22 March each year, the overarching theme of this celebration, observed by many Pagans today, is that of new beginnings, new life, fertility and renewal. One of the times of year when the nights and days are of equal length, Ostara heralds the shift towards longer, lighter days, the beginning of new cycles of life amidst nature, and the celebration of the Spring Maiden, with her promise of fertility and renewal. Flowers, eggs and rabbits are all strongly associated with modern Ostara. Ostara, or Eostre is believed by many to be the goddess of this festival, and holds significance for many modern Pagans in their celebrations at this…

You will need: Green candle Three coins Pouch Cinnamon Bay leaf Many people dream of great riches, but this spell is aimed at increasing prosperity to assure stability. Money issues often cause feelings of stress and shame, and this spell also addresses these feelings. For this spell you need a green candle, three coins, a small pouch, some cinnamon, and one bay leaf. Gather your materials before you begin. Place the candle on your altar or a table, and light it. Pass each coin through the candle flame carefully, saying, “Light my way to prosperity” each time, and place the coin in the pouch, then add the cinnamon and bay leaf and tie it shut. Kiss the pouch three times, saying each time, “I have all I need.” Place the…

There’s a scene in 1998 movie Practical Magic in which a female customer participates in a spell under the aegis of two sister witches, one of whom is unhappy with the proceedings while the other tells her to shut up and take the money. It’s a bloody, distressing sequence, in which the woman stabs a tame dove through the chest with a needle while crying out, “I want him to want me so much he can’t stand it!”. There’s a reason why it’s portrayed so viscerally and horribly: it’s black magic. Morally, you can’t do a spell to make someone love you when they don’t. And even if you could, why would you want to? Forced love is not true love. For this reason, love spells can be controversial, but…

You will need: Glass of wine Cake or biscuit All relationships need a boost from time to time. Magic is no substitute for counselling or mediation, but you can imbue your solid relationship with extra positivity. For this spell you will need a glass of wine (or juice), and one small cake or biscuit. Place these items on your altar or table. Lifting the cake, say, “Grain of the fields, nourish our partnership” and then take a bite. Then lift the glass and say, “Fruits of the vine, celebrate our relationship” and take a drink. Holding the cake and wine, say, “Cakes and wine, mine and thine, may our union grow with time.” If desired, invite your partner to join you and say these words aloud to one another. “Cakes…

You will need: White votive candle Cup of herbal tea Mirror Magical spells are no substitute for medical care. But sometimes the mental boost can help us to turn a corner or find some relief. This is especially true if our ailment is stress-related, which can affect sleep, digestion and immune system function. For this spell you will need a mirror, a cup of your favourite herbal tea, and a white votive candle. Light the candle, and stand or sit comfortably. Look into the mirror and say three times, “I am whole and healthy. I practise healthy habits. I care about my health.” In the coming days, add one healthy habit each day to your routine (such as practising good sleep hygiene, drinking herbal tea, washing your hands frequently, getting…

You will need: Pouch Dried basil Haematite crystal Blue/black candle Research shows that people who behave confidently are less likely to be victims of crime. Sometimes the way we hold ourselves can help us feel stronger and safer. This spell is also a charm of protection. You need a small pouch, some dried basil, a haematite crystal, and a dark blue or black candle. Light the candle and place the haematite and basil in the pouch. Draw the pouch closed, saying “I am safe, I practise safety and caution, I move through the world with awareness and courage.” Wear this charm (in a pocket or on a cord around your neck) when out in public or in places you might feel unsafe. Feel yourself moving through the world with awareness…

You will need: Salt Dried rosemary Sprigs of rosemary Small mirrors If we don’t feel safe in our home, our lives can feel very unstable. But remember, magic is no substitute for practical actions we can take, like getting advice from a trusted friend, or replacing door locks. This spell surrounds your home with protective energy. You will need salt, dried rosemary, some sprigs of rosemary tied together, and some small mirrors. First, mix the salt and rosemary in a small bowl. Walk clockwise around your living area, placing a bit of the salt mixture into each corner, at the sides of each entrance, and below each window. At each corner or entrance, say “By the power of earth, I banish all negative entities from entering here.” You will also…

Some of the earliest examples of magical thinking can be seen in the art and artefacts left behind by our Paleolithic ancestors. While we don’t have written records that explain to us what these ancient people meant thousands of years ago when they created these items, we can infer something of their use and meaning from context. We know that in the Middle to Upper Paleolithic eras (between 80,000-40,000 years ago), hunter-gatherers improved many of their existing technologies and created new ones. They also began to create art, and this gives us a clue as to what they might have been thinking. Cave paintings of prey animals may show a simple record of what to kill and when, which older hunters would have narrated to younger ones. Or they may…

In 1841 the historian Georg Waitz discovered two old German spells contained in a manuscript held in the cathedral of Merseburg. Quite unlike anything else that had been found written in Old High German, these spells represented the complete remains of a lost magical tradition. Written on a blank page of a theological treatise probably in the 10th century the Merseburg Incantations, or Charms, were soon made famous by Jacob Grimm. The first charm explains how Idisen (ghosts or spirits) once freed warriors who had been captured in battle. After explaining the situation the text tells us the words used in this Lösesegen – charm of release. Those looking to escape their chains would just have to say, “Leap forth from the fetters, flee from the foes.” The second charm…

Practitioners of spellcraft believe that their rituals work by using a symbolic language of associations to enhance their will. They take advantage of what they believe are optimum times to cast certain spells, based on the season, the zodiac, particular festivals, the phases of the Moon, the time of day or night, and even what the weather is doing. They then use particular objects and symbols including plants, crystals, incense, candles and colours that they believe ‘resonate’ with certain concepts. These are called correspondences (see p70), and their use has built up over centuries across different magical traditions. This practice is called sympathetic magic, and it works along the principle that like attracts like. For example, water is traditionally associated with washing, so it would be used in a spell…

Air is the second of the cardinal elements, and in modern Western systems of magic based on the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it’s associated with the East, with the rising sun, the morning breeze and everything that is light and airy. The ancient Greeks conceptualised air in two ways: aer, the lower atmosphere that can be obfuscated with rain, cloud, fog and smoke, and the aether, the bright sparkling firmament above the clouds. Today, the word aether is sometimes associated with spirit instead, the abstract conception of a fifth element as expressed by the five-pointed symbol of the pentagram. This speaks to an essential quality of the element of air: mutability. As a mutable element, air is changeable and unpredictable, even erratic, and this links…

The zodiac can be a powerful tool in spellcasting. Not only does it give us a quick reference to the dominant energy in any particular month, as each sign is associated with one of the four cardinal elements, it can be used in more depth to plan the best time to perform a spell that’s personalised to the caster or the person they’re casting for (or on) or to add extra power to a spell. Western astrology isn’t as complicated as its Chinese and Indian cousins, which use different zodiac signs and complex mathematical formulae to calculate optimum dates for things like marriages, exams and celebrations. Hindu astrology in particular can be so personally tailored that it can even select a custom ‘seed mantra’ for use in meditation depending on…

Religion and magic can often be confused by the outsider, as both operate beyond conventional rationality and science. Is it magic when the consecrated host used during Mass is transubstantiated into the literal body of Christ? Most Catholics today would say no, that there is no crossover between the magical and the miraculous. Yet throughout history there have been many who would consider themselves religiously orthodox that employed magic that called on powers – be they saints, Gods, or spirits. Religion and magic Spells, like prayers, are a method of converting speech and thought into change in the universe. Believers in either think that with the correct formulation and intent then the laws of the universe as we usually understand them will be suspended to fulfil their desire. In the…

The midwinter festival celebrated on 21 December is most commonly known today as Yule. Of pre-Christian origin, with connections that span back to the Neolithic period and perhaps beyond, Yule takes place at the midwinter solstice, or the longest night, when, in the northern hemisphere, the north pole is tilted furthest away from the Sun. A time of hope and rebirth, Yule brings with it the promise of gradually lengthening days and the return of the Sun. The focus of the celebrations is the idea of light coming forth out of darkness, along with the death of the Sun and subsequent rebirth. The Holly King who rules over the dark half of the year is believed by many to give way to the Oak King, who brings with him the…

Beltane is the cross quarter day of the year celebrated on 1 May, also popularly known as May Day. This seasonal festival marks the beginning of summer, and is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals of the Wheel of the Year. Both historically and today, fire and Beltane go hand in hand. Bonfires have been a central part of Beltane celebrations for centuries past, both in celebration and ritual. One such ritual, recorded in Irish sources from the 10th century, involves leading cattle through or round lit bonfires amidst incantations, in the belief that this would bring protection for the months to come. It has also been considered lucky to walk around or jump over the bonfire. Bonfires feature prominently in celebrations of Beltane today, and it…

The autumnal equinox, when day and night are of equal length, is a turning point. Mabon is the day that begins the descent into winter as night overtakes day. Yet it is also celebrated as the second harvest festival in the Pagan calendar as nature continues to offer up its treasures. With the main harvest coming to an end, the equinox was a time of change. Farm labourers would be released from their contracts and new work sought. The whole year ahead might depend on your luck at this particular time. The equinox was a key time of year for our ancestors, who had to work by daylight alone. As the sun lessened there were fewer hours in the day to store away food for the hard winter ahead. Many…

Though many books and films depict witches hitching up their sleeves and waving a wand to make the magic happen, a lot of preparation goes into performing a spell. Before anything, many witches and other practitioners of ritual magic start by casting a circle around themselves to create a magical space in which to work. It is believed that the energy within a magic circle forms a sacred space and provides magical protection. A magic circle is a mobile temple apart from the ordinary world, where magical things can occur far more easily. In the early days of witchcraft and paganism, circles were traditionally believed to form a protective barrier between the spell caster and what they intended to summon. In modern times, magical practitioners generally cast circles in order…

You will need: Small stone One thing lucky people seem to have is the confidence that good things will happen to them. Think of Julie Andrews singing, “I have confidence in me!” in The Sound of Music. To bring good luck for a job interview, an audition, promotion, or exam, you want to radiate confidence both inside and out. Part of confidence is preparation, such as studying hard. For this spell, you will create a talisman to wear on your person. All you need is a small stone of your choosing, though any of the following crystals are especially well suited: malachite, labradorite, or green aventurine. Three days before your interview or exam, begin and end each day by saying to the stone, “I have the skills and confidence to…

You will need: White candles Glass votive holders Coloured squares of paper or fabric Scarf The goddess Aphrodite/Venus is associated with many aspects of love, including beauty and attraction. Anyone can use this spell regardless of gender identity or relationship status, as it is designed to manifest self-love. Begin this spell on a Friday. First, you need three white candles in glass votive holders, and coloured squares of paper or fabric to place beneath them: pink, pale green and pale blue. Arrange these on your altar. Now you need a scarf or piece of fabric large enough to drape over your shoulders, in one of these colours (or a combination of all three). Light the candles, then drape the fabric over your shoulders. Turn around three times, saying each time,…

Spellcraft is no substitute for medical science. Our ancestors around the world did not spend centuries in experimentation for their legacy of discovery to be ignored. The history of pharmacology and chemical medicine in particular owes much to magical and alchemical ideas, as does vaccination – without the theory that these practices might work, ancient, medieval and early modern healers would never have taken a chance on them. Without their knowledge of herbal medicine and chemical reactions, we would not have developed many of the vital medicines that are used today. In the face of a serious physical or mental illness, then, you should not be consulting a spellworker, but a medically qualified healthcare professional. Where healing spells can come in handy is in terms of maintaining good physical health…

You will need: A fine day An outdoor space The world’s environmental and political problems seem insurmountable sometimes. But prayer, activism and magic all play a part in inspiring people to make positive changes and to work together. For this spell you need only yourself. Stand or sit outside, where your feet can be in contact with the ground (You may want to have bare feet). Close your eyes, and visualise your feet connecting to the Earth. Feel the unbroken connection of your body to the Earth, as if your feet are the roots of a tree, reaching deep down into the soil. Draw up the Earth’s energy into your body, feeling its solidity and strength and ancient wisdom, stretching into the tips of your fingers and the top of…

You will need A photo of your loved one(s) Salt A white candle This spell allows us to bless our loved ones and visualise their safety and well being. You will need a photo of the person/people in question, some salt, and a white candle. Place the photo on your altar. Put the candle in front of it, and light it. Pour a line of salt in a circle around the photo. Look at the photo of your loved ones. Picture the light of the candle surrounding them, bathing them in white protective light. Say, “Circle of earth, light of protection, keep them safe, day and night.” You can do this once per day or as desired. “Circle of earth, light of protection, keep them safe, day and night” Overprotection…

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Many people don’t believe in magic. But many people have in the past, and many people do now. Those who don’t might dismiss this as silly, pointing out that there is no secret Harry Potter world hidden behind the mundane realities of everyday life. But in fact the theory and practice of magic has a long and venerable history, and whether you choose to believe in it or not, without some of its philosophical ideas and technological advances, the rational, scientific world of the 21st century would not be what it is today. Sociologists often think of magic in relation to two other key ideas that we use to understand the world around us: religion and science. Religion attempts to explain the mysteries of existence through the prism of gods…

The time between the classical era and the Age of Reason was a golden age for magic. It seems strange to say this when for much of the medieval and early modern periods it was feared, to the extent that tens of thousands of people were persecuted in Europe and the New World because they were suspected of practicing it. But that fear itself points to a strong and widespread belief in the reality and utility of magic spells. The West’s fear of magic and its practitioners was the legacy of the half-remembered Graeco-Roman thought that it based some of its philosophical ideology on, and of the Christian dogma that it had begun to embrace wholeheartedly. Practitioners of magic, then, were seen as not only the charlatans that the Greeks…

During the Renaissance, alchemists looked to a number of texts written by experts in their field for guidance, but none were as important as the Hermetica, a collection of Egyptian-Greek wisdom texts from the 2nd century CE allegedly written by Hermes Trismegistus. The texts were mostly composed as dialogues in which a teacher enlightens one of his disciples through discussions of the divine, the cosmos, mind and nature, touching upon alchemy, astrology and other related concepts. The Hermetica, or The Corpus Hermeticum, went on to form the basis of the religious, philosophical and esoteric tradition now known as Hermeticism. The texts that make up the Hermetica are just one part of a larger picture, remnants of a more extensive literature of the syncretic intellectualised paganism of the era, and they…

Earth, air, water, fire: almost everyone is familiar with this quartet of elements. It it testament to the power of the concept of the four elements that this idea, established back in antiquity, is still deeply embedded in modern culture. The concept of fundamental elements existed in many philosophical and proto-scientific cultures, in particular, ancient Greece. The philosopher Empedocles laid down his doctrine of the four elements in around 450 BCE, arguing that all matter is comprised from these four roots. Aristotle would later expand on his work, attributing qualities of hotness and dryness to each element. Air, he argued, is hot and wet, fire is hot and dry, water is cold and wet and earth is cold and dry. Later, the alchemists adopted this idea, and that’s how it…

Fire is the element that, in ancient beliefs, differentiated human from animal. Earth, air and water exist all around us, we move on and through them constantly. They’re even part of our bodies – air and water very obviously, earth in the shape of the calcium, an alkaline earth metal, that forms our bones. In very ancient times, fire was wild, the product of volcanoes, lightning strikes, or unusual levels of aridity. Our capture and later, independent creation of fire, is such an important, transformative part of human history that many cultures have myths that relate to it. Many religions of the ancient world featured sacred fires – Zoroastrianism and Roman paganism are key examples. The Romans believed in a goddess of hearthfire, Vesta, whose sacred temple flame was never…

Much contemporary Paganism is grounded in the lunar cycle, and each phase has its own specific energy. The period when the Moon diminishes from the full Moon to the dark Moon is called the waning Moon, and often linked with banishing magic: a time of cleansing, reflection and the clearing out of the old. In contrast, the period when it grows from dark to full is called the waxing Moon, associated with growth, new possibilities and building intention. The full Moon itself is one of the most magically potent times of the month. It is a time of illumination, when the Moon is at its full power and things will be brought into the light; the time when all waxing Moon magic will come to fruition and manifest. Many modern…

In the article on p46, we saw how some practitioners believe that certain plants, objects, colours and stones have conceptual links called correspondences. Throughout history, people have used these correspondences in the belief that they can help to enhance the power of a spell. ‘Tables of correspondences’ were compiled and used by the ancient alchemists and later by famous esoteric practitioners such as Paracelsus and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa; they’re also a feature of traditional Chinese and Indian medicine systems. Correspondences help you to design your own spells, by explaining key ingredients and their benefits. Among the oldest and most widely used of these sets of correspondences are those associated with the seven traditional planets of ancient Western astrology. These include the Sun and the Moon (because they’re the product of…

The festival of Imbolc was, historically, another of the four seasonal celebrations observed by Gaelic communities during the year. Taking place on 1 February, this festival marked the start of spring, with all the hope, wonder and enthusiasm that time heralded. Unlike some celebrations of more recent origin, Imbolc appears to have held an important place in the Irish calendar from at least the 10th century. Like many such traditions, the exact origin of the name is uncertain. Suggestions include derivation from the old Irish word or cleansing, or, another suggestion, the meaning “in the belly” as a nod to the ewes that were expectant at that time of year. Brigid, originally as a pagan goddess and then as a Christian saint, is an important Imbolc figure. Although practices varied,…

The summer solstice has always been a traditional focal point of the year. On 21 or 22 June, in the northern hemisphere, the Sun reaches the end of its seasonal wanderings. No day is longer and no night is shorter. For today’s Pagans this day is marked by the festival of Litha and represents the triumph of light over darkness. Throughout northern Europe the day has been traditionally marked by huge bonfires whose blazes further diminish the night. Those who leapt through the flames, without mishap, were considered to have been blessed for the coming year. In the past midsummer was celebrated by setting fire to a wooden wheel representing the Sun and rolling it down a hill into a lake. This may reflect the dual nature of the summer…

Samhain, falling on 31 October, is the last of the three harvest festivals for Pagans. It also marks the true beginning of winter and was seen as a day of the dead. Several Neolithic tombs were constructed in such a way that the light of sunrise on Samhain would illuminate the interior. The Christian Allhallowtide held on the same day may preserve this association with the dead, as its ringing of church bells is thought to provide comfort to the departed. The early descriptions of Samhain in Irish literature show it as a time to end farming and warfare and to gather families and tribes together to survive the winter. In the cold nights there was much drinking and tale-telling to pass the time. Samhain itself was a time of…

Can you do a spell to make you rich? For many ancient practitioners, this was the holy grail of their art. Alchemists were fascinated by the possibility of turning ordinary metals into precious ones, and even had processes for making base metals, stones and glass look like gold, silver and gemstones (although their beautiful creations doggedly remained as simple costume jewellery no matter how much they charged for their skills). Whether a real spell for money went right, however, was solely a matter of luck. It’s much more appropriate to invoke good luck and fortune in magic than it is to demand riches. Always think beyond the merely material: spells are akin to prayers, and what we ask for reveals our true hearts and their intentions to the universe. You…

You will need: Green candle Herb/spice mix Get a green seven day candle, and place on your altar or table. Make a mixture in a small bowl using at least three of the following: basil, mint, cinnamon, clove, ginger, poppy seeds, chamomile. Light the candle, place your fingertips in the bowl of herbs/spices, close your eyes and visualise yourself in an everyday situation, such as sitting at your desk, walking down the street, or getting ready for work. Imagine good things happening each day. Visualise your body bathed in green sparkling light that radiates to your surroundings. Rub your hands together, smelling the scent of the mixture on your fingertips. Do this each day for seven days, keeping the candle lit for one hour while you meditate on being open…

You will need: Bowl of soil Seeds Votive candle The planet Venus rules the realm of all partnerships: love, domestic, business, creative. If you want to give extra support to the beginning of a new partnership, try this spell. You will need a small bowl of soil, some flower or vegetable seeds, and a small votive candle. At the new Moon, gather your materials. Light the candle, and plant the seeds in the soil. Pass the candle over the top, saying, “Warmed by Sun, may our union grow strong.” Pour some water over the seeds, saying, “Soothed by rain, may our union live long.” Repeat this once a week. Though this is a symbolic spell, if your seeds begin to sprout, plant them in a pot or outdoors and continue…

You will need: Pink votive candle Apple Doing a spell to envision health can help us listen to our bodies. For this spell, all you need is a pink votive candle and an apple. Start by lighting the candle. Then cut the apple in half crosswise, exposing the pentagram in the middle. Say, “By the power of the five elements, air, fire, water, earth and spirit, may my body be strong and vital, may my mind be clear and agile, may my spirit be whole.” You may then eat the apple. Repeat this ritual daily for five days, and each day meditate on one of the elements as it relates to your body: air (lungs, breath); fire (heart, digestion); water (blood, kidneys); earth (muscles, nutrients); spirit (beliefs, emotions). Consider how…

A common trope in fairy and folk tales is magical protection. This can take the form of an enchanted object, such as a hero’s shield, or it can take the form of a space or place, like the mythical Isle of Avalon in Arthurian myth, sheltered from the outside world by walls of mist and illusion. There are even legends of guardian spirits – some Irish clans have stories of legendary spirit protectors, like the fairy woman Aiobhell who was thought to watch over the O’Brien family. One of the first things that newcomers to magical practice are taught to do is to cast a circle of protection (see p94). Many traditions start by teaching the triple circle, offering beginners the security of three layers of magical protection. The triple…