Incantations
and Enchantments – The Power of the Voice and the Breath in Magic
Donald
Tyson
(Llewellyn Publishing)
This
fascinating book has taken longer to review than I would normally like, as it
turned out to be so interesting I became thoroughly immersed in it and starting
using some of the knowledge shared within its pages.
‘Incantations
and Enchantments’ is a valuable addition to the esoteric book shelf. It delves into the spoken aspects of magical
practise, examining the ways words were used in the past in the classical world,
and also how to apply them in modern occult practice.
Tyson opens
by stressing the power of the voice; how the voice forms an essential link
between the inner being and the outer world, and how spoken words and their
vibratory power impact on the world around you. We are all aware of the power
of affirmations, but this book goes so much further. Considering the make-up of each word, considering
their vowels and consonants, their individual sounds, and their inherent power
and energies, he focuses especially on the power and effects of vowels when
intoned and vibrated in certain ways for specific magical purposes.
The sounds
of the vowels are explored, dwelling on the differences between ancient and
modern pronunciations. Another interesting fact Tyson shares is that the vowels
themselves were thought of as spirit, held within the bodies given them by the
consonants that contained them. Each word would have a magic all its own.
The seven
vowels used in ancient Greek were considered to be the pure sounds made by the
planets. The planets they were
attributed to followed the Ptolemaic system, which is; Moon -
Alpha, Mercury – Epsilon, Venus - Eta, Sun - Iota, Mars - Omicron, Jupiter -
Upsilon, Saturn – Omega. These vowels
represented the spiritual energies of the planets, and by their use they could
attract those planetary beings and energies to the magician who knew how to use
them.
Tyson then
continues with guidance on the ways to pronounce them for the best effect in
esoteric work. A stand out statement for
me was when he mentions that when people heard the Egyptian priests of old
singing and adoring their Gods, they would stop and listen, because the sounds
were so beautiful, in preference to listening to any other music. I found this idea so powerful that it
virtually transported me back in time to hear them myself.
He follows
through on this by explaining that if you wish to invoke beautiful and
harmonious spirits, beings, and energies, they have to be called through the
use of lovely, joyful sound and beautiful offerings. In contrast to which, he describes how, when
some of the witches of Italy of old were calling on demonic and devilish
spirits to do evil work, the sounds had to be harsh and uncomfortable to the
ear. The concept being that a blessed
spirit, being of good intent, would be uncomfortable with ugly and grating
sounds, and vice versa. A malignant spirit would find harmonious sounds so
uncomfortable, that in each case they would be unlikely to appear. The rule is,
effectively, to each its own.
He devotes a
chapter to Names and Words of Power, considering the power of an individual’s
name, through to magical words of power that have come down to us through
writings from the ancient world. Many of
these have either lost, or never had, an actual meaning in language, but are
more about how to vibrate and externalise the vowels to call in the energies
and spirits to which they resonate.
Tyson analyses various types of charms and spells from antiquity, exploring a variety of types including love, healing, and protection. He advises on ways to structure your incantations and charms, how to focus them on your purpose, and how to empower them for best effect. He discusses the power of brevity and repetition, rhyme and alliteration, and much more to help in the creation of an effective charm. All have their place.
Tyson finishes with a very interesting chapter on how herbs, potions, rods, wands, and magical paraphernalia were enchanted through the use of spoken charms in the ancient world. Of course, these can all be adapted and used in modern times, and through the use of spoken words and intoned vowels you can empower and enchant your own magical items.
To sum up, Tyson
has written a valuable source book packed with information. It is well written
and proves to be a good read, alongside being easily accessible. Therefore, the
shared knowledge can be incorporated into your own magical practise quickly,
easily, and effectively. This book
proves to be an excellent piece of scholarship, written in an approachable and
easy to absorb way.