Author: A Solitary Pagan
Geomancy
THE WORD GEOMANCY (from the Latin geo,‘Earth’, mancy ‘prophecy’) had a differentmeaning in ancient times from that it hastoday and we shall deal with that aspect first. Itwas a method of divination used to interpretmarkings on the ground or how handfuls of dirtlanded when you tossed them, and was thereforethe reading of patterns or signs. Geomancyseems to have appeared as a word in thelanguage use...
Customs Associated with Birth
There are, in fact, several customs associatedwith birth and the surrounding period whichhave survived without people today necessarilyappreciating their magical significance. In Celticlore, the ‘toadstone’ protected the newbornfrom evil spirits and the Virgin Mary nut,actually the seed of the plant Entada scandens,counteracted birth pains. The shell of a seaurchin, known as the ‘cock’s knee stone...
To Protect a Newborn Baby
This spell uses crystals and symbolism. Theblue stone is reputed to bring about harmony inrelationships and to help its wearer to be true tothemselves, and to be able to openly state theiropinion. The blue bead or stone used hereshould preferably of lapis lazuli, which isconsidered a stone of truth and friendship.YOU WILL NEEDBlue bead or small stone with a holeCopal or cedar incenseWhite candleBo...
Protections and Purifications
There are many folkloric remedies for the evileye, ranging from painting an eye on the prowof a boat in the Mediterranean, supposedly tooutstare the sorcerer, to passing a plate filledwith burning coals three times round the headof the victim in India. Iron is always a goodspecific against the curse of the evil eye, as alsoare mirrors or glass beads, which dazzle. By and large it is the idea of en...
Antler Charm
YOU WILL NEEDPiece of deer’s antlerHair from a black mare’s tailSilver tip for the antlerCairngorm stone (a type of smoky quartz)METHOD✤ Wind the horsehair around one end of theantler at least nine times.✤ Fix the silver tip to the antler. This ensuresthat there is a balance of male and femaleenergy, which repels the evil eye.✤ If you wish to make your own jewellery, thegemstone adds additional pr...
Removal of the Evil Eye
YOU WILL NEEDLemonIron nailsMETHOD✤ Drive the nails with some force into the lemon.✤ Visualize the evil eye being pierced.✤ Keep the lemon for three days, by which timeit should begin to rot.✤ If it does not, repeat the procedure.Here you have externalized the difficulty, checked thatthe spell worked and repeated the procedure if not. Youcould then repeat the diagnostic procedure to ensurethat you...
Diagnosis of the Evil Eye
YOU WILL NEEDOlive oilBowl of waterMETHOD✤ Drip three drops of olive oil on the surface ofthe water.✤ Watch what happens.✤ If the drops remain distinct there is no evil eye.✤ If they run together there is.✤ Dispose of the oil and water safely.✤ There are many ways of removing the evil eye.
THE EVIL EYE
The evil eye is an ancient, widespread anddeeply held belief in more than one third of theworld’s cultures, but is particularly stronglyfeared even today in countries of Mediterraneanorigin, and also in Celtic countries. Differentcultures have different ways of dealing with thisnuisance.In Greece, it is thought that it doesn’t takemuch to get the matiasma, or the evil eye. Ifanyone so much as admi...
SHAPE SHIFTING
Spells designed to bring about a difference inbodily appearance in order to dissolvemischievous enchantments by the fairy folk orfrequenters of the lower world were legion inmost cultures. In Celtic lore for instance, duringthe process of dissolving the enchantment,having cast a magic circle, the rescuer had tokeep repeating the name of the enchantedperson to remind them of who they truly were.Tra...
Winter’s End
YOU WILL NEEDWhite candleCorn dollyFireproof receptacleEither the sticky burrs from a cleavers plant(which has a cleansing effect) or several pieces ofpaper on which you have written your irritationsMETHOD✤ Light the candle.✤ Cup the corn dolly in your hands and reviewthe previous year, particularly winter.✤ Attach as many of the sticky burrs as you canto the corn dolly, making each one represents...
Making a Corn Dolly
YOU WILL NEEDTwo small handfuls of corn stalksGreen and yellow wool or cottonTrailing greenery (ivy or grape vine are ideal)Appropriately coloured ribbons for the ritual(e.g. red or orange for Lammas)METHOD✤ Take one handful of corn stalks.✤ Just below the top, bind the stalks with theyellow cotton, tying securely.✤ 3–5 cm underneath, bind the stalks again; thisforms the head of the doll.✤ Careful...
The Blending of Pagan and Christian Festivals
Ways of dealing with problems within the community, which used a blend of Christian and pagan rituals, was partly a product of the interaction between Christianity and paganism. Pagan belief demanded rituals that appeased their gods while Christian thought required that there was a focus on only one God. This meant that such rituals belonging to the Wheel of the Year had to be accommodated into a ...