Tales From Burkeland: Tale Fourteen
Author’s Note: This a reprint of the February 2025 Myths and Magic article. Sign up for my newsletter for monthly Myths And Magic articles.
Love is in the air!
With Valentine’s Day mere days away, what better time to crack open books of love spells and potions?
Love magic in its many forms spans cultures and time periods. Rituals, spells, and potions in this category are believed to summon romance, incite lust, increase stamina, or solidify relationships. They can be simple, like wearing an enchanted oil, or more complex, multi-step rituals, like a wedding.
Casters may spell themselves to be more confident or attractive, or they may spell others, dominating a potential partner’s will and ensnaring them into a relationship.
Whatever the end goal, love magic of all kinds is rooted in the manipulation of desire.
As with all spell work, a caster’s intent is a key ingredient. Love spells and potions often direct practitioners to visualize their target as they work. You needn’t have a specific person in mind. Visualizing a faceless ideal partner is enough — some would argue better.
Scent frequently plays a role. Our sense of smell offers a direct link to emotions and memory, making it a powerful tool for activating the base instincts that underly romance. Many love potions are oils the caster wears to ensnare their target. Earthy or spicy scents such as sandalwood and cinnamon appear in recipes for lust. Add vanilla for a bit of sweetness. But if romance is the goal, florals like rose and jasmine appear in the recipe.
Candles feature in many love spells and rituals, likely due to fire’s association with passion. The candles can be simple white tea lights or tapers, colored to correspond with the spell’s intent — red for passion, pink for romance, or blue for fidelity — or sculpted in the shape of a man, woman, or relevant body part.
Fruits, such as apples and berries, are often used. One working to increase attractiveness calls for the caster to crush a strawberry and anoint their lips with the juice while reciting a spell.
In writing the spells, casters can be as creative as they’d like. Some books encourage writing one’s own spells while others provide a spell written by the author or passages of famous love poetry. Some traditions use Bible verses as spells, with passages from Song of Solomon common. Other traditions call on classical gods and goddesses.
The more personal the ingredients and words used, the more power in the working. Using a target’s favorite cologne or perfume in a spell to attract them will bring more success than a generic oil, and reciting the wedding vows in a ritual to rekindle a marriage will be more effective than a generic poem.
Now, some words of warning. Love magic is notorious for going wrong, and once cast, it is among the hardest to break. Spell books and formularies are filled with warnings about targets becoming obsessed with and stalking the caster.
Other warnings remind practitioners of the fine line between love and hate. As spells stretch over years, the warnings say, targets may realize they’re trapped, their affection morphing to cruelty.
Wicca teaches practitioners to avoid these pit falls by never casting spells on a particular target or without consent. But not all traditions share Wicca’s emphasis on free will.
The wise would keep these general guidelines of magic in mind when planning their love magic: Mundane before magical, and, if you must cast, self before others. Make it known you’re available, and the right partners will follow.
Sources:
“Natural Recipes for Sensual Experiences” by Stephanie Rose Bird, Llewellyn.
“Love Is in the Air” by Donald Michael Kraig, Llewellyn.
Complete Formulary of Magical Oils by Celeste Rayne Heldstab.
Practical Candle Burning Riturals by Raymond Buckland.
Spellcrafting by Arin Murphy-Hiscock.
Wiccapedia by Leanna Greeaway and Shawn Robbins.
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What you missed in this month’s newsletter:
From the Drafts: Work-in-Progress Quote
Quote of the Month
Myths and Magic: Ancient Origins of Valentine’s Day
From My Shelf: Happy Anniversary Circe and “Rise of the Witches”