A Witch's World of Magick (6 page)

Intention, we might infer, can be transmitted to and combined with the energies of a liquid to form a potion by the expedients of the human voice or the written word. We can assume the first technique in this example works by combining the vibrations of the human voice and the energies therein expressed with the energies of the wine, and then combining the resulting concoction with the energies of the wisdom-seeker who drinks it. The other recipes mentioned in the example call for the mixing of energies to be accomplished through dissolving—the intent-infused leaves or paper scraps, the intent-infused word written with honey, dissolved and mixed into the energies of the wine or the water and thus transferred into and combined with the energies of the body into which the potion is taken.

In Polynesia as well, the practice of combining energies through consumption is well known. A legend regarding a powerful sorcerer named Kiki and a rival magician and chief named Tamure does well to illustrate: As soon as they had landed, the old sorcerer called out to them that they were welcome to his village, and invited them to come up to it: so they went up to the village: and when they reached the square in the centre, they seated themselves upon the ground; and some of Kiki’s people kindled fire in an enchanted oven, and began to cook food in it for the strangers. Kiki sat in this house, and Tamure on the ground just outside the entrance to it, and he there availed himself of this opportunity to repeat incantations over the threshold of the house, so that Kiki might be enchanted as he stepped over it to come out. When the food in the enchanted oven was cooked, they pulled off the coverings, and spread it out upon clean mats. The old sorcerer now made his appearance out of his house and he invited Tamure to come and eat food with him; but the food was all enchanted, and his object in asking Tamure to eat with him was, that the enchanted food might kill him …
²⁸

Here, we see that the energy of the “enchanted oven” itself is combined with the energy of the food in order to fill that food with the magickal power desired. There are apparently no herbs or other ingredients required; the curse placed on the oven is sufficient to likewise curse the food cooked within it. We might infer here that a close proximity of energies is enough to combine them. The food we might assume would operate in the typical manner, combining with the energies of the one who ingests it, which in this case, would lead to death. Luckily, the rival sorcerer Tamure isn’t foolish enough to let his guard down, and the word magick he performs pays off. The story goes on to describe how Tamure not only enchanted the threshold of Kiki’s dwelling, but also spoke magickal words as a countercharm whilst the cursed food was consumed. According to the legend, Kiki became very ill soon after his encounter with Tamure, while Tamure returned home safely.

Another rather notorious bit of mixing magick that warrants examining is the love potion. Employed throughout the world to incite obsession, interest, or undying devotion, one thing love potions
don’t
seem to do is cause actual love. At worst, traditional love potions were actually poisonous, containing toxic or psychoactive ingredients such as datura, a.k.a. jimson weed, a plant in the nightshade family that causes delirium. Mandrake and henbane were other poisonous yet popular choices.
²⁹
Sometimes, love potions weren’t so much dangerously toxic as they were disgusting. Charles Godfrey Leland provides us with a sampling of unappetizing yet effective Roma recipes for love potions in his 1891 book
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling
: The simplest and least hurtful beverage which they give unknown to persons to secure love is made as follows:—On any of the nights mentioned they collect in the meadows gander-goose (Romání, vast bengeszkero—devil’s hand; in Latin, Orchis maculata; German, Knaberkraut), the yellow roots of which they dry and crush and mix with their menses, and this they introduce to the food of the person whose love they wish to secure …

To the less revolting philtres belongs one in which the girl puts the ashes of a burnt piece of her dress which had been wet with perspiration and has, perhaps, hair adhering to it, into a man’s
food or drink.
³⁰

In the first formula, the energy of the magickal roots of the early purple orchid, here called gander-goose or devil’s hand, combines with the energy of the woman’s menses, and this combined essence, when ingested, mixes with the spirit of the desired person. In the second recipe, the woman’s dress, sweat, and hair are combined with the energies of food or drink. We see in both blends that bodily-derived ingredients or other very personal items containing a person’s energetic signature were deemed quite useful in the creation of a love potion. We might extend this principle and conclude that ingredients which contain the energetic essence of a thing, whether through the fact of being made of it or kept in close proximity, are powerful substances to include in potions and other forms of mixing magick. In the case of these Roma love potions, such ingredients are enough to win attention and sway affections. While love itself can’t be magickally manifested, these potions were apparently enough to incite some interest!

In Papau New Guinea also, mixing magickal potions for the purpose of inducing love is a widely known practice. In a seminar given in 2006 by Steven Edmund Winduo of the University of Canterbury, the modern use of a potion to procure love is described. The Nagum Boiken he references are a coastal culture of the Prince Alexander Mountains:

The Nagum Boiken use A. Wilkensiana in love magic to attract a woman. The leaves are squeezed and rubbed on smoke or mixed with drink and given to the woman who is the target of a man’s love magic.
³¹

The herb he refers to,
Acalypha wilkensiana
, is an evergreen shrub with known value as an anti-fungal agent.
³²
Commonly called copperleaf and known for its vivid and colorful foliage, it’s perhaps the plant’s enduring beauty more than its medicinal properties that makes it an appealing ingredient for a love potion. In this example, we find two ways the copperleaf’s essence can be combined with an individual’s essence to produce the desired magickal effect. By rubbing the plant on other herbs to be smoked and inhaled, or by mixing the plant with a liquid and drinking it, the energies of the plant are effectively blended with those of the intended target of the love spell.

As wise witches know, the use of love potions shouldn’t be taken lightly, as the practice does have its potential side effects and consequences. In Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde’s 1887 work
Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland
, the author relates some traditional Irish wisdom regarding the love philtre: Some of the country people have still a traditional remembrance of very powerful herbal remedies, and love potions are even now frequently in use. They are generally prepared by an old woman; but must be administered by the person who wishes to inspire the tender passion. At the same time, to give a love potion is considered a very awful act, as the result may be fatal, or at least full of danger.

A fine, handsome young man, of the best character and conduct, suddenly became wild and reckless, drunken and disorderly, from the effect, it was believed, of a love potion administered to him by a young girl who was passionately in love with him. When she saw the change produced in him by her act, she became moody and nervous, as if a constant terror were over her, and no one ever saw her smile again. Finally, she became half deranged, and after a few years of a strange, solitary life, she died of melancholy and despair. This was said to be “The Love-potion Curse.”
³³

One might suspect that the potion given to the poor young man here mentioned contained poisonous herbs or other toxic ingredients, but the spiritual warning in the story also warrants attention. If a potion is used in any way to control a loved one, that loved one will no longer act like themselves because they’ll no longer
be
just themselves—combined with your own magickal will, the potential lover’s spirit will be faded from the lack of freedom and diminished by the restrictions placed upon it. Be wise and think twice before using a love potion!

Potions for love and other purposes were common in Mexican culture, as well. In her essay “Customs and Superstitions among Texas Mexicans on the Rio Grande Border,” Florence Johnson Scott relates a traditional potion recipe for calming the nerves. The
susto
here mentioned means literally fright, and refers to a state of nervous shock: Should his malady be pronounced Susto, he must go to a graveyard and take a pinch of dust from four corners of a grave. If not near a burial place, he may, instead, go to a crossroads and take a pinch of dust from the four corners of the highway. Then to the dust must be added a piece of red ribbon, a gold ring, and a sprig of palm leaf that has been blessed. From this mixture a tea is made and seven doses are swallowed. However, the tea has an external efficacy also. It is suddenly poured into a brass kettle that has been heated very hot. The sizzling sound made by the escaping steam gives the patient a start, and acts as a sort of antidote to the shock from which he is suffering.
³⁴

In this recipe we find that dirt taken from the four corners of a grave or a crossroads, combined with the energies of a red ribbon, a gold ring, and a blessed palm leaf creates a potion that mixes with the senses to calm the nerves and soothe shock. We might suppose that the dirt from four corners of a graveyard or crossroads supplies a grounding effect, related perhaps to the four directions, and containing also the magickal properties inherent to such locations. The goddess Mictecacihuatl, later known as Santa Muerte, is strongly associated with graveyards and is believed to watch over souls while in the depths of death, darkness, or despair, while crossroads have long corresponded to transformation, occult forces, and magick.

The inclusion of the red ribbon can probably be attributed to its Christian associations, the color red being associated with the blood of Christ and thus with the protection and salvation attributed to that godform. Red ribbons are commonly used throughout Mexico to attach
milagros
onto altars and shrines. Milagros are small metal charms symbolizing prayers or expressing gratitude, typically placed in holy places such as shrines to saints, or carried around in one’s pocket for good luck and protection. The red ribbon has other symbolic possibilities, as well. In Mexican culture, the color red is associated with life, blood, passion, strength, and protection, and its usefulness in an anti-shock potion could be due in part to its correspondences with these powerful and vital energies.

The gold ring is included most likely due to the metal’s inherent symbolism: fire, the sun, illumination, divinity—indeed powerful forces with which to combat fright. The palm branch has merit for its associations with spiritual victory, and like the red ribbon, it also has links with Christian symbology.

Although the choice of potion ingredients is indeed intriguing, the practical, mundane action of the brew is equally worth noting: this anti-shock tea surprises the patient back to their senses by producing a loud, sudden sizzling sound when poured into the hot brass kettle. Perhaps a modern witch might in a similar manner make use of steam, bubbles, flavors, textures, or other “surface” qualities of a potion when crafting his or her own unique magickal blends.

In addition to combining energies by ingesting foods and potions, mixing magick can be carried out through externally applied blends, as well. In Jewish magick, for instance, consuming magick cakes, eggs, and charmed drinks weren’t the only ways to achieve magickal results. In
Jewish Magic and
Superstition
, Joshua Trachtenberg writes: Liquids that had been magically charged were also applied externally. To gain favor the suggestion was to recite various Psalms over oil and to anoint the face and hands with it … “To behold great wonders” one must bathe in scented water over which a spell has been uttered … To destroy an enemy’s power one should recite given charms over wine or water and pour the liquid in front of his door … To calm a storm at sea … a mixture of rose-oil, water and salt over which the charm had been whispered, were recommended.
³⁵

We here find that the power of potions can be absorbed through direct contact, be it with the skin, the bottom of a shoe, or the sea. Again we find that through the simple expedient of close proximity, energies are magickally combined. Also to note here is the use of the word
charm
to empower and activate the potion: Psalms were recited, charms were spoken or whispered, before the magickal liquids were applied.

The Roma also used their potions externally. In Charles Godfrey Leland’s
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune
Telling
, the following rather curious formula for curing a livestock ailment causing external sores called
Würmer
, or “worms” is given: Before sunrise wolf’s milk (Wolfsmilch, rukeskro tçud) is collected, mixed with salt, garlic, and water, put into a pot, and boiled down to a brew. With a part of this the afflicted spot is rubbed, the rest is thrown into a brook, with the words:— “Kirmora jánen ándre tçud
Andrál tçud, andré sir
Andrál sir, andré páñi,
Panensá kiyá dádeske,
Kiyá Niváseske
Pçandel tumen shelchá
Eñávárdesh teñá!”