Getting to Know a Spirit of Place

Part ritual, part creative writing prompt, poet Callum James shares a spell for getting to know a spirit of place.

Peach pit, Plane and pinecone: bladder and cord.

Stamshaw Lake is not a lake at all, it is a narrow backwater at the top of Portsmouth Harbour. It is open at both ends and about a kilometre long. There is a path which runs along one side next to a dirty strip of pebble beach and just a few feet away on the other side of the path, out-of-view, is an eight-lane motorway. The path is occasionally inundated by a high tide and half-covered with crispy bladder-wrack shot through with driftwood, marine rope and rubbish, most of it plastic. Across the water, about 200 metres away from where I walk, is Whale Island. It’s approached by a low road bridge that can’t be crossed; a barrier and a guardhouse ensure only those who have business at the naval training base on the island are granted passage. You can look north to a Roman castle in the distance, and south to the continental ferry port where vast, white ships look like pieces of the city detaching themselves as they set off for France. In the pandemic lockdown, this is a far as I can go for my daily exercise. And so I find myself trying to get to know the spirit of place I have only known in passing before. There are all kinds of ways to begin a relationship with place spirits, but I want to share a very simple ritual to that end.

First we ought to briefly consider what we mean by place spirits, or the spirit of a place. Is the spirit of a place just the feeling we have when we step into a particular landscape? And why do we, so often, feel the need to put ‘just’ in front of that? As if we want to minimise its importance or to put a kind of air quotes around the idea of “a spirit”. In truth, we have all taken a hit from living in a materialist culture. Trying to move from an acceptable, mainstream, and materialist appreciation of ‘the spirit of a place’ as a subjective (again, as if it wasn’t valid) experience, to an understanding of a place spirit as a person in its own right is very difficult. The answer may well reside in animism, an approach to the world in which everything is conscious, can have personhood and agency. It’s true that the consciousness of a volcano is of a very different order to our own, but when we start to change our culturally derived mindset from materialism to animism, we start to move from the spirit of a place to a place spirit.

Snail-spiral, screwthread, feather-stripes and sea cork.

This piece of magic involves the body (in the walking), things (in found objects), and words (an invocation). 

Go into the landscape whose spirit you want to contact and go with that purpose in your heart. Go slowly. Meander, don’t march. Spend time. Be silent. Wander around your landscape as if you do not intend to return from it. As you walk, keep an eye out for small things that fit in the palms of your hands. They might be pieces of the natural world: a strangely shaped pebble, a seed, a nut. Things that have been lost or thrown away: a marble, a cigarette lighter, a piece of foil from a sweet. A piece of the built environment: a small chip of brick, a fragment of glass or an iron nail. Look for the unusual and interesting. Make sure that whatever you pick up appeals to you in some way, for its colour or texture, its strangeness, its out-of-placeness, its prettiness or even its grimness. Through searching you will gather an assortment of things. 

The next stage is to bring your creativity to bear. At Stamshaw Lake I like to create “beach collages”, finding an appropriate background and making arrangements of a few found objects in a way I find appealing. Whilst working on them I am always open to the idea that the collection and the collage is a collaboration, that I am open to prompting. It is a matter of paying attention: changes in the wind, unexpected sounds or shadows, the glint of sunlight or the resonance of something you find with some part of your own inner life; all these things can be forms of communication. The important part of this bit of the magic is that your creativity is engaged. If we are open to the idea that there is a consciousness and an agency at work in the spirit of the place, then our imaginative faculties, our creativity is the part of our own consciousness best placed to interact with it. Don’t overthink it, but find a way to create something from the found objects you have. 

I would suggest not taking these things away, at least not immediately. Leave them there. They are, after all, a part of the spirit you are attempting to contact and taking them home for a pretty display on the windowsill seems somehow counterproductive. 

Also, when gathering, don’t shy away from the more difficult aspects of the Spirit as it presents itself. At Stamshaw, there is ample evidence of the plastic crisis in the oceans, and of the other rubbish we choke the world with: over the years many people have died on the motorway that runs nearby: from the Romans to the Royal Navy this place has been steeped in Imperialism, military adventurism and even slavery. All this is a part of the place spirit and may find an expression in the found objects it offers up. 

The last step is to write down a list of the objects you’ve gathered. Give thought to the naming and describing. It can be a simple list or an art piece in itself. Repeat this over a number of days, weeks, however long it takes and each time you do it, come away with a short string of words. You can then weave those words into a spell. Having written them on the spot, gather those words together at home—don’t be afraid to edit and change, but join them all together. If you have proceeded with respect, playfulness, and imagination you will have an invocation which will put you in touch with the Spirit of The Place whenever you want to call it to you. 

Bitumen and bent fork, flint, whelk and weed.

Walk. Listen. Find. Create. Write.

Rust flake, red leaf,

copper, tile and spring;

flint, whelk, green weed,

sprite of twisted string.

Feather stripes, bleached root,

bottletop and cork;

bladderwrack, bitumen,

slate and knotted fork.

Burnt wood, charred wood,

blue stick and hag stone;

screw thread, sea glass,

peach pit and pinecone;

painted wood and driftwood,

snail, net, and bone.

All images © Callum James

Celebrating Beltane in Isolation

Drawing on modern Pagan witchcraft traditions, Phoebe Howe considers how to celebrate Beltane during the lockdown.

Illustration by Kaitlynn Copithorne

As I write this, I look out of my window at the fresh spring rain whose absence I have missed. Its return brings me a sense of peace. For the last couple of weeks, the sun has been blazing and Beltane—that festival which marks the beginning of summer—has been on my mind. For myself, being housebound has been a double-edged sword; we are unable to have our collective gatherings around bonfires, but there is opportunity to reconnect with the fires inside ourselves and within nature.

Beltane arrives at the midpoint between the spring and summer equinoxes. It’s a festival celebrated by Neo-Pagans; some may know it as May Day. It’s perhaps best known for its maypoles, but it’s also a fire festival. The fire has grown from the low flickering candles of Imbolc to the passionate, blazing bonfires of summer. This Neo-Pagan festival has historical precedent, even if some traditions have been forgotten and new ones devised. 

Its name is Celtic in origin; the Irish Gaelic Bealtaine, and Scottish Gaelic Bealtium translate as ‘bright fire’. It was celebrated in various forms across England, Scotland, Island and the Isle of Man. The earliest mention of Beltane is in Old Irish, from the medieval texts Sanas Cormaic—a medieval Irish glossary—and Tochmarc Emire—one of the stories from the Ulster Cycle of Mythology. On this day, cattle would be walked through the two bright fires before being led to summer pastures. Such fire rituals were to protect the herd from disease and ensure their fertility.

Beltane is still a celebration of light and the beginning of the sun. Spring has reached its peak, life is in bloom. We are ready to experience the rapture of being alive. The energies in the earth are potent, fertile and full of the vitality from the sun. Beltane of yore often involved courting rituals, which could lead to marriage. Today possibility hangs in the air. You could say the earth is in her prime. Perhaps we are too. 

But where to channel this vigour when we are stuck inside? This is the year I was actually hoping to conform to the Neo-Pagan stereotype and dance naked, with my community, around a blazing fire in North London. Feast on seasonal foods. Basically just have a bloody good time.

This sense of union—and the possibilities of finding love—are limited this summer. But there is a silver lining: this pandemic has given many of us more time with ourselves and with nature. We’re travelling less and air pollution in the UK has plummeted. This is a perfect time to bring forth the creativity within. Go on a walk. Even in the city you can find the wildness of nature creating new ways to bloom through pavement cracks. For those who personify the earth as a deity, whatever name we call her by, we can turn to her now. In his The Triumph of the Moon, Ronald Hutton traces the history of Pan as a wild spiritual deity, a personification of nature, expressed so articulately in the romantic era. At the heart of this Neo-Pagan festival is a creative blend of the past with the present, with a longing—one we’ve inherited from the romantic poets—to “return” to nature; for it is immersed in nature where we feel most alive.

If there is a project you have been delaying, now is the time to run with it. The seeds you may have planted at the beginning of spring will be growing. If there is a love you need to confess, a job you want, a dream you want to chase, now is the time for those leaps of faith. The time is ripe to nurture those things we want ready by Lammas, the first harvest. It’s a thing of beauty to align ourselves so we’re in sync with the natural cycles of the changing year. And through recognising the return of the season of fire, maybe we can get closer to our inner flames.

Here are some ideas to celebrate this May Day during the lockdown

• Spend your daily exercise drinking in the signs of spring. Gather flowers on walks to hang around your hair, alters and homes. Make sure you only take what you need, and what the plants can afford to lose. 

• If you’re home alone, have a date night with yourself. Or with friends, or a significant other, if you live together. Dress up, if you want to. Or stay in pyjamas. Dance and let go.

• Get creative in the kitchen and make dinner for yourself, and anyone you live with. Opt for seasonal foods for your springtime banquet.

• Work on your craft, whatever it may be, so you might see the fruits of your labour by the first harvest. 

• Light candles in your home and watch the flicker of the flame. 

• Take a bath with wild flowers and reconnect with yourself — be conscious of the bath’s warmth and your breath.

• Take heed of what the Beltane Fire Festival has to say about this celebration: “Our festival is a living, dynamic reinterpretation and modernisation of an ancient Iron Age.” We can adapt and reinterpret while being inspired by the past and the changing seasons. 

This is a joyful holiday of love and abundance. We may not be able to dance together around the bonfire, hug or catchup over coffee, but we can still connect with each other through our connection with nature. At 9pm on 1st May I will be lighting a candle at my mini bonfire and meditating on union in times of separation. I hope you’ll join me.

Phoebe Howe is an aromatherapist, massage therapist and the creator of Earth Remedies, a homemade botanical skincare brand. 

The Magic of Psychometry & Second-Hand Shopping

Ever got bad vibes from an antique? Kailey Tedesco writes about the magic of psychometry, and how to make pre-owned items your own.

As a child who was probably too well-absorbed in the world of fairy tales and folklore, I would often pretend, for hours and hours, that I was Belle from Beauty & the Beast. In this pretend play, chairs and tables and books and picture frames all became friends, each enchanted with their own personalities & voices. 

Later in life, this thought would frighten me. The uncanny horror of dolls or figurines possessed by demonic evils became a cautionary tale instead of a fairy story. My Catholic grandmother would sit me down in her living room of antiques and tell me which objects to be fearful of. Together, we would pray over them, handmade rosary beads woven around our fingers. The fireplace, she would say, houses the spirit of a girl who died long ago in a plane crash just above this house. I remember thinking that I could feel that. The fireplace knew something — it had a secret. 

What I hadn’t realized, either as a small, fantasy-driven child or an older fearful one, was that I had been practicing psychometry all along. Psychometry, which is sometimes called token-object reading, is a term coined by Joseph Rodes Buchanan during the height of the Spiritualist movement. It is the practice of measuring the soul of an object, or seeing an object’s energies, vibrations, and memories through touch. It is believed that there are different levels of sensitivity when practicing psychometry. Some psychics are able to get a full, sensual image of an object’s past or the person who previously owned that object, including smells and words. Others simply get a feeling from the object. 

I belong to the latter group. There are some who will say that only certain people possess the psychic or paranormal ability to see the soul of an object. I don’t really subscribe to this idea. I believe everyone possesses the intuition to see or feel an object’s soul — it’s just a matter of how that sight or feeling manifests for you, individually. 

I remember purchasing a stunning, vintage, crescent moon shaped necklace as a teen. When I got home and clasped the pendant around my neck, I became overwhelmed with feelings of mourning and death and grief. I couldn’t bear to wear it any longer. Later, in college, my dorm room was nauseous. My first apartment was secretive. My current home with my husband was, at first, maddeningly sterile, but now it is becoming cozy and hospitable. 

After realizing that so much of my self and my mood was affected by the objects around me, I began to explore what this might mean. After understanding psychometry, I found myself better able to form relationships with the objects I brought home from antique stores and estate sales, and even the objects passed down to me from relatives. This understanding has strengthened my folk practices and allowed me better connect to my ancestors and my community. And of course, in 2020, I believe there’s an imperative to furnish our homes with second-hand objects as often as possible, not only because they are often incredibly dreamy, but also for the sake of sustainability. If you are someone who, like me, has a difficult time dissociating objects from their “souls”, here are some practices that have worked for me: 

1. Don’t be afraid to touch objects in the store

As long as it’s permissible (and it usually is) touch any object you feel like taking home. Based on your touch, decide if this is an object that feels right for you and the space you are creating. I like to think of my home as one, large altar. Ask yourself: Is this something you’d want to be a part of the daily rituals of your home? 

2. Cleansing is always an option

If you’d like to play it safe, there are many options for cleansing or purifying objects of their pasts. I prefer to use bells to ward off any evil or negativity an object may be carrying. You can also burn sage or dried herb bundles (just be sure to research the ethics first), surround your objects with your favorite crystals or incense, pray or chant words associated with whatever feeling you wish for the object to possess, or make or buy a tincture of essential oils, salt water, etc. to banish negativity. 

3. Make the object your own

Even though it frightened me as a child, I now collect antique, porcelain dolls. Some of these dolls were passed down to me by relatives. I have an Estonian doll from my great-grandmother that I keep on a small altar in my dining room. This doll makes me feel closer to a relative that I sadly only met as an infant. I am less connected to many of the dolls I’ve brought home from thrift shops or antique malls, and so I often use these for art. I enjoy breaking them down and using the pieces to create something new. 

For example, I recently framed one of the teeth my puppy lost with glass doll limbs. I performed a protection spell so that this particular doll might now be repurposed to keep my dog safe and healthy as he grows. While it is important to respect the pasts of second-hand or antique objects, it is also totally okay to repurpose them to serve a new function in your home. This can also be a great way to cleanse an object as well. 

4. Enjoy your objects

Once you’ve brought a beautiful, art deco coffee table or velvet mid-century armchair into your home, be sure to enjoy them! Invite friends over and serve food or drinks on your new furniture. Sit and talk with friends. Allow the energies and smells and sights and tastes of your own life to infiltrate and inspire your objects. 

While it may seem morbid, I sometimes enjoy imagining a group of people sorting through my estate sale objects after I’ve passed. I hope that they find my belongings full of love & a life well-lived. 

Flower Power: Tapping Into Floral Magic

Many traditions turn to the natural world for healing. Even within pharmaceuticals, plants have provided a starting point for the development of various medications. After a winter dominated by darkness, it is reassuring to know that there is creativity stirring deep within the belly of the earth promising life to come. As days grow lighter and warmer, blossoms and spring blooms are coaxed out, dressing nature in regal purples and golden-yellow. So, it is worth asking, what other magical properties do flowers possess?

Illustration by Rachael Olga Loyd

Dandelion

Urban legend dictates that plucking this sunny-headed flower will result in wetting your bed. It is not known where this idea originates, but it is interesting that herbalists recommend dandelion for its diuretic purposes and to help with bloating. The name for this ubiquitous weed comes from the French, dent-de-lion – tooth of a lion – so it’s no surprise that it is associated with courage and bravery. It can be used in spells for courage, tenacity and perseverance. Once this bloom dries, you can make a wish and think of loved ones separated by distance while blowing the seeds. Drinking dandelion tea is said to increase psychic powers and the seeds can be used in spells for communication.

Hellebore

This flower may look like rose but is actually related to the buttercup family. Ranging in hues of yellow, green and purple, its folkloric association links it to sorcery as it was believed to be an ingredient of ‘flying ointment’, a hallucinogenic that once rubbed onto a person’s body, would give them the ability to fly. Another use for hellebore is detailed in Burton’s manual of 1628, Anatomie of Madness where he writes:

“Borage and hellebore fill two scenes,

Sovereign plants to purge the veins,

Of melancholy and cheer the heart.”

Passion Flower

This vine plant with showy flowers can be both woody and herbaceous. It is said to be beneficial for anxiety as well as insomnia due to its sedative properties and the belief that is may be responsible for increasing levels of gamma-aninobutyric acid in the brain, which helps to regulate moods. 

Borage

Also known as Star Flower , the Celtic name for this flower is ‘borrach’ meaning ‘courage’. This edible blue bloom is therefore associated with courage and psychic ability. Most people will have encountered borage without realising as it is an ingredient of Pimms. Clinical studies show that borage seed oil “reduces cardiovascular reactivity to stress by reducing the systolic blood pressure and heart rate and by increased task performance .” (Haughton 2001)

Lavender

The folkloric associate of this somnambulant flower is that is counteracts the evil-eye. Another folklore links this flower to the plague since it is one of the constituent ingredients of ‘Four Thieves Vinegar’, a brew that was believed to protect people from contracting the disease. One story behind the name of this potion involve four thieves who were caught stealing from the homes of plague victims. They apparently bargained the recipe for the potion in exchange for clemency. Whilst recipes varied, lavender remained present in each, likely for its aromatic properties which mask the less palatable ingredients, like vinegar and garlic. An aromatherapy staple, lavender promotes feelings of relaxation and wellbeing. 

Foxglove

Foxglove is said to come from the name ‘folks glove’, a plant beloved by fairy folk. An old myth from the West Country states the when the foxglove bobs in the wind that they are in fact bowing their heads to the fairy folk as they pass by. The Anglo-Saxon word foxes-gleow means ‘a ring of bells’ and associates the bloom with the Norse legends of foxes who wear the flower around their neck, the ringing of the bells making a spell of protection. This plant is highly toxic but is believed to provide your home with protection if planted in your garden.

Lilac

Another heady aromatic flower, lilac is known for protection and is said to drive away evil. Some believe it brings bad luck into the house, however, lilac is a popular ingredient in many perfumes and scented candles similar to jasmine. Lilacs originate from Arabia and come to Europe via spain in the 1500s. Celtic cultures believed that this flower had the ability to transport people to the spirit world.

Yarrow

Yarrow is one of the oldest medicinal plants long been recognised for its healing properties due to its ability to reduce swelling and lower blood pressure. This easily found in parks and hedgerows, is also known as a symbol of protection. Yarrow blossom is also associated with energy, in particular creative energy. Its Latin name millefolium translates to ‘thousand leaves’ and is linked to mythic hero Achilles. Also known as the herb of Venus, hanging dried yarrow about the marital bed was said to ensure that love would last.

Tarot Journaling: An Introduction

Diaries have been conceived of as gifts for the dead, yet they now reign — in the form of their contemporary cousins, journals - as customised tools for self-study and reflection by the living. Repositories of the conscious and unconscious forces in our lives, journals enable us to glean insights into our thoughts, feelings, and behavioural patterns, and how these shift over time. 

Tarot journals are akin to the eclectic sketchbooks of artists, the prospecting field books of archaeologists, the grammar notebooks of language learners. We jot down notes to remember ourselves with, to create our very own reference book, a guide to our uniquely personal psyche.

Historically, the post-1970s proliferation of self-help oriented tarot workbooks and guides signalled a sea change from the use of tarot as divination apparatus to a focus on self realisation. 1980s proponents such as Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack noted that through the tarot (as with the journal), we can ‘find ourselves’ by ourselves; reflected, thought about, psychoanalysed, even conjured into being, without the help of therapist or teacher. This tendency is assisted by the multiplication of specialised tarot decks published today — from queer, sex positive, and feminist decks to those illustrated with faeries, Arthurian knights, and even cats.

A less private vision of the cards has also been fostered by the Internet-era photographic sharing of spreads. Their collective interpretation on social media platforms has created communities of tarot enthusiasts engaged in mutual support, and bound by narratives of self-care. This public display of eclectic, sketchbook-style #tarotjournals on Instagram can be seen as an inevitable conjunction of these trends for self-guidance, empowerment, and the reconfiguration of public-private distinctions. Tarot journals are material yet ethereal objects which serve both as logbooks and spaces for stream of consciousness narratives about ourselves, as well as our spiritual and psychological journeys. They also assist us in moving towards a stronger acquaintance with the cards.

So how might you go about keeping your own? Here’s a short guide to help you get started.

Choosing your blank canvas

If, like me, you’re a stationery hoarder then there are a few things to consider before writing anything down. If you’re into pictures rather than (or as well as) words then you might consider plain or graph paper instead of lined. Similarly, if you’re a cut ‘n’ paste kind of witch then a ring bound journal might be your ally, as it allows more space for mixed media creations. There’s no need to overspend on your ideal canvas though — remember that ultimately it’s the content which counts. If you do feel like purchasing something new rather than using just any old notebook which is lying around, I highly recommend Coloring Book of Shadows’ Tarot Journal as a starting point.

How often to journal?

The worst outcome of starting any new habit is to punish yourself over how little you are actually doing it. So bear in mind that you don’t have to journal every day, or even write down every spread. But when you have the time and the inclination, make the most of it. I often use my journal to riff on spreads I’m particularly struck by, or that I just can’t seem to make head nor tail of. Writing helps me to get out of my head and deep into my heart. If you’re feeling reticent about jotting down whatever comes to mind then Natalie Goldberg’s Zen writing guide Writing Down the Bones might assist in freeing up your imagination.

How to write down a spread

My daily draw tends to be a three card spread, and when I’m journaling I like to take up a good portion of the page with my card names and numbers, which is particularly helpful when I get retrospective and go over old journal entries for reference or clarity. Experiment with different layouts and figure out what is both practical for you, and aesthetically pleasing. Don’t worry about changing things up - consistency is, let’s face it, a restrictive bore. If you’re stuck for ideas then Instagram is a hotbed of tarot journaling creativity — don’t worry about borrowing other people’s templates. You’ll figure out your own in time as you become ever more comfortable with the process.

A note on materials

Pencil, coloured pens, watercolour, collage - moods rather than words can work beautifully when it comes to keeping a journal of any sort. Feel free to make a mess and use whatever materials are to hand. As with botanists sketching flowers, drawing or painting your spread can be a wonderful way of getting intimate with your cards, the archetypes and symbolism they embody, and the colour magick they utilise. There’s so much to explore that a pictorially-based tarot journal can be a true gateway beyond conscious thought.

Rewind the clock

One of the massive benefits of journal keeping is the possibility it opens up for looking back over old entries, for revisiting your feelings and thoughts weeks, months or even years ago. Whenever I’m writing down a new spread I tend to flick through my journal to find out when a card last arose for me, and what it meant at that point in time. This enables me to chart arcs in my life, on a multitude of scales, and to note the way in which a particular card’s qualities can shift and change through familiarity. It also helps to remind me that every tarot deck is an amorphous and shifting entity, as prone to lively change as I am.

Cunning Folk Spring Equinox Tea Blend

**In light of COVID-19, we and Earth Remedies have decided it’s our social responsibility to cancel the Spring Equinox Event in London this week. All ticket-holders have already been informed and their tickets reimbursed. At present, we’re not making a profit from Cunning Folk content, but we’d very much like, in the coming months, to print our first issue. If you like our content and would like to donate, please follow this link. We’re very grateful to all readers and supporters. Please also check out the homemade remedies from our friends and collaborators Earth Remedies.*

Source: Unsplash

Self-isolation needn’t mean going without Spring Equinox. Below is our in-house herbalist Maggie Eliana’s tea blend that we would be drinking at the Equinox event, were it going ahead this week. For those in densely populated areas, we realise foraging for herbs might not be an option. UK residents can still order herbs from Baldwin & Co. This coronavirus highlights the inevitability of change and our interdependence. While drinking this tea, you may want to write a list of intentions for the coming year or reflect on the strange times we’re living through.

—

The spring equinox is a time of renewal and rebirth of nature and of ourselves. A time for cleaning out the cobwebs of last year and a chance for new beginnings, outward growth, and balance. This tea blend is formulated with herbs that traditionally represent spring and the equinox, and have traditional uses associated with the cleansing and balancing energies we strive for at this time of year. 

Calendula provides protection and healing; Rose attracts love, balances the heart and mind; Dandelion increases psychic abilities, cleanses the body and mind; Nettle provides purification of the spirit and the body.

Tea blend (for 1 cup)

2 tsp calendula flowers

2 tsp rose petals

1 tsp nettle leaf

½ tsp dandelion leaf

Put your herbs in a tea strainer. Place this in a cup and pour over freshly boiled water. Steep for 3 minutes. Enjoy your herbal infusion! More on celebrating Spring Equinox here.

The Witch Bottle: Curse, Cure, Gift

Image © @gendergems

In Anna Biller’s The Love Witch, paragon of feminist cinema, we witness our titular heroine Elaine creating a witch bottle in the kitchen of her recently deceased lover/victim Wayne. The key ingredients? Her own urine and a blood soaked, used tampon. “Most men have never even seen a used tampon” she muses in the voiceover. Digging Wayne’s grave, she places the witch bottle beside his remains - “a gift to her lover”, Ms Biller explains on a recent episode of The Witch Wave podcast. After all, what is more intimate than a tampon?

Witch bottles have not always been gifts. In 17th century East Anglia, stoneware bottles or jugs were traditionally created by cunning folk, astrologers or chemists as counter-spells or ‘prepared cures’ to retaliate against suspected witchcraft. Folklorist Icy Sedgwick recalls the story of cunningman James Murrell of Essex, who used a cast iron witch bottle to counter a curse placed on a young woman. He reportedly held the bottle in a blazing fire until the witch appeared and begged him desperately to stop. The next day, the girl was found to have miraculously recovered, whilst the witch had burned to a crisp.

Nigel Jeffries, a ceramic specialist working on Bottles Concealed and Revealed (a joint research project into witch bottles by the Museum of London Archaeology and the University of Hertfordshire) suggests that witch bottles were made primarily for wellbeing—to conjure longevity and good health. Later witch bottles, made from glass or plastic, were (and are) used by witches themselves in a similar way, or else laced with protective magic to guard against psychic or physical attack. A witch bottle dating back to the 1980s was recently discovered on the shores of the Thames—a plastic pill bottle containing human teeth, coins, and a tiny bottle of clove oil. Perhaps its creator had toothache.

Over 100 witch bottles, mostly from the 17th to 19th centuries, have been unearthed in the UK alone—under houses, in ditches, streams, and graveyards. Typical burial sites were in chimneys or under hearths—evil spirits were thought to enter houses via such thresholds. Last year a Victorian glass bottle was discovered at the site of the former Star and Garter Inn in Northamptonshire. It contained fish hooks, human teeth, glass, and liquid (urine and other bodily fluids have long been typical ingredients). The inn happened to be the 1761 birthplace of Angeline Tubbs, the infamous Witch of Saratoga. We might wonder whether the bottle’s creator was guarding against some of Angeline’s lingering forces.

If you’re feeling intrigued, and itching to do a little spellcasting, you might be wondering how to create a witch bottle for your own devices. Here are two simple recipes to get you started. Just don’t take Elaine’s murderous ways too much to heart. She might be our heroine but let’s face it—she’s no role model.

The (Self-) Love Bottle

There are written records of love charm bottles dating back to the 19th century. They often contained Dragon’s Blood - a vivid vermillion plant resin used by pagans to add potency to love and protection spells. Nowadays you can still find Dragon’s Blood in your friendly local apothecary or magical supplies shop. For simplicity, and economy, I suggest using jam jars as a starting point for your new witch bottle crafting hobby, but similarly any wide-necked glass bottle will do. Since it’s a bit creepy to bind others to you (take note, Elaine), let’s focus our love spells on self love instead. After all, the rest will follow.

• Firstly, cleanse your jar by washing it thoroughly then placing it upside down on a lined baking tray (newspaper works just fine as a liner). Bake it in the oven on a very low heat for 15 minutes. Leave to cool. You can wash the lid too but no need to bake it.

• Fill the jar half full with salt (whatever kind you have to hand), then sprinkle on a thin layer of Dragon’s Blood. Firmly push a small lump of rose quartz into place (rose quartz has all sorts of magical properties, but is especially potent when it comes to encouraging self love). Give it a kiss first—charge it with your intention!

• A piece of red string or ribbon, symbolising protection, completes the spell. Seal the bottle with black candle wax (great for banishing negative energies), and hide somewhere deep inside your home.

The Fool’s Bottle

This recipe is inspired by Michelle Tea’s instructions for making a Fool Pouch (you can find this in her truly glorious, queer-friendly guide The Modern Tarot). Like the Fool card of the tarot, this bottle will conjure bravery, adventurousness, and wondrous naivety as you set out on any journey. It’ll also keep you safe, which is important given all that naivety and innocence. Why not keep it with you whenever you’re embracing something new, or embarking on an adventure?

• Cleanse your jar or bottle as above.

• Quarter fill your container with lavender, a perfect antidote to the stress of contemporary adulthood. Next add an anise pod and a sprig of rosemary (for passion and purity of intention, suggests Michelle), plus the small feather of any bird. This will keep you soaring high. A rusty nail or piece of metal gives strength and helps to banish evil forces. Bent rusty nails were thought to be especially potent for this purpose.

• Top up with a clear spirit such as gin or vodka, to keep you giddy with a lust for life. Again, use candle wax (your favourite colour) to thoroughly seal.

Witch The Vote: A Corbyn Victory Spell

Hex-breakers and justice-seekers: the UK general election takes place in a week’s time, on the night of the full moon (Thursday 12th December). After ten years of crushing austerity, we defy more Tory rule. We refuse to cede to their greed and their cruelty. We refuse them our labour, our land and our lives. And so we invite you to join us in a mass, remote spell to witch the vote, and bring about a Corbyn victory. 

We will do this over seven consecutive days, starting tonight: Thursday 5th December. Don’t worry if you can’t commit to joining us on all seven nights; the key date is election night itself. Join us online using the tags #WitchTheVote2019 and #WitchesForCorbyn 

Suggested ingredients and directions are as follows. Feel free to supplement or substitute according to your personal, respective practice and preferences. The important thing here is the intention (a Labour/Corbyn victory) and the time: start this spell promptly at 8:30pm, and aim to finish at 9:00 pm. Having a small clock or timer nearby will help. 

• A red candle (red for Labour. Also: power; authority; victory; good fortune). White will also work in a pinch – even a tea light. Its intention that really matters here. 

 • A red thread, ribbon or cord, long enough to knot seven times. Again, white or twine, etc will work in a pinch. 

• Herbs and/or oils you associate with wish fulfillment, positive outcomes and victory e.g High John the Conqueror; Cinnamon; Dandelion; Bay Leaf.   

• Images and objects you associate with the Labour party, its ideals and its leader: a red rose; a rosette; flyers; party membership card; newspaper clipping of Corbyn, etc 

• Images, icons and objects you associate with justice, liberation and change, to decorate your altar/space with. I’ll be using The Sun card, since it represents victory, rebirth, positive change and personal leadership, but Justice, Temperance and Death would also be fitting. Dr. Kate Tomas suggests invoking Aldebran, a fixed, celestial being who channels power and victory over evil. Aldebran is associated with Arch Angel Michael, the dragon-slayer. 

• Incense. I’ll be burning orange (for joy), bay (for wishes and victory) and ginger (to ‘hot’ the spell up and overpower negative energy) 

Follow or omit the following steps where applicable to your personal practice/path/tradition: 

• Ground yourself 

• Cast your circle 

 • Light your incense 

 • Call the quarters and/or invoke your chosen deity(ies)/spirits/guides/ Give/send up any offerings you may have for them and ask that they aid this magical working 

• Carve the candle with the words (or initials for) ‘Prime Minister Corbyn’, and below this, an ‘X’ to symbolize the winning mark. Say: “With this X, we anoint our new Prime Minister: Jeremy Corbyn.” 

• Anoint/surround/imbue the candle with your chosen oils and/or herbs and light the wick. 

 • Now for the crux of it: hold the ribbon in both hands while you gaze into the flame. As you gaze, visualize a Labour victory. Visualize voters queuing up in droves to vote for Labour. Visualize this happening every day for the next week. Visualize the ballot boxes filling to the brim with Labour votes. Visualize the results being announced once the tally is counted: Labour wins! Labour wins! Labour wins! Visualize Corbyn as our new Prime Minister, cheering and grinning, surrounded by supportive colleagues and campaigners. Visualize the celebrations, the joy and the relief of thousands. Visualise him walking into 10 Downing Street to take his seat of power, waving cheerfully as he goes. Visualize him being interviewed by the press about how he will use his power as Prime Minister. Visualize him speaking truth to power, manifesting justice and equality. Visualize him undoing the cruelty and crimes of the previous government, banishing the opposition, starving them of power. Visualize him righting wrongs, draining the poison, planting seeds in our long-barren, now replenished soil. Visualize his name writ large on the front page of every UK newspaper: Prime Minister Corbyn! Prime Minister Corbyn! Prime Minister Corbyn! 

• Hold this vision of victory in your mind until it feels true and real and tangible. Let it bloom and expand, let it grow substantial and take root. Let it manifest. To bind the vision, make a knot at one end of the cord, saying as you tie it: “By the powers of justice and equality/a Corbyn win, so mote it be.” 

• Thank your deities/spirits/guides; snuff out the candle and the incense; close the circle; ground yourself. 

• Perform this spell every night for the next seven nights, using the flame and the cord to bind your/our intention. On the final night – election night – knot the ends of the cord together to create a circle and complete the spell. Carry the cord with you until the results are announced the following day. And DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! Poll stations close at 10:00pm. Take photo ID if you have it. 

Please note: this isn’t a binding. The intention here is to focus on and help bring about a Labour win rather than a Tory lose. You’re more than welcome to perform a binding beforehand, if you wish. It all counts! 

In love and solidarity, Charlotte, The Culture Witch 

This was originally posted on The Culture Witch’s tumblr.