Abracadabra! Spoken words of power are the hallmark of sorcery and Witchcraft. Many of the world's cultures still tell tales of those who could use language to heal, call storms, and raise the dead. While in daily life audible charms are not quite so dramatic, the power of the word in magick is as vital as in our daily communications. Virtually all magickal rituals involve some form of intonation, whether it be speaking, whispering, singing, keening, or shrieking. The voice is believed to carry the power of the spirit on the breath, sending the intent of the Witch into the ethers in the form of sound waves. Perhaps the most famous magickal word of all, Abracadabra is actually a strong incantation with ancient roots. It can be traced back hundreds of years in both spoken and written charms, and while today its use by parlor magicians has weakened its meaning to the masses, to the initiated, it still holds great power.

A Gypsy Love Charm
This old Gypsy charm involves very simple ingredients and the power of the spoken word to set the spell:

“Take an onion, a tulip, or any root of the kind ( i.e. a bulbous root?), and plant it in a clean pot never used before; and while you plant it repeat the name of the one whom you love, and every day, morning and evening, say over it

‘As this root grows
And as this blossom blows,
May her heart be
Turned unto me!’”

— Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling, Charles Godfrey Leland, 1891, Page 53