Spells! Spells! Spells! - Part 1

I frequently get requests from people for all sorts of spells. The most popular one's are the all to familiar: get someone's ex boy/girl friend back, or to get a certain person to fall madly in love with them. Performing a spell on a specific person to manipulate them to have feelings for you that aren't there is against everything Pagans believe in. No real Witch would ever give you a spell to do that... they wouldn't even have one. Insert common sense here...Think about this, let's say you performed a spell to get "Brad" to love you...and it works. Every time he looked deep into your eyes, and told you how much he loves you, or kissed you, you'd know that it wasn't true. He's under YOUR spell.

Could you seriously live out your days, feeling truly happy, knowing that the only reason "Brad" is even giving you the time of day, is because you decided to manipulate him, by turning him into your 'love puppet'? Knowing you've ruined his life, and any real chance at love for himself, because of your selfish desires? In my opinion, only a monster could live with themselves. And they'd pay a high karmic, or if your stupid enough to believe another Witch can do it for you, monetary price....even if the spell dosen't work. Don't believe me? Read this:

MUNICH, Germany (AP) — A German court has ordered a self-proclaimed witch to refund a disappointed client her hefty fee for a spell that failed to win back the woman's partner.

The Munich administrative court said Monday it ruled that the witch must pay back the equivalent of $1,400 (Canadian) on the grounds she offered a service that was "objectively completely impossible."

After the client's boyfriend left her in 2003, she consulted the witch on a spell that would bring him back.

"The defendant carried out the corresponding ritual over several months, each time under a full moon, but without success," a court statement said.

It said the witch denied the client's claim that she had guaranteed success. However, the court ruled that was irrelevant because "a love ritual is not suited to influencing a person from a distance."

Neither woman's identity was released

With the exception of certain situations involving healing, or breaking a spell, hex or curse, Witches do NOT perform spells on a person without their permission. Spells seem to be the main reason some people want to become a Witch. I realize that much of this has to do with stereotypes or Hollywood portrayals of Witches which is presently getting trendier, and more popular. Although these shows may be entertaining, and have a tiny bit of truth tossed in to make it look more authentic, we are nothing like the Witches you see on TV or in movies, and neither is Witchcraft.

Many would be surprised at how infrequently some Witches perform spells, and what kind they do. Quite a few Witches I know only use spells, for the most part, as a last resort for things such as protection of themselves, family, and children from dangerous, or abusive situations. This is not because spells don't work, it's simply a matter of preference, experience, and responsibility. Witches tend to be highly independent people who like to do things for themselves. Rather than running to their Book of Shadows every time a little problem, or challenge occurs in their life, they look upon it as a learning experience (which it is), and want to deal with the situation and learn from it without the use of magick. But that doesn't mean you can only do spells if it's an emergency. You can do them when ever you want, as much as you want. The more you practice, the better you'll get.

One of the biggest misconceptions about being a Witch concerns magick. Witchcraft, and the spells you create for your magickal purposes, should be based on extensive study, experimentation, and experiences you gain from them. It's not about making all your problems go away, or changing everything to your advantage. It is definitely NOT about manipulating the will of another. Not every situation in life requires a spell. Personal power, the act of positive thinking, and working hard to attain the desired outcome usually does the trick. But if that doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with performing a spell to help. If you simply perform a spell, sit back, and expect it to work on it's own, it won't. If you perform a spell to help you find work, and make no effort to find a job, how do you expect to get one? The spell will do that FOR me won't it? No it won't.

The next question becomes 'Why?' or "If I have to do more than just the spell, why is even called magick?" It is called magick because in doing spell crafting you are calling upon, and focusing your personal power, with natural forces to assist you in attaining a particular goal. If you make no further effort on your part to make that goal a reality, the energy you raised becomes just as dormant as you.

If you're a competent magician, put every ounce of your personal power into it, and your intent is for the greater good, you'll get a positive result. However that result may surprise you, as it may manifest in a way you didn't expect. When such a thing occurs, your need to step back, and mentally take a broader view. You may realize that the spell has produced exactly what you needed. It could be that your subconscious has been at work, and knows better than your conscious mind what your really need.

There are plenty of books and web sites that have spells. I would rather teach you how to do them for yourself. Beginners who are just getting started can perform 1 or 2 harmless ones to get the feel of how the process works. However I strongly suggest that you immediately get into the habit of changing a few words or add or subtract an ingredient, or the amount you use to make it more 'your' spell, and not one that worked for some Witch you never met. NEVER get in the habit of using someone else's spells every time you choose to do one. Remember, that spell worked for the person who wrote it. That does NOT mean it will work for YOU. Without a doubt, the most effective spells are ones made by you from scratch...start to finish. I have instructions for how to do this on the 'How To Write A Spell Or Ritual ' page of my site, along with everything you could possibly need to choose the ingredients that YOU feel will work, as well as information on how to create a magickal circle to do your spell work and rituals in.

Through out my site, there are several reference pages to help you craft spells. This is because they're are several things to consider when spell crafting. For example, what tools to use, performing it in the proper moon phase , what zodiac sign or phase the moon is in, candle colours and their properties, as well as what herbs or oils to use, not to mention gemstones and any other supplies. Not as easy as you thought, is it?

Spells require personal power, which can only be strengthened through meditation, visualization and lot's of effort. Their is NO WAY around it. Don't forget what I mentioned on the "Tools of the Craft" page, the only ingredient or tool you'll ever really need in a spell is personal power, and that power is increased, and focused, through the awesome power of meditation and visualization. You, and your tools are nothing without it. If you don't become adept at those 2 things, you will NEVER be able to cast a spell with satisfactory results. Trust me...I know from personal, as well as countless second hand mishaps, from impatient, or just lazy 'so called' Witches.

For example: Someone who tried to meditate for 2 minutes (literally!), gave up, and decided she'd do a ritual to clear away the negative energies in her home with the help of a powerful deity. To make a very long story short, her spell back fired. Instead of cleansing out the negative energy, she allowed a few nasty entities into her home. It took me almost a week to get rid of them!

But I refused to clean up her mess until she had been regularly meditating, and doing visualization exercises with me for a month. So with that in mind, I hope you take me VERY seriously when I say you must master meditation and visualization BEFORE attempting any spell. Why? Because while you perform a spell, you must go into a trance, or meditative state and be able to completely, totally cut off the entire world, and every thought except the purpose of your spell. Not everyday thoughts flying around like they do in a normal conscious state. And if you think meditation only consists of sitting around staring at a candle, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you find out just how much more their is to the fascinating world of meditation.

Spells should ALWAYS be performed in an extremely careful, responsible, and highly meticulous manner. Spells can carry enormous power, and if abused, or done in a careless manner, can, depending on the spell, result in the spell going haywire, or worse, releasing dangerous or highly negative energies, and even nasty entities (like the ones mentioned above), into your home! After you perform a spell, don't blab about it to people as and inner thoughts, like doubts of your ability join the energy you released, and basically either takes away a considerable amount of power from the spell, or can actually cause the energy to completely dissapate into nothing. So do your spell, and be quiet!! The only place to blab about it, is in your Book of Shadows (a special book for all your magickal workings) which is to be read by no one. Witches that belong to covens often leave them to the coven upon their death, or pass it on to a Witch that is extremely close to them, or have them burned.

Just as spells that are well thought out, and done by a competent Witch can produce wonderful results. Keep in mind that while some spells can manifest results very quickly, others can take much longer. If after a couple of months, your spell has not manifested, it's time to take stock, look in your Book of Shadows , review your spell, and make any changes you feel will 'punch it up' a few notches. Remember, all spells are a matter of trial and error. It's the only way to become an experienced magician. So start with simple things, and work gradually to your more loftier goals for spell crafting.

Continued in Spells! Spells! Spells! part 2