Читать книгу The Book of Forbidden Knowledge - Johnson Smith - Страница 5
ОглавлениеTHE RING AND THE OLIVE BRANCH
Buy a ring; it matters not it being gold, so as it has the semblance of a wedding ring; and it is best to try this charm on your own birthday. Pay for your ring with some small bill, for whatever change you receive you must give it to the first beggar you meet in the street; and, if no one asks alms of you, give it to some poor person- for you need not, alas, go far before you find one to whom your charity will be acceptable; carefully note what they say in return, such as “God bless you," or “Wishing you luck and prosperity”, as is usual. When you get home, write it down on a sheet of paper, at each of four corners, and, in the middle, put the two first letters of your name, your age, and the letters of the planets then reigning as morning and evening stars. get a branch of olive and fasten the ring on the stalk with a string of thread which has been steeped all day in a mixture of honey and vinegar, or any composition of opposite qualities, very sweet and very sour, cover your ring and stalk with the written paper, carefully wrapped round and round; wear it in your bosom till the ninth hour of the night; then repair to the next church-yard and bury the charm in the grave of a. young man who died unmarried; and, while you are so doing repeat the letters of your own Christian name three times backwards, return home, and keep as silent as possible till you go to bed, which must be done before eleven, put a light in your chimney, or some safe place, and, before midnight, or just about that time, your husband that is to be will present himself at the foot of the bed, but will presently disappear. It you are not to marry, none will come, and, in that case, if you dream before morning of children, it shows that you will have them unmarried; and it you dream of crowds of men, beware of prostitution.
THE WITCH'S CHAIN
Let three young women join together 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 keyhole and hang it over the chimney-piece; have a good fire, and place in the midst of it a long, thin log of wood, well sprinkled with oil, salt, and fresh mold; then wrap the chain round it each maiden having an equal share in the business; then sit down, and on your left knee let each fair one 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 be 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'S CORDIAL
(To be tried the third night of a new moon.)
Take brandy, rum, gin, wine, and the oil of amber, or each a teaspoonful, a tablespoonful 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; And show unto me that 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 fright than an inebriated female? She cannot guard her own honor, ruins her own and family's substance, and often clothes herself with rage. Trouble is often used as an excuse for this vicious habit; but it gives more trouble than it takes away.
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 your heart, and thus wear it till bed- time; 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.
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 charting dish or any convenient utensil for the purpose, in which there is charcoal and sulfur or brimstone; hold your rose over the smoke 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 young man you love best; also the date of the year and the name 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 most 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 are done with the rose and paper be sure to burn them.
