The Witches' Dream Book; and Fortune Teller / Embracing full and correct rules of divination concerning dreams and visions, foretelling of future events, their scientific application to physiognomy, palmistry, moles, cards, &c.; together with the application and observance of talismen charms, spells and incantations.

by A. H. Noe

TALISMAN FOR HEALING DISEASE.

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The letters which compose this charm must be inscribed in a pyramidical form, as above, on the purest white beeswax, of the ordinary thickness, and of a size sufficiently large to admit of the letters being distinctly written by the individual who is sick; or, if he is too sick, by his dearest friend next at hand. Use for writing them a pen made of the quill of a raven, and ink compounded of the smoke of a concentrated taper and rain water. Let the party who is afflicted with the disease wear the charm hung around his neck, enclosed in a bag of virgin parchment, during the time that the moon performs one circuit through the twelve signs of the zodiac, and let it be commenced on the day of the full moon. The wearer must have full faith in Divine Omnipotence, and repeat the letters of the talisman in some one of the different directions in which they may be read, daily.

If it be required to perform a cure upon one at a distance, or without the afflicted party’s knowledge thereof, write the talisman as above and then you may perform the cure by scraping out one line of the talisman every day with a new knife kept for the express purpose. At the scraping out of each line, say, “So as I destroy the letters of this talisman, Abracadabra, so, by virtue of this sacred name, may all grief and dolor depart from [here mention the name of the sick person]. So I destroy this disease. Amen.”

Many have healed divers diseases in this way; the disease wearing, little by little, away.

Charms to be used on particular Eves of Feasts and Festivals, to procure Dreams, Tokens, and other Insights into Futurity.

FEAST OF ST. ANNE’S.

This is a hard trial, but what is not possible to any young lady who wishes to know her lot in marriage?—that most important change in human life.

Prepare yourself three days previous to the eve of this female saint, by living on bread and water and sprigs of parsley, and touch no other thing whatever, or your labor will be lost. The eve begins at the sixth hour. Go to bed as soon as convenient, and speak not a word after you once begin to undress; get into bed, lie on your left side with your head as low as possible, and repeat the following verse three times:

St. Anne, in silver clouds descend,

Prove thyself a female’s friend;

Be it good or be it harm,

Let me have knowledge from the charm;

Be it husbands one, two, three,

Let me in rotation see;

And if Fate decrees me four,

(No good maid could wish far more),

Let me view them in my dream,

Fair and clearly to be seen;

But if the stars decree

Perpetual virginity,

Let me sleep on, and dreaming not,

I shall know my single lot.

MAGIC ROSE.

Gather your rose on the 27th of June; let it be full blown, and as bright a red as you can get; pluck it between the hours of three and four in the morning, taking care to have no witness of the transaction; convey it to your chamber, and hold it over a chafing dish or any convenient utensil for the purpose, in which there is charcoal and sulphur of brimstone; hold your rose over the smoke for about five minutes, and you will see it have a wonderful effect on the flower. Before the rose gets the least cool, clap it in a sheet of writing paper, on which is written your own name and that of the man you love best; also the date of the morning star that has the ascendancy at that time; fold it up and seal it neatly with three separate seals, then run and bury the parcel at the foot of the tree from which you gathered the flower. Here let it remain untouched till the 6th of July; take it up at midnight, go to bed and place it under your pillow, and you will have a singular and eventful dream before morning, or, at least, before your usual time of rising. You may keep the rose under your head three nights without spoiling the charm. When you have done with the rose and paper be sure to burn them.

CUPID’S NOSEGAY.

On the first night of the new moon in July, take a red rose, a white rose, a yellow flower, a blue one, a sprig of rue and rosemary, and nine blades of long grass; bind all together with a lock of your own hair; kill a white pigeon, sprinkle the nosegay with the blood from the heart, and some common salt; wrap the flowers in a white handkerchief, and lay it under your head, on the pillow, when you go to rest; and, before morning, you will see your fate as clear as if you had your nativity cast by the best astrologer in the world; not only in respect to love, lovers, or marriage, but in the other most important affairs of your life. Storms, in this dream, foretell great trouble; and graves or churchyards are fatal tokens, and so is climbing steep and dangerous places.

LOVE’S CORDIAL.

To be tried the Third Night of a New Moon.

Take brandy, rum, gin, wine and the oil of amber, of each a teaspoonful; a teaspoonful of cream, and three of spring water; drink it as you get into bed; repeat—

This mixture of love I take for my potion,

That I of my destiny may have a notion;

Cupid befriend me, new moon be kind,

And show unto me the fate that’s designed.

You will dream of drink, and, according to the quality or manner of it being presented, you may tell the condition to which you will rise or fall by marriage. Water is poverty; and, if you dream of a drunken man, it is ominous that you will have a drunken mate. If you dream of drinking too much, you will fall, at a future period, into that sad error yourself, without great care; and what is a worse sight than an inebriated female? She cannot guard her own honor, ruins her own and family’s substance, and often clothes herself with rags. Trouble is often used as an excuse for this vicious habit; but it gives more trouble than it takes away.

THE NINE KEYS.

Get nine small keys; they must all be your own by begging or purchase (borrowing will not do, nor must you tell what you want them for); plait a three-plaited band of your own hair, and tie them together, fastening the ends with nine knots; fasten them with one of your garters to your left wrist on going to bed, and bind the other garter around your head; then say—

St. Peter, take it not amiss,

To try your favor I’ve done this;

You are the ruler of the keys,

Favor me, then, if you please:

Let me then your influence prove,

And see my dear and wedded love.

This must be done on the eve of St. Peter’s, and is an old charm used by the maidens of Rome in ancient times, who put great faith in it.

THE WITCHES’ CHAIN.

Let three young women join in making a long chain, about a yard will do, of Christmas juniper, and mistletoe berries; and at the end of every link put an oak acorn. Exactly before midnight let them assemble in a room by themselves, where no one can disturb them; leave a window open, and take the key out of the key-hole and hang it over the chimney-piece; have a good fire, and place in the midst of it a long thinnish log of wood, well sprinkled with oil, salt and fresh mould; then wrap the chain around it, each maiden having an equal share in the business; then sit down, and on her left knee let each maiden have a prayer book, opened at the matrimonial service. Just as the last acorn is burned, the future husband will cross the room; each one will see her own proper spouse, but he will be invisible to the rest of the wakeful virgins. Those that are not to wed will see a coffin, or some misshapen form, cross the room. Go to bed instantly, and you will all have remarkable dreams. This must be done either on a Wednesday or Friday night, but no other.

LOVE LETTERS.

On receiving a love letter that has any particular declaration in it, lay it wide open; then fold it in nine folds, pin it next to your heart, and thus wear it till bedtime; then place it in your left hand glove, and lay it under your head. If you dream of gold, diamonds, or any costly gems, your lover is true, and means what he says; if of white linen, you will lose him by death; and if of flowers, he will prove false. If you dream of his saluting you, he is at present false and means not what he professes, but only to draw you into a snare.

STRANGE BED.

On going to rest, take a glass of water, half fill it with salt, and drink it off as quick as you can; do not speak afterwards, but compose yourself to sleep, and thirst will cause you to dream; which, joined to a strange bed, will have a true effect.

THE MAGIC RING.

Borrow a wedding ring, concealing the purpose for which you borrow it; but no widow’s or pretended marriage ring will do—it spoils the charm. Wear it for three hours at least before you retire to rest, and then suspend it by a hair off your head, over your pillow; write within a circle resembling a ring, the sentence from the matrimonial service beginning with, With this ring I thee wed, and around the circle write your own name at full length, and the figures that stand for your age; place it under your pillow, and your dream will fully explain whom you are to marry, and what kind of a fate you will have with them. If your dream is too confused to remember it, or you do not dream at all, it is a certain sign you will never be married.

HYMENIAL CHARM.

The night before your nuptials, write your name on a piece of paper, as small as possible, with the name of your spouse elect, the date of the wedding day, the month and the year; enclose all in a circle of blood drawn from one of your fingers, fold the paper into nine folds, place it in the stocking drawn from your left leg, and place it between your head and the pillow, and by your dreams of that night you may guess what will be the fate attending your nuptial life.

FOR A GIRL TO ASCERTAIN IF SHE WILL SOON MARRY.

Find a green pea-pod with exactly nine peas in it, and hang it over the door of a room or entry-way, without letting any person know that you have done so; you must then watch the door and see who goes through first; if it is a bachelor, or an unmarried young man, you will positively be married before the current crop of peas is disposed of; if it is a woman, you will have to sigh in single blessedness another year; if a married man, be careful and not allow your lover too much liberty in his attentions.

VALENTINE CHARM.

If you receive one of those love tokens, and cannot guess the party who sent it, or are in any doubt, the following method will explain it to a certainty: Prick the fourth finger of your left hand, and with a crow quill write on the back of the valentine the day and hour in which you were born, and the date of the year; also of the present one, the moon’s age, and the name of the present morning star, all of which you will find in the almanac, and the sign into which the sun has entered. Try this on the first Friday after you receive the valentine, but do not go to bed till midnight; place the paper in your left shoe, and put it under your pillow, lie on your left side, and repeat three times:

St. Valentine, pray condescend

To be this night a maiden’s friend;

Let me now my lover see,

Be he of high or low degree;

By a sign his station show,

Be it weal or be it woe.

Let him come to my bedside,

And my fortune thus decide.

The young woman will be sure to dream of the identical person who sent the valentine and be enabled to guess if he is to be her husband.

ACORN CHARM.

This is to be tried on the third day of the months between September and March. Let any number of young women (not exceeding nine, and minding that there is an odd one in the company) assemble together, and each string nine acorns on a separate string, or as many acorns as there are females in company, but not more; wrap them around a long stick of wood, and place it in the fire just as the clock strikes twelve at night. Say not a word, but sit around the fire till all the acorns are consumed; then rake out the ashes and retire to bed almost directly, repeating:

May love and marriage be the theme,

To visit me in this night’s dream:

Gentle Venus be my friend,

The image of my lover send.

Let me see his form and face,

And his occupation trace;

By a symbol or a sign,

Cupid, forward my design.

CHRISTMAS SPELL.

Steep mistletoe berries, to the number of nine, in a mixture of ale, wine, vinegar and honey; take them on going to bed, and you will dream of your future lot. A storm in this dream is very bad; it is most likely you will then marry a sailor, who will suffer shipwreck at sea; but to see either sun, moon or stars, is an excellent presage; so are flowers; but a coffin is an index of a disappointment in love.

LENT CHARM.

To be tried on any Friday in Lent, Good Friday excepted, when it is improper to try anything of the kind, and the mind ought to be more seriously disposed. Write twelve letters of the common alphabet on separate pieces of card, also twelve figures, and the same number of blank cards; then put them in a bag and shake them well, and let each one present draw one. A blank shows a single life; a figure, intrigue; and a letter, a happy marriage.

CHARMS TO KNOW WHO YOUR HUSBAND SHALL BE.

On St. Agnes’ Day.—This falls on the 21st of January. You must prepare yourself by a twenty-four hours fast, touching nothing but pure spring water, beginning at midnight on the 20th, to the same again on the 21st; then go to bed, and mind you sleep by yourself, and do not mention what you are trying to any one, or it will break the spell. Go to rest on your left side, and repeat these lines three times:

St. Agnes, be a friend to me;

In the gift I ask of thee;

Let me this night my husband see,

and you will dream of your future spouse. If you see more men than one in your dream, you will wed two or three times; but if you sleep and dream not, you will never marry.

By Bride Cake.—A slice of the bride cake thrice drawn through the wedding ring, and laid under the head of an unmarried woman, will cause her to dream of her future husband.

By the Garter and Stocking.—The party inquiring must live in a different county from that in which she commonly resides, and, on going to bed, must knit the left garter about the right legged stocking, letting the other garter and stocking alone; and as you rehearse the following verse, at every comma knit a knot:

This knot I knit, to know the thing I know not yet,

That I may see, the man that shall my husband be,

How he goes and what he wears,

And what he does all days and years.

Accordingly, in a dream he will appear, with the insignia of his trade or profession.

TO KNOW WHETHER A WOMAN SHALL HAVE THE MAN SHE WISHES.

Get two lemon peels and wear them all day, one in each pocket, and at night rub the four posts of the bedstead with them; if she is to succeed, the person will appear in her sleep, and present her with a couple of lemons; if, not, there is no hope.

TO KNOW IF A WOMAN WITH CHILD WILL HAVE A GIRL OR A BOY.

Write the proper names of the father and the mother, and the month she conceived with child; add together the letters in these words, and divide the amount by seven; if the remainder be even, it will be a girl; if uneven, it will be a boy.

TO KNOW IF A NEW-BORN CHILD SHALL LIVE OR NOT.

Write the proper names of the father and the mother, and of the day the child was born; count the letters in these words, and to the amount add twenty-five, and then divide the whole by seven; if the remainder be even the child shall die, but if uneven, the child shall live.

TO KNOW WHAT FORTUNE YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND WILL HAVE.

Take a walnut, a hazel nut and a nutmeg; grate them together, and mix them with butter and sugar, and make them up into small pills, of which exactly nine must be taken on going to bed, and, according to your dreams, so will be the state of the person you will marry. If a gentleman, your dream will be of riches; if a clergyman, of white linen; if a lawyer, of darkness; if a tradesman, of odd noises and tumults; if a soldier or sailor, of thunder and lightning; if a servant, of rain.

CHARM TO CURE THE HEADACHE.

If the pain be on the right side of the head, make a comb out of the right horn of a ram; and if the head be combed with it, it will take away the pain. But if the pain be on the left side of the head, then make a comb out of the left horn of a ram, and if the head be combed therewith, it will stop the pain.

CHARM TO MAKE A TREE BEAR FRUIT.

The seeds of roses, with mustard seed, and the foot of a weasel, tied together in something, and hung among the boughs or branches of a tree which bears but little fruit, will remedy the defect, and render the tree amazingly fruitful.

CHARM TO HINDER FROM THE BITE OF A MAD DOG.

The tooth of a mad dog which has bitten any human being, tied in leather and hung at the shoulder, will preserve and keep the wearer from being bitten by any mad dog so long as he wears it. It may be worn next to the skin, or concealed in the clothing.

CHARM AGAINST PERIL BY FIRE OR WATER.

Repeat reverently and with sincere faith, the following words, and you will be protected in the hour of danger:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

CHARM AGAINST FURIOUS BEASTS.

Repeat reverently, and with sincere faith, the following words, and you will be protected in the hour of danger:

“At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

“For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.”

CHARM AGAINST ENEMIES.

Repeat reverently, and with sincere faith, the following words, and you will be protected in the hour of danger:

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

“For the stars of heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

“And behold, at eventide, trouble; and before the morning he is not; this is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.”

CHARM AGAINST TROUBLE IN GENERAL.

Repeat reverently, and with sincere faith, the following words, and you shall be protected in the hour of danger:

“He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

“In famine he shall redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

“And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace, and thou shalt visit thy habitation and shall not err.”