Meet the three women who used mystic rituals, incantations and a magic manual to find their dream men and conjured up real life romance

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 soulmates

Alexandra 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 joy  

Energy 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 able to catch someone’s eye across a room, or come out with a witty one-liner. 

I needed help. How could I make him fall in love with me from afar?

Energy healer Monika Hammond, 34, is married to Gareth, 42. The couple worked at the same company, but never really knew one another until Monika recalls seeing him and a 'lightning bolt shot through me'

At the time I lived with the kindest landlady who was also rather spiritual. She had a library of magical manuals and ‘New Age’ guides and, before I knew it, I started asking for her advice.

A few months later, my relationship broke up and, with my landlady’s help, I set out to make Gareth mine. I was 24 at the time and until then hadn’t worked with magic or spells, although my mum reads tarot cards and my aunt is psychic.

First I had to send out my words of intention to the universe saying very simply: ‘If Gareth is single I’ll have him.’ 

Then, my spell advised me to live each day as though Gareth and I were already in love. I would wake up and imagine his face on the pillow beside me. 

On my way to work I’d visualise my routines with Gareth later: the music we’d listen to that evening, the meal we’d eat. This level of intention and concentration went on every day for two weeks.

These imagined routines of experiencing love and a beautiful relationship filled me with what I can only describe as magical bliss.

As crazy as it sounds, I said to my best friend that, even though I was a stranger to him, I felt like Gareth and I were in love — he just didn’t know it yet. It was only a matter of time before the spell reached him.

Did it have any impact on Gareth? Well, I’d like to think so. 

'On my way to work I’d visualise my routines with Gareth later: the music we’d listen to that evening, the meal we’d eat. This level of intention and concentration went on every day for two weeks'

For instance, one morning I was in a cafe and, while Gareth lived in another town, I spotted him outside the shop. He had no reason to be in the area. I intuitively felt like I’d drawn him there.

A few days later, I received a message from Gareth on Facebook asking me out. He’d spotted me at work, and asked around to get my name. 

My magical incantation had worked! It goes without saying that we fell in love, there and then. Within the first month of being a couple I confessed to Gareth that a spot of magic had made him mine.

Months later we moved in together and, thanks to my spells, we are happily married with a family.

Gareth says: I didn’t read anything into Monika’s explanation about using magical energy to pull me towards her.

The truth is I was attracted to her when I first saw her. But yes things did, from the start, feel very natural between us and as though it was meant to be.

Magic is Monika’s world, and she can ‘magic up’ situations, if she wants something, she does seem to make it happen.

She’s used magic to manifest other things including a new car, a tax rebate and for us as a couple, our home and becoming parents. 

With our house she ‘saw’ the type of property and where we wanted to live and, lo and behold, we found it within months. It was as if she could just make it happen!’

Writing ritual for love

Business consultant Lucia Craddock, 39, is married to Mark, 53, a sales director. They live in Rayleigh, Essex. She says:

Six years ago I found myself aged 33, newly divorced, and looking for love in a dating pool that seemed to be filled with unsuitable men. 

What was I to do? I wanted to be a mum and settle down. I wanted to be in love and be loved for who I was.

Luckily, I was living and working in Ibiza at the time — one of the most spiritual places on earth, with powerful ley lines, or energy corridors, running beneath the island.

That’s where I wrote out a simple intention of manifesting my dream man into my life.

I wanted someone who was spiritual, but ambitious. Kind, but driven. He’d get on with my friends, my mum and even my cat had to approve of him. It was quite an order!

I took my time at home near the beach writing down those words, or incantations, as some call them.

Business consultant Lucia Craddock, 39, is married to Mark, 53, a sales director and used words, or incantations, as some call them, to manifest her dream man

Writing down words, I have since discovered, is one of the most powerful forms of magic there is. 

I had an individual book, some white witches call them ‘Books of Shadows’ whereas mine was just a normal, simple notebook.

Yet when you affirm your desires to paper, they become separate to you and take on their own energy. That’s when the universe takes over.

I wrote down my intentions in July 2015 and, three weeks later, I met my now husband Mark at an art festival, and we ended up speaking for five hours.

Three months later he moved out to Ibiza to live with me.

I can only think that it was because I had put so much into these words that the universe was waiting for it, ready on standby, to magic up Mark.

'I wrote down my intentions in July 2015 and, three weeks later, I met my now husband Mark at an art festival, and we ended up speaking for five hours. Three months later he moved out to Ibiza to live with me'

Unsurprisingly, we fell in love very quickly and I did tell Mark two months into our relationship that I had specifically drawn him into my life — with a bit of magical manifestation help. Mark’s reaction was entirely positive, he loved it.

Of course some of my friends think this approach to hunting down Mr Right is a bit loony, but my only response is this: it worked for me.

Mark says: I did find out Lucia had put together her intention to attract her perfect man fairly soon after we got together. I was taken aback, yet in a good way.

It felt wonderful and it still does today — I think of it as a huge compliment.

It really attests to the fact that, even as unusual as the idea is, we’re happily married and still more in love each day.

• A version of this article was originally published in the Mail on  September 21, 2021.