Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures, by Enid Baxter Ryce
Weiser Books, 1578639026, 208 pages, April 2026
A few months ago, I was reading BonaDea’s Book of Everyday Enchantments by Patricia deSandro about creating your own enchantments. DeSandro explained how this produces an energy that was unique to the situation for which we were doing the spell. In contrast, she also talked about how when we use spells written by others, especially those used by many in a ritual fashion, we tap into the lineage, ancestry, and magical potency of those who also have worked the spell. This is something that stuck in my mind, a reminder that there’s magical depth and breadth to be discovered by seeking out ancient spells, chants, and hymns.
Did I personally have the time to do this though? Absolutely not! And it is for this reason that I was quite excited to read Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures by Enid Baxter Ryce. This curated archive of magical memory draws from grimoires, church records, letters, and ancient fragments across cultures to create a nifty collection of magical texts to have on hand. The way it reads is like a poetic collection of historical magic, allowing readers to flip through and discover enchantments that otherwise likely would have been lost to time.
“As we marvel at these ancient magical words, we think of our ancestors. Thanks to them, scraps of papyrus, shards of pottery, secret books, and whispered recipes will still show themselves to those who seek them.”1
To write this book, Ryce utilized a variety of sources. She dove into libraries, archives, along with museum collections and databases. There’s a whole list of the magical texts shared in the book for those who are seeking to do their own research. Ryce explains how she consulted scholarly and popular books about ancient magic and also read about the context the magical spells were written, which are shared in the extensive bibliography. Some of the works she translated herself, but for languages she wasn’t familiar with, she used digital resources to translate that were then checked against scholarly translations.
I found her overall process interesting, about which she writes, “To create these contemporary interpretations, I stayed close to the intended meanings of the ancient incantations. After translating, I revised the language and rhythms, aiming for clarity, simplicity, and poetic impact.”2
There are five chapters, each focusing on a magical theme: manifesting and prophecy, love and lust, protection, healing, and curses, bindings, and vengeance. Additionally, Ryce includes an introduction about the written history of magic, which aptly sets the stage for what’s to come.
Aside from the general theme, there’s no real organization to the order of the spells, but there is a nice flow. Most of the spells are applicable to modern life, while others are just fun to read, such as the Mayan “Cure for Red Spider Monkey Gums (Pyorrhea)”. There’s incantations for protection from witches, as well as a spell to conjure the devils to bring love to you. There’s no telling what the next page will bring once you flip it!
This said, Ancient Spells and Incantations is definitely better suited for those with an eclectic practice that feel comfortable working with a wide range of deities across time and space. In just a few pages, the entries move from Thebes in the 12th century to China in 1200 BCE to Egypt 2nd Century BCE. There’s texts from the Scottish Highlands to traditional Yourba. In another few pages, a Babylonian text, Buddhist text, Lakota proverb, and Akkadian Magic Literature all come together to create quite an interesting mix.
All that Ryce shares is the text itself, so there’s no context about how these verses would be used in spellwork based on the lineage’s time and place. So for each chapter, it’s almost like reading a bunch of poems (in many ways that’s what spells and incantations are, right?!) related to a theme.
In regard to actually using the text, readers would have to be okay with creating their own rituals. For this purpose, Ryce includes a chapter towards the end called “Beginning a Magical Practice” where she covers working with words and objects, traditional spellcasting objects and color meanings, powerful places, and names and numbers.
Her guidance, along with my own background, would definitely be enough to piece together a ritual, but for those who prefer to create deep bonds with the lineages they work with before delving into ritual or spellwork, this book might better serve an anthropological curiosity. Similarly, for those who prefer spell craft with step-by-step instructions, this book might feel a bit too literary. Given Ryce’s multidisciplinary background in art, film, poetry, there’s no doubt her artistic sensibility has shaped the book to be a potent creative force in its own right. It can easily be enjoyed without having to perform any of the magic within.
Also worth noting, in an age where people can be quick to condone cultural appropriation, this book does not claim to be of any lineage. Ryce is a scholar, a seeker, and archivist. It’s clear she appreciates the living thread of magic woven through human history within these texts. While most of the book is simply the spells or incarnations, when Ryce does share information, her tone is always reverent, informative, and devoted to preserving the sanctity of the text. This book is done in service of magical history, allowing for these texts to be seen and valued in our modern world.
Overall, Ryce’s collection of incantations and spells inspire contemplation, bring a special energetic atmosphere to spell work, and invite intuitive connection with the past. Drawing from many traditions, Ancient Spells and Incantations is a offers snippets of occult history still relevant and useful for spellcrafting today. I quite enjoy the variety of content and I am impressed by Ryce’s artistic process in the creation of this book.
Whether you want to imbue sacred objects with these spells or chant them outloud for your magical workings, the content gives a potent, ancient foundation to start from. I’m so glad Ryce has brought these spells and incantations to print, translating them for the modern reader and lifting them out of the dusty archives of the past to fill the spells with fresh energy. A very cool and unique read!
Alanna Kali is an astrologer, numerologist, and pioneer spirit that loves to explore life through the lens of depth psychology. She has a passion for studying the humanities and social trends. Her academic work is centered upon reuniting body, mind, and spirit through eco-psychology. She loves reading, spending time in nature, and travel.