CHARMS AND MAGIC PROGNOSTICATIONS.
Herewith I give a few mysterious magic formulas and prognostications, for the most part hitherto known only to wise old men and women, some of which I have had confided to me by learned astrologers, and a few were revealed to me by Madame Le Normand, a celebrated fortune-teller, in whose predictions the Emperor Napoleon put great confidence.
TO PREPARE A LOVE POTION.
The following substances must be gathered in silence when the full moon is in the heavens: Three white rose leaves, three red rose leaves, three forget-me-nots, and five blossoms of Veronica.
All these things you must place in a vessel, then pour upon them five hundred and ninety-five drops of clear Easter water, and place the vessel over the fire, or what is better still, over a spirit-lamp. This mixture must be allowed to boil for exactly the sixteenth part of an hour.
When it has boiled for the requisite length of time, remove it from the fire, and pour it into a flask. Cork it tightly, and seal it, and it will keep for years without losing its virtue.
That this potion is certain in its effect I myself will guarantee, for I have gained more than thirty hearts by its help. Three drops swallowed by the person whose love you desire, will suffice.
ANOTHER MEANS TO COMPEL LOVE.
Take a healthy, well-grown frog. Place it in a box which has been pierced all over with holes with a stout darning needle or gimlet. Then carry it in the evening twilight to a large ant-heap, place it in the midst of the heap, taking care to observe perfect silence.
After the lapse of a week, repair to the ant-heap, take out the box, and open it, when in place of the frog you will find nothing but a skeleton. Take this apart very carefully, and you will soon find among the delicate bones a scale shaped like that of a fish and a hook. You will need them both. The hook you must contrive to fasten in some way or other into the clothes of the person whose affections you wish to obtain, and if he or she has worn it, if it is only for a quarter of a minute, he will be constrained to love you, and will continue to do so until you give him or her a fillip with the scale.
This method is over three thousand years old, and it has been practised by thirty-thousand of our ancestors with the most complete success.
FOR A GIRL TO ASCERTAIN IF SHE WILL EVER MARRY.
Borrow a wedding-ring from a young married woman—the more recently she has been married the better—and do not tell her, or let her suspect your purpose; wear this ring on the third finger of your left hand at least three hours after sunset before you retire to rest. When you are ready to go to bed, take half a sheet of pure white paper, with no rule marks or anything upon it, lay down the ring on the paper, and mark round it so as to make a circle exactly its size: you then write within the circle, “With this ring I hope to wed:” write your name over the top, and your age underneath; fold the paper with a three-cornered love-letter fold, and put it under your pillow. Before getting into bed, suspend the ring by a hair of your head over the pillow so that it will hang about six inches above your face. You will then dream of your future husband if you are ever to marry. If you dream of several men, the one whose appearance pleases you best will be the man. If you dream of women or girls exclusively, you will never marry. Sometimes it may happen that your dream is confused, and you have no clear recollection of it, or perhaps you may not dream at all, in which case you must continue the charm, by keeping the paper under your pillow for three nights; but the ring is not necessary after the first night.
THE STRAW SIGN.
If you find a blade of straw lying in your chamber, you may expect a visitor that same day. If there is one grain upon the straw, the visitor will be a gentleman, if not, a lady.
THE SCISSOR OR KNIFE PROGNOSTIC.
If a pair of scissors, a knife, or any other pointed instrument falls accidentally from your hand, and sticks in the floor, so that it remains upright, you may make every preparation for company, for be assured they will not fail to come.
THE CAT PORTENT.
When the cat licks and trims herself, it is a sign of visitors, but this is probably known to most of my readers already.
SIGN OF VISITORS.
Finally, a fourth sign of approaching visitors is the crying of the magpie. Magpies, as is well known, are the most inquisitive creatures upon the face of the earth. They fly from place to place, and listen to everything. When they find out that any persons have concluded to pay you a visit, they fly to you at full speed, and bring you the news, for they are as chattering as they are inquisitive. They perch themselves upon your house, or upon a tree which may stand near it, or on the grass, and there sit and chatter until they think you must have understood them. Therefore, always give heed to these wise birds, for it is well to know when you are to expect visitors.
THE NEW MOON.
On first seeing the new moon, if you happen to look at it over your right shoulder, you may make a silent wish, and you will realize it. If a girl thus observes the new moon, and desires to see her future husband, she must repeat to herself (so as not to be heard by any one) the following lines:
New moon, new—pray let me see
Who my husband is to be:
The color of his hair,
The clothes he is to wear,
And the happy day that he’ll wed me!
If she is to be married that year, she will positively see the man of her choice before the wane of the full moon.
THE KEY AND BOOK CHARM.
To find out the two first letters of a future wife’s or husband’s name, take a small Bible and the key of your front street-door, and having opened to Solomon’s Songs, chap. viii., ver. 6 and 7, place the wards of the key on those two verses, and let the bow of the key be about an inch out of the top of the Bible; then shut the book, and tie it round with your garter, so as the key will not move, and the person who wishes to know his or her future husband or wife’s signature, must suspend the Bible, by putting the fore-finger of the right hand under the bow of the key, and the other person in like manner on the other side of the bow of the key, who must repeat the following verses, after the other person’s saying the alphabet, one letter to each time repeating them.
It must be observed, that you mention to the person who repeats the verses, before you begin, which you intend to try first, whether surname or Christian name, and take care to hold the Bible steady; and when you arrive at the appointed letter, the book will turn round under your finger, and that you will find to be the first letter of your intended’s name.
Solomon’s Songs, chap. viii., ver. 6 and 7.
"Set me a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned.”
CARD CHARM.
Draw all the face cards from the pack and put them into your stocking on a Friday night, placing the stocking under your pillow. You must find out by the Almanac the precise time the sun rises on Saturday morning, and at that moment draw a card. A king denotes a speedy marriage; a queen means delay or celibacy; a Jack is a gay seducer who will give you trouble. Diamonds are riches, hearts true love, spades thrift, and clubs poverty.
THE SPIDER OMEN.
It is considered an ill omen when one sees a spider in the morning. The earlier in the morning, and the larger the spider, the greater the evil which threatens you. It is within doors, however, and chiefly in one’s own chamber, that the spider has this signification—out of doors they forebode no harm. The wood spider especially, is not much to be dreaded; what I have said above refers particularly to the house spider. Never, on any account, kill a wood spider. By such an act you would only draw upon yourself the hatred of the whole race of witches, and sooner or later you would suffer from it.
When found in the evening, a spider signifies good luck. The smaller the spider, the greater the good fortune. I will here teach you the following rhyme:
“Matin, chagrin,
Soir, espoir.”
Little spiders have much less evil in them than the others, and those called daddy-long-legs are always messengers of good luck.
THE STRING TOKEN.
If your shoe-tie or apron string breaks, your sweetheart is thinking of you.
SIGN WHEN YOUR RIGHT EAR TINGLES.
If your right ear tingles, some one is speaking well of you, if the left ear tingles, some one is speaking ill of you. To find out who this some one is, you must call out aloud the names of your acquaintance, one after another. The name at which the tingling ceases is the name of the person.
SIGN WHEN TOUR NOSE ITCHES.
If your nose itches early in the morning, you will on that very day hear a piece of news.
STRANGE BED.
Lay under your pillow a prayer-book, opened at the matrimonial service, bound round with the garters you wore that day, and a sprig of myrtle on the page that says “With this ring I thee wed,” and your dream will be ominous, and you will have your fortune as well told as if you had paid a dollar to an astrologer.
THE SIGN OF A SNEEZE.
If any one tells you anything, and you are shortly after obliged to sneeze, you may be sure that what was told you is true.
THE DEATH-TICK.
If you hear a wood-tick or death-watch ticking anywhere in the house, you must try to get rid of it as soon as possible, or you will speedily hear of a death which will greatly afflict you.
THE CRICKET.
If there is a cricket in the house, be careful on no account to disturb it. Think of Dickens’ Cricket on the Hearth.
AN OMEN OF RICHES.
When an ant-heap gathers in your house, it signifies coming wealth—you may, however, destroy the nest.
THE FROG PROGNOSTIC.
If the first frog that you see in the spring of the year is sitting upon dry ground, it signifies that, during the same year, you will shed as many tears as the frog would require to swim away in.
THE CANDLE TOKEN.
When a large red token forms in the flame of a candle-wick, it signifies that the one who first sees it will soon receive a letter.
THE STAR AUGURY.
When you are out of doors on a starlit evening, and shooting stars appear, turn your face upward to the stars, and utter in a whisper the wish nearest your heart. If a star shoots while you do this, you may be sure that the wish will be fulfilled.
HOW TO BE SURE OF A PARTNER AT A DANCE.
When you wish to be sure of many partners at a dance or ball, let a little brother or sister, or any other person hold a thumb for you—that is, keep her hand closed like a fist for a quarter of an hour, holding her thumb between the fore and middle finger, while she thinks of you, and wishes you good luck. This proceeding has a wonderful effect.
THE BRIDE’S OMEN.
If you would have fair weather on your wedding day, you must always faithfully feed the cats. It is true it is a common error when persons think that it forebodes evil when it rains upon the bride in her bridal dress. This is no evil omen, but the contrary. But, above all things, let her be careful not to allow her shoes to get wet. If my young readers would take the trouble to read Frederika Bremer’s work called “The House,” they would find in it a confirmation of this warning.
TO KNOW IF A WOMAN WITH CHILD WILL HAVE A GIRL OR BOY.
Write the proper names of the father and the mother, and of the month she conceived with child, and likewise adding all the numbers of those letters together, divide them by seven; and then, if the remainder be even, it will be a girl, if uneven, it will be a boy.
THE CROW SIGN.
If you wish to know how matters will go with you during the year, you must take good heed of the first crow that you see in the spring. If, when you first see it, it is flying, it signifies that you will take a journey that will be longer or shorter, according to the distance which the bird flies before it alights. It may also signify a complete change of abode, perhaps by a wedding. If you first see the bird sitting, you will remain at home; if cawing, much that you do not think of will happen to you; if upon one leg, fortune will not smile upon you.
THE RABBIT AUGURY.
If, when in the open field, or upon the highroad, a rabbit runs across your path, it signifies that something unpleasant will happen to you.
THE SHEEP AND SWINE TOKEN.
If you are going to pay a visit, and you meet with sheep, you will be very welcome; but if you meet with swine, you will be unwelcome.
A CHARM AGAINST NIGHTMARE.
If you wish to be secure against the nightmare in your sleep, place your shoes side by side upon the floor, at the foot of the bed, so that the toes will point not toward the bed, but in the contrary direction, as if they were going from it.
WHAT A SPIDER WEB FORETELLS.
If you are walking with a young man at a time when the so-called gossamer, those snow-white spider’s threads, are floating about in the air, and one of these delicate fibrous veils sweeps by, and forms a band between you and him, it is a sign that feelings of a tender nature will some day bind you to each other.
HOW TO GET A SWEETHEART.
If a thick, long spider’s web hangs anywhere from the ceiling, you must sweep it down as soon as possible, for it signifies a suitor, and the one that gets the web will have him.
WHAT A PRICK IN THE FINGER SIGNIFIES.
If you are sewing upon a new dress, apron, &c., &c., and you prick your finger with the needle so as to bring blood, it is a sign that when you first wear the garment you will receive many kisses.
EASTER WATER.
In speaking of a love potion, I made mention of Easter water; many of my readers have, I suppose, never heard of this singular kind of water. I will explain it to you. It is water which is drawn from the river upon Easter morning, before the sun has shone upon it. To obtain it, therefore, you must rise on Easter morning while it is still quite dark, take your way to the river in silence, fill your pitcher in silence, and then make your way home in silence, without looking behind you. You may then go to bed again and have your sleep out. This Easter water has this peculiarity: it will keep sweet throughout the whole year. You can, therefore, fill as many bottles with it as you please, cork them tightly, and lay them away. Besides its use in the above-named love potion, it is beneficial in various maladies, especially in diseases of the eye, and, in addition to this, it is an approved cosmetic.
THE RYE CHARM.
If you would have bread and cake in plenty during the whole year, hang a full sheaf of rye and a full sheaf of wheat upon a pole outside the door, on Christmas morning, so that the birds may come and feed from it.