NUMEROUS METHODS OF TELLING FORTUNES ON NEW YEAR’S EYE.
The evening which of all others is the most adapted for witchery, is New Year’s eve. It is a very ill practice to spend this evening at a ball, and it is an acknowledged fact that ill luck, more or less, follows a person throughout the year, who has danced the old year out and the new year in.
You should spend New Year’s eve with a small circle of near and dear friends, around a punch-bowl, while you seek to inquire what the future has in store for you. In the first place this may be done with melted lead or wax. Some of you, perhaps, are acquainted with this method of inquiring of the future, yet there may be many among your number who are still ignorant of it. Now, as it is of the highest interest in the world that these should know the process, I will here give, for their benefit, a short explanation of it, which the others may skip over.
THE LEAD AND WAX SPELL.
Take a good-sized piece of lead or wax, (the former is better,) place it in a melting-ladle, and dissolve it over the coals, or over a spirit-lamp, into which you have poured a little alcohol. You must then take a vessel full of water, (a bowl is best, that is not too deep nor too shallow,) and pour into it the lead or wax, and from the various figures which it forms in the water you endeavor to tell your fortune.
THE SAUCER CHARM.
The following is another method: you take four saucers; in one you put a ring, in another a sprig of myrtle, in the third a piece of money, and in the fourth nothing. The individuals composing the company must now walk around the table, blindfold, one after the other, and choose one of the saucers, which, in the mean time, have been changed as to place. Those among the company who choose the ring, will be betrothed in the course of the year; myrtle signifies wedlock, the piece of money wealth, the empty saucer no change of circumstances.
HOW TO TELL THE FIRST LETTER OF YOUR FUTURE WIFE OR HUSBAND’S NAME.
If you wish to know the letter with which your future wife or husband’s name commences, write all the letters of the alphabet, separately, upon small pieces of paper, put these pieces in a box, and draw one out blindfold.
All this may be done before twelve o’clock. Exactly at the stroke of midnight, however, you can summon up your future husband or wife, and behold his or her image up the chimney.
THE CANDLE SPELL.
The following is another method: Take two candles, go a little before twelve o’clock into an adjoining chamber—no one on any account must follow you—place yourself before the mirror, and exactly as it strikes twelve, call out your own name in full, three times. When the last sound has died away, you will see in the glass your future husband looking over your shoulder.
The company may not remain together after twelve o’clock. When the old year is out and the new year in, you must embrace, and kiss each other, and then go home. You must not yet go to bed, however, but must first devote an hour to solitude, to reflect upon all which the past year has brought with it, and to commit to writing the chief occurrences, as well as the state of your minds. It would be well to keep a book for this purpose, in which you should read and write only on a new-year’s eve, and at other times keep carefully stored away. I have always done this, and I can assure you, that it is with a feeling of sad, sweet interest, that I now read, each new-year’s eve, of the eighty-nine years of my life.
THE NUTSHELL WITCHERY.
Among the witcheries which you may perform on a new-year’s eve, there is one to which I have not alluded. Each person of the company, to wit, takes a nutshell, and, after lighting a wax taper, places it in the shell. A basin of water is then brought. You now place the nutshells, with the burning tapers in them, in the basin. Some will incline toward each other as they float along, others will repel each other, until, at last, all are extinguished or sunk. What conclusions in reference to the future, are to be drawn from the various movements of these tiny magic skiffs, your own quick wits will tell you.
THE BRIDGE OMEN.
After you have gone home, and have devoted an hour to the solitary task which I counselled you (see Candle Spell), take a glass of water, cut a small chip of wood, and lay it crosswise upon the glass, so that it stretches like a bridge, from one end to the opposite one. Then place this glass under your bed. The consequence will be that you will dream during the night that you are walking over a bridge, and that you fall into the water. A gentleman, however, appears and rescues you. This same gentleman, whom you will see very distinctly, be careful to remember, for he is your future husband. A gentleman can make the same experiment, and he will dream the same thing, with the difference only, that it is a lady who rescues him, and she is to be his future wife.
THE HAIR SPELL.
If you wish any person to think of you, pluck a hair from your head, and blow it out into the air toward that quarter of the heavens in which the person lives, while, at the same time, you call out the name of this person three times, at the top of your voice. During this you must be entirely alone, and must have thought intently upon the person for, at least, a quarter of an hour beforehand. At the same instant he will experience a strange unearthly shudder or thrill, and his thoughts will turn irresistibly toward you.
SIGN WHEN YOU WET YOUR APRON.
When you are washing, if you are apt to wet your apron a great deal, it is a sign that your future husband will be a tippler. Take good heed therefore!
THE NAIL TOKEN.
If a person has nails that are all bitten to pieces, and gnawed close to the quick, it signifies an evil, malicious character, and you have every reason in the world to be on your guard in your intercourse with such a person.
HOW TO DETERMINE THE LUCKY AND THE UNLUCKY DAYS OF ANY MONTH IN THE YEAR.
Ascertain from the Almanac the day on which a full moon occurs, and count the number of days from that to the end of the month: you then multiply the number of days in the month by the number ascertained as above, and the total will give you the lucky days (subject to a further test hereafter explained), which must be reckoned this wise: if the total happens to be, say 516, the lucky days of that month would be the 5th and 16th, and if it should be 561, the days are the same, for you must always transpose the figures, when they will work together. Suppose that instead of 516, the total should be 399; as neither of these figures can be paired, the lucky days from that total are the 3d and 9th, and the 9th would be considered doubly lucky, if no tests worked to the contrary.
The unlucky days are determined in precisely the same manner, by multiplying the number of days in the month by the number which had passed previous to a full moon.
After working out your list of lucky days, in the manner above described, you must then test them, in order to be sure that there are no opposing influences. You can do this by calculating the unlucky days. Should you find that any day of the month which was designated as lucky came also in the list of unlucky days, the latter preponderates, and you must strike it from the lucky list.
This plan of demonstrating lucky and unlucky days is very ancient, and has been tested to such an extent that it is considered accurate by most astrologers. In old times, before the mass of the people understood much about figures, the professional fortune-tellers demanded a large fee for casting the lucky days of any month, which they accomplished in the manner above described.
Lucky marriage days for girls were cast in the same manner, except that the age of the girl was used as the multiplicator, or multiplier, instead of the number of days in the month. The result was determined similarly, and also by a test of the unlucky days. Thus, if a girl is 18 years old, and thinks of marrying in October, she takes up an Almanac and ascertains the day of the full moon in that month. It occurs on the 24th, and there are 31 days in the month: this leaves 7 for the multiplier. She multiplies this by her age, 18, and the result is 106, which shows the lucky days in that month for her to marry are the 10th and 6th, unless they are destroyed by the test, which is determined as follows: There are 23 days before the 24th, and she must multiply 23 by 18, which gives 414, and shows that the 4th and 14th are the only unlucky days for her to marry; and as they do not conflict with the lucky days, the 6th and 10th may be considered as genuine lucky days for that month, reckoning the moon to have fulled on the 24th. In determining her age, she should reckon any period over half a year a full year.
THE DIVINING ROD:
OR, HOW TO TELL WHERE TO DIG FOR WATER AND ALL KINDS OF METALS.
So early as Agricola, a celebrated conjuror who lived in ancient times, the divining rod was in much request, and has obtained great credit for its discovering where to dig for metals and springs of water; for some years past its reputation has been upon the decline, but lately it has been revived, and with great success, as I have myself found from numerous experiments that its effects are more than imagination, and to enable others to do the like, I have laid down some short rules, as follows:
Directions for choosing Rods. The hazel and willow rods, I have by experience found, will actually answer with all persons who are in a good state of health, if they are used with moderation, and at some distance of time, after meals, when the operator is in good spirits. The hazel, willow, and elm are all attracted by springs of water. Some persons have the virtue intermittently; the rod in their hands will attract one half hour, and repel the next. The rod is attracted by water, all metals, coals, amber, and lime-stone, but with different degrees of strength.
The best rods are those from the hazel, or nut-tree, as they are pliant and rough, and are best cut in the winter months; a shoot that terminates equally forked is to be preferred, (See Fig. 1,) about two feet and a half long; but as such a fork is rarely to be met with, two single ones of a length, and size may be tied together with thread, and they will answer as well as the others. (See Fig. 2.)
The most convenient and handy method of holding the rod is with the palms of the hands turned upward, and the two ends of the rod coming outward; the palms should be held horizontally as nearly as possible; the part of the rod in the hands ought to be straight, and not bent either backward or forward; the upper part of the arm should be kept pretty close to the sides, and the elbows resting on them, the lower part of the arm making nearly a right angle with the upper, though rather a little more acute; the rod ought to be so held that, in its working, the sides may move clear of the little fingers. The position of the rod, when properly held, is much like the following figure, (see Fig. 3,) where the distance between the four downward lines is the part supposed to be held in the hand.
The best manner of carrying the rod is with the end prolaided in an angle of about eighty degrees from the horizon, as by this method of carrying, the repulsion is more plainly perceived than if it was held perpendicularly. But after all the directions that can be given, the adroit use of it can only be attained by practice. It is necessary that the grasp should be steady, for if, when the rod is going, there should be the least succession or counteraction in the hands, though ever so small, it will greatly impair, and generally totally prevent its activity, which is not to be done by the mere strength of the grasp, for provided this be steady, no strength can stop it.
As soon as the person’s foremost foot comes near the attracting body, the end of the rod is repelled toward the face. (See Fig. 4.) Then open the hands a little, replace the rod, and approach nearer, and the repulsion will be continued until the foot is on or over the attracting body. When this is the case, the rod will first be repelled a little, viz., two or three inches, and then be attracted toward it.
When it hath been drawn down, it must not be thrown back without opening the hands, a fresh grasp being necessary to every attraction, but the least opening of the hand is sufficient. As long as the person stands over the attracting body, the rod continues to be attracted, but as soon as the fore foot is beyond it, then the rod is drawn down backward to the face. Metals have different degrees of attraction: gold is strongest, next copper, then iron, silver, tin, lead, bones, coals, springs of water and lime-stone. To make common experiments, set the foot on a piece or coin of any of these metals, having the rod in your hands as before directed. In using the rod to discover springs and metals, let the person hold the rod as already directed, and then advancing north or south with a slow pace, just one foot before the other, at first the rod may be repelled, but as the person advances slowly, and comes over the spring, or vein of ore, the rod will be strongly attracted. The divining rod is sometimes called Divina Virgula, and sometimes The Luck Rod.
JUDGMENTS DRAWN FROM THE MOON’S AGE.
1. A child born within twenty-one hours after the new moon will be fortunate and live to a good old age; whatever is dreamt on this day will be fortunate and pleasant to the dreamer; various undertakings will succeed on this day.
2. This is a very lucky day for discovering things lost or hidden; the child born on this day will thrive, but the dreams are not to be depended upon.
3. A child born on this day will be fortunate through persons in power, and all dreams will prove true.
4. This day is bad; persons failing on this day rarely recover; the dreams will have no effect.
5. This day is favorable to begin a good work, and the dreams will be tolerably successful; the child born on this day will be vain and deceitful.
6. The dreams of this day will not immediately come to pass; and the child born will not live long.
7. Do not tell your dreams on this day; if sickness befall you on this day you will soon recover; the child born will live long, but have many troubles.
8. Dreams of this day will come to pass; business begun on this day will prosper, and anything lost will be found.
9. This day differs little from the former, the child born on this day will acquire great riches and honor.
10. This day is likely to be fatal; those who fall sick will rarely recover; the child born on this day will be devoted to religion, and of an engaging form and manner; if a female, she will possess an uncommon share of wisdom and learning; this day is good to begin a journey, to marry, or to engage in business.
11. Dreams on this day are fortunate; and the child born will live long, and be very sensible; but a person who falls sick on this day rarely recovers.
12. Dreams on this day will quickly prove true.
13. If you ask a favor on this day, it will be granted.
14. The sickness that befalls a person on this day is likely to prove mortal; what was lost yesterday may be found to-day.
15. The child born on this day will be of ill manners and unfortunate; it is a good day for dealing in merchandise.
16. The child born on this day will be foolish; it is an unlucky day to marry, or to begin any kind of business on.
17. The child born on this day will be very valiant, but will suffer hardships; if a female, she will be chaste and industrious, and live respected to a great age.
18. This day is dangerous; the child born will be dishonest.
19. Dreams on this day will be vain and untrue; the child born will grow up healthy and strong, but be of a selfish and ungentle turn of mind.
20. The child born will be fortunate, and of a cheerful countenance, religious, and much beloved; any kind of business begun, on this day will be unfortunate.
21. The child born on this day will be of an ungovernable temper, forsake his friends, wander in a foreign land, and be unhappy through life; it is a happy day to marry on; and all business begun on this day will be successful.
22. The child born on this day will be wicked, meet with many dangers, and come to an untimely end; it is a very unfortunate day, and threatens everything with disappointment and crosses: whoever falls sick on this day seldom recovers.
23. Dreams on this day are certain; and the child born or this day will be rich and greatly esteemed.
24. This day is favorable for dreams; and the child born will be of a sweet and amiable disposition.
25. This day is bad for dreams, and those who fall sick on it, are in great danger; the child born on this day will be its parents’ delight, but will not live to any great age.
26. This day is good for dreams, but children born on it will experience many hardships, though in the end, they may turn out happily.
27. This is a very unfortunate day to look for anything that is lost, but a child born on this day will make a great stir in the world, either as a statesman, soldier, physician, or clergyman.
28. A child born upon this day will live to be a rich and truly good man if born before noon, but if born after that hour, it is to be feared that he will be dissipated or worthless.
29. Dreams on this day are not worth a moment’s attention, for rest assured they will never be fulfilled. Never buy a lottery ticket on this day.