Meet the three women who used mystic rituals, incantations and a magic manual ... trends now
Who couldn’t use a little bit of magic in their life? A sprinkle of fairy dust or a pact with the stars to send some luck or a tall, dark stranger their way?
While most of us are content dropping pennies down wells or scanning the night sky for a shooting star, some take things further.
With spells and sorcery, some women swear they’ve conjured up the man of their dreams or made a stranger fall in love with them.
While cynics roll their eyes, white witch Sheila Kadeer, who had a decades-long career in the police force and today runs a spell circle for women, swears magic and spells work.
Magic, she says, is simply a way of tapping into the earth’s natural power to help you obtain your desires. A spell is a conscious process to direct this natural power to make those wishes come true.
‘One of the most popular types of spell cast is a love spell and there are many different ways of performing them, such as the quick and easy “candle spell” which involves a burning ritual of a red or pink candle while focusing on your person of interest.
‘Then there are “incantation spells” which involve reciting words of power. There are more complex ones involving the moon, ritual baths involving water and even “botanical spells” can be performed using herbs associated with love.’
Sheila says there are love spells to draw your ideal partner to you and seduction spells to make you irresistible to them.
While there are no official figures about practising witches, the popularity of spells and love magic has seen a growth in related hashtags, books sales and courses online.
Samantha Brick spoke to three women who used magic to find love — and the menfolk who were put under their spell...
Spellbound soulmatesAlexandra Wenman, 43, an alchemist and author, is married to Anthony Reed, 44, a recruiter. They live in North London. She says:
I am a hopeless romantic and I always had the feeling that I was searching for ‘the one’. I knew in my heart he was out there.
In early 2008, I decided I was ready to meet my soulmate. At around the same time, I started to train as a healer and complementary therapist.
I always had a connection to the angels, so I began to pray to the angelic kingdom for their help. I also attended a ‘law of attraction’ workshop where I learned the power of vision boards and intention lists.
That day I wrote a letter to the universe, asking to meet my ideal partner. I was specific, right down to his looks, a love of travel and sense of humour.
I then did a ‘soulmate attraction spell’: I lit a red candle and visualised a timeline on the ground beneath my feet.
Alexandra Wenman, 43, an alchemist and author, is married to Anthony Reed, 44, a recruiter. She decided in 2008 she was ready to meet her soulmate and visualised November 2008
I saw the date of November 2008 in front of me. ‘I want to meet him before this date’, I said as I walked along the timeline.
With eyes closed, I pictured myself being showered with rose petals and my energy field being infused with a red light. I even imagined I could smell roses.
Outside, I then burnt my letter to the universe and let the candle burn all the way down safely overnight.
In the months following, I treated myself how I wanted to be treated by a partner. I took myself on holidays and dates, bought flowers, gifts and complimented myself.
Towards the middle of October in 2008, I moved into a new flat, sharing with two housemates. When Anthony opened the door, I had this feeling of ‘knowing’ him already.
Things got serious between us quickly, because, in a sense, we’d been in love for months. We moved in together in early 2010 and since then I have been slowly introducing him to healing and spell work.
'Towards the middle of October in 2008, I moved into a new flat, sharing with two housemates. When Anthony opened the door, I had this feeling of ‘knowing’ him already. Things got serious between us quickly, because, in a sense, we’d been in love for months'
He was resistant at first but changed his mind when he had a back injury in 2011 and I healed it using healing energy through my hands: I saw an image of a crack in his coccyx sealing up in golden light. He hasn’t had any pain there since.
We married in Ibiza in October 2015. I only told him afterwards I’d cast a spell to bring him my way. Luckily he seemed pleased.
Anthony says: I’ve opened myself up a lot more to this world since meeting Alexandra and I now realise that one plus one doesn’t necessarily equal two.
When Alexandra told me after we were married how she’d manifested me into her life, I wasn’t completely shocked.
And yes, it did feel different when we met, like there was something otherworldly going on — that we’d known each other forever. I’m glad she worked her magic to find me.
Magic manual delivered joyEnergy healer Monika Hammond, 34, is married to Gareth, 42, a manager working in the learning disabilities sector.
They live in Hartlepool with their two children Sofia, four and Emil, two. Monika says:
Gareth and I were working for the same company, but didn’t really know each other.
One day I was attending a first aid course, and when I walked in the room, Gareth was the first person I saw. I had what I can only describe as a lightning bolt shoot through me, and I knew we were meant to be together.
So why didn’t I go and speak to him?
Well, I had a boyfriend for a start and I didn’t have a clue what to say. I’d never been
