The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells: The Ultimate Reference Book for the Magical Arts

Element Encyclopedia

by Judika Illes

Enter the world of folklore, myth, and magic.

 

Discover binding spells and banishing spells, spells for love, luck, wealth, power, spiritual protection, physical healing, and enhanced fertility drawn from Earth’s every corner and spanning 5,000 years og magical history.

 

In The Encyclopedia Of 5,000 Spells: The Ultimate Reference Book for the Magical Arts, independent scholar, educator and author of several books of folklore, folkways, and mythology Judika Illes enables the reader to enter the world of folklore, myth and magic with binding spells and banishing spells, spells for love, luck, wealth, and power, as well as spells for spiritual protection, physical healing, and enhanced fertility drawn from Earth's every corner and spanning 5,000 years of magical history.

Genres: Witchcraft, Reference, Nonfiction, Wicca, Magic, Paganism, Magick

1100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Born in New York City, my metaphysical career began early: My first encounter with tarot cards at age six was also my first experience of love at first sight! That passion still burns true. Although I do practice other forms of divination, tarot remains the foundation of my practice.

A lifelong pursuit of metaphysical wisdom followed and continues: astrology, mythology, Kabbalah, the Egyptian mysteries as well as spiritual, magical and healing traditions from all over Earth but particularly Africa and Asia.

I've also been a blues and free-form rock and roll disc jockey, a corporate travel consultant specializing in the Caribbean, a skin-care and cosmetics consultant, and a teacher of mythology and multicultural studies. I wrote and edited the Ancient Beauty Secrets section for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism's monthly online magazine, which integrated modern aromatherapy with ancient methods of body care and decoration.

True love's arrows pierced my heart yet again when I first encountered a vial of essential oil. (Essential oil of frankincense, to be exact, still a favorite.) Essential oils are not true oils but potent plant extracts. Modern aromatherapy, with its roots stretching back to ancient China, Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Middle East, is the manipulation of essential oils for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Essential oils are perhaps the purest, most potent expression of a plant's power and play a profound role in rituals, potions and spells. Many are powerful aphrodisiacs and may be used to enhance health, beauty and peace of mind.

Following over a decade of independent study, I earned a certificate in therapeutic aromatherapy. I served on the faculty of the Australasian College of Herbal Studies as an aromatherapy tutor, teaching the certification program.

My special passion for almost fifteen years has been magical and traditional approaches to fertility. Originally stimulated by own reproductive challenges, I was frustrated by the medical options offered to me. I went searching for other avenues, gentle Earth and female-friendly solutions and found them: a vast repository of women's wisdom. Two children and many years later, I still search and research, impressed and empowered by thousands of years of women's inventiveness, endurance, defiance and humor.

Reviews

[Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great beginners guide for every spell. Absolutely enchanting to read, and evokes the desire of further study as a good book should.

However, I was incredibly disappointed to see it explicity mention changelings as a metaphor for autism, and then list spells to save or cure your child.

Autism is a hereditary neuro divergence and not something that can be 'cured'. You will never 'get your child back' because that IS your child. You're just being a crappy parent by shaming and attempting to alter their true nature. This mindset has been causing physical and emotional damage to autistic people since the beginning of society.

Stop perpetuating the myth that we are broken, that we don't belong, or that we need fixing.

[Keshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of spells from a variety of sources. The most basic thing that this book does for the reader is That it gives a wide variety of spells from ancient sources and a diverse variety from different disciplines. This book should be a welcome addition to any person who is interested in magic regardless of the level Of your understanding of magic. The main drawback to this book is the indexing. The indexing leaves a lot to be desired. For example the book contains a great deal of basic formulas for conditioning oils throughout. However in the section entitled formularies, it only contains a Fraction of the recipes dispersed throughout the book. Searching the index for Orioles is very tedious to say the least. Not of this however detracts from the great goodness that this book provides in the numerous battles that are contained within the book. This book is good for beginners as well as the experienced.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The outdated language was expected due to the nature of the book (history and folklore), though that aside, a good book for referencing.

As an autistic person, I wish the author wouldn't have wrote what they did about autism. You cannot get rid of it or change it. It's not something that needs to be "cured."

As for crystals helping with things autistic people may go through... fuck it! I'll try anything once.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal friend of ours, Judika is very knowledgable of all the various types of spiritual paths out there.
This book is by far the most comprehensive book that I have found on magic in my 20 years of following a Pagan path.

I highly recommend it, if only for the historical value in it!

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is--enormous. I did not read it cover to cover. There is a 102-page intro section that contains all kinds of good, basic information about the construction of rituals and the details and tools of spellcrafting, which was interesting for me as a beginner. The spells themselves are taken from many, many magickal traditions throughout history, giving them a wide variety. Illes modernizes the wording and ingredients for many more traditional spells, which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on the reader.

As someone who is less interested in performing these spells and more interested in their details and historical context, this book left something to be desired. While there is a hefty bibliography in which all the source texts are named, individual spells are not linked back in any way to the original sources, making it at times unclear whether you are looking at something from Middle Kingdom Egypt, 10th-century Britain, or 1920’s New Orleans. Sometimes you can tell from ingredients or deities invoked, but not often.
I ended up trying out one recipe for a magickal floorwash while I had this book in my possession; it smelled nice at the very least (peppermint and angelica root)! I copied out a few others for later ideas as well, but most of this is too entailed for my taste.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, but I do have some problems with it. First off it's a great reference book if you already know what your doing. I find it very useful for gathering ideas, as well reminding me of things that I have forgotten over time. However, there is some silly stuff in this book, which would lead someone who didn't know what they are doing, to draw the opinion that its a joke. Also, there is some stuff within the pages that can be rather dangerous if you don't know what your doing.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Want to cast a spell? This is your book! "The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells" certainly stands up to its name. If you love magic and Wicca, you will truly enjoy this book. Drawing on many different magical traditions, Illes puts together a book on the topics of wealth, love, success, and even curses. From Hoodoo to historical grimoire magic, you will be amazed. Happy spell casting! - Colleen M.

[Valenfore Alestreneon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good reference book that's very comprehensive. Although, I notice she has a lot of unnecessary filler material that seems to be geared towards people who are newer to the study. It's kind of pointless, since newer people shouldn't be looking at reference books if they don't have the basics of spellcraft down.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book with collections of spells from history spanning the entire globe. By looking at each spell, it's components and what is is seeking to cure/fix/banish it provides a fascinating insight into those cultures and time periods. The introduction is well-laid out and you really get a sense of how magic has evolved over time for various peoples and religions/practices.

[Victoria Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt this is the Larousse Gastronomique of the modern witchy world. Clearly written and categorised, any witch would want this on their bookshelf (or coffee table..!) Don't be fooled - this is not light-hearted reading. It assumes the reader already has a clear knowledge of using magic, when to use it, how to use it and most importantly when not to use it!
The spells are from around the world, and from a variety of different cultures and religions. Some are extremely complicated and involve ingredients that are almost impossible to source - but so does Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck Cookbook and that was still a bestseller.

Of course, with 5000 spells there are many that can be used and adapted to your own specific requirements, but don't expect them all to be easy magic that involves a coloured candle and a bit of string... I enjoy reading through the obscure spells as well as the 'usable' ones as I think this book is such a valuable resource in preserving those spells which may otherwise be forgotten.

If you have a Book of Shadows or witchy journal that you want to pass through the family then ensure this goes with it.

I even went on to buy the Encyclopedia if Witchcraft, The Psychic World and Mythical Creatures - the latter being almost entirely useless in a world clearly not full of mythical creatures at all, but it's a fascinating read, has helped out many of my fantasy-writing friends, and looks fantastic on the book shelf ;-)

[Kitsune Cappuccino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan that it has spells associated with closed practices. Without being a part of the culture, as well as being uneducated on the culture the spells are a part of, could lead to some negative outcomes. If you are going to use the book, please be respectful and don't appropriate. Especially if you aren't in the league to even be doing or considered by the powers that be surrounding those closed practices.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book about spells most people need. Great writing about magic, great history lessons, and 5000 spells from around the world.

[Occultorum · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this is an incredibly important book. Not because I would be using it as a spell book, but because I am researching the field of the occult and witchcraft, and this book is incredibly useful, as it covers so many spells from different cultures and times. It also comes in handy when you're out of ideas - then you can use it as a reference, to help you with your spell work. It covers many spell categories, from from love spells to protection spells and it includes even some hexes.

[Arwen Arodnap · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, it is a good reference book from which to gather inspiration; not a beginner's book by any means, as you need to know how to modify these spells to your liking and needs accordingly without including any dangerous ingredients that may be listed.

I enjoy using this book whenever I need to draw inspiration for a ritual or spell.

[nunu ⛧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

theres some bangers in here

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my go to book for information and inspiration when spellcasting.

For the seeker of knowledge, it provides an awe-inspiring look at how common everyday items were used across the world for spellcasting and "getting things done" Information comes from a wide range of sources, with what appears to be a strong focus on rootwork.

I would not recommend this book to the novice witch for spellcasting because many of the spells if used without careful thought could cause unintended harm. And if you are a magic worker who firmly believes only "good" magic should ever be used, this book is probably not for you either. Having said all this, if you are an experienced spellcaster, then this is a reference book you should consider getting.

While there is a kindle version of this book, it only contains 1000 spells so I would suggest getting the paper copy for your reference library.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished my solid browse through this tome. That is, I read the informative sections at the front & browsed the spell chapters, rather than read the whole damn thing. It was a fantastic read & will make a valuable addition to the shelf. If it doesn't collapse it, that is.

5000 Spells covers a wide range topics, cultures & divinities with Judika Illes doing a good job of presenting multiple view points on the usual controversial topics (hexes, love spells, etc).

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of certain spells for historical context/inspiration & that the author didn't shy away from poisonous or unpleasant materials (due warnings are included, of course).

I gave 5000 Spells 4 stars instead of 5 only because I felt there was an emphasis on African cultures. This *was* refreshing & very interesting (I have a huge gap in that area myself), but it felt unbalanced.

[NoOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much to this book i could easily write a 5 page review. But to keep it simple , this is one hell of a book. Yes some of the things in it are not for actual practice in life as some of them are either folk tales or highly dangerous because of ingredients. But the wealth of information you gather from here outweighs that by far, many of the things can be put to practical use even for someone not interested in the spells . There are many herbal teas ,baths, and incense recipes. In short you cant go wrong with this book no matter your chosen path in life.
Please also note the author DOSE tell you which things are possibly dangerous to try.

[Adrian Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I went on a journey with this book! Not literally, as this tome is huge and weighs many pounds, but a journey of learning. As part of my daily (usually morning) rituals, I read an open page spread (2 pages) each day. I've always loved reading encyclopedias and reference books since I was a young child. There's a lot to learn and consider in this reference. Judika Illes must be one of the most interesting people in the world to stand next to at a party! Her depth of knowledge astounds me. I'd love to explore her bookshelves. 🤩 I even went through the bibliography, entry by entry, to add so many more books to my to-read-list. Up next: Judika Illes' Encyclopedia of Witchcraft!

[Robert Ingram · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with an Magick, the spell wrote by oneself will always work better than something someone else has spit out. Magick is personal. Magick is for gain for oneself or others, or the others demise or ill-fortune. What works for some, doesn't work for others. Although there were several ideas I had not considered using Magick for, I still found the book useless.

[Tabitha Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great reference and learning tool for those that want to learn more about magick for all over the world. Some decent spells but a lot of details, unfortunately there are some that are harder to find spell items or just flat out to expensive to get. Great book, I would suggest it for anyone who wants an all encompassing spell book.

[Nash]

This book is great for Historical tidbits... but premade spells are... ugh.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book for reference and if your brave enough to try some new spells.

[Michelle Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that deserves the word “encyclopedia” in its title.

Judika Illes's Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells is enormous, strange, fascinating, occasionally startling, and almost impossible to browse for only five minutes. You might open it looking for a prosperity spell and, half an hour later, realize you're reading about magical baths, graveyard practices, protective amulets, love magic, spirit work, or some wonderfully specific piece of folklore you had no idea existed. That's part of the pleasure of owning it. It's as much a book to wander through as it is a book to consult.

And there really are spells for seemingly everything: love, money, luck, protection, healing, fertility, justice, hex-breaking, dreams, spirits, business, gambling, beauty, animals, weather, and situations so specific that you wonder what chain of human events originally necessitated the spell. The sheer scope communicates something important about magic all by itself. People have always had problems, desires, fears, enemies, hopes, and needs, and wherever humans have gone, magic has followed.

What elevates the book above being simply a gigantic spell collection is Illes's enthusiasm for folklore and magical history. Traditions from different cultures and periods sit beside one another, giving the reader glimpses into the astonishing variety of ways people have attempted to influence their circumstances. Roots, oils, candles, saints, spirits, stones, bodily materials, prayers, charms, household objects, and things found at crossroads or cemeteries all become part of humanity's magical vocabulary.

I also appreciate that not everything in here has been sanitized for contemporary sensibilities. Some spells are beautiful. Some are funny. Some are disturbing. Some are ethically questionable. Some involve ingredients or practices I would never recommend anyone actually use. But this is a reference work documenting magical practices, not a promise that every historical spell is safe, ethical, practical, or intended to be reproduced literally. That messiness is part of what makes the collection interesting.

After a while, I stopped thinking of Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells primarily as a book of recipes.

It's an archive of magical problem-solving.

Five thousand spells means five thousand little reminders that, across cultures and centuries, human beings looked at circumstances they desperately wanted to change and thought, “There must be something I can do about this.”

For anyone interested in spellcraft, folk magic, magical history, or simply the astonishing creativity of practitioners across time, this is one of those reference books that earns a permanent place within arm's reach. I have returned to it again and again, sometimes for a specific piece of information and sometimes just to see where opening it at random will take me.

[Amanda Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling this a spellbook almost undersells what it is.

The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells is really an archive of magical problem-solving.

Love, money, protection, revenge, fertility, luck, healing, justice, spirit contact, uncrossing, divination, household concerns, legal troubles, sex, death, dreams, enemies, employment, beauty, weather, animals, childbirth, gambling, ghosts, curses, blessings—if human beings have worried about it, desired it, feared it, or tried to influence it through magic, chances are some version of that impulse appears somewhere in this book.

That is what fascinates me most about it.

Judika Illes doesn't simply give you thousands of spells. She preserves an enormous amount of magical folklore, historical practice, materia magica, and cultural memory alongside them. You begin noticing recurring patterns across traditions: certain plants repeatedly associated with similar concerns, particular ritual structures resurfacing in different places, the same fundamental human needs dressed in different symbolic languages.

For anyone who writes or creates their own magic, that makes this an extraordinary resource.

I rarely use books like this by opening to a page and performing a spell exactly as written. What I want is inspiration. I want to see how other people approached a problem. What did they use? Why might they have used it? What symbolic logic is operating underneath the spell? Which parts can be adapted, combined, researched further, or used to spark something entirely new?

This book is endlessly useful for that.

It's also simply fun to wander through. You can look something up with a very specific intention and emerge twenty minutes later having learned about three plants, an obscure folk custom, a spirit you've never encountered before, and a bizarre piece of magical history you now desperately need to investigate.

Of course, the incredible cultural range of the book also means it should be read with discernment. Not every practice gathered here belongs to every reader, and contemporary practitioners have important questions to ask about context, culture, initiation, and appropriation when exploring material from traditions outside their own. For me, that makes further research part of using a reference like this responsibly rather than diminishing its value.

No encyclopedia could ever contain all of magic, but this one makes a wonderfully audacious attempt.

More than anything, The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells demonstrates something I deeply love about the magical arts: wherever human beings have gone, we have found ways to enchant the world around us.

This is one of those enormous reference books that can remain useful for decades because you never really finish discovering what's inside it.

[Caylynne King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I got this book between the ages of 12 - 14 years old. It has always been on my shelf since then.
Back when I got it I remember primarily being focused on the "Selfish" spells (thank goodness they never came true because I was always doing something wrong (and I'd probably be a member of MCR by now)). At the time I did them a lot of bad things would happen in my house. Did I probably open a portal by doing something wrong? Probs. Buuut our house was also built on a battleground, so, ya know.
Later in my life I focused more on Wicca - and completely put this book aside because I only saw the "black magick" side to it.
Two days ago I picked up this book and paged through it - remembering all the spells I had read in the past. But then certain sections caught my eye and I realised this book literally caters to Christians, Wiccans, witches, and people who practice voodoo, hoodoo, Chinese magick and so much more. I looked back on the old spells young me tried to cast and laughed because I had believed I had conjured evil spirits from a wishing fan. There are some "Spells" in here that are way out there - that just seems too ridiculous to think of as a spell, but if it works for another person - then perfect!
I read through the more knowledgeable things - and as other people have mentioned here, it is one big reference book. There is history, there is the magick, how to perform the spells and even how to make oils or whatever.
I've given it a 4.5 because when reading through the spells, a lot was unclear. For example, I can't remember what the spell was, but it had something to do with placing underneath your partner's side of the bed... but... for how long and what are the side effects once it is removed? After seeing that I saw a lot of the spells are like that. Do the thing, and leave it __. Then it moves onto the next spell. It's a big book, so I can understand the instructions being short here and there - and there definitely ARE spells that say "leave _ for _ nights and then...", but other than that, I'd say this is a good book to have. It's definitely a fun book for a writer (which is the reason I started buying these books when I was younger) who wants to have a better understanding over their character interested in this world or anyone who wants to learn about different religious beliefs outside of their own.
Thank you Ms. Illes - your book is now a nostalgic part of my shelf which I will always use when in need of something. Already found some lovely healing ideas - exactly what a girl needs right now.

[Sandra Fargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I picked up Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells I thought the title had to be an exaggeration. It isn't. Judika Illes somehow managed to assemble an enormous collection of spells, charms, rituals, magical formulas and bits of folklore drawn from an astonishing range of traditions, and I can still lose an afternoon in this book without intending to. I may open it looking for one particular thing and twenty minutes later find myself reading about a completely unrelated charm because something on the neighboring page caught my attention. That's part of the pleasure of it.

What I value most isn't simply having thousands of spells at my fingertips. It's being able to see how people in different places and periods have approached the same human problems through magic. Love, protection, money, fertility, healing, justice, spirits, luck, curses and uncrossing appear again and again, but the materials and assumptions surrounding them can be wonderfully different. After practicing for as long as I have, that kind of comparison is far more interesting to me than another book giving me fifty new spells to perform exactly as written. I've borrowed ingredients, adapted methods, followed references into subjects I knew very little about, and occasionally found an old practice that sent me digging through several other books to learn where it came from.

This is a reference book rather than a book I would recommend following blindly from beginning to end. Some entries involve materials or practices I wouldn't personally use, and when you're drawing from cultures and traditions around the world, context matters. But as a doorway into the enormous variety of magical practice, I know very few books that can compete with it. My copy has accumulated scraps of paper, notes and bookmarks in places I no longer remember marking. Even after all these years of collecting occult books, I can open this enormous thing almost anywhere and still find something I didn't know.

[Victoria Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt this is the Larousse Gastronomique of the modern witchy world. Clearly written and categorised, any witch would want this on their bookshelf (or coffee table..!) Don't be fooled - this is not light-hearted reading. It assumes the reader already has a clear knowledge of using magic, when to use it, how to use it and most importantly when not to use it!
The spells are from around the world, and from a variety of different cultures and religions. Some are extremely complicated and involve ingredients that are almost impossible to source - but so does Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck Cookbook and that was still a bestseller.

Of course, with 5000 spells there are many that can be used and adapted to your own specific requirements, but don't expect them all to be easy magic that involves a coloured candle and a bit of string... I enjoy reading through the obscure spells as well as the 'usable' ones as I think this book is such a valuable resource in preserving those spells which may otherwise be forgotten.

If you have a Book of Shadows or witchy journal that you want to pass through the family then ensure this goes with it.

I even went on to buy the Encyclopedia if Witchcraft, The Psychic World and Mythical Creatures - the latter being almost entirely useless in a world clearly not full of mythical creatures at all, but it's a fascinating read, has helped out many of my fantasy-writing friends, and looks fantastic on the book shelf ;-)

[Liv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed but not surprised.

Oczywiście podział na Slavic & Russian. Rozumiem, że Rosja składa się z różnych grup etnicznych, ale nie oszukujmy się autorka pod "russian" i tak myśli o Słowianach. Co prawda w tej edycji jest więcej "słowiańskich zaklęć" ale skąd autorka je wzięła. Nie są to zagovory i bardziej przypominają magię celtycką niż słowiańską. Tak naprawdę ponad 1000 stron zawodu. No ale czego mogłam się spodziewać po książce napisaną przez Amerykanke? Sam tytuł "The Ultimate Reference Book..." Takie książki nie zanurzają się dogłębnie w temat, o którym niby mają być. Autorka mogła raczej napisać kilka tomów i każdy poświęcając innej magii, a nie wszystko brała w jedno. A najlepiej gdyby skupiła się tylko na tematyce, którą zna i nie udawała, że ma pojęcie o innych tylko by pochwalić się napisaniem książki. Fakt faktem, że bibliografia pokaźna tylko wypełniona innymi amerykańskimi autorami, do których od dawna nie mam zaufania.
W wielkim skrócie - pomieszanie z poplątaniem. Zapewne książka spodoba się komuś kto ma wąskie pojęcie o innych magiach. Żałuję, że wgl dowiedziałam się o tej książce. To jest ostatnia pozycja napisana przez Amerykanina, który próbuje się wypowiedzieć o czymkolwiek słowiańskim, jaką kiedykolwiek otworzę.
Z bólem kończę swoje wyzwanie na ten rok z tą książką.

[A Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how anyone could complain about this book except for the fact that they would never be able to conduct every single spelling there. This author really went to bat when she wanted to include every single subject anyone could ever think of. Not only every subject but various types of spells from easy to you're going to have to go out and shop for the item kind of things. A lot of them are things that you can do with items around the house or things that are easy to get. So it's great for every level and I just have it in my room to refer to anytime I feel like I Moana try for a streak of luck in a magical sense. I am not in over my head on the subject but it's entertaining and I'm hopeful;)