"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 that is a holdover of the Judeo-Christian worldview 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 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
worldview 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/floor wash 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 predetermined 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.
The above is an edited version of material that is, to the best of
this editor's knowledge, part of a public domain file that has been in
circulation for years.
Copyright 1999 Psychic Journal and Sabrina Scott Co., Inc
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