Love magic in older traditions wasn’t complicated, but it was still structured. Across medieval and earlier sources, a few ideas show up again and again: a person can be reached through a representation of them, spoken words can act on reality, and physical actions: binding, burning, and fixing help set the work in place.
Before getting into the charms themselves, it’s important to be clear about what you’re reading here. These are modern reconstructions, not direct translations from historical texts. They’re built from real documented principles, like image magic, spoken charms, and the use of physical symbolic objects. These steps have been put together in a way that’s usable today. Think of this as working in the spirit of older practices, not copying them word for word.
Scholars studying medieval magic describe “words of power” as language believed capable of influencing reality in a material way (Borsje, 2017). At the same time, objects, whether images, herbs, or constructed charms, weren’t just symbolic. They were treated as active parts of the working itself, holding and carrying intention (Houlbrook & Armitage, 2015). Fire, too, shows up repeatedly in love magic as a way to stir desire and create movement where there was none (Saar, n.d.).
With that in mind, here are three charms built on those same foundations: one to bind, one to ignite, and one to Traditional Love Magic: Three Charms for Binding, Desire, and Influence.
The Bound Heart Love Charm: To Hold and Draw In
This is the quietest kind of love work, meant to hold attention, strengthen connection, and gently draw someone closer over time.
You will need:
- Red flannel or red wool fabric
- Needle and red thread
- Two straight pins
- Rose petals
- Lovage
- Yarrow
- A small pinch of vervain
- A small slip of paper
- Love oil such as Bound to Me Oil
Sew a small heart-shaped pouch, leaving one side open. Write the person’s name three times on the paper, turn it clockwise, and write your intention across the name. Place the paper inside the heart with the herbs, then sew it closed.
Hold the heart in both hands and begin wrapping it with red thread. As you wrap, say:
“As this thread binds,
So the bond is formed.
As this is held,
So the heart is drawn.”
Now tie three knots, one at a time. With each knot, repeat the full charm. Take your time, this is where the work is set.
Push two pins through the heart so they cross at the center, mirrored from opposite sides. Keep the charm somewhere private. If you want to maintain it, lightly anoint it once a week typically on a Friday.
The Flame of Desire Spell: To Ignite Passion
Where the first charm holds, this one creates heat. Fire has long been tied to desire, urgency, and emotional movement. In historical love magic, burning and flame were used both physically and symbolically to awaken feeling (Saar, n.d.).
You will need:
- Two red or pink candles
- A pin or needle
- Red thread
- Crushed herbs:
- Orris root
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon
- Vervain
- A charcoal disc
- Ritual oil of your choice such as Seduction and Passion Oil
Carve your name into one candle and the other person’s name into the second. Anoint them lightly with oil and dust with the herbs and anointing oil.
Place the candles facing each other with space between them. Light a charcoal disc and sprinkle a small amount of herbs on top so they begin to smoke.
Light your candle first, then the other. As the flames rise, say:
“As this flame is lit,
So desire is stirred.
As this fire grows,
So the heart turns toward me.”
Let them burn briefly, then extinguish.
Repeat this over 3 or 7 nights nights, moving the candles slightly closer together each time.
On the final night, bring the candles together so they touch and loosely bind them with red thread. Light them again and say:
“As these flames join,
So are we drawn.
As this fire holds,
So desire endures"
Let them burn together.
The Speaking Image Charm: To Influence Thought and and Grab Their Attention
This is the most subtle of the three. It works through image and spoken word, directing thought rather than emotion. In older traditions, even simple representations were believed to stand in for a person and could be acted upon directly (Wilburn, 2019). When combined with spoken language, the effect becomes focused and persistent.
You will need:
- A photo of the person
- A small piece of paper (petition)
- Pen
- Red thread
- Crushed herbs:
- Basil
- Yarrow
- Rose
- Vervain
- A small pinch of dragon’s blood resin
Place the photo in front of you.
On the petition paper, write the person’s name three times. Turn the paper clockwise and write your name across it. Turn it clockwise again and write your intention across both.
Place the petition directly over the photo and sprinkle lightly with herbs.
Now fold the packet:
Fold it to the right, then turn it clockwise.
Fold it again to the right, turning clockwise again.
Fold it a third time to the right, finishing with one final clockwise turn.
Hold the folded charm and say:
“As I name you, you are present.
As I call you, you attend.
As this is held,
So your thoughts turn toward me.”
Repeat three times.
Wrap the charm with red thread and tie it securely, saying:
“Bound in form,
Bound in thought,
Held where I place you.”
Keep it somewhere private and undisturbed.
These three charms work differently, but they follow the same underlying structure: something represents the person, something is done to that object, and words are spoken at the moment the action takes place. That combination using object, action, and word is what shows up again and again in historical sources. For more love spells, check out our article: Love Charms: Three Spells for Irresistible Attraction
Keep it simple. Do it carefully. And let it work over time.
References
Borsje, J. (2017). The power of words: Sacred and forbidden love magic in medieval Ireland. In Everyday life and the sacred. Brill.
Houlbrook, C., & Armitage, N. (Eds.). (2015). The materiality of magic: An artifactual investigation into ritual practices and popular beliefs. Oxbow Books.
Saar, O.-P. (n.d.). Fire symbolism in late-antique and medieval Jewish love magic. Safed Academic College.
Wilburn, A. (2019). Figurines, images, and representations used in ritual practices.
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