Chant for W.I.C.K.
This was writtin by Jenness for our women’s healing group. I hope you enjoy it as we have.
Women in Wicca
May we heal in love
Mother Earth at our feet
Sun and Moon above
Sister of the Craft
Lord and Lady our guides
The new moon is magick
Show us where it lies
Mother Earth and Father Sun
Grandfather Star
Grandmother Moon
May your energies be with us
As our work begins soon.
BASIC SKILLS FOR HEALING WITH YOUR HANDS
Anyone can learn to heal. You have to believe in you can and learn to connect to
Source.
You are like the ‘middle man’ who brings the healing from Source to the person.
Everyone has the ability to tap into ‘source’ and bring in energies of higher
vibration that heal and balance out the person’s Chi – Qi – life-force energies.
If the person you are with has overcome the emotional problems linked to the
ailment – you will be successful. This includes self-healing.
Ailments originate from many levels of our bodies – as we have seven sheath
bodies.
The physical level is where we experience the final manifestation of the ailment
because we live in third dimension.
For example – of the person has problems with a hand – they most likely do not
want to do something related to the use of that hand – usually the hand they
write with.
If you prefer to say a prayer or use ‘white light’ protection while you work –
please do so.
Some people ask their Source in the healing to be sure that the imbalanced
energies of the person do not come into your energy fields. You are there to
balance the person.
Basic skills for healing with your hands
You may prefer to wash your hands before and after the healing.
Find a place that is quiet to do your healing.
You can use soft music or no music.
The person you are working with should be a peace and feel comfortable that you
will do not harm to them – and WILL heal – or alleviate the problems.
DAY 1 – Connecting to Source
Let’s first determine which hand works best for you.
Hold both hands out in front of you – palms up.
Focus your attention on your left hand and experience the flow of energy coming
from your hand.
Next mentally focus on your right hand and see how strong the energy from that
hand feels.
One palm should feel stronger energy flow – hotter – more tingles – whatever
your body relates to!
Now place your hands – palms facing each other – just in front of you.
Keep them about 3 inches – 7.6 cm – apart.
Move your hands slowly – back and forth.
Feel the lines of energy between your palms.
Now slowly move your palms further away from each other.
See how far out you can go before you no longer feel the ‘pull’ of the energies.
When the energies stop – move your palms back and forth slightly in opposite
directions and you should continue to feel the energies.
If you had an aura camera it would record the lines of energy in photos.
Now let’s tap in to ‘source’!
Your mental frame of reference for Source could be – a white Light – a spirit
guide – a religious figure – healing master – your higher self – yourself as a
healer in another realm – the computer in the pyramid – a sea of consciousness
connecting all things – the grids – something external from our reality –
whatever.
Now connect with that source (Plug in)!
Allow that energy to come through you.
You may feel – hot – dizzy – exhilarated – other – depends on how out of balance
you are and how your physical vehicle (body) reacts to the energies!
Get used to that energy and balance your body’s flow of energy today.
DAY 2 – Healing another person with your hands
Once you understand and feel comfortable with the fact that you can heal with
your hands – try a healing on someone who has a simply ailment.
Be sure the person is comfortable with you.
Ask them about the problem and anything they wish to share about the onset of
the problem – including emotions related to that problem. Ex: I hate my job —
suddenly I fell down while on the job and hurt my back so I do not have to work!
Now don’t play shrink as that really pisses people off and you probably are not
qualified! Just Listen.
Don’t start getting into their issues – unless they want you too.
Keep the conversation brief and tell them to seek emotional help for their pain
perhaps with a professional.
There are many people out there with chemical imbalances who are finding out
about them at adult age – when tests should have been made in childhood! So who
knew in those years?
Have the person sit or lay down in a relaxed position.
You can use with music or just find a quiet place.
Sometimes healing in Nature works well!
Assure the person that you will do nothing to hurt him / her in any way or to
aggravate the situation.
Place your hand / hands within three inches from – or on the person in question.
You can close your eyes and see your connection to Source – or you can heal with
your eyes open.
If you have a specific symbol – word – or key – you would like to use – please
use it as it makes you feel comfortable.
Pause and allow the energies to begin to flow through your body.
This could take a few minutes . . .
Relax . . .
Breathe deeply if that helps you connect . . .
Ask spirit to protect and guide you and not allow any of the person’s imbalanced
energies to affect yours —
placing you in imbalance.
Next – do a ‘sweep’ of the body!
Open your eyes.
Keep hands about three inches from the person’s body – move your hands slowly
down the body – starting with the top of the head.
You are looking for changes in temperature levels, which is an indication of
improper flow of the Chi energies. If /when you feel this change tell the
person. They may say, “Oh yes, I have been having discomfort there, also.”
At the very least you are finding a problem.
Send that person a lot of healing energy by taping into Source and seeing it
entering their body in that place.
Send healing as is comfortable for both of you.
They may tell you they feel heat – or tingles.
Many healers like to send energy through the crown chakra and feel it moving
down through the person’s body.
We all find the way that works best for us.
There is no specific time frame for the healing. Do not look at the clock. There
should be no time constraints. The amount of time you spend with the person is
up to both of you!
If you receive mental image while healing someone – be discerning in what you
say.
It is usually best to say nothing.
DAY 3 – Working with Plants
Find a small plant – preferable one that has problems.
Place it on a table in front of you.
Place your hands in front of you, palms up.
Tap in to Source.
Feel the energies start to move through your body . . .
Feel the vibrations in the palms of your hands . . .
Place your hands on either side of the plant (about 3 inches away from the
plant).
Send energy back and forth between your palms.
Imagine the flow lines of positive energy between your hands.
Allow your mind to become one with the plant – connect energetically.
If you are telekinetic – the plant – or its leaves – may move slightly!
You may receive mental images from the plant.
‘See’ the plant healthy.
You may have to repeat this daily for several days.
DAY 4 – Healing Yourself
Sit down or lie down in a peaceful place . . .
Extend you palms upward . . .
Feel your connection to Source . . .
Feel the energies moving through the palms of your hands . . .
Relax . . . Breath deeply . . . Close your eyes . . .
Mentally connect with your physical body to see where there is pain . . .
Now place your hands on that area and send the healing energies.
If the pain is in your back. . You can send healing through the front of your
body and it will reach your back . . .
If you do not have pain . . . just place your hands on your heart chakra and
send energy of light and love. It will make you glow when you meet others today!
Pay attention to their reactions to you.
If your pain is emotional . . . placing your hand on your heart chakra will work
in the same way to help alleviate the pain.
Of course you can not erase emotional pain using your hands – but it can raise
your frequency and lift some of the depression. It can bring you some balance.
BANISHING DEPRESSION
You will need:
Goddess candle – white. One at the center of the altar or two at the back.
Banishing candle – black. Placed at the left front of the altar.
Invoking candle – pink or red. Placed at the right of the altar.
Incense – Sage, cedar, rosemary or pine at the beginning of the ritual, changed
later to rose or amber. Burn loose herbs on charcoal blocks to do this.
Oils – Use Goddess or Altar oil on the Goddess candle, sage, pine or other
banishing oil on the banishing candle, and rose oil on the invoking candle for
self-blessing.
Symbol objects – Use a black gemstone for banishing and a piece of rose quartz
or a rose quartz pendant for invoking. Place the pendant on the altar and put it
on before doing the self-blessing.
Matches to light candle and incense, charcoal blocks for loose incense, ritual
wand (if used) to cast the circle.
Ritual Outline:
Light candles. “Dress” the candles with the oils, working base to tip (away from
you) for the banishing candle and tip to base (towards you) for the invoking
candle and Goddess candles. Visualize the intent, banishing depression, when
handling the banishing candle and invoking joy and self love while “dressing”
the Goddess and invoking candles. Light only the Goddess candles at this time.
Purify – Start the charcoal block and give it time to heat up. Sprinkle loose
herbs of sage, cedar, rosemary or pine on the hot coal and use the smoke for
purifying. Visualize the intent of the ritual at this pint, and visualize
banishing depression and emotional pain while smuding with the smoke. Then light
the black candle from the Goddess candle.
Cast circle invoking a Crone Goddess or Goddesses to help in banishing, and a
Goddess of gentleness and peace for the invoking part of the ritual. Try Kali
the Destroyer or Hecate for banishing, and Kwan Yin for gentleness and invoking.
Use Goddesses for the five elements or these two aspects only, or whatever feels
right. Do a full casting and invoking to make the circle.
Invocation – Dear mothers of wisdom and grace, I invite you here to ask your
help. I refuse my depression and choose to banish it, and ask instead for joy
and peace of mind. Help me in my work tonight, Kali and Kwan Yin.
Body of ritual – Focus on the flame of the black candle, thinking of all the
things that need changing. Remember fully all the reasons for depression and
pain, acknowledge all your anger, all your rage and all your fear. Dwell on
every hurt, every feeling, every negativity. When you have focused them all onto
the candle, shout “NO” and blow the candle out in a decisive, quick motion.
Watch the smoke rise from the extinguished candle and feel all the negativity
dissolving in the rising air. Breathe the banishing incense for a while.
Now light the invoking candle from the Goddess candle. Sprinkle rose incense on
the charcoal block. Let the light of the pink candle and the fragrance of the
rose incense fill you as you watch and breathe them. Breathe the energies in
deeply, remembering the qualities of Kwan Yin or other Goddesses of mercy
invoked in the ritual. Ask Kwan Yin for her presence and help.
Focus on the candle flame and think of all the good things in your life. Refill
each banished item and negativity with some positive attribute. Where there was
pain before, replace it with love. For every wrong, remember something to give
thanks for. For every pain, remember something joyful. Remember your
accomplishments in life and how good a woman you really are. Do a series of
affirmations, “I am” or “I have”, to list your good qualities and the qualities
you choose to become or gain. Continue stating the positives and affirmations
until you fell filled with pink light and the scent of roses.
Self-blessing – Put on the rose quartz pendant or hold the rose quartz stone. Do
the self blessing ritual slowly and lovingly, anointing your chakras with the
rose oil. Breathe the scent deeply and draw it into your body, emotion, mind and
spirit.
Thanks Kwan Yin for your joy and Kali for her energy of change.
Open circle and ground.
Allow the pink candle to burn out itself, for extinguish and relight it nightly
until at least the next full moon. Do affirmations nightly with the flame.
Continue burning pink candles for as long as needed to remind you of new joy and
positivity. Repeat the ritual on the next waning moon if needed. It will be
needed less each time you do it. Each time, bury the remains of the black candle
in the hearth along with the ashes from the incense. Visualize your pain being
buried and recycled with them. Repeat the self blessing at any time and do it
often, at least every new and full moon. Continue wearing the rose quartz
pendant or carry the piece of stone with you at all times. Remember, YOU ARE the
Goddess.
Angel Healing Spell
Before beginning a healing spell always say:
“Spirit, please assist in this healing for ______
If they are to receive this healing energy
Then guide my thoughts and words to them
If they are not to receive this healing energy
Please give the energy to someone else who is in need.
You know best.”
Take a picture, statue or any symbol of an angel. Cleanse and consecrate it,
then empower it in the name of healing. Ask the angel of healing, or your
Guardian angel to help the sick person. Tell them that you are giving this as a
gift to the sick person and ask for their blessing and healing energy on that
person and the angel.
ALLEVIATE ILLNESS
Take a coin you have found on the ground and put a pinch of salt on it. Then
transfer the salt into a small amount of boiling water and let it dissolve. When the water has cooled, use the coin to flick the saline solution onto the palms of the patient’s hands and on the soles of his/her feet.
A HEALING SPELL
Wrap thee in cotton
Bind thee with love
Protection from pain
Surrounds like a glove.
May the brightest of blessings
Surround thee this night.
For thou art cared for,
Healing thoughts sent in flight…
A HEALING MYTH
By “Nihasa”
This story can have a powerful healing effect when read out loud (or recorded
and then played) to someone suffering from a phobia or other effect of childhood
trauma. While names, settings, and style can be varied to suit individual
tastes, the sequence which the apprentice describes, the sequence the princess
goes through, and the vagueness of the “bad thing” descriptions should remain
unchanged and no element of the story should be left out.
|—————————————————————|
Once, in another time and another place, a kingdom of magic and beauty knew a
time of peace. No armies threatened its boarders, no bandits plundered its trade
routes, no plagues sickened its people. Yet even in such peaceful times, bad
things could happen: accidents, misunderstandings, even good people doing bad
things.
The third daughter of the king was a bright and cheerful sort. She wasn’t the
strongest or the prettiest of the royal princesses, but she did have the nicest
wings of anyone her age. She loved to fly around the countryside and explore the
groves and meadows she found…they were always full of surprises.
One day she found a particularly pretty grove, with a pond glistening in a
little clearing in the middle. As she went in for a closer look, she saw images
start to form. She saw her own reflection, and as she lightly touched the ground
she saw that her reflection was watching reflections of her own…dim watery
reflections from her past.
“So you can see the pictures.” The voice from among the trees made her jump.
“Don’t worry,” continued the young man as he stepped out from among the trees,
“nobody else can see the same images, Princess. It’s part of the magic.”
“How…?” she asked, looking him up and down. He was a young man, no older
than the princess herself, dressed in the rough tunic of a wizard’s apprentice.
“Who are you? How did you know who I am, what I saw?”
“I am apprenticed to the Court Wizard. Everybody knows who you are, Princess…
and besides, I have seen you at the palace when I have been there with my
master.” He paused, glancing at the ground and lowering his voice. “As to the
images…well, at one time I had need of their magic.”
“When I entered the Wizard’s service, I had a great and secret fear.
Something… bad…happened to me when I was younger. It hurt to even think
about, and after time I didn’t think about it much. But ever since that time, I
had lived with the fear. When my master learned of this, he taught me the magic
of this pool and its stream.”
“The pool reflects images from your mind…scenes from your past, dreams of the
future, even fantasies of the present. The stream flows like time itself,
upstream into the past, and downstream into the future. If I followed the ritual
he described, these magics could wash clean the fear.”
She made a face. “I suppose this ritual involves deep magics usable only by
Wizards?”
“Not really. All the magic is in the waters, and anyone can use the ritual. Even
a lowly apprentice.” He grinned. “It’s pretty simple. After he told me about it,
he brought me here and then stood back by the trees. He said that he would
answer any questions I had but otherwise I was on my own.”
“I stood where I could see my reflection in the pool, and then thought about my
fear. As I thought, my reflection watched a reflection of my thoughts…like a
stage where dimly lit actors played out the scene against a colorless backdrop.
I looked up and saw that I was still here, in the glade.
I looked back at the water, holding on to a small part of the special feeling of
fear it had given me. As I turned and looked back upstream, I saw more
images…each earlier than the last. I relaxed and let the feeling guide me back
to the earliest image. When I had that, I turned back to the pool and found my
reflection watching the same colorless players in their dim reflection of the
memory. As my reflection watched, the image went from a time shortly before the
bad thing happened, through the whole thing, and on to a time when it was all
over. When it passed the ending that way, it stopped… like a drawing. Then the
drawing faded away, and I was just looking at my reflection. The Wizard had told
me that if I stepped into that last part of the image, it would run very quickly
backwards, with full color and sound and me living backwards through it
all…all the way through to the part before the beginning. It sounded very
strange. As I looked at my reflection again, it was watching the image go
forward again in its dim, colorless way. When it reached the drawing at the end,
I stepped into the image and was plunged into a world going backwards! It went
clear through to before the beginning in less than a second, then stopped.
Startled, I let the water carry me downstream, through all that had happened
since, with the fear gone and the memory unable to hurt me. When I reached the
here-and-now, I got out and just stood there, knowing that the fear would
trouble me no more. ” He stopped, and suddenly seemed to remember where he was,
and who he was talking to. “That was over a year ago, and the fear is still
gone. The Wizard says it is gone for good.”
She thought for a moment. “So all there is to this ritual is think of the
problem until your reflection sees it, follow a part of the feeling upstream to
my earliest memory of it, wait for my reflection to see it all the way through,
step into the ending, and live it backwards quickly? What kind of magic is
that?”
He thought for a minute, shrugged, and said “Effective? If you wish, I will
withdraw to the trees while you try it.”
“What makes you think that I NEED it?”
“Because the images only come to those who do. ” His voice faded to an embarr-
assed silence as he realized what he had said. “I’ll go now.”
“Yes, do.” She said absently, already thinking. Then: “But not too far, in case
I need you.” She was remembering an incident a few days back which had set off
her special fear, and just as the apprentice had described, her reflection in
the pool was watching a dim and watery scene of the memory. Startled, she looked
up again. Yes, she was in the clearing, with the trees all around and the
apprentice all but lost among the closer ones. She could still feel a part of
that fear, so she kept that feeling while she looked back up stream at all the
images from the past that the feeling had touched…until she found the earliest
of them all. She brought that memory back to the pool and released it as her
reflection started to watch it unfold in its dim and watery way. Her reflection
seemed to have a life of its own as it watched the pale scene start before
anything happened, run through the bad parts, and then pause at a time when it
was all over. She watched her reflection shift as she prepared for what she
would do. Her reflection settled as it watched the scene unfold again. The dim
scene passed through the beginning, through the bad time and on past again. When
it stopped, she jumped in to it. Suddenly, she was there again: back where and
when it had happened. Everything was moving backwards, and in a flash she had
lived backwards through it and past the beginning. Shocked, she let the water
carry her down stream, forward through all the rest of her yesterdays without
the bad times for company. When she got to today, she stood up. There she
was…standing, dripping in a stream in the clearing. She looked around for the
apprentice, half expecting him to be laughing at the soggy mess she must be. He
was there, by the trees…not laughing, just smiling in an understanding way.
In the years that followed, they became friends. Although they went their
separate ways…he, as wizard to one of the King’s high lords and she as wife to
a neighboring prince… they valued that friendship to the end of their days.
And from that time on, neither was ever again troubled by their great fears.
A Healing Method
Concentrate on the area in need of healing. Close your eyes, concentrating
and repeat the following or a variation there of;
“Great God Apollo, God of Medicine and Healing,
Hear this servant’s prayer. Heal me oh God of medicine. Touch me and pull
the sickness out.
Make me well with your cleansing touch. Heal me.
Make me well.”
Repeat as many times as you want. Concentrate on Apollo actually touching
and taking out the sickness. Don’t forget to thank him and maybe leave a
small offering.
To the moon
To the sun
To the skies
To the waters
Stars, let your fire burn
Winds let your strength grow
Let us unite
Let me shine bright
Calendula Ointment
Violet Ointment
Yellow Dock Ointment
YOUTH OINTMENT
Moon Oil
Myrrh oil
The best time to carry out spells and rituals
If a need is urgent then you can work at anytime and picture the full moon or rising dawn whose energies you need, even at a different time of the month or at darkest midnight.
Sometimes the nature of the ritual will dictate the timing. For example, a new beginning spell can be launched on any new date; the first day of the month, the first day of the year, any Sunday the first day of the week, the first hour after dawn or at the crescent moon when it first appears in the sky. Best of all is the first hour after dawn on a Sunday, which is ruled by the Sun, and so offers a double dose of power for that new beginning.
Casting a Spell or Setting Up A Ritual
In the same way that every party has the same underlying structure, whether it is a party for child’s birthday, having a few friends round for drinks or a formal dance event to raise fund for the local community, your spell casting will follow the same basic format, whether you are casting a short impromptu spell or setting up a more open-ended ritual.
If you work from a basic magickal format, you can devise anything from a five-minute spell to call a friends’ missing cat home to a full-scale welcoming the spring for a hundred people on a local hillside.
What is more, once you have decided how the different components fir together you can change the order round to suit your needs. There is a huge variation in practice across the witchcraft community. Sometimes even experienced witches follow an order or way of doing things they were taught or read about that doesn’t fit with their own natural rhythm. Even if you are doing it right by the book, your magickal energies won’t be as powerful as if you were following the flow of the occasion. So, for more experienced practitioners, I am describing my practices for solo and group events so that you can re-examine your own structure–and then maybe decide it was right for you all along (Or that you are turning the whole ritual format on it head and creating an entirely new and exciting system).
For newcomers or established witch, coven member or solitary practitioner, once you have internalized a structure that suits you, you can create your own spells and rites, complex or simple, instinctively without needing to check that you are on track.
You will discover that some spells do not use the altar but are focused on the setting and everyday items. In these the structure is compressed but still effective. Don’t feel you have to go through all the stages of altar casting, for a simple spell. You can adapt the suggestions to either working alone or in a group.
Preparations To Do Spellcrafting
(Natural Magick)
You need to get yourself and the area or altar ready for the spell.
Clear the space you intend to use either psychically or physically. This could involve lighting cleansing incense like pine or lemongrass or having a quick smudge round the room or outdoor area where you will be working. For a more formal ceremony, sweep and asperge the area.
Use a compass to ascertain the four directions or calculate these from known places.
Set up any psychic protection that is required around the area you will be working in. You can concentrate this protection around the edges of what will be your magick circle, whether this is positioned in your mind or symbolized by the candles of the four main archangels or angels of nature. In these positions they could act as the guardians of the four quarters instead of the nature devas.
However, if you have more time available, you may prefer to set up a protective square to act as psychic boundary within which to cast your circle. You could also position your archangels at the edges of your garden or working area, or empower four large marker trees, bushes or stones. You should thank them and bid them farewell once the circle has been uncast.
If you are creating an external physical circle made, for example of branches, stones or shells this is a good time to set it up, with the help of anyone who is sharing the occasion. The standard diameter for this circle is 9 foot, although this can be altered if you are working in a confined space alone or if a number of people are attending and you want to move around.
Set up the basic altar and put everything in its place(for a more formal spell you can dedicate the altar now or at the beginning of the rite).
Basically, a bowl of salt goes in the north, incense goes in the east, a candle in the south and a water bowl in the west.
If you are making a sacred salt and water mix, you will be tipping the salt into the water so remember either to save a little in the bowl for the earth empowerment or have some spare salt in a second small dish at the side of the altar that you can use.
If you are incorporating a cakes and ale part into a longer ceremony or spell (a formal dedication of honey cakes and wine, beer or juice to give thanks to the earth mother and sky father for sustenance and all good things in our lives) set the cakes ready on a plate to the north of the altar. The drink will be put in a goblet or chalice (ceramic, glass or metal) to the west of the altar. Since this won’t be part of everyday spell casting.
As this is natural magick you should aim for organic products, barley wine or beer or organic juice and organic cakes with honey. You may well not have the time to make your own.
If you are having a garden ceremony, you can have a bath beforehand in water to which you have added rose or lavender oil, and put on something comfortable. If you are holding your ceremony on a windy beach, thick sweaters and jeans may be the order of the day. However, you can still cleanse yourself psychically. Anoint your hairline, center of your brow, throat and both wrists with one of your special waters to open your higher chakras or energy centers. Or use an essential oil in lotus, lavender or rose. Mix and match and cut out any stages that don’t fit a particular occasion. For example. You’ll only have the cakes and ale on special occasions and sometimes you’ll want just a simple circle cast while following only the basic spell casting steps.
Amplifying The Power of Your Words In Magick
A funerary spell from a Middle Kingdom sarcophagus (coffin) may be found in a corner of Cairo Museum, a museum where it is said to take many months to see every exhibit. Here is a rough translation of the spell. By reciting the words you absorb magical powers into yourself, or in more modern terms awaken your own inner higher spiritual and magical mind power.
To become the God Heka
I am Heka, the one who was made by the Lord of All before anything, the son of he who gave form to the universe. I am the protector of what the Lord of All had ordained to be.
Reciting this in your mind can be a good way to empower yourself at those times when you are scared or anxious or the odds are totally against you – or to open a spell or ritual when you have a particularly important issue to tackle. In this way you can assume the power of a specific deity of nature and channel this into your spell casting and indeed everyday life.
For example, the Celtic Epona, the white horse mother Goddess who was worshipped even by the Romans, is wonderful for women traveling alone as well as for evoking fertility.
In coven work the High Priestess, sometimes assisted by the High Priest, draws the power of the Goddess within herself for the duration of the rite.
If you work alone, you can ask for specific deity powers to strengthen you for particular ventures.
This is not blasphemous or presumptuous. You are using the inner divine spark we all possess and plugging into an amplified version of that power, as contained with the archetype of ideal of a particular divinity. It is only if you still think you are Isis, who can stop the sun, while you are in the supermarket queue that you need a bit more earthly input to your life and maybe a short break from magick.
The Preliminaries to Cast a Spell or Setting up a Ritual
As when organizing a party, it is important to spend a little time planning your spell casting. Think about the precise purpose of the spell, the best time, most appropriate setting and for whom the spell is being cast. For a ritual you need to consider the underlying as well as the obvious focus of the ritual Do you need to change the emphasis of a tried and tested format? Even a seasonal rite will have a theme, for example the May eve/Day celebrations have traditionally been associated with fertility. This fertility applies in whatever way it is needed, whether personally, ecologically or globally. Therefore you and the guests or participant should decide in advance precisely what you are working towards and carry out rituals to take advantage of the prevailing energies.
Location is important even for a quickie spell. You wouldn’t set a child’s birthday party in the same place you would your great-aunt’s golden wedding. With open air spells or rituals you need a wet weather or sheltered location plan just in case a force 8 gale blows up. Some spells can be planned in advance for a day out or weekend away, but others will be spontaneous, when you happen to come across a perfect location while on your way to somewhere else. There are also urgent occasions when you will have to imagine that crashing sea while stood by the local canal at lunchtime. The timing of a spell is also vital.
Before you cast the spell you also need to decide how long you want the effects of the spell to last and how quickly you need results. Do you want an immediate infusion of power within the 24 hours following the spell? Will the effects take longer–before the next full moon, within three months? You should build this time frame into the spell and declare it in the purpose of the spell.
Should it be a single spell or one carried out, for example, every Friday for a month or on the three days before the fulll moon in order to build up the powers?
Then you need to decide on the symbol or symbols that will act as the focus for the spell energies (you can’t dance and chant round a would-be lover in the office).
Do you need to emphasize any one element in the spell? Is the spell mainly fire based for power or is there a fairly evenly spread elemental mix, for example to resolve a long-term justice or court matter.
You need to think about any special props, magickal tools or substances that are required. After all, you wouldn’t use the same chine or serve the same food at your teenager’s post-exam party as you would if the boss was coming to dinner. Do you want a full altar or will it be mainly a word- or personal-movement-based spell? If on a beach or in the woods, can you use what you find there as tools and symbols?
Finally, who are you inviting to your spell or rite? The friend who has lost the animal you are casting the spell for? Your sister to help you with a love spell? Are you organizing a welcome-into-the-world party for your family, to celebrate the birth of a baby to a family member who lives in another country? Are you entrusted with the organization of your magick group or coven’s autumn thanksgiving?
If you work alone, as many witches including myself do most of the time, you’re still not a magickal Billy or Betty No Mates. You won’t be short of spiritual company. You can welcome the guardians of the four quarters even in a relatively simple spell; invite the wise ancestors to celebrations such as Samhain or Hallowe’en or New Year.
As for the nature essences, whenever you work outdoors or even indoors in a circle of pot plants (my favorite setting on a really foul day) they will be curious. So invite them in and benefit from their energies.
The Power of Words in Spellcasting
We already know, words have the power to heal, to express love, to praise and to comfort and negatively to hurt or criticize.
In magick, words spoke deliberately and rhythmically are one of the most significant ways to build the energies in a spell.
In Ancient Egyptian magick, the basis for modern magick, one of the major creation myths tells how Ptah the creator God, thought the world in his mind and then created it by speaking magical words or hekau. The generative power he used was called Heka, which is also the name of the God of magick. This power is equivalent to the concentrated life force. In some versions of the myth it is Heka himself who speaks the words that give form to the thoughts of Ptah.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that this creation power animated every spell as it did at the first creation. So to the Ancient Egyptians ever act of magick was a recreation of that first act of world creation, using words to bring thoughts into actuality.
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