The Enchantress Manual for Magical Spells and Concoctions is an invaluable guide for any aspiring enchantress looking to harness the power of magic. From ancient incantations to powerful potion recipes, this manual covers all aspects of enchanting. One of the main ideas of this manual is the importance of intention. Enchantresses must have a clear and focused intention when casting spells or creating concoctions. The manual emphasizes that the intention drives the magic and determines its outcome. It teaches enchantresses to be mindful of their thoughts and emotions while practicing magic, as they can greatly influence the effectiveness of their spells.
The aging General Enrique Monteverde is on trial for the atrocities he oversaw as military leader of the junta that ruled Guatemala in the early 1980s. He is accused of having overseen or permitted the slaughter of thousands of the native Mayan peoples during this time, a charge he denies. He is convicted as guilty but the charge is overturned by the court. As crowds gather outside his house demanding justice, Enrique is forced to stay inside, along with his wife Carmen, their daughter Natalia and her young daughter Sara. Enrique is haunted by the sounds of a woman crying. After all the servants quit, they receive aid from Alma, a native girl, who signs on as a servant but comes to have a mysterious effect over the household
Maria Mercedes Coroy Alma , Julio Diaz General Enrique Monteverede , Margarita Kenefic Carmen Monteverede , Sabrina de la Hoz Natalia Monteverede , Maria Telon Valeriana , Alya-Elea Hurtado Sara Monteverede , Juan Pablo Olyslager Letona. The aging General Enrique Monteverde is on trial for the atrocities he oversaw as military leader of the junta that ruled Guatemala in the early 1980s.
It teaches enchantresses to be mindful of their thoughts and emotions while practicing magic, as they can greatly influence the effectiveness of their spells. Another key point highlighted in the manual is the significance of ingredients. Enchantresses must carefully select the right herbs, crystals, and other mystical substances to infuse their spells with the desired properties and energies.
La Llorona (2019)
Director/Original Idea – Jayro Bustamante, Screenplay – Jayro Bustamante & Lisandro Sanchez, Producers – Jayro Bustamante, Gustavo Mathieu, Marina Peralta & Georges Renard, Photography – Nicolas Wong Diaz, Music – Pascual Reyes, Production Design – Sebastian Muñoz. Production Company – La Casa de Produccion/Les Films du Volcan/Jalisco(Post)/Gekolor Studios/SoundTube Multimedia Studios/Tono Puro.
Cast
Maria Mercedes Coroy (Alma), Julio Diaz (General Enrique Monteverede), Margarita Kenefic (Carmen Monteverede), Sabrina de la Hoz (Natalia Monteverede), Maria Telon (Valeriana), Alya-Elea Hurtado (Sara Monteverede), Juan Pablo Olyslager (Letona)
Plot
The aging General Enrique Monteverde is on trial for the atrocities he oversaw as military leader of the junta that ruled Guatemala in the early 1980s. He is accused of having overseen or permitted the slaughter of thousands of the native Mayan peoples during this time, a charge he denies. He is convicted as guilty but the charge is overturned by the court. As crowds gather outside his house demanding justice, Enrique is forced to stay inside, along with his wife Carmen, their daughter Natalia and her young daughter Sara. Enrique is haunted by the sounds of a woman crying. After all the servants quit, they receive aid from Alma, a native girl, who signs on as a servant but comes to have a mysterious effect over the household
La Llorona or The Crying Woman is a Mexican folklore tale that originated in the 19th Century. According to the legend, La Llorona was a poor woman who married a nobleman. When he abandoned her for another woman, she drowned herself and their two children in the river. Denied entrance to Heaven for her deeds, she has spent eternity searching for her children and can always be heard weeping. She is in effect a boogeyman character and is reputed to steal other children believing them hers.
There have been several films based on La Llorona with the Mexican-made The Heritage of the Crying Woman (1947), The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963), Vengeance of the Crying Woman (1974) in which she meets the wrestling superhero Santo, Las Lloronas (2004), KM 31: Kilometre 31 (2006) and the animated The Legend of La Llorona (2011), and the US-made Spirit Hunter: La Llorona (2004), The Wailer (2006) and its sequel The Wailer 2 (2007), and J’ok-el (2007) and its sequels, Curse of La Llorona (2007), The Cry (2007), The Curse of La Llorona (2020) and The Legend of La Llorona (2022). This version of La Llorona came out four months after the high-profile James Wan-produced US-made take on the legend with The Curse of La Llorona (2019).
La Llorona was the third film for Guatemalan director/writer Jayro Bustamante who had previously gained festival acclaim with his non-genre dramas Ixcanul/Volcano (2015) and Tremors (2019).
The aging General Enrique Monteverede (Julio Diaz) (c) on trial
La Llorona and The Curse of La Llorona are two films ostensibly about the same figure in Latin American folklore but each film plays to an entirely different audience. The Curse of La Llorona was the story appropriated by Hollywood, cleaned up and repackaged as the most Hollywood of things – a spinoff from a successful box-office franchise – and sold to horror audiences. By contrast, La Llorona played to festival crowds and arthouse theatres where people went to see it as an arts and cultural work rather than as a ghost story (although when it came to US distribution, it did end up on the Shudder network).
In fact, La Lorona puts the legend so much at the behest of the political story it wants to tell that it is barely a Ghost Story at all. It is but the ghost story element doesn’t seem that important to Jayro Bustamante. Moreover, he has changed the original legend of La Llorona to fit the political tale he wants to tell – now she appears to be the ghost of a native woman who was killed during the slaughter of her village during the atrocities who has come seeking vengeance against the man responsible. There is no longer anything to the story about the woman who drowned herself and her children after being abandoned by a nobleman.
The film draws from a specific point in Guatemalan history. In particular, what is being alluded to is the military dictatorship of General Jose Efrain Rios Montt between March 1982 and August 1983. The previous president was removed from office in a coup following an election that was widely seen as fraudulent and Montt, a previous presidential candidate, was installed by the junta. During his reign, Montt instituted a brutal and bloody crackdown against Marxist rebels amongst the native Mayan peoples that ended up killing some 200,000 people. After being removed from office, Montt later ran as a presidential candidate and won a seat in congress. He was placed on trial for crimes against humanity but the verdict was overturned on a technicality. A retrial was ordered but Montt died in 2018 before the trial could be completed.
Maria Mercedes Coroy as the mysterious Alma
Jayro Bustamate creates a fiction loosely based on the real-life characters. Julio Diaz gives a fine performance as the aging general and there is a great sense in those around him – the denials of his wife, the distrust shown by the servants, the daughter who starts to ask questions – of well papered-over secrets starting to show cracks amid the ironclad denials. This aspect the film does well.
Less effective is the ghost story aspect. Aside from the whispers Julio Diaz keeps hearing, it is only at the end that Jayro Bustamante allows the ghost story aspect to emerge. As the title character, Maria Mercedes Coroy, who is an actual Mayan Indian, has a haunting presence in the film. She is blank and has little more than a dozen lines of dialogue throughout – all the expression comes in her wide eyes. Yet her curiously subservient but quietly defiant personality also leads to something increasingly haunted.
The manual provides an extensive list of ingredients and their corresponding magical properties, empowering enchantresses to create their own unique concoctions. Furthermore, the manual delves into the art of incantations and rituals. Enchantresses are taught various chants, invocations, and rituals that enhance the potency of their spells. These rituals range from simple candle lighting ceremonies to complex moonlit dances, allowing enchantresses to tap into different sources of energy and power. Lastly, the manual explores the ethical responsibilities that come with being an enchantress. It emphasizes the importance of using magic for good and not for personal gain or harm. Enchantresses are reminded of their duty to respect the natural balance of the universe and to never exploit their powers recklessly. In conclusion, the Enchantress Manual for Magical Spells and Concoctions is a comprehensive guide that equips enchantresses with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the power of magic. From setting intentions to selecting ingredients, performing rituals to upholding ethical principles, this manual covers every aspect of becoming a skilled and responsible enchantress..
Reviews for "Ancient Wisdom: Enchantress Spells and Concoctions for Modern Practitioners"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really excited to try out the spells and concoctions in this manual, but I was extremely disappointed. The instructions were confusing and difficult to follow, and most of the time the spells didn't even work. Plus, some of the ingredients required were nearly impossible to find. Overall, it was a frustrating experience and I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for practical and effective magical recipes.
2. John - 1 star - This enchantress manual was a complete waste of money. The spells and concoctions described in the book were ridiculously unrealistic and had no basis in actual magic. I expected something more authentic and grounded in genuine magical practices, but instead, the book read like a collection of made-up stories and fairy tales. It was a major disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone serious about studying real enchantress magic.
3. Emma - 2 stars - The Enchantress Manual for Magical Spells and Concoctions promised to offer a wide range of spells and concoctions for different purposes, but it fell short in many ways. The instructions provided were vague and lacked detail, making it difficult to understand how to properly execute the spells. Additionally, some of the ingredients required were extremely obscure and hard to find, making it impractical for most readers. Overall, I found this manual to be more frustrating than helpful, and I wouldn't recommend it to others seeking practical guidance in the world of magic.
4. Michael - 1 star - I have read various books on enchanting and spellcasting, but the Enchantress Manual for Magical Spells and Concoctions was by far the most disappointing. The spells and concoctions described were too simplistic and lacked any depth or complexity. I was expecting to learn advanced techniques and gain a deeper understanding of the magic world, but this manual barely scratched the surface. It felt like a cheap imitation of a real enchantress manual, and I regret wasting my money on it.