Ancient Spellcraft: From the Hymns of the Hittites to the Carvings of the Celts
By Laura Perry
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About this ebook
The ancient world is a magical place. From the ziggurats of Sumeria to the temples of Crete and the pyramids of Egypt, the ancients call to us. Magic never dies, but only slumbers, awaiting discovery by those who would once again revel in its beauty and respect its power.
Ancient Spellcraft is a practical book of spells and charms derived from ancient Pagan cultures including the Babylonians, Canaanites, Celts, Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, Hittites, Minoans, Phoenicians, and Sumerians. These ancient civilizations provide a wealth of magical workings—spells, charms, and divinations—that are simple and practical for modern use.
These spells speak to the many human needs and desires of protection, prosperity, romance, fertility, healing, and divination. Each spell is described in detail, complete with step-by-step instructions as well as background information about the gods and goddesses involved, encouraging the reader to develop a relationship with these ancient deities who are still very much alive in our world today. This collection of spells, based in the ancient world but fully relevant for the 21st century, is a valuable addition to modern Pagan spiritual practice.
Laura Perry
Laura Perry is a priestess and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. She is the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne’s Tribe as well as a third degree Wiccan priestess, a Reiki master, and a longtime herbalist and naturopath. She has published four non-fiction books, three novels, a Minoan coloring book, and a Minoan Tarot deck as well as contributing to seven anthologies, editing two, and collaborating on a second Tarot deck. Her articles have appeared in Spiral Nature, The Magical Times, Indie Shaman, SageWoman and Pagan Dawn magazines, among others. She also works as a freelance editor, helping writers polish up their work until it shines. When she’s not busy drawing, writing, or leading rituals and workshops, you can probably find her digging in the garden or giving a living history demonstration at a local historic site.
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Ancient Spellcraft - Laura Perry
Ancient Spellcraft
From the Hymns of the Hittites to the Carvings of the Celts
Laura Perry
Second Edition
Copyright © 2017 Laura Perry
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1370124541
Smashwords Edition
Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
Smashwords Edition License Statement
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To Awahili, who believed in me.
Also by Laura Perry:
Non-fiction:
Labrys and Horns: An Introduction to Modern Minoan Paganism
The Minoan Coloring Book
Ariadne’s Thread: Awakening the Wonders of the Ancient Minoans in Our Modern Lives
The Wiccan Wellness Book: Natural Healthcare for Mind, Body, and Spirit
Fiction:
The Bed
Jaguar Sky
Anthology Contributions:
Paganism 101: An Introduction to Paganism by 101 Pagans
Naming the Goddess
Pagan Planet: Being, Believing, and Belonging in the 21st Century
The Goddess in America: The Divine Feminine in Cultural Context
Table of Contents
Introduction
Casting a Spell
Timing Your Spells
Meet the Deities
Proper Manners for Safety
The True Meaning of Sacrifice
Methods of Spellcasting
The Practical Nitty-Gritty
The Ancient World
Babylonians
Canaanites
Celts
Egyptians
Etruscans
Greeks
Hittites
Minoans
Phoenicians
Romans
Sumerians
Protection
Protection of Home and Family
Protection from Theft
Protection for Babies and Children
Protection from Supernatural Sources
Prosperity
A Life of Abundance
Getting Rid of Bad Luck to Make Way for Prosperity
Success in the Business World
Romance
Fertility
Making Babies
Fertility of Green Growing Things
Male Fertility and Virility
Healing
Divination
Suggested Reading
Bibliography
About the Author
Introduction
The ancient world is a magical place. From the groves of the Celts, the temples of Minoan Crete, and the pyramids of Egypt, the Old Ones call to us. Let our magic live on in you,
they say. For magic never dies, but only slumbers, awaiting discovery by those who would once again revel in its beauty and respect its power.
Come along on a journey through the magical ancient world. Explore the mysteries of a host of civilizations that echo from our distant past, from the ancestors of our ancestors. Within these pages you’ll find spells and charms from the haunting ancient cultures of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. In this second edition, I’ve updated the information about the ancient civilizations based on new findings in the fifteen or so years since I first wrote this book. I’ve updated the spells as well; I’ve learned a thing or two about magic in the intervening decade-and-a-half since the first edition and I want to share it with you.
The people of these mighty ancient cultures saw themselves as servants to the gods. They believed that if they served their gods well, those gods would reward them. In exchange for the people’s service, the gods protected them from illness and bad luck. These ancient peoples also requested aid from their gods through rituals, spells, and offerings and received information through dreams and divination. The same goddesses and gods who gave their blessings to the people of the ancient world still offer these gifts to us today.
Please remember, though, that the gods aren’t vending machines. You don’t make an offering and out pops a goodie. These are ancient powers we must respect. If you’re drawn to a particular deity or culture, take the time to develop a relationship with them. Sure, you can start with a spell or two (or more) from this book, but let that be the beginning, the doorway through which you let them into your life to walk alongside you and lead you to places you can’t reach on your own. These are the gods our ancestors worshiped; the gods remember that. Approach them accordingly.
The six sections of this book speak to the many human needs and desires of protection, prosperity, romance, fertility, healing, and divination. Each section begins with a discussion of some of the ways the different ancient cultures called on their gods and goddesses for aid in each particular aspect of life. What follows is a host of practical, easy-to-perform spells and charms gleaned from the texts and archaeological evidence of these ancient civilizations.
Each spell is described in detail, complete with the backgrounds of the deities involved as well as step-by-step instructions for completing the magical working. The spells are clear and precise enough to put beginners at ease but they provide enough background information to satisfy more experienced readers as well. I’ve designed all the spells and charms in this book with a positive or benign outcome in mind. What you do on your own time is your lookout, but I don’t care to be directly responsible for any of my readers doing something nasty to their fellow human beings. If you feel you need to do magic that has a less-than-kind outcome , I strongly recommend seeking out a competent teacher who can guide you individually, since the blowback from that kind of working can be surprising and awful if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I’ve made a few tweaks and changes to these spells from the original versions in the first edition of this book. Over the fifteen-plus years since the original publication, I’ve had the opportunity to work with these spells repeatedly. I’ve also gained a great deal of experience with magical workings in general, and I’ve brought that to bear on these updated spells. I expect they’ll work even better for you than the original versions.
Many of these spells involve food and drink. In some cases, it’s an offering you’ll be making to a god or goddess. In other cases, the spell involves eating or drinking the substance yourself. Please use your common sense. If you’re allergic to a food or drink, don’t consume it. If you’re deathly allergic, don’t even touch it. There are plenty of spells to choose from, so pick those that don’t involve foods your body will react badly to.
As you journey through these pages and into the magic of the ages, you’ll find spells and charms of all sorts. Refer to them frequently as you find the need for protection from misfortune; prosperity in your purse and your life; romance and love; fertility for yourself, your family, your garden, your pets; healing of all sorts; and a peek into what the future may hold. Use these pages as a gateway to the gods and goddesses within, an introduction to them and a way to begin building a relationship with them. But above all, make this magic and these deities a very real part of your life every day.
Casting a Spell
spell: n. A set of words, a formula or verse, supposed to possess occult or magical powers; a charm or incantation; a means of accomplishing enchantment or exorcism.
(The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary [OED], 2955)
What a powerful image these three simple words invoke: casting a spell. Visions of the ancient priest in his temple darkened by incense smoke, the medieval witch dancing around her cauldron, and the modern Pagan priestess wielding her athame as she begins a ritual all spring up in our minds at the sound of these three simple words.
For age upon age, since long before people began writing down their stories, we’ve turned to the gods and the forces of nature to help us shape our lives. This magic, this urge to swirl our fingers in the cauldron of life is the legacy of our ancestors, a valuable bequest to those of us in the modern world who are willing to listen and learn.
For a time, much of the information about spellcasting and magic was lost, fallen into disuse, or hidden in fear. But now it has come back to help us build more fulfilling lives. With it we can rekindle the knowledge of our true place in the universe.
As we relearn the value of magic and respect its place in our lives, we can turn to its long history in many cultures around the world. We can learn from them and as we learn, we shed a little more light on the realm of spellwork. It’s exciting, certainly, but it doesn’t need to be mysterious. In the upcoming chapters, you’ll discover just how easy it is to tap into this ancient source of power to add value and depth to your life.
When we talk about this kind of magic, we say we’re casting a spell. It’s a common phrase, but what does it really mean? What power do these three simple words really have?
Casting spells is a special kind of magic, simple yet powerful. A spell is a practical ritual with a specific purpose. Spells can shift the energy around us and help us mold our lives to our desires. Spellcraft (the practice of casting spells) works on a simple principle that many ancient cultures held in common. They believed that focused thought, often with the help of gods or spirits, moves the unseen forces in the world and brings about the fulfillment of a spell’s purpose. When you cast a spell, you focus your attention on the desired outcome. Your mind is the muscle
that moves energy. The objects you use in your spell and the words you speak are your tools, but words in particular—especially those spoken out loud—are powerful tools indeed.
Think about the times in your life when words have had power over you. Remember a time when someone said something that made you happy, sad, angry, or jealous. You had no control over that feeling, did you? Obviously, you have control over how you act in the grip of your emotions, but you can’t usually stop them from bubbling up in the first place. Words can have a powerful effect on you, and I’m not even talking about magic, just ordinary (if perhaps impassioned) speech. If ordinary speech can have that kind of effect, just imagine what words can do if you use them with magical intent. That’s what happens when you cast a spell.
Words have power, and the words we use in spells have special power. Because of the commanding effect words can have, I’ve included the etymologies (word histories) of the subjects that make up the chapters of this book as well as a few others. You can find the full etymology of each chapter-heading word on the page of the OED that’s listed after its definition. These words—spell, protection, prosperity, romance, protection, fertility, healing, and divination—come from ancient roots. Knowing the histories and roots of these words helps us understand their effect on us and the world at large when we use them in a spell. Once we understand the power of words, we can use them more effectively in respectful spellcasting.
First of all, we know that the word spell comes from an Indo-European root (spel-) that means ‘to say aloud or recite,’ just as children do today in a spelling bee. Indo-European is an ancient ancestor of most of the modern European languages including English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, among others. The Indo-European roots of our English words stretch far back in time, before the age of written history. These roots have gathered strength and meaning over eons, creating a powerful force behind the words we speak today.
So we know the root that the word spell comes from. But did you know it’s also related to the familiar word gospel, which means God’s sayings
? It’s also kin to the Old High German word spel, from which we get the modern German/Yiddish spiel, which has made its way into English as a slang term for a sales pitch. The word spell ultimately goes back to a Gothic word that means recital or tale. In other words, a spell is all about the things we say. Spells take their power from words as well as actions.
As you read at the beginning of this chapter, the dictionary definition of a spell equates it with an incantation. Incantation is a familiar word that we toss around with ease, but let’s stop for a moment and think about what it really means. Incantation and enchant both come from the Latin root incantare. This Latin word literally means to en-chant
something, in other words, to chant or sing until someone or something is under the influence of magic. An incantation, then, is the use of a formula of words spoken or chanted to produce a magical effect
(OED, 1399). Once again, we have the spoken word used as a method of producing a desired effect. Pretty useful, wouldn’t you say? This is part of the power of words and the power of spells.
Of course, it’s not just the spoken word that gives spells their power; the written word is equally potent. In fact, much of what we know about ancient spellworking comes from magical writings and inscriptions made by people in cultures long ago. The power of the written word shows up in mythology, too. According to the ancient Romans, the goddess Carmenta invented the alphabet and hence, the written words of power. It’s from her name that we get the English word charm, which is often used interchangeably with the word spell.
Casting a spell: These three simple words form the title of this chapter, but you shouldn’t take them at face value. When you say you cast a spell, there are two ways to think about the word cast. The first is the idea of throwing something, like casting a stone into a pond. Old-timey images of a witch pointing her gnarled finger at her victim give you an idea of how this works: You take aim and throw your energy and your will out into the world in a controlled and directed way. In this sense, casting a spell means you’re putting something out into the world. Bear that in mind as you read and enact the spells in this book. But there’s another meaning of casting a spell
as well, one that’s important to the mental and emotional processes that produce successful magic.
In addition to throwing something, the word cast also means to mold something into a desired shape, the way an artist casts a statue or a piece of jewelry from a mold. When you cast the spells in this book, you’ll use written or spoken words to formulate and enact your will. Pay careful attention to the words. They’re the form your energy takes as you mold your life according to your desires. Don’t change the words in the heat of anger or upset. If you’re that emotionally entangled in someone else’s life in a negative way, I can promise you there will be blowback from any spell you cast. Please respect the gods, yourself, and others when you undertake any of the workings in this book. This isn’t a game, but it is a powerful method for improving your life if you put some effort and focus into it.
Some of the spells in the following chapters include a section in which you have to formulate your thoughts into words and either write those words down or say them out loud. Take the time to find the right words and be sure they reflect what’s really in your heart. Don’t rush through just to get the spell finished. It’s easy to hurry, tempted by the thought of receiving the spell’s promise that much sooner. But take your time. If no words come to you, step away for a while and let your subconscious mull over the problem. Chances are, right when you’re in the middle of something else, the words you need will pop up, ready for you to use them.
You should also be aware that your subconscious and the universe in general can be infuriatingly literal, so choose your words carefully. Star Trek fans who are familiar with the Next Generation episode Elementary, Dear Data
will understand what I mean; in many respects, the universe responds to the words of a spell like a computer reading a command. Compose your words before you plan to perform the spell, then set them aside for a while before you look over them again. Be very sure of what you want to say.
The point of casting a spell is to ask for something and then to receive it as a consequence of the spell’s force. The spells in this book will help you ask for the things you want and need: protection, prosperity, romance, healing, and so on. But I ask that you please not use these spells at others’ expense. We all have the right to fulfilled lives. We all have a right to ask for the things we want