TIMING OF MANIFESTATION

A common question associated with timing concerns how long you’ll have to wait until you see the results of your efforts. There is no hard and fast rule about when success will manifest, and this is due to a number of variables such as the degree of concentration and focus, the amount of energy that went into the spell, the kinds of obstacles and challenges you are working against, and what your goal is.

As a general rule, however, your evaluation ought to be connected to the method of timing you employed in your spell. As I mentioned above, if you choose to cast a spell timed to a season, look for the manifestation of results to be reflected in that temporal process. One of the reasons why spellcrafters tend to use moon cycles more frequently than solar cycles is because the moon goes through a full cycle in approximately twenty-eight days, as opposed to the sun’s 365-day cycle. A standard practice is to wait one full lunar cycle before you evaluate the spell’s progress; that means if you haven’t seen any movement whatsoever concerning your problem within about twenty-eight days, note it down in your records and think about what to do next. Do you want to do a small spell to raise energy to support the original spell?

By the second lunar cycle after your spell (that’s just under two months), if you still haven’t seen any movement concerning your situation, it’s time to evaluate again. Do you want to recast the spell? Do you want to do another spell to remove obstacles?

In your first and second monthly evaluations, you’ll have to make a personal choice between leaving the original spell to do the work you sent it out to do, undisturbed; supporting the original spell by raising and sending it more energy; or redoing the spell completely. Have patience, and have faith.

Even though you may not see significant changes, the energy of a spell has a lot of little things to shift and nudge in order to rebalance a situation. It can take a while for any kind of result to become obvious.

If, by the time the moon has cycled three times after your original spell (that’s just under three months), you still haven’t felt or seen any change, then abandon the spell and approach the situation differently, perhaps with a different spell, a rephrased need, or a simplified goal.

A common error on the part of spellcasters is to assume that their spell isn’t working and to cast it again soon after the original spell. Ours is a society which functions on instant gratification, and patience is not one of our strong points; we forget that life moves in cycles, and that nature is not about to jump the tracks just to hand us our hearts’ desires. Scrapping your spell simply because it hasn’t demonstrated dramatic change is like throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. There’s a bunch of your energy out there, patiently toiling away to slowly reform reality in accordance to your will. If you recast the spell, or create a new spell to do the same thing, you’re not only telling your subconscious that you don’t trust it, you’re ordering the energy out there to stop in its tracks.

Remember, more often is not necessarily better. If you keep stirring those energies, you can stir them right off course.

Power Spellcraft For Life: The Art Of Crafting And Casting For Positive Change
Ann Murphy-Hiscock

Fine-Tuning an Unethical Spell

As mentioned earlier, there will be times when you choose the “less wrong” action. Reality doesn’t exist in black and white terms. Everything is painted in shades of gray. In addition, the concept of working a spell to change someone else’s situation without their knowledge and consent is perceived as being unethical in itself in the spellcasting community. However, you’ve already established that doing nothing is unethical. Which unethical action do you choose? Remember too that sometimes the correct way to deal with a situation is to do nothing at all, as you may not have all the facts, and your interference may further degenerate the issue. When you cast spells for or upon yourself, this question of ethics rarely comes up.

When you decide to use spellwork to deal with a situation beyond your immediate control, however, the question of ethics immediately arises. In spellcrafting workshops, I often ask students if they would cast a spell to limit someone else’s freedom. They are usually horrified, and protest that they would never do such a thing. Then I suggest a situation such as a serial rapist on the loose in their neighborhood. Would they not do a spell to limit the rapist’s freedom by being caught by the police? Some students say that they would do spells to protect the neighborhood. Wouldn’t it be easier to arrest one individual than attempt to protect thousands? And doesn’t that arrest accomplish the same goal: ensuring the safety of the neighborhood? Sometimes, spellwork for the needs of the many outweighs preserving the needs or rights of the few.

This, however, is a decision only you can make, and only you can draw the line separating ethical from unethical spellcasting. If you decide to act, then commit yourself completely to your decision. Don’t halve your efforts just to cover your bases. If you’re going to do it, do it, and accept the responsibility.

Power Spellcraft For Life: The Art Of Crafting And Casting For Positive Change

Arin Murphy-Hiscock

WOTC Extra – Steps and Procedures for Forming Your Own Spells

Following the steps below will help you create spells that are just as effective as those you learn from a book or another practitioner.

1. Boil down the purpose of the spell to a word a short phrase.

2. Find the ingredients suited to your goal.

3. Determine the best possible timing for the spell.

4. Decide if you want to include an affirmation or incantation. If so, write it so that it describes your components and your goals.

5. Cleanse and bless all the item you will be using as part of the spell.

6. Consider any actions that might help support the magick and where best to insert them in the spell-casting process (for example, lighting a candle at the outset to illustrate your intention).

7. Prepare yourself and the space where you’ll cast the spell.

8. Focus your will to raise energy and guide it mentally toward your objective, then release it and trust in the outcome.

9. Keep a journal (or grimoire) of your results for future reference.

It is not necessary to always every step of this process. There will be moments when you can’t conduct a spell at “just the right time” or when you don’t have perfectly suitable components. Some spells don’t require numerous ingredients or actions–a visualization or simple statement of intent maybe all that’s necessary. Your thoughts and your will are the most important components of any spell; the rest are optional.

Let’s Talk Witch: Adapting A Spell for Your Own Needs

Today you will find many books on spellcraft that contain instructions for casting spells. You can also purchase ready-made kits that include all the ingredients necessary for a spell. Nonetheless, if those instructions or ingredients don’t make sense to you or break your personal ethics, the spell will not work.

The best spells are those you create yourself or adapt to suit your own purpose. The process of collecting ingredients, preparing them, and designing the steps of your spell focuses your mind on your intention and adds energy to the spell. Sometimes you must adapt a tried and true spell because you can’t get the designated components. For example, if you lived in New England and used ash leaves or bark in protection spells but then moved to Texas, you would not be able to find such plant life; you could then compensate by substituting another ingredient, such as basil.

With the pervious example in mind, it’s easy to see that there will be many times when a Witch or Wiccan will want to adapt a spell or devise oone of her own. How do you begin the process? Adapting a spell is far easier than creating one, so let’s start there. When a Witch examines a spell, she looks for continuity and comprehensiveness.

Do the spell target your goal through its words, actions and components?

Does it do so on a multisensual level (involving your hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell)?

Does every part of the spell make sense and excite your higher sentiments?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, try to find a substitute. To illustrate, many old love spells call for blood as components. But modern awareness of disease (or squeamishness) might make blood inappropriate. Instead a witch could use red wine. The red juice from crushed raspberries, strawberries, or passion fruit (fruit associated with love) would also work well. In this manner, she can still follow the basic spell while replying on components that are safe and support her ethics.

Choosing your own ingredients when adapt a spell, rather than following a prescribed formulas allows you to fine-tune a spell to your specific needs. Once you understand the basic natures and symbolism of various components, you can mix and match them to create exactly the right combination of energies.

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