Horse Magick: Spells and Rituals for Self-Empowerment, Protection, and Prosperity - Lawren Leo 2020

The Lover's Horse

The horse can represent polar opposites—lust and love, passion and purity. This concept crystallizes in mythological reconstructions of it, for instance, centaurs and unicorns. Neither of these creatures, however, represents a single emotion.

Centaurs, for instance, embody rape and pillaging in most Greek myths—the exception being Chiron (see chapter 15). In the Middle Ages, the contrasting mythological creature is the unicorn, which often represents virginal innocence and purity of intention. Unicorns are always attracted to committment, making them completely different from centaurs, who like to play the field, so to speak. In other words, unicorns are heart-driven; centaurs are libido-driven. You can call on each of these mythological creatures to obtain the type of love you desire. Or call on them both to satisfy the two aspects of human nature necessary for a happy and fulfilling life—sex and love, heart and libido.

Stallions and Centaurs

The stallion is a key source for equine magick because of his uncontainable libido and pronounced physical power. These are the traits necessary for him to assume the role as progenitor, leader, and protector of the herd. The centaur, a hybrid creature with the torso of a man and the body of a horse, embodies the potency of the equine sex drive in ancient Greek mythology. In one tale, centaurs attended the wedding feast of the human Lapith king Pirithous and Hippodameia, whose name means “horse tamer.” Once the creatures became drunk, they attempted to molest the bride and began raping and carrying off Lapith women and boys. The ensuing fight between human and “beast,” called a centauromachy, was used as an analogy for the divide between the Greeks, who made decisions based on reason, and the “barbarian” enemy, who acted irrationally based on passion. Fine sculptures of this subject appear on the Parthenon in Athens. The theme appears elsewhere with frequency as well, often in erotic scenes in which centaurs have gigantic erections—for instance, on painted ceramic vessels used for mixing and serving wine at symposia, ancient Greek dinner parties.

SPELL FOR HOT SEX

This spell invokes the physical power of the stallion to arouse the passions.

What you need:

One blood-red votive candle and essential oil of ginger.

Instructions:

Dress the candle with essential oil of ginger. Light it and say the following spell nine times.¹ This spell can also be worked if you do not have a special someone in mind. Simply use the pronouns him or her in place of a name. The spirits will understand your intent.

Stallion of raging fire and sex,

Lend me your power for this hex;

Consume [name of the one you desire] with flames of desire,

Pleasures of the flesh and hidden fire.

Of least resistance find a way

On top of my body [name/pronoun] must stay.

Unbridled passion in my bed,

As if it were the night we wed.

Let the candle burn out naturally.

Why did I choose ginger and a red candle? Ginger has long been known for its properties of vitality and sexual stimulation. Red is associated with passion, lust, power, and sex.

Unicorns

The tale of the unicorn has been told many, many times, but most tellers give it only a spiritual interpretation. Because of this, writers stress the unicorn's symbolic elements of purity and holiness when, in fact, the creature was just as much a symbol of libido. The most famous images of unicorns are preserved in two sets of tapestries—one in Paris and one in New York. (I will discuss those in Paris here.)

Around 1500, a group of highly skilled women in Flanders wove a set of six tapestries depicting a unicorn and a lady. They worked the images with deep-red silk and gold-wrapped thread for a wealthy male client at the royal court in Paris. Five of the panels clearly represent the senses—sight, smell, taste, touch, sound—but the meaning of the sixth remains mysterious. It shows a woman inside a tent that is flanked by a lion and unicorn. She appears to be about to touch a jeweled necklace in a box that bears the motto, A mon seul désir (“For my one desire” or “For the thing I desire most”). The consensus is that this tapestry represents a search for pure or spiritual love. This would presumably have enabled the owner and his family to be released from the earthly greed and sensuality embodied by the physical beauty and incredible financial value of the tapestries, and immerse themselves instead in the tapestries' spirituality.

This interpretation of the unicorn myth reaches far back into the early Middle Ages. At that time, there were painted manuscripts called bestiaries that contained pictures of all types of creatures, real and imaginary. Next to each image, there was text that gave its secret meaning. For example, the unicorn was usually shown with its head in the lap of a maiden, because only innocence could attract this rare creature. That is how hunters procured its horn, which was believed to have the power to purify poisonous water, among other miracles. To the medieval mind, this created a parallel to the Virgin Mary, who drew down the Holy Spirit to conceive Christ.

But the unicorn also represents playful, erotic love, and potent masculine libido. Images carved on ivory-encased mirrors and jewelry boxes make this clear. In these examples, the sculptor treats the unicorn's horn as a phallic symbol. There are depictions of beautiful young ladies sliding floral wreaths onto it, a thinly disguised reference to the sexual act. This multifaceted symbolism can be seen in the Tale of the Soothsayer's Oasis.

The Tale of the Soothsayer's Oasis

Some say—and tapestries show—that once, so far back in time that none might know, an elusive unicorn came out of his hidden world to lay his head with trust in a virgin's lap. But he did not know she was being used as bait, as part of a carefully plotted attack. Hunters sprang out of hiding, viciously killed the defenseless unicorn, and cut off his magickal horn. They left the unicorn's lifeless and bloodied body in the virgin's arms. We will never know if she was complicit in this act.

Others say, however, that this tale is nothing like the truth and is merely a reflection of human braggadocio. By their account, as the unicorn approached the virgin, he was overcome with a sense of dread. Just before he lay his head in her lap, he struck the ground nervously with his hoof. With flared nostrils, he reared and pivoted on his hindquarters. His instincts proved correct and he eluded the hunters, who emerged from the dense undergrowth with swords drawn. The creature fled in terror, all the while realizing he had been betrayed. Breaking into a full gallop, he left the forest far behind.

The unicorn's flight was witnessed by a wise old soothsayer, who thought: “Galloping horse through the nighttime desert, white with one horn, you are a vision of surprise. Are you running from or to, I wonder?”

The beast drew close to the old man and stopped, stretching its neck to his side. “What do you search for with those eyes so wide?” thought the soothsayer, old and wise.

After a period of silence, the moon's light grew stronger, and her silver rays lit the sky. The soothsayer placed his hand on the unicorn's muzzle with compassion and a sigh. It must have been the full moon, with its power, you see, that made the soothsayer declare this prophecy.

“On this night your healing will begin. The pain and loneliness from your broken heart shall dissipate. Drink the water there,” he said, pointing to a fresh spring filled with the moon's reflection. “As you quench your thirst, dear one, the water will wash away the stain of betrayal. You have found wisdom and purpose here in my oasis. Sleep now beside the mint and lavender. From this night forth, all who experience heartbreak may call upon you for divine aid, and into their dreams you shall gallop.”

SPELL TO HELP HEAL A BROKEN HEART

This spell calls on the prophecy of the soothsayer and the power of his oasis to relieve the pain of heartache and betrayal.

What you need:

Either dried or fresh lavender, a sprig of fresh mint, spring water, one water glass, and a pen and paper.

Instructions:

Fill the water glass three-quarters full with spring water. Add a sprig of mint and let the glass sit under the light of a full moon for at least an hour (this is called “lunarizing” the water). Before you go to sleep, drink the water. Place the lavender under your pillow (if it's dried, you can use a sachet). Ask the unicorn to gallop into your dreams and heal your broken heart. Sleep with a pen and paper next to you to write down any messages you may receive while they are still fresh in your memory.

Why did I choose mint and lavender? Mint's magickal associations induce feelings of well-being and are known for offering protection. Heartbreak leaves one vulnerable and fatigued. Mint's spirits will help lift depression and create a healthy barrier in which to heal more readily.

Lavender's magickal associations increase clarity and feelings of peace. Often, heartbreak clouds your judgment and creates anxiety. In this spell, lavender is used to disperse anxiety, create clarity, and help induce dreams.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

One important set of unicorn tapestries is found in the Cloisters Museum in New York, which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See The Unicorn Tapestries (1495—1505; acc. no. 37.80.6).

A second set of tapestries, equally important, is part of the collection of the Musée de Cluny, at the Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris. See The Lady and the Unicorn (c. 1500), http://musee-moyenage.fr.

Secondary sources

Cavallo, Adolfo Salvatore. The Unicorn Tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1998).

Lavers, Chris. The Natural History of Unicorns (New York: HarperCollins, 2009).

Leo, Lawren. Dragonflame: Tap into Your Reservoir of Power Using Talismans, Manifestation, and Visualization (Pompton Plains, NJ: New Page Books, 2014).

NOTES

1 I give instructions for dressing a candle in my book, Dragonflame, p. 126.