Magic Forums

by: Lark on Jun 12, 2016

Writing Your Own Spell

Sure, you can use a spell that you found in a spell book or on the internet in order to cast a spell. But most all experienced magic users will tell you that the best, and most effective, spell that you can cast is the one that you create yourself for your specific purpose. Yet when you are new to magic creating your own spell may seem like a daunting task. It isnt really. Here is some information that will help you to craft your own spells for your own specific needs and desires.

(A cautionary note here : There are many things that spells cannot do. No spell is going to permit you to change yourself into a mythical creature, fly through the air, teleport, change your eye color, grow taller or shorter, or any of the other things one sees in fantasy novels, television and Hollywood films. But magic is very, very real, and the following instructions will help you learn how to do real spells with an expectation of some degree of success .)

Im going to take you step by step through what I consider the essentials of crafting a spell in the following steps:

Intention and Purpose:

Put simply, this is deciding exactly what it is that you wish the spell to do.

This might sound rather simplistic and something that doesnt require a lot of thought, but actually it is one of the most important steps in spell work. Do you remember some of the fairy tales you heard as a child where the person asks something from a fairy only to find out that what the fairy did was not what they wanted? Magic can be like that. If you are not absolutely clear in your mind about what it is that you want the spell to do then the magic may choose an outcome you didnt want and didnt foresee. That can be unfortunate. So before you jump straight into casting a spell, take some time to understand what it is that you want the magic to do for you.

Meditation can be a useful tool in figuring out exactly what you wish to accomplish with your spell and how best to go about achieving your goal. ( Yes, this requires that you learn at least some basic meditation skills. Magic isnt something one can just jump into. It takes a bit of work and practice before youre apt to achieve positive results. ) Meditate on the situation you wish to solve or improve with magic and what the best solution to that situation might be.

I also like to use divination at this stage of spell crafting. This can be done with any divination tool; although some will give you a clearer answer. In doing the divination you are asking what the likely outcome of doing a particular spell might be in order to know if that outcome is what you want. One of the easiest methods is to use a pendulum or to flip a coin to get a yes or no answer. With this latter you can ask, If I do spell X will I get the outcome I desire? If the answer is no you might want to think some more on exactly what you wish to accomplish with the spell and what other ways you might approach the magic.

OK, now you have clear in your mind exactly what the spell to accomplish and the best sort of spell to reach your goal. But you arent ready to move on to doing the spell quite yet. There are still some things to consider. Hey, I never promised that spell work was simple!

Timing for Magical Success:

Let me begin by saying that you can cast a spell at any time you need to cast one. However, over the centuries magic users have learned that using the phases of the moon, the position of the planets and stars, and the time of day can have an effect on the success of spells. So let us consider some of these things which might have an impact on our spell we are creating.

Moon Phases: The most important thing to remember about the effect of the Moon on our spells is whether the Moon is waxing or waning.

o The Waxing Moon begins the day after the Dark Moon and ends on the Full Moon. This period of time is best for spells of increase , or, in other words, spells to bring things into your life. Spells to bring healing, money, or love into your life would be best done during the Waxing Moon.

o The Waning Moon begins the day after the Full Moon and ends on the Dark Moon. This period of time is generally reserved for spells of decrease , or spells to banish things from your life. Spells to release negativity from your life, to banish unpleasant people from your life, to let go of bad habits, etc. are typically done during the Waning Moon.

Other possible considerations when thinking about the best time to cast your spells might also include the days of the week and the hours of the day. Such considerations are very, very important in some of the more ritualistic forms of magic such as Thelema and other forms of Ceremonial Magic and used less in other forms of spell work. I am including links here to sites with information about the magical correspondences for such things as the days of the week, the position of the planets, etc.

o Correspondences for the Days of the Week: http://www.witchipedia.com/table:days-of-the-week

o Planetary and Zodiac Correspondences: http://www.witchipedia.com/table:planetary-correspondences

o Zodiac Correspondences: http://www.witchipedia.com/table:zodiac-correspondences

Remember, I said that a spell can be cast whenever you have real need. But using various correspondences such as casting the spell during the proper moon phase or day of the week, etc. give that spell a little extra energy and push towards the goal you are seeking to achieve.

Tools and Ingredients :

Now Im going to tell you a great secret.it isnt necessary to have any tools or ingredients to cast a spell BUT , especially if you are new to magic, having the tools makes it a lot easier to do. Think of it this way: If you have to move a pile of sand from one place to another you could do it with just your hands, but it is much easier to do if you can use a shovel and a wheelbarrow. Magic is much the same. Until you have a lot of experience it is easier to do a spell if you have some of the tools and ingredients that will provide extra energy to your workings.

Unless you are part of an established magical Tradition there are no requirements that you have any specific tools in order to do magic. But some basic items that I would suggest include a small cauldron or other flameproof container and candles of various colors and/or colored string. Nor do you need an altar, unless you are doing magic as a part of your spiritual practices. However, a small, sturdy table to hold your magical workings would be ideal.

Here again we need to talk a bit about various magical correspondences that can help in your spellwork.

First of all, what is the intent of your spell? What is it exactly do you want it to do? This is what we were talking about earlier. Once you know what you want the spell to do there are tables of correspondences that can help you determine what you might want to use to make that spell give you the outcome you desire. One such table of correspondence can be found at http://www.ladybridget.com/w/corrschart.html

There are some very simple forms of magical workings that are great places to start out when you are new to spell work. I would suggest starting with these while you study and practice before moving on to more complicated magical practices.

Candle Magic : One of the most popular forms of spell work involves the burning of candles which have been charged with the energy of the spell one is casting. There is an excellent article on Candle Magick which gives the color meanings commonly used and the technique for working with candles at http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/magicandspellwork/ht/Write_a_Spell.htm Another useful table of color correspondences that can be used in candle magic and other forms of spellwork can be found at http://www.witchipedia.com/table:color-correspondences

I would also recommend the books Practical Candleburning Rituals and Advanced Candle Magic both by Ray Buckland for deeper understanding of this form of magic.

When choosing candles to use in spell work it is best to work with small candles which can be burned fairly quickly. So-called Chime Candles which are about four inches tall are ideal for this. These come in a variety of colors. Such candles are available through the shop here at Spells of Magic at http://www.spellsofmagic.com/shop.html?c=C&s=Chime+Candles but can also be found in local metaphysical shops, and sometimes places like the Dollar Store, etc., as well. I recommend using a new candle for each spell so that it is not contaminated by unwanted energies from previous workings.

Cord Magic: This form of magic has been used for centuries to good effect. If you cannot use candles, or if you dont have candles on hand, using a piece of colored string is an effective alternative. You can read more on Cord Magic in the article I wrote on it that can be found at: http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=244589

Burning Spells : Another simple form of magic is to write the spell you are performing on a piece of paper and burn it, thus sending the spells energy out into the Universe. To make it even more potent, the spell can be written on paper of the color associated with the particular purpose of the spell. When doing this sort of spell be certain to be aware of fire safety. This is where that small iron cauldron or flame proof dish is necessary.

One can also use various herbs and stones in adding extra energy to the spell that one is doing. While not particularly difficult such ingredients can be more difficult to find and so I am including them as somewhat more complicated forms of magical workings. There are some excellent Tables of Correspondence for these items that one can find below.

Herbal Magic

o Table of Correspondences: http://www.witchipedia.com/table:herb-keyword-correspondences and http://www.themagickalcat.com/Articles.asp?ID=242

o Books Id suggest on the topic of using herbs in magic include:

Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

The Master Book of Herbalism by Paul Beyrl

Crystals and Gems :

o Table of Correspondences: http://www.themagickalcat.com/Articles.asp?ID=240 and http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/spellworkfolkmagic/ss/Magical-Crystals-And-Gemstones.htm

o And a good starter book is:

Crystal, Gem and Mineral Magic by Scott Cunningham

Creating the Words of the Spell

So, now you have determined what it is that you want your spell to accomplish, youve assembled your tools and ingredients, and youve decided when you want to do the spell and thats good. Now comes the part when you actually come up with the words for your particular spell.

In choosing the words for your spell you want to take your time and make sure that the words you are using state clearly what you want your spell to do. Remember we talked about the importance of being clear in your intent so that the spell works as you wish it to? Well the same applies to the words of the spell.

When you are writing a spell it is also, in my opinion, best to give the magic a bit of wiggle room to fulfill the spell. As an example: Lets say you need to have a job. Instead of writing the spell that says I want job X . which might turn out in the long run not to be what you truly need, try saying I want the job that will be best for me . and let the Universe find that option instead. So think about ways to word your spell that will bring the most possibilities

Commonly it is suggested that the spell should be in rhyme, but it isnt actually necessary for it to be written that way. The rhyme is simply a way to make it easier to remember the words of the spell when you are casting it. But a spell doesnt have to rhyme and it doesnt have to be complicated. The words to a very effective spell that I have used in the past simply say; Go, be happy somewhere else . So concentrate on writing a spell that clearly states your intent and which will be easy for you to remember when you cast the spell.

A question that sometimes comes up is whether it is better to write your spell in a different language than the one you normally use. Personally I see no benefit to this. Using a different language doesnt really add anything to the magic and it is harder to memorize the spell. In addition, if you use the wrong word or pronounce the words incorrectly it may cause your spell to fail. Id recommend writing your spell in the language you are most familiar with.

Conclusion:

So.I hope this has helped you understand how to go about creating your own spells to fit the situation that you find yourself in. In the next article I will talk about how to go about actually casting that spell.