Who is Anna Riva?

Enchanting lives and inspiring minds for decades, Anna Riva was the pen name of Dorothy Spencer (1922-2003), a prolific American occult author.

She focused on practical, easy-to-work spells centered around the use of magickal oils. Her numerous pamphlets and books extended over a range of topics on herbalism, talismans, candle magick, crystal gazing, and séances.

Her influences were equally wide-ranging. She was inspired by Haitian Voodoo, African-American folk magick, Biblical psalms, and the European grimoire tradition. Her rituals reflect these varying influences. Approaching magic like science, she tried to keep it simple to give a good starting point but also to provide the basics behind the rituals, so that any ritual could be customized by the individual.

“Anna Riva” was revered in the world of American folk magick to the point that she became an almost mythical figure in that arena. Rows of her gold-foiled oils and powders could be readily found on display in many a home.

Spencer’s company, International Products, manufactured a line of oils, incenses, and ritual powders. They were distributed in esoteric stores and through an extensive mail order catalog. In Spiritual Merchants, historian Carolyn Morrow Long described how the "1970s and 1980s saw the publication of a new crop of spell books" and the "best-known of these writers is the extremely prolific ... Anna Riva."

Spencer lived a private life and retired after selling her business to Indio Products in the late 1980s. "Anna Riva" was the nom de plume that she used only in her writing and the business - Anna was her mother's name and Riva was her daughter's name. Anna Riva is presently a brand, registered trademark and business of Indio Products in Commerce, CA.

Dorothy Spencer died from Alzheimer’s in 2003.

But her legacy lives on. This site shares for free her many insights and earnest collection of occult details and rituals captured in her books and pamphlets.





If you would like to see more of her legacy here, let us know. Her many books and writings will continue to be shared herein, but she was prolific and we are prioritizing the additions by demand.

Suggestions welcome.


Anna Riva® Oils, Powders & Incenses

Her Oils, Powders & Incense

Anna Riva’s special line of oils, powders & incense were formulated to shift vibrations and bring forth our innate powers.

Anna Riva Books

Her Books


Candle Burning Magic



Devotions to the Saints



Domination



Golden Secrets of Mystic Oils



How to Conduct a Seance



Magic with Incense and Powders



Modern Witchcraft Spellbook



Powers of the Psalms



Prayer Book



Secrets of Magical Seals



Spellcraft, Hexcraft, and Witchcraft



The Modern Herbal Spellbook



Voodoo Handbook of Cult Secrets



Your Lucky Number... Forever



In Anna Riva's words:

Most readers are interested in using prayer and rituals to help them attain some objective they seek. Many do not know exactly what they want from life, but they know something is lacking. This author believes that no matter who we are - young or old, rich or poor, unlearned or educated, reclusive or gregarious in manner, or how the circumstances of each life may differ from one another - we are all seeking a similar goal.

That common quest is freedom. Freedom is absolutely necessary to enable us to be what we ought to be - to pursue or own good in our own way. Yet many live their lives trapped in bonds of their own making. Some of these prisons we build for ourselves are greed, vanity, prejudice, pride, fear, and anxiety.

These attributes must not only be displaced from our lives, but we must replace them with those qualities which permit us that ultimate freedom of a vibrant, healthful, loving, and serene life.


Anna Riva loved this piece by an unknown writer which sums up her ideal philosophy for a joyous life.

Give strength, give thought, give deed, and give wealth;

Give love, give tears and give thyself.

Give, give, and be always giving,

Who gives not is not living

The move you give, the more you live.


Anna Riva is a brand, registered trademark and business of Indio Products in Commerce, CA.

This site is for informational purposes and does not sell products.

To purchase Anna Riva® and other spiritual products, a good source is Wisdom Products.