The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts. Judika Illes
engage in further research.
Frankly, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to purchase anything other than synthetic versions of these fragrances, the authentic article being rare and prohibitively expensive. Because they have always been rare and prohibitively expensive—and synthetics are a recent invention—historic botanical substitutes have always existed, and those substitutes are used within the spells of this book:
For Musk, extracted from the musk deer: Ambrette (Abelmoschus moschatus), a shrub native to India, also known as musk mallow and treasured for its scented seed
For Ambergris, derived from sperm whales: Labdanum, a resin excreted from the leaves of the rock-rose (Cistus creticus, Cistus ladanifer). Allegedly labdanum from Crete has the closest resemblance to ambergris, although it is also obtained from French, Moroccan, and Spanish sources
Whether the tendency to utilize animal body parts was ever as prevalent as some believe is debatable. Certainly, grimoires are filled with spells specifically requesting assorted species’ feet and hearts and eyes. Many classic grimoires are based largely on various fragments of ancient spell-books that were in circulation throughout Europe, Arabia, and North Africa before the development of modern printing. Many of these spells derive from turn-of-the-Common-Era Alexandria. Professional magicians of that time, attempting to keep spells secret yet needing to write them down so that they themselves would remember complex formulas, created an elaborate code, so elaborate that someone had to write it down in order to use it. That list was discovered and translated amid the Magical Papyri.
Does a spell call for the heart of a hawk? No need to catch that bird, so sacred to indigenous Egyptian religion—what the spell is really asking for is heart of wormwood
Do you hesitate to cast a spell requiring lion’s tongue? No need, all that that spell really requires is a “tongue” of turnip
Wondering how in the world you’ll ever extract Hercules’ semen? Not a problem; just go out to the garden and pick some arugula
Not every animal reference encoded in the Magical Papyri is a botanical, although (as with magic in general) plants do predominate. The spell that demands a physician’s bone neither commands you to commit murder nor to dig around in the cemetery: a piece of sandstone is what’s really being requested.
Many, if not all, of these animal references may originally have referred to botanicals and minerals. Of course, by the time the descendant of a single fragment of papyrus reached Europe, hundreds of years later, copied and re-copied over and over by hand, lacking the accompanying code, and some magician desperate to access the forbidden secret magic of Egypt got his hands on a spell…
The spells recorded in the Magical Papyri are fairly mean-spirited in general, full of commanding and compelling. Were the magicians irresponsible, not caring if others misinterpreted their instructions, or was this just an example of professional secret code, full of in-jokes and personal references, similar to the secret languages (sim) still employed by some modern Egyptian entertainers? Across oceans, continents and time, some modern Amazonian shamans also share a secret shamans’ language—a professional language only understood by other professionals—in order to protect their information from those who don’t know how to use it properly.
Is this what those old Alexandrian magicians intended? We may never know. The moral of the story, however, is never cast spells that aren’t comfortable for you. It is neither uncommon for botanical and other materials to be named for animals, nor is the practice relegated to ancient history. Many spells in this book, for instance, call for deer’s tongue. I assure you, no deer need be harmed. Deer’s tongue is a type of grass, reputed to provide eloquence: the name is a pun on the plant’s appearance and its ability.
Swallow’s blood is a red powder that allegedly transmits the magical power of that long-migrating bird; no blood of any kind is required. Dragon’s blood, an extremely potent magical material, surely ranks among the Top 20 most popular spell-casting ingredients. No need to emulate Saint George, dragon’s blood is the resin from Dracaena draco, an Indonesian tree. Unlike most resins it’s red, hence the name. If you burn it, it does indeed bear a resemblance to blood. (There is also another dragon’s blood, used in Peruvian magic. This one, too, is a botanical substance, although completely distinct from the Indonesian resin.)
Spell-casting Using the Power of Botanicals
Botanical just means plant, however because of the vast variety of forms used (some no longer remotely “plant-like”) any type of plant-derived power, in its original form or otherwise, is categorized as a botanical. Botanicals, as a category, are probably the most common ingredients in spell-casting. Many people will never cast a candle spell, never work with crystals or wands or magic mirrors, but it’s virtually impossible to engage in magic without relying on botanical power to a greater or lesser extent. Plants are ubiquitous in magic. Their power is accessed via many forms, which lend themselves to various styles of spell-casting, so that botanicals are incorporated into virtually every style of spell.
Casting Magic Spells in Partnership with Your Living Plant Allies
Fairy-tale witches reside in huts, cottages, or castles surrounded by magically empowered gardens. When Prince Charming seeks Sleeping Beauty in her enchanted castle, the surrounding garden, full of thickets and thorns, actively reaches out to prevent him. Although one must never rely on one’s Protection Spell Garden to play the role of armed-response guard, there is a metaphoric truth hidden in this story.
Gardens can be both products of enchantment and independent producers of enchantment; they are a living, on-going magic spell. Gardens may be arranged in any variety of ways—color-coordinated, whatever was on sale at the nursery, even completely haphazardly. If you select, coordinate, and arrange plants according to the magic powers they radiate, then planting a garden becomes one style of casting a spell. Thus your desire to draw wealth, protection, or fertility to one’s home is manifested by carefully arranging the appropriate plants, and vigilantly removing those possessing opposing, contradictory powers.
This obviously is a long-term extended magic spell, rather than the type of quick-fix luck spell you might choose for a spontaneous trip to a casino. How will you benefit from this type of garden spell?
The actual spell-casting, and then time spent among the botanicals and their radiant energy creates the desired adjustment on your own energy
The radiant energy of the coordinated garden draws and/or repels the targeted goal to you and to your home in a more powerful manner than one botanical or amulet could achieve alone
This spell is a symbiotic, reciprocal process, which ultimately strengthens all living participants for their mutual benefit. The garden will additionally attract complementary animal and spirit allies who will also contribute to the success of your spell
This type of magic spell is not limited to those with access to personal property or sunny weather. Magic spell gardens may be created indoors in pots. Furthermore, an entire garden need not be created; one or two individual plants may be grown as part of a magic spell or to further other magic spells.
There are several very good reasons to maintain living plants:
If you are pursuing a spiritual or magical alliance with a specific plant, this is best accomplished with a living plant, redolent with power and consciousness, rather than processed, dried plants that retain power but lack conscious intelligence
You can grow plants necessary for magic spells and/or physical healing. As you nurture the plant, communicate with it: share your fears and desires, let the plant know what you want from it. These plants will potentially provide more power for you than any others. They become your partners in healing and magic. It is a symbiotic relationship: they care for you as you care for them
In many cases if you want to