So, I recently joined this site but have been exploring it for the past few months but so far not a single spell has worked for me...I know belie plays a big role in spell casting, but I feel like something is preventing me from achieving the goal of successfully casting a spell. I was just wondering if having a tattoo of a cross could be the reason?? If anyone can help me with this it would be much appreciated:)
Re: i need help with spells By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 2 Nov 25, 2015
Perhaps you are mistaking spells for magic. A spell isn't magic!
A spell is a ritual attempt to obtain a magical result. Like a wish, or a prayer. Sometimes they "work", sometimes they don't.
Re: i need help with spells By: thorleifc / Novice
Post # 3 Nov 25, 2015
no your tattoo isnt preventing you from successful casting.
Do you have the basics down?
Doing magic through spells is like changing odds in your favor. If you do a spell to win the lottery your odds may have changed from 1 in 10,000,000,000 to oh say 100 in 10,000,000,000. Which means the spell worked!! In fact it increased the odds by 100%.
But it doesnt change the odds enough that you will win the lottery.
So you didnt say anything specific about your path or where your knowledge and experience are at, so thats the bets explanation I can give I guess.
If Brysing were still round, his answer would likely be a bit nebulous.
See, he followed an unnamed tradition, which he was taught in person by a mentor who revealed themselves as using magic when he was a child (ten years old, if I recall correctly).
In his many decades of using magic, he never did a ritual, and never cast a spell. Neither is necessary to practice magic. But his point is that a lot of people get the concepts so entangled that they think they are one and the same.
The basics are important, as they help you focus and harness your intent.
Another thing that really matters is how you feel about yourself and your magic. When I tried to get back into magic, I felt off. My spells weren't working, I was making huge, obvious mistakes, but above all I felt miserable. It was as if I could't do magic anymore. But that just wasn't true. I had just forgotten.
Magic works when you believe in yourself. When you trust yourself and the world around you to protect you, guide you, and above all love you.
I find nothing is harder than casting a spell when all you can think is how much you hate yourself.
A cross has no effect on magic. In fact, there are two covens on this site alone, dedicated to Christian and Angelic (respectfully) practice. A cross could even HELP your magic, if you believe in the power of it. Magic works with your beliefs, not against. That's one reason why there are so many different types, styles, forms of practice.
I'm assuming, but context, that you were Christian, but now either not sure of your religion or afraid that magic and Christianity clash. I could be wrong, and please correct me if I am, but is it possible the reason your spell work isn't working (ignoring basics, the concept of magic, and experience for a moment) is because you aren't sure in yourself and fear your magic?
Re: i need help with spells By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 9 Sep 08, 2017
If you're serious about learning how to do magic and with starting from the rock-bottom then you don't start out by casting spells, you start out by learning how and why magic works.
You see, there is no such thing as an "easy" spell or a "beginner" spell. One either understands how magic works and has mastered the basics...in which case the magic will work..or you haven't done that sort of work..and no spell will work no matter how "easy" it seems.
Casting a successful spell involves much more than finding some spell on the internet or in a book, saying some words, lighting a candle, waving a wand of any of that sort of thing. In order for magic to work you need to understand how and why it works in the first place. Grounding and centering, visualization, focus and intent, energy manipulation, etc are all necessary first steps to even begin to have a chance at a spell actually working...and more importantly to prevent a spell from back-firing on you.
So, my advice for anyone who is truly serious is to start by reading a few books and practicing the exercises those books will give you. Once you have mastered the basics you won't need anyone to give you spells, you'll be able to create your own spells that will be far more effective than anything you find on the net. Here's the books I suggest:
"Before You Cast a Spell" by Carl McColman
"Spells and How They Work" by Janet and Stewart Farrar
"The Veil's Edge" by Willow Polson
"Modern Magick" by Donald Michael Kraig
And the following links in this thread will also help you learn the basic skills necessary for effective spellwork.
