"A spell
is a symbolic act done in an altered state of consciousness
in order to cause a desired change."
To cast a spell is to project
energy through a symbol. It is important to note that the
energy is what is key, not the symbol; too often, the symbols
are mistaken for the agent that casts the spell. While props
are useful at times, it is the mind that works the magic.
Correspondences between colors, planets, metals, numbers,
plants and minerals, and musical notes make up a great deal
of magical lore, and particular objects, shapes, colors, scents,
and images do work better than others to embody certain ideas.
The most powerful spells are often improvised from materials
that feel right or that simply happen to come to hand, however.
Theory of Spellcasting
Spells are an important aspect
of magical training. They require the use of the combined
faculties of relaxation, visualization, concentration and
projection. The casting of spells provides practice in coordinating
these skills and developing them further. Spells are extremely
sophisticated psychological tools that have subtle, but important,
effects on a person's inner growth. Spells may highlight otherwise
hidden complexes of the person casting the spell.
A person who has conflicts
about success will find great difficulty in concentrating
on a money spell, for example. Many times the practical results
of a spell are far less important than the psychological insights
that arise during the magical work, for discovering our inner
blocks and fears is the first step in overcoming them. Spells
also go one step further than most forms of psychotherapy,
in that they allow us not only to listen to and interpret
the unconscious, but also to speak to it in the language it
understands.
Symbols, images, and objects
used in spells communicate directly with Younger Self, who
is the guardian of our emotions and who is barely affected
by the intellect. We often understand our feelings and behavior
but find ourselves unable to change them, but through spells,
we can attain the most important power - the power to change
our lives.
Spellcasting also forces us
to come to terms with the material world. Many people attracted
to the spiritual path of the Craft find themselves uneasy
with using magic for practical or material goals. Somehow
it seems wrong to work magic for oneself, to want things and
to get things. This is an attitude which is a holdover of
the Judeo-Christian world view that sees spirit and matter
as separate and that identifies matter with evil and corruption.
In the Craft, flesh, the material
world, none of what is commonly thought of as matter is separate
from spirit. The universe is made up of the Goddess who is
manifest in all things. Union with the Goddess comes through
embracing the material world and all the gifts that She has
placed in it for us. Our major task on this plane of existence
is to become masters of this realm of manifestation. We do
not fight self-interest; we follow it, but with an awareness
that transmutes it into something sacred.
Mechanics of Spellcasting
Spellcasting is the lesser,
not the greater magic; but the greater magic builds on the
lesser. The paradox is that in spellcasting we may start out
working with the personal self, but in order to work the magic
we are forced to expand and recognize the Self that moves
through all beings.
Magic involves the deliberate
self-identification with other objects and people. For example,
to do a healing, we must become the healer, the one who is
healed, and the energy that is to do the healing. To attract
love, we must be able to love ourselves and to become love
its self.
Spells work in two basic ways.
The first is through suggestion; symbols and images implant
certain ideas in Younger Self, or the subconscious mind, and
we are then influenced to actualize those ideas. Spells can
also influence the external world.
The theoretical model that
witches use to explain the workings of magic is a clear one
and coincides in many ways with the "new" physics.
It is simply an elaborate but extremely useful metaphor. The
metaphor is based on a world view that sees things not as
fixed objects, but as vortexes of energy. The physical world
is formed by the vortexes of energy, and if we cause a change
in the energy patterns they, in turn, cause a change in the
physical world. When our own energy is concentrated and channeled,
it can move the broader energy currents. The images and objects
used in spells are the channels. They are the vessels through
which our power is poured, and by which it is shaped.
As energy is directed into
the images we visualize, it gradually manifests physical form
and takes shape in the material world. Directing energy is
not a matter of simply emoting. Emotion can be likened to
a strobe light which provides a very inconstant light, while
directed energy is more like a laser beam. Even concentrated
power is a small stream compared with the vast surges of energy
that surround us. The most adept witch cannot be successful
in all her spells, for the opposing currents are often too
strong.
The craft teaches to first
identify the flow of energy and then to decide whether or
not it is going where we want it to go. If it is not, then
we can try to deflect it, or we may have to change our own
course. Sensing the energy climate is a matter of intuition
and experience. Some witches make a study of Astrology in
an effort to plan their magical workings at the optimal times,
while others prefer to work when they feel the time is right.
Of all the planets, the Moon's
influence on subtle energies is the strongest. Subtle power
increases as the Moon waxes, so the time of the waxing Moon
is best for spells involving growth or increase, such as money
spells. The power peaks when the Moon is full and that is
the best time for workings of culmination and love. During
the waning Moon, power subsides and turns inward. The waning
Moon's period is used for banishings, bindings, and discovering
hidden secrets. The practical witch soon learns to adjust
her spells to fit the time of the Moon. If, for example, she
needs to do a money spell during the waning Moon, she would
put a little 'English' on it and make it a poverty banishing
spell.
Energy pursues the path of
least resistance. Material results are more easily achieved
on this plane of existence through physical actions than through
magical workings. For example, it is simpler to lock your
door than suffer the constant drain from maintaining psychic
seals on your doors and windows while you are away from home.
Of course, once you have locked your door, you might feel
more reassured by placing seals on it.
No magic spell is going to
bring results unless channels are opened into the material
world. For example, a job spell is useless if you are not
willing to go out and interview for jobs or at least let potential
employers know that you are in the market for one. In the
same vein, a healing spell is no substitute for medical care.
Most medicine today can be
broken down into two broad categories, emergency medicine
and that which is not needed for immediate life-threatening
situations. Emergency medicine has excelled at stabilizing
the body's condition so that it can repair itself at its own
pace. Most other forms of medicine consist of treatment through
surgery or chemotherapy or a combination of both. The procedures
noted above work on the physical body and do not take the
other levels into consideration. Psychic healing works at
healing the higher levels of the person so that the physical
heals itself or allows the person to let go of their physical
body if it cannot be repaired. In either case, the choice
rests with the person who is being healed and not the healer.
Visualization used in creating
a spell should focus on the desired result, not the individual
steps leading up to the result. We give the spell free rein
in how it goes about achieving the results with the understanding
that it is not to bring harm to anyone or any being. For this
reason, spells have a habit of working in very unexpected
ways.
To assure that the power we
have unleashed does not inadvertently cause harm, we bind
the spell. This serves to 'set' the form we have created so
that the energy becomes fixed in the pattern we desire. The
energy we project to others affects us even more strongly
than the other person. This is because we have generated the
energy, and thus we have become the object at which the energy
is directed. If healing energy is sent out, then the health
of the person casting the spell is enhanced. By the same token,
any hex or curse that is sent out ALWAYS affects the person
who sends it no matter whether it affected the person it was
sent at or not.
MAGIC IS NOT TO BE USED TO
GAIN POWER OVER OTHERS. Magic is a technique used in developing
your own 'power from within.' Spells that are directed at
gaining power over others weaken the 'power from within.'
Aside from the damage done to oneself, it is important for
another reason. Many people who do not understand the laws
of magic are afraid of being attacked magically and are given
to paranoia. The witch's main stock-in-trade used to be removing
a competitor's hexes and preparing charms to protect their
clients. While true psychic attacks are EXTREMELY RARE, a
person's guilt makes up for any lack, and after using 'forbidden'
help, their paranoia leads them to seek protection from the
same person they just turned to in desperation. Do yourself
a favor, and resist the temptation to 'help' these types.
Most magical formularies consist of formulae gathered and
tested by witches as well as many charms to protect the common
man from those same witches who sold them their charms.
Times and Correspondences
I mentioned earlier that timing
and the right props are considered important in spellcasting.
Over the years, systems of Correspondences were developed
which assigned certain attributes and aspects to the seven
ancient planets of Astrology. Each planet was assigned a God
or Goddess, who embodies the attributes the ancients wished
to invoke. Each of the Gods and Goddesses were assigned an
hour of the day, color, incense, metal, number, signature,
plant, mineral, musical note, and animal or bird.
General Guidelines for Casting
Spells
Set aside a room for your
magical work. Decorate it with things that put you in a magical
mood. Remember to use things that stimulate all five of your
physical senses. Some obvious things would be the use of appropriate
colors for sight, incense for scent, music for hearing, wines
for taste, and textures for feel.
If you do not have a room
you can set aside exclusively for your magical work, then
choose a room that can be locked while you do your work. This
will allow you to work undisturbed. In any case, you should
clean your work area periodically with a purifying powder/floorwash
to keep away negative vibrations.
Set up an altar to be used
as your worktable. It's size and shape should be those that
appeal to you. Placing candles and other items that assist
you to concentrate on the work at hand is a good practice.
Some people like to cover their altar with a white cloth and
place fresh cut flowers on it every day.
Always use the best candles,
oils, and incenses that you can afford, or make your own,
for scrimping on materials has a negative effect on the subconscious.
Don't forget that the subconscious is very good at making
do with raw materials that it can shape to its own use.
Never cast a spell until you
have a clear and concise picture of what it is you wish to
accomplish. This ties in with the saying "Be careful
what you wish for, you just might get it."
Always ground out any extra
energy you raise for the spell, and bind the spell so that
it expires within the pre-determined amount of time. Once
you have cast the spell, do not discuss it with any one until
after it has worked. Most spells peter out because the person
who cast it boasts about it to so many people, that the spell
is robbed of power before it has a chance to work. The ancient
bond placed on the magician was to dare, to know and to keep
silent.
Above all, at all times, remember
the Rede: "An ye harm none, do what you will." You
do not know all the effects of your spell, therefore, use
magick sparingly, if at all.
More Articles On Spells
(A
Candle Spell For Prosperity)
(Spells
and Magic)
(13 Steps
For Effective Spell Casting) |
