The Owl’s Eye | Troy Books

The Owl’s Eye

Historical Charms and Spells from
Traditional Fortune Telling Books

The Owl’s Eye is a collection of one hundred and forty two charms, spells and procedures that have been taken out of historic fortune telling books. Fortune telling books have been a part of European and American popular magic since the seventeenth century, with some even earlier examples surviving. Along with traditional fortune telling information such as how to read palms and interpret playing cards, around two thirds of the books also contained divinatory charms and spells. Though some of these are represented in dictionaries of superstitions and different folklore collections, many of them remain unknown and have never before been brought together all in one book for ease of reading.

The dates of the forty books utilized in this work range from 1685-1935 or so. Though the early books referenced for this project all came from England and a few from Scotland, most of the sources (29 out of 40) are actually from the United States, with the earliest being from 1841. These books therefore influenced American folk magic and also contributed to the belief in different superstitions, as many of the books additionally contained various beliefs and omens scattered in numerous sections throughout the text.

Though the charms and spells are mostly divinatory in nature, some of them are protective or warding. Love magic comprises the majority of the spells and rites, there are many dream divinations and numerous manipulative love magic procedures. There are also a handful of graveyard spells that in some way utilized the power of the dead for prophecy. Plant charms abound, using not only common flowers and herbs but also foods and spices, truly showing how folk magical operations use what it is on hand. The use of human and animal blood also make their way into the charms, at times in surprisingly transgressive operations. Some of the spells are simple and some are complex, but they all form the genre of charms used in popular magic. Because many of the charms were repeated throughout many different books, we can see how influential some of them likely were.

The beautiful cover art of these special books is also shown in photographs to convey a sense of the magic of the times. The end of the book gives a detailed bibliography on each fortune telling book used, its potential availability, a commentary and a list of all that each book contains, which is divided up into common and uncommon fortune telling categories. A short-hand list of charms is also included for each work in the bibliography.

This is a very special book that contains details about folk divinations directly from their sources, with no modern interpretations. The hope is that by bringing these entries out of many old and out of print or hard to find books, that these spells and old ways can be utilized once again by people seeking to know more of the mysterious and veiled pathways, that at once connect us to our past, present and future.

Available in the following editions:

Paperback Edition; Gloss laminated cover. To Follow

Standard Hardback Edition; dust jacket with gloss cover – to follow

Special Edition; a limited edition of 350 examples, bound in burgundy cloth, with gold foil blocking to the front and spine, black end papers, with black head and tail bands. 80gsm white paper stock.

All editions are Royal format 234 x 156mm. 198 pages with 34 pages of full colour photo plates.

Introduction

Charms, Spells and Rites

Agnus Day/ Eve Dream Charms
A Churchyard Keyhole Charm for a Vision of a Lover
A St. Agnus Day Dream Charm with Herbs and Urine
Cuckoo Hair Divination
Thomas’s Onion Dream Divination
Apple and Pins Dream Divination
Midsummer’s Eve Turning the Smock Spell
Hemp Seed Strewing Divination
The Churchyard Sword Divination
The Dutch Cake/The Dumb Cake Charm
The New Moon Dream Divination
The Herb Cake for Dreams
Luke’s Day Herbal Wash for Dreams
The Peapod Love Divination Charm
The Lemon Peel Dream Spell
Nutmeg Pills for Prophetic Dreams
Valentines Day Bay Leaf Spell
Midsummer Red Sage Spell
To Make an Enchanted Ring for Love
To Make True Love Powder
The Mosaick Wand to Find Hidden Treasure
A Safe Way to Secure a House from Thieves
A Safeguard for All Outbuildings
A Safeguard for Orchards, Woodlots, Fields
To Drive Away Ghosts or Spirits that Haunt a House
To Prevent Witchcraft from Effecting One
To Prevent Frightening Dreams
To Help a Person Under an Ill-Tongue
To Prevent Vermin from Destroying Poultry
To Prevent Dogs from Barking at You at Night
To Draw Cats Together
To Prevent Fleas and Gnats from Biting at Night
To Drive Away Mice and Rats from the House or Granary
To Prevent Being Robbed on the Road or Having an Accident
To Return Stolen Goods
To Find Out Who Robbed You
Four Spoken Charms from the Bible for Protection
The Fasting Charm to Bring True Dreams
The Nine Keys Dream Divination
The Magic Rose Dream Divination
The Acorn Charm for Dreams of Love
The Five Talismans
A Few Playing Card Charms
Two Numerology Methods for Finding Out About a Babies Fate
The Love Letter Dream Divination Charm
Valentine Blood and Crow Quill Charm
The Knitting Knot Charm for Dreams
The Mistletoe Potion Spell for Prophetic Dreams
The Lent Paper Charm Using Letters and Figures
The Blade Bone Love Divination
The Bible and the Key to Find Out a Future Mates Name
The Myrtle Sprig on St. Catharine’s Eve for Dream Divination
The Dream Cake and the Wedding Ring Charm
A Blood Spell to Bring a Lover Back
The Flower Bouquet Divination
Lead Pouring Divination
To Divine Your Mates Initials Using Apple Parings
A Dream Charm for the Harvest Moon
Numerology Love Divination
Midsummer Vision Charm
Midsummer Ghost Vision
The Sieve and the Shears to Discover a Thief
The Three Keys
Wedding Ring Dream Divination
The Thistle Divination
Hair and Blood Heart Charm
The Charmed Handkerchief
The Witch Bottle Love Charm
The Spirit of the Well Divination
The Egg Dream Charm
To Keep Evil Spirits Away
Wedding Ring Pendulum
Sugar Potion Love Charm
To Prepare a Love Potion
The Frog Bone Charm
Easter Water
The Rye Charm
The Saucer Charm
The Candle and Mirror Divination
Nutshell and Candle Divination
The Bridge Dream Omen
The Hair Spell
Egg White Divinations
Divination by a Screw
Dreaming Bouquet with Pigeon Blood
Loves Cordial- A Dreaming Potion
The Ring and the Olive Branch- A Graveyard Charm
The Witches Chain
Dove Heart Wine and Blood Dream Cake
Wedding Night Blood Charm for Dreams
Strange Bed Dreams
Pin and Wart Charm
To Know More From A Dream
Rose Charm Money Divination
Aniseed Charm for Success
How to Tell if a Loved One is Slain
Using Lead Bullets for Dreams of Love
The Needle and Blood Charm for Lovers
Pea and Tallow Charm for Testing Love
Hare Blood on Parchment for Inheritance
The Bean, Pea and Oat Charm to Tell if One Will Marry a Drunkard
A Candle Charm to Tell if a Child Will Live
A Ribbon Charm to Divine Marriage
The Sulphuric Vial to See if One is in Love
Bread and Wine Divination
The Herb Charm to Make a Man Love You
Ram Horn Headache Charm
To Make a Tree Bear Fruit
Charm to Hinder the Bite of a Mad Dog
A Cure for Breaking a Witches Spell
Magdalen’s Rosemary Dream Potion
A Graveyard Posy for Dreams
Dream Charm with Salt
Graveyard Yarrow for Dreams
Love Presents and Witching Spells
Magic Laurel for Dreams
Even Ash Leaf Charm for Love
The Willow Wand for Visions of Love
The Clover of Two Love Divination
The Mirror and the Ash Dream Spell
Ask an Apple Pip
Candle and Pin Love Divination
Rose Petal Divination
Apple Mirror Vision
Christmas Rose Spell
Tests and Charms for the Evil Eye
How to See Witches
Pimpernell Charm Against Witchcraft
Shoe Charm Against Nightmare
Dreaming Bannocks
Maple Robin Blood Dream Charm
Dove Blood Coral Dream Charm
The Measure Test to See if One is Faithful
The Bowl of Fire
New Years Berry Love Divination
Halloween Cabbage Divination
Apple Love Charm for a Dream
Four-Leaved Clover Charms
Thimble Wish Charm
Flower Bundle Dream Charm
Orange Peel Dream Charm
Christmas Moon Spell
Appendix A- Bibliography of Chronological Fortune Telling and Dream Books with Charms, including Commentary-

Appendix B- Additional Bibliography

Appendix C- Common Categories Included in Fortune Telling Books, Chapbooks and Manuals.

Appendix D-Short-Hand List of Charm Names and Numbers in This Work