The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts. Judika Illes
The dirt at shrines and saints’ tombs is perceived as exceptionally charged with power. Bits of dirt are carried as talismans; they may also be sprinkled over items to empower and revitalize them.
Not all dirt is equal. Currently perhaps the most famous dirt in the world comes from the Roman Catholic shrine at Chimayo, New Mexico, although the dirt’s miraculous reputation precedes Catholicism in the area. Every year thousands converge on Chimayo for the healing dirt. A testimonial room bears witness to miracles received. This dirt heals more than body and soul. When a good friend’s computer crashed, at her wit’s end, she placed a canister filled with Chimayo dirt on the computer and it miraculously started working again.
Certain magical traditions rely on the power of dirt more than others. In the twenty-first century, the Afro-Caribbean tradition of Palo Monte probably utilizes more types of dirt than any other. Palo spells may request four handfuls of dirt from a police station, two from a courthouse, three from a hospital, and so on. This magical tradition dates back at least to ancient Mesopotamia.
Although not every tradition pays such detailed attention to Earth, most utilize certain specific types of magical dirt, including:
Crossroads dirt
Footprint dirt
Graveyard dirt
Inherent energy is transmitted through contact with the dirt itself. Each will be discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this book.
The Moon
The moon is considered the ruler of all magical arts, and magic is timed to the phases of the moon:
Spells intended to increase something (like money), or intended to initiate something new (a fresh romance) are coordinated with the waxing moon. Begin these spells on or just after the New Moon
Spells intended to decrease something (like debt), or cast for the purpose of banishing (an enemy) are coordinated with the waning moon. Begin these spells on or just after the Full Moon
The Dark of the Moon, those few days where the moon is not visible, just prior to the rebirth of the New Moon, is controversial. Some traditions will not cast spells during this period. Others, particularly those devoted to Dark Moon spirits like Hecate or Lilith, consider this a period of profound magical power which may be exploited as needed
In Arabic folk custom, it’s recommended that you keep an eye on moon phases. Whatever you find yourself doing at the moment when you first catch a glimpse of the brand new moon is the right thing for you to do.
Although it doesn’t eliminate the need to charge items with personal energy, exposing virtually all magical tools, charms, and preparations to the beams of the Full Moon provides enhanced magical empowerment.
In general, although not always, magic worked with the moon herself (rather than just by timing via the phases) is women’s magic. There is a trinity between the moon, women, the ocean and, by implication, all water. The moon is recognized as having a profound effect upon menstrual cycles and the tides. It is a reciprocal arrangement: since women have a natural affinity for the moon, they may more readily draw on its power.
In many cases lunar deities are female, with Artemis, Diana, Hecate, Selene, Lady Chang’o, and Ix Chel only a few of many examples. In other cases, particularly in ancient Egypt, the moon was perceived as male, but this perception was precisely because of the moon’s perceived influence on women. The moon was seen as playing a male role. To the Egyptians, the moon was male because it was demonstrated to have profound control over women’s fertility. It was believed that pregnancy could occur from exposure to moonbeams, and who else gets a woman pregnant but a man?
Drawing Down the Moon
This term is most familiar today as the title of Margot Adler’s influential book, and refers to specific Wiccan spiritual rites by which the Goddess is requested to enter the body of her priestess and speak through her. (Some traditions also possess a parallel Drawing Down the Sun ritual, which invokes the male energy of the god.) However, this is a very ancient term that predates modern Wicca and may refer to various other rites or practices, depending upon magical tradition, and most especially the process of creating moon-infused waters.
Moon-infused Waters
The ancient Greeks called this technique “drawing down the moon” or the “Thessalian Trick.” The Greeks believed that Thessalian witches held great power and metaphysical knowledge. This was considered one of their most important formulas.
This Chinese technique of drawing down the moon is used to create a magic mirror:
Lunar-charged Magic Mirror
A small round mirror is required, ideally one crafted from precious metals such as gold or silver and ornamented with auspicious symbols of protection and good fortune.
1 On the night of the Full Moon, hold the mirror so that it reflects the moon for a minimum of three hours.
2 When you feel that sufficient lunar energy has been absorbed, wrap the mirror in a protective fabric pouch. This mirror is now off limits to everyone but its owner. Although one person may prepare this mirror for another, once given, the mirror belongs to one person exclusively. The remaining steps of this spell must only be performed by the mirror’s owner.
3 For the next consecutive fifteen nights, reflect your face in the mirror over substantial blocks of time, so that the absorbed lunar power merges with your own. This is an interactive process, a sharing of essences: gazing into the mirror, you absorb the lunar gifts of radiance, beauty, psychic ability, and fertility, but the mirror simultaneously is imprinted with your personal power and desires.
4 When the fifteen-night period is complete, the mirror is considered charged and in harmony with the individual who owns it. It is now a profound magical tool for obtaining your wishes and desires.
To use the mirror repeat the initial ritual of drawing down the Full Moon, but now use the mirror as a direct communications device, a sort of personal hot line to the moon, to request gifts of love, marriage, psychic power, creative inspiration, personal fertility, or healing.
Spell-casting in Conjunction with the Power and Assistance of the Spirits
This style of spell-casting is unique. In other methods of spell-casting, the practitioner casts the entire spell from beginning to end. Spirit-oriented spells involve inducing, persuading, or coercing a powerful Spirit, usually a specialist in a field, to perform the magical action for you, on your behalf. Thus your spell is cast in order to persuade the Spirit to cast the crucial spell or create the needed magical energy transaction.
This area of magic veers dangerously close to religion and sometimes cannot be separated. In some cases, magical practices are what remain of what were once formal and sometimes very important religions. It is worth-while, when considering the permanence of modern religions, to recall that organized worship of Isis, for instance, was not limited to Egypt but eventually expanded further south in Africa, throughout Western Asia and into Europe as far as what is now modern London, and spanned a period of several thousand years.
Spirits worshipped in religion as “gods” and “goddesses” are incorporated into magic spells. There is a crucial distinction between magic and religion though: religion may involve devotion to and worship of these spiritual entities. Magic invariably requests a reciprocal, cooperative relationship, although it may be a relationship characterized by love, respect, and awe. Both spirit and human are perceived as having needs, which, ideally, are mutually fulfilled by a successful magic spell.
Ultimately the most potent, powerful magic derives from spiritual partnership,