The Hermetic Approach

INTRODUCTION

Imagine…

You inherit the family house from Aunt Fern. To your surprise, the house is fully furnished and move-in ready when you get there. It’s almost as if it was waiting for you to come home.

You decide to wander around and explore every nook and cranny of that beautiful old Victorian. Its wraparound porch looks like a splendid place to while away a beautiful summer afternoon or enjoy a midnight margarita while basking in the light of the full moon.

When you walk inside, you find out that your aunt left a veritable treasure trove of antiques and memories. Over the front door is a horseshoe with the ends pointing up toward the ceiling. At the far end of the foyer is a tin star—a pentagram! The fireplace in the living room has a copper cauldron in it, and half-burnt candles are lovingly placed around the hearth. There are even dried herbs hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen. Everything just looks so witchy!

You rush up the two flights of stairs to the attic, which fascinated you to no end as a child. Locked doors have always piqued your curiosity. When you get to that old wooden door, you are delighted to see that it opens for you. You enter the small chamber, and you are struck again by how witchy everything feels. It’s just like something out of the late 1990s television series Charmed.

In the middle of the room, you see the faint outline of three concentric circles stained into the floorboards, faded by years of sunlight pouring in through a beautiful