In the first part of this series I discussed why the common, non-magickal concept of a love spell was a bad idea, but that real love spells were a practical option for magickal folks. In the second part of this series I described how it’s a myth that “opposites attract” but an occult truism that “like attracts like.” I also described how to attract the type of person you want: you need to be the type of person he or she wants. This involves doing an honest assessment of yourself and changing those things you don’t like about yourself. Then make a list of the characteristics you want in your new love. In the third part of this series I looked at why making a talisman is ideal for working with a list of qualities or characteristics, a theory as to how magick actually works, and how to design sigils, using your list, to be placed on your talisman.

So what does this talisman look like? It could be a strip of paper. The ancient Jews used long strips of parchment, about two inches wide, that were then rolled tightly and placed into a holder. A version of this exists among modern Jews in the form of the Mezuzah—a strip of parchment with certain blibcal verses on it, coiled and inserted into a container—hung on doors of homes and buildings.

Mezuzah on the Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue in Old Jerusalem

Orthodox Jewish males, from the time of their Bar Mitzvah at age 13, wear Tefillin, leather boxes with biblical verses written on a coil of parchment inside, above their foreheads and on their left arms during certain prayers. They’re held in place with leather straps.

Young Man Being Instructed on How to Wear Tefillin

Modern Kabalists are more inclined to use a small piece of paper, generally about two inches by four inches. Folded in half, you get a talisman like a square pendant that opens, giving you four sides (each side two inches by two inches).

Some Pagans use a poppet. This is a small, usually hand-made figure. Some are elaborate while others are very crude. It’s often made of cloth with straw, cotton, and ritual items inside. It can be made of clay. It appears similar to the popular concept of a “Voodoo doll.” Instructions for making a poppet can be found on this LINK. The symbols used on the talisman can be engraved directly on the poppet or may be placed on a piece of paper and, after being charged, inserted into the poppet.

Charging the Talisman

The definition of a talisman, taken from my book, Modern Magick, is:

A talisman is any object, sacred or profane, with or without appropriate writing, that is charged or consecrated to achieve a specific end.

While simply designing the sigils and symbols for your talisman, and placing them on something to be used as the physical talisman, will give some magickal charge to your talisman*, usually there is a formal ritual performed for the purpose of charging your talisman.

There are too many potential rituals for the purpose of charging a talisman to list or fully describe. You can find information on the specifics in my Modern Magick. More information and examples can be found in books such as The Middle Pillar, Postmodern Magic, Practical Candleburning Rituals, A Practical Guide to the Runes, Tarot Talismans, and The Complete Book of Amulets & Talismans. However, rituals, in general, follow a broad, general format:

1) Clear, purify, banish area. This can be accomplished through taking a purifying bath yourself combined with a banishing ritual such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP).

1a) One section of the LBRP, “The Evocation of the Archangels,” includes calling on Higher Powers to watch over and participate in the ritual. If the banishing or cleansing you perform doesn’t include this section, it’s common to follow the step above with a calling of Deities.

2) The actual magickal work. In this case, it can include sending your inner magickal energy to charge the talisman, directing energy from the Deities, Magickal Elements, etc., to charge the talisman, or both.

3) Dismissing the energies, Deities, etc., who have attended the ritual and banishing the entire area again.

Since I’m not dictating any particular banishing or calling, the part I’d like to discuss is gathering personal energy to direct to the talisman. One of the easiest ways to do this is with simple breathwork.

Most people breathe without conscious attention to the process. By mindfully focusing on the breath, you are quite literally controlling your inner energy. To experience how this works, take a deep breath and hold it until it is uncomfortable before exhaling. Notice how you feel. Now, inhale and exhale quickly for 20 seconds (if you feel lightheaded, stop immediately!). Again, notice how you feel. Consider how you actually feel when you breathe normally as compared to these two conscious methods of breathwork. When you are able to sense the difference between these three styles of breathing, move on to the next exercise.

Here, you will use a controlled breathing pattern. Inhale to a count of four, hold for the same count, exhale until your lungs are empty (again to the count of four), and hold the exhalation to the same number. This is called the Four-fold Breath. Instead of a 4-4-4-4 pattern, you might want to try a 4-2-4-2 pattern, or something else. Feel the energy build up in you with each breath until you are literally buzzing with contained magickal energy.

Next, with each exhalation, feel, sense, visualize, and know that the energy is moving down your right arm and into the talisman. If you have a magickal wand you may hold it in your right hand and use it to point at the talisman, directing the energy toward it. I like to trace each of the symbols, sigils, and words on the talisman, sending energy to each. Repeat until the talisman feels seems like it’s vibrating or glowing.

Timing is Everything

Would you like your new love interest to arrive tomorrow? That’s not a good suggestion. Because if you do your ritual on a Sunday, when Monday comes your magick is still asking for a partner tomorrow (Tuesday). In fact, tomorrow will never arrive. So as one of the symbols or sigils on your talisman, include a date by which this person should arrive. Be realistic about this.

What To Do With It

A talisman draws energies and goals to it, so sticking your talisman in a drawer or leaving it in your refrigerator won’t bring anyone to you! Keep it on your person. Stick it in a pocket. Make a holder for it and wear it as a pendant on a necklace. If you are going to include it inside a poppet, keep the figure with you.

Now What?

Sitting in your living room and hoping or wishing for a love to come into your life is like trying to win a lottery without buying a ticket. Get out of the house! Go to places where you’re likely to meet potential love interests.

The talisman works as an attention getter. If a person with the qualities and characteristics you’re looking for is also looking for a romance, the talisman will wave a red flag, screaming “Here I am! I’m looking for a person just like you, too.”

It won’t force a person to come to you. Rather, it will make him or her aware that you’re available and interested in a person just like them.

And Finally…

After you find a new love interest, or on the date by which you wanted to have a new love, destroy the talisman. Burn it or break the poppet. This will discharge the energies. If you haven’t found a partner by your goal date, it’s quite possible that the energies have begun to work but haven’t yet “sealed the deal.”

And if, within a reasonable time after your goal date, you haven’t met your new romance, consider this: you’ve only failed if you give up or merely repeat the ritual and talisman design. Examine what happened. Are you not yet ready to meet such a person? How do you change yourself so a person with the characteristics and qualities will want you? Or perhaps your talisman was based on some unrealistic ideas (It’s unlikely that you’ll get a movie star while you live in Peoria!) or you didn’t do the ritual quite right.

It’s not failure unless you give up or choose not to learn from what you did.

Following this system you can perform ethical and effective love spells. Have a great Spring!

*It’s often been reported to me by students that after they have spent many hours designing and creating a talisman (i.e., putting energy into it), they have achieved the goal of the talisman before they actually performed a formal charging ritual.

Other Parts of this Series:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3