Herbs And List And Spell And Cast Articles & Resources

Dawnea has all the traditional witchy accessories - cauldron, cape and potions - and claims to conjure up wizardry that would make Hermione Granger envious. True, there are no flying broomsticks, wands or vanishing acts, but this is magic Hollywood- style. Dawnea claims she's been responsible for clinching multi-million dollar film deals for her clients, and helping them find soul mates and dream houses.

'Some of the movies I've spell crafted have won Oscars,' she boasts. 'One of Hollywood's most powerful players comes to me before releasing every film,' she continues. 'The results are staggering - he's made hundreds of millions of dollars. I work on all his movies. But I can't say who it is.'

After months of persuasion, she invites me round for tea and magic at her home by the sea in Malibu. As I walk through the garden and across the patio of her big white beach house, I notice a copper wind chime bearing the words 'Follow Your Dreams' and a wooden plaque at the door which reads 'Witches Welcome'.

Inside, Halloween witches, black cats and broomsticks decorate cushions on the sofa. There's a library to rival Hogwarts with titles like Seasons of A Witch, Magical Herbalism and The Witching Hour. And in Dawnea's screening room (she has to see her clients' movies when she's spell crafting them) 'Magick' is spelled out across the wall in huge wooden letters. 'In the craft we spell magick with a K. Without a K it's just silly show magic. David Copperfield, that kind of thing.'

Looking more like a 70s rock chick than a witch, she's skinny with bleached hair and piercing blue eyes. She's wearing a long black dress, spiky lace- up boots and a purple velvet hooded priestess robe. 'You can say I look like Madonna if you like, everyone else does,' she smiles. She explains she's had no formal training, but realised at three years old she had psychic magical powers. 'It's something in your blood that's passed down, not something you can learn.' For years she worked as an estate agent and waitress doing spells in her spare time, before 'coming out' as a full-time witch over 20 years ago. And it seems she's a bit of an all-rounder. 'I'm telepathic, I'm a hands-on healer, I do past life regressions. There's nothing in the paranormal world I don't do, including exorcisms.'

Even in new-age crazy California, she faces constant suspicion, mostly from Christians who associate witchcraft with devil worship. But luckily for Dawnea, A-list celebs lap it up.

Most of her clients are famous actors and directors. 'Lots of them don't want to admit I do spells to help their movies,' she reveals. 'They'd rather people think they do it all themselves. 'My clients do pay me, but I often don't charge. It's not about the money. I have contracts from past lives with many of my well-known clients which means I also have to work with them in this lifetime.' Her prices range from $50 to thousands for ongoing spells. 'But I'm always busy because I'm good at what I do,' insists Dawnea, who goes on house calls and provides clients with their own 'mojo bags' filled with beans, herbs and stones which they carry around to speed up spells. 'I won't work with just anyone,' she sniffs. 'I'm staggered at the lack of integrity of some people in this town.'

While Dawnea only practises white magic, she has been known to do the odd banishing spell. 'A little girl was once mean to my daughter Heidi and now she weighs 17 stone,' laughs Dawnea. 'There's a saying, "When you mess with the witch, you get the twitch". I believe it's fair if someone wants to harm you, you send them back what they're sending three times three times three - which are the magical numbers in witchcraft. They get what they deserve.'

One thing Dawnea won't do is play Cupid - well not usually. She did make an exception for one famous starlet. 'She had a crush on a guy and I did a flirtation spell,' she grins. 'It was a "You're gonna get laid" spell. I said, "If you wanna get the mojo going I'll do it, but I won't do anything permanent." It did happen for her, but it didn't last.'

Usually Dawnea works individually with her clients, but she agrees to let me join in a spell-crafting session. Today there are four of us, her 26-year-old daughter Heidi, a jewellery designer (also a witch), her son-in-law and a young actor. They're all hoping the spells will make them successful.

She summons us out on to the patio and we sit in a circle under a huge sycamore tree on a black velvet rug - there's a cast iron cauldron in the centre filled with herbs, stones, and lit human- shaped candles. 'The rose petals are for love and we have boy and girl candles,' she says. 'Green represents money, red, fast action and pink, romance - this one's for Bono,' she says. 'I'm a bit of a fan.'

She glides round the circle, arms outstretched, holding a ritual dagger. 'I'm creating protection so no negativity can enter.' She closes her eyes as smoke rises from the cauldron. 'Let's put ourselves in a space between worlds. I summon the spirits to bring healing and I bow to you as the priestess I am. Three times three times three. The circle is cast, this magic will last.' She hands out copies of a spell she's written, which we have to repeat nine times before ripping the paper and throwing it into the fire.

'Blessed be to what is ahead/I will sanction no negativity/The past is dead/New beginnings a brand new life/ One that is free from pain and strife.'

The atmosphere is surreal - it's not often you find yourself sitting around a cauldron. 'The magic happens, starting right now/I will not even question how,' we shout in unison. We keep chanting, louder and louder and I wonder what the neighbours think. 'A lot of them hate me,' says Dawnea later. 'But I'm used to it, I've been doing this work for centuries in former lifetimes, I've been stoned to death and burned at the stake many times.'

The process takes half an hour and after all the shouting I feel hoarse and light-headed. 'It's time to read the wax,' announces Dawnea. 'It's like reading tea leaves,' she explains, pulling the remains of the candles from the cauldron. 'I see images which tell me what the spell is going to bring for everyone. Look, there's a cave,' she exclaims, prodding her finger in the warm, sticky lump of wax. 'You all get to go into Aladdin's cave and pick out treasure, which means prosperity for all of you.' But apparently we'll have to wait till June before receiving the full effects of the spell, . loads of cash.

Dawnea's clearly wealthy herself - and it looks like this canny witch has managed to weave some practical magic of her own. She's written a screenplay about witches and has a sitcom in development called Dewitched. She's also likely to be the consultant on the big screen version of Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman.

But there isn't much time for a social life with demanding Hollywood clients who want her at their beck and call, and she spends most of her free time at home. 'I'm a solitary witch,' she says. 'I get invited to film premieres, but I don't go - unless it's one of Sandy's.'

Although single - 'witches don't get married' - Dawnea admits she'd love a man in her life. She leads me to her bedroom, pointing to a toy frog on her pillow. 'See that frog? I'm hoping - one day - he'll turn into Bono...'