The Slippery Spirit

There is a Norse charm called the  Vegvísir.   It comes from the Huld Manuscript, which was collected in Iceland in approx. 1860, but allegedly contains much older information. The  Vegvísir ( Iclandic for "sign post") is intended to provide the holder of the charm with the ability to pass through rough weather without getting lost. [Edit, May 2014: The original Huld Manuscript image is given below by request.] The internet has tons of images of this charm. Most of these images are photos of tattoos, already indellible in someone's skin. Unfortunately, I found all of them to be wrong. Looking at the original manuscript will reveal that there are lines making up the  Vegvísir symbols that are not present on the internet versions. So if you plan to make and use this charm, particularly in a permanent capacity (like a tattoo), you will want to get it right. The  Vegvísir is made up of eight staves radiating from a center point. Each of the staves terminate...

Florida water is a traditional scent blend of unisex perfume, or more correctly, an eau de toilette. When one blends notes of citrus, lavender and a spice like cinnamon and/or clove, one has blended “Florida Water.” At one time, there was no one correct formula for this scent. It was usually made by pharmacists (“druggists” or “chemists”) to meet the demand in their area, though large companies were manufacturing it for sale world-wide. Pharmaceutical trade publications printed dozens of formula suggestions over the years for druggists to blend in their stores. Formulations for this scent stayed relatively close to a culturally accepted scent concept so that passers-by would know that one was wearing florida water as opposed to something else, like rose water or geranium water. Because the scent was inexpensive, readily available and socially endorsed, it became a perfume useful for making any environment pleasant to the visitation of ancestral spirits. Over time, it became the ...

An alraun is a magickal charm composed of a plant part, typically a root and traditionally the root of the mandrake plant, that is used as a corporeal domicile by a helping familiar spirit. Because of the connection between them, any reading or research about the alraun invariably forces one to research the mandrake. But during my study, I have come to question a couple of connections that are unclear. I have therefore come to these conclusions, which I will discuss: The alraun has a uniquely Germanic name despite that the traditional alraun plant - the mandrake - does not grow in any Germanic area, signaling possible confusion between the mandrake and another plant more common to Germanic latitudes. The lore of the mandrake has become so notorious that any original alraun lore has become potentially obscured through cultural marriage with the mandrake. Consequently, exposure of unadulterated alraun lore has become impossible. In contemporary usage, the german word for the man...

For years I have been fascinated by the use of and power in magic words. Recently, my over-analytic brain has fallen upon the old word “abracadabra” and wondered why it is what it is. I have also wondered if it shouldn't be in greater use these days. Certainly, a word with so much fame shouldn't be forgotten in the world of witchcraft. The Online Etymology Dictionary tells us that the word is a . . . magical formula, 1690s, from Latin (Q. Severus Sammonicus, 2c.), from Late Gk. Abraxas, cabalistic or gnostic name for the supreme god, and thus a word of power. It was written out in a triangle shape and worn around the neck to ward off sickness, etc. Another magical word, from a mid-15c. writing, was ananizapta. This is interesting, albeit brief. It doesn’t really explain the use of the spell. Wikipedia has this to say about the word: Abracadabra Abracadabra is an incantation used as a magic word in stage magic tricks, and histor...

For many years - perhaps two decades or more - I have been refining a document for my book of shadows that attempts to categorize into only a few general categories, all types of divination. I started with 4 basic forms. It then evolved to 5. Then the titles of the categories changed because the lists had to be reorganized. As I edited that document today, I was considering those groups of divination that function obviously within an altered state of consciousness, like mediumship, and those that function less obviously in an altered state of consciousness, like casting lots. Just before I considered once again starting the whole classification system from scratch, I asked my partner for his input. After a bit of discussion, he basically told me that I was building a list that was of no use. I was insulted and hurt, but not in a major way. I was injured in that way that I get when my own baggage gets in my way. I start to feel my self worth  lessening  because I think I'm be...