Today I want to cover something you guys have been after for months. I want to talk about the basics of writing your own spells. I want to however preface this post by saying, no two witches are going to tell you the same “how to.” Each witch is going to find a varying degree of importance on a variety of factors that goes into spell writing. Similarly, your path, your deities, your ancestors, etc, will always alter your spell writing. So take this as a stepping stone, that you may or may not change to suit yourself. This is how I do it, but someone else doing it completely different from me, does not make them wrong, just different and that’s a-okay!
First, let’s start with a very simple question; What is Magick? I get messages in my inbox all the time, asking me about magick, as though it’s something from a TV drama. Magick is not a supernatural made-for-tv moment. It’s an understanding of what things (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound) have on a person’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual state of being. Our senses trigger different emotions and so we react to these emotions. This, in my opinion, is the very core of what magick is all about. When we combine this understanding of action and reaction, to our spellwork and rituals, we are adding power to our intentions. A spell is sending energy with a specific purpose, in the same kind of way one would do so with a prayer. Magick, is very similar to prayer, only with tools. It is not evil, it is not satanic in nature, any more so than someone making a prayer to their god.
So, let’ talk about how to create a spell or a charm.
- Coordinate: First, map out how the spell will be done. Making a list and comparing notes on your correspondences for ingredients, colors, materials, etc, that matches the purpose and intention of your spell. This is, in my opinion, the most crucial and important part of any spell, ritual or charm. Although yes, everyone is going to have varied correspondence, there is an actual reason why basil is connected to prosperity, or yarrow being connected to love. The likes of Tumblr will lead you to believe that anything can be solved with eggshells. And although yes, that may grow to be true for you, start with the basics, start with understanding WHY the waxing moon pull energy in, etc. You may find that you something like lavender always works best when added to your prosperity spells, but we learn this over time, with trial and error. And depending on the kind of magick you are performing, it truly depends on you, what energies you are working with, and is developed over time. So start with understanding the basics of correspondence, and allow it to grow from there. Short cuts from the beginning, will only lead to frustration and disappointment. One must give, to get.
- Inscribe: Are you doing a candle spell? Does your spell require magickal inks, or pairing sigils? Inscribe the objects of your spell, as needed, that align with your goals or energies you are working with. This can be anything from a sigil, a rune, elemental symbols, or written names, etc.
- Inks: Now, I personally do not use magickal inks… almost ever. However, magickal inks are an integral part of a lot of witches’ practice. It can be an added boost to your intention, for any spell or ritual workings. For example, using a Dragon’s Blood ink may be used for added power in your spell. Where Dove’s Blood ink may be added for gentleness in your spell work. Even the way we fold our paper, from said ink can add intention. We fold away from us to banish, and towards you, to draw in.
- Perform: My posts about lunar phases and monthly energy associations are only scratching the surface when it comes to picking when to perform magick to your highest advantage. I will go further into other associations in the future, such as zodiac signs, calculating the hour of the moon, daily correspondences, Solar phases, tree correspondences, etc. But that will come over time, and you all have wanted this post for so long, I didn’t want to make anyone wait any longer!
- Visualize: In my experience, knowing the spell will work before you have even begun is such a key to being successful. You are a strong, powerful HBIC witch. Why wouldn’t it work? Visualizing the spell as completed and successful, before you even begin, is the first step to success. If the spell is long, such as a seven-day spell, visualize each day, as another step of completing the spell. Think of it like layers to a cake. You can visual each layer, building towards making your full cake at the end.
- Dispose: Last, but not least, how we dispose of your spell working, can be just as crucial as the spell itself. You may need to carry around your charm, or burn it and throw the ashes into a crossroad. Consider if the spell can be buried, or thrown in the trash. I can go into detail more in a future blog post if you’d like. But the disposal of your leftovers depends entirely on the kind of spell you are doing.
As I said before, correspondence isn’t necessary for all your spell workings, but it is incredibly important to have a basic understanding of the fundamentals. Think of it like seasoning a dish. Can you eat plain rice? Of course, you can, but do salt, pepper, maybe some stock, or some vegetables and a protein pairing make your rice better? Hell yea it does. (I’m realizing now that I compare a lot of things to food, but honestly, if you’ve stuck with me this long on Tired Witch, you really shouldn’t be surprised my chubby booty thinks about food a lot.) Similarly, if you add the wrong things to your simple dish of rice, it can make it a disgusting mess. No, you don’t have to add all the things like the exact right day or the week, or the exact right lunar phase, but think of them as extra boosts to make it as successful as possible.