The Spell
In a small cottage deep in Sherwood Forest, a woman sits before a fire with a female-doll and a cord in her lap as she cast the following spell over a male-doll she holds in her hands.
…”who are Princes residing in you. I conjure you that you send down to obsesses, torment, and harass the body, spirit, mind and five senses of he whom I desire; and that he shall have no friendship for anyone in this world other than I, Lilith, your servant. So shall he be obsessed and tormented and look on no other than me nor find any love or comfort with anyone but with me, I conjure you to accomplish this my will and I, Lilith, do promise to satisfy you duly. By Hermes the Thrice Great, by the Shield of Solomon [Lilith takes up a female doll in her right hand representing herself and holds it up facing the male doll in her right hand] by all the power of the Lords of Darkness… Creature of Earth, I name thee Herne’s son, Robin Hood… now thou art he! [Lilith brings the two dolls together and binds them with what appears to be a knotted length of red cord, she then holds the bound dolls over her fire] So shall it be! Come to me…Come to me!”
Robin of Sherwood, “The Enchantment”
Original Air Date: March 30, 1985
The Analysis
This is actually a combination of two spells 1) an incantation and 2) an old sympathetic magic spell that have been pieced together from different sources. The incantation is based on a spell titled To Cause a Girl to Seek You Out However Prudent She May Be which can be found in the Book of Ceremonial Magic written by A.E. Waite and is itself based on older Grimoires.
In this spell the magician is instructed to draw a specific talisman on paper incorporating the name of the intended into the talisman and writing certain sacred names on its reverse. He must then venture outside between 11 pm and midnight with his talisman, and a candle. He places the talisman on the bare ground, with his right foot on top of it and his left knee bent to the ground. With the lit candle in is right hand he looks to the Moon and then seeks out the brightest star in the heavens and repeats the incantation given below three times; after which he places the candle on top of the talisman until it is spent. Thereafter he places the talisman in his left shoe until the one he desires comes to him.
I salute and conjure you, O beautiful Moon, O beautiful Star, O bright light which I hold in my hand! By the air which I breathe, by the breath which is within me, by the earth which I touch, I conjure you, and by all the names of the spirits who are Princes residing in you; by the ineffable Name ON, Which hath created all; by thee, O Resplendent Angel Gabriel, together with the Prince Mercury, Michiael and Melchidael! I conjure you again by all the Divine Names of God, that you send down to obsess, torment and harass the body, spirit, soul and five senses of the nature of N., whose name is written here below, in such a way that she shall come unto me and accomplish my will, having no friendship for any one in the world, but especially for N., so long as she shall be indifferent to me. So shall she endure not, so shall she be obsessed, so suffer, so be tormented. Go then, promptly; go, Melchidael, Baresches, Zazel, Firiel, Malcha, and all those who are without you (sic). I conjure you by the great living God to accomplish my will, and I, N., do promise to satisfy you duly.
The second part of the spell, the binding of two dolls together, is one of the most ancient forms of magic known as Sympathetic Magic. Sympathetic Magic works on the principle that ‘invisible bonds connect all things’. It can be divided into two categories, Homeopathic Magic and Contagious Magic. The Scottish anthropologist Sir James G. Frazer first described these types in his book The Golden Bough (1890).
Homeopathic Magic holds that “like attracts like.” A classic example of this type of magic is the melting of a waxen image of an enemy resulting in his or her death. Contagious Magic holds that “things once in contact with one another continue to exert an influence on one another after they have been separated.” An example of Contagious Magic from a folk magic remedy to cure a wound would be to rub some medicine on the object which caused the wound in the first place. The most popular and well-known form of Sympathetic Magic is the use of poppets, or dolls.
Although a spell such as the one described above can be worked with any number of items in place of the dolls it will have a greater chance for success if those items incorporate the personal concerns of the two individuals. I have personally seen a spell of this type performed with
- Two sticks
- Cologne/Perfume Bottles
- Chess Pieces
- Dimes from each person's birth year
- Salt/Pepper Shakers
- Two Lodestones
- Candles
- Underwear (tied together)
In each case the spell followed the same basic format. First the items were named after the two people concerned. Second they were ritually brought together. This could be done all at once or over a succession of days (usually as the moon grows). Finally, the two items were bound together with red cord of thread. The belief was that as the two items came together and bound, those the items represented would come together by the powerful force of magnetic attraction and be bound together (usually by love, or desire).
That being said, I believe that the spell cited at the beginning of this entry has all the ingredients to be successful. However, if I were to consider casting this spell myself I would change the verbiage of the spell so as to avoid any debt to a higher power to which I hold no allegiance. Furthermore, in place of the fire I would burn a candle prepared with herbs and oils that correspond to my goal.
Carolina Dean
