#textual magic

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Textual magic #30 - LUCK - Psalm 47

Timing: 26.02.2026, around 11 p.m, 28.02.2026, around 3 a.m.

Items: Psalm 47, solomonic holy water. From the Veritable Key of Solomon:

Procedure: in the first day I wrote the Psalm by hand three times: once in a notebook for daily reading, and two in separate pieces of paper, in dark purple. Friday morning I read it as prescribed before work, and finally at 3 a.m. I inserted one of the written papers in regular water mixed with a bit of holy water, and drank it after the words dissolved. The other piece of paper I kept in my bag. I plan to read it daily and ingest it regularly.

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The narrative grants the magician access to a process as well as an end goal: it defines a procedure of magical action and at the same time executes it. Without having to summon high powers and ask/beg/bargain/threaten them to do your bidding, one is instead immediately granted access to their power, which can be applied to a vast number of given situations. By observing the inner dynamics and processes of the charms in action, I quickly came to view them as some of the most potent forms of folk magic I had encountered, and their metaphysical implications to be so astounding that they could easily be used as a brilliant example to establish something of a general phenomenology of magic. Instead of perceiving them as functioning as ‘sympathetic magic’ or mere analogies, I came to view them rather as something like magical machineries of great power, which combined the processes of verbal and visual magic with the ritual application of story-telling and myth.

Carl Nordblom, Historiola

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Textual magic #29 - PROTECTION - four charms from the Cunning Man’s Handbook

Timing: 24.02.2026, around 11 p.m., day of Mars.

Items: the following charms sourced from the Cunning Man’s Handbook, solomonic holy water, sea salt.

1- [A popish periapt or charme, which must never be said, but carried about one, against theeves.] I doo go, and I doo come unto you with the love of God, with the humilitie of Christ, with the holines of our blessed ladie, with the faith of Abraham, with the justice of Isaac, with the vertue of David, with the might of Peter, with the constancie of Paule, with the word of God, with the authoritie of Gregorie, with the praier of Clement, with the floud of Jordan, _p _p p c g e g a q q est p t 1 ka b g l k 2 a x t g t b am g 2 4 2 1 q; p x c g k q a 9 9 p o q q r. Oh onelie Father + oh onlie lord + And Jesus + passing through the middest of them + went + In the name of the Father + and of the Sonne + and of the Holie-ghost +. (Scot 1973: 188)

2- In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost Amen, Defend this my house ground and goods this night and all other times from all thieves Witches also spirits Elves and all other evils and I charge thee thou spirit that hast the charge especial of open as of secret things and by the virtue of the omnipotent power of Almighty god maker of heaven & earth  and Creator of all mortal flesh and of all other things visible and invisible and I charge thou spirit by all the holy names of God the most highest + Elo Ely Sabaoth Adona{y} Saday Tetragrammaton Alpha et Omega and by all the names of god that may be spoken or not spoken also I remind thee thou spirit Which are called Banalum by all the aforesaid naming & by the virtue and power of them that if any thief or thieves hitherwards to me within this place where I go with my goods belonging to me or else also I charge thee Banalo [sic] by the great virtue and power of almighty God and of the Virgin mary Gods mother and by all the powers of St. Peter and St. Paul and by all the holy company in heaven and by the Angels and ArchAngels that if any thief or thieves hitherwards come they may be struck down both blind and that still stand to or they are kept as siff as any staff. (Rankine 2011: 298)

3- Fons + alpha & omega +figa + figalis + Sabbaoth + Emmanuel + Adonai + o + Neray + Elay + Ihe + Rentone + Neger + Sahe + Pangeton + Commen + a + g + l + a + Matthæeus + Marcus + Lucas + Johannes + + + titulus triumphalis + Jesus Nasærenus rex Judæorum + ecce dominicæ crucis signum + fugite partes adversæ, vicit leo de tribu Judæ, radix, David, aleluijah, Kyrie eleeson, Christe eleeson, pater noster, ave Maria, & ne nos, & veniat super nos salutare tuum: Oremus, &c. (Scot 1973: 188)

4- Our Lord Jesus Christ went into the hall, there the Jews specially sought him. So also must my days be with those who revile me with their evil tongues falsely, and smite, and for praise of God must I bear the suffering, be silent, be dumb, faint, ashamed, ever and always. God thereby bestows praise. Help me I. I. I. ever and eternally. Amen. [“The 3 I’s signify Jesus three times.”] (Brown 1904: 128)

Procedure: I wrote charm #1 as small as I could, with a red pen, and kept it inside my phone case. I wrote charms #2 and #3 with the same pen on both sides of the same piece of paper, and put it inside a crevice over the sidedoor of my apartment. Finally, I recited charm #4 nine times over some solomonically consecrated holy water to which sea salt was added. I recited the Our Father three times and the Ave Maria once as well, and then spread the water at my front and side doors.