One of the strange things about learning to do magic is that the better you get at it, the less you need to do it. I’m not quite sure why this should be, although I suspect that magic is something most of us have at our fingertips. Maybe as we become more skilled it becomes as natural as eating or breathing, and we just don’t have to make a conscious effort to do it.

I’ll bet there are a few of you reading this, shaking your heads and thinking, ‘Not me. I couldn’t do magic. I’ve never tried to do it either.’

Hands up which of you have ever thrown a coin in a fountain or pool? I don’t know what it is about water and coins, but the two seem to go together magically. This fact is exploited by charities that often set up a Wishing Well as an express means of collecting money for good causes. But I’ve also enough garden centre ponds containing coins to be certain they didn’t get there by accident.

Commenting on my post about spamming yesterday, ArtemisToxia mentioned the practice of hexing in the ancient world. One way was throw a lead tablet, inscribed with a hex, into a pond or well. For less negative magic, people threw coins – and made a wish.

In ancient times this was a common form of folk magic. Most wells, springs and ponds were sacred and had some deity or nymph associated with them. Casting a coin – something of value - into the water was a way of making an offering and doing a deal with the deity to ensure your wish was granted.

Coins are a form of votive offering, a way of catching the attention of your particular deity. Remember when the old London Bridge was dismantled in order to ship it out to Arizona? Thousands upon thousands of ancient Roman coins were found beneath it in the Thames riverbed.

So even if you’re not in the habit of doing magic, carry a few pennies with you and next time you’re close to a pond, river, or even the sea, cast one in and make your wish.

I hope it comes true for you!