Slavic Witchcraft
By Natasha Helvin
The Slavic world encompasses countries such as Poland, Ukraine, parts of Russia, and much of Central Europe. This book explores the simple spells traditionally performed by witches and sorceresses in those lands. The author provides a clear history of the Slavic peoples, tracing the evolution of their pre-Christian spirituality up through their eventual adoption of Orthodox Christianity.
The spells address many practical areas of life, including money, love, protection, house cleansing, and working with graveyard spirits.
One of the first spells covered is a love attraction ritual designed to make a friend or acquaintance notice you and develop romantic feelings. You begin by placing a basin of water outside overnight. The next morning, you bathe with that water while reciting: “Like the moon I am needed, and like water I am gentle. As the traveler wanders through the desert and collapses onto the water, so shall the right person find me as though they have found water in the desert.” You then wipe yourself dry with the hem of your shirt and repeat the ritual for one full lunar month.
For a money-drawing spell, you’ll need a long green canvas thread, a needle, and a church candle. Wrap the green thread around the candle and place it on a stand beside your bed. Light the candle before sleep, wearing a new shirt turned inside out. In the morning, remove the thread from the cooled wax and sew it into the lower hem of the shirt while saying: “As the thread belongs to the needle, so does money belong with me. As the thread is always with the needle, money will always cling to me. A thread needs a needle to be sewn. I need money in order to live. As this thread is attached to the needle, so money attaches itself to me.” When the thread runs out, tie ten knots in it and keep the knotted thread on your person at all times.
The book also discusses the importance of offerings to spirits and ancestors, with a strong emphasis on ancestral work throughout. Death and funeral rites receive extensive coverage as well.
Overall, this is an excellent primer for anyone interested in entering the world of Slavic witchcraft. Highly recommended!
