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How
To Make Your Own Spells by sweetsang |
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Note: This is more of a tutorial than an
article. "What is that? Making your own spells? Ha! Spells only work if they're from a book". That is a quote from someone on a forum. He hasn't posted in forever, so I forgot his name and which thread it was that he said this. Why do people assume that the only spells that work are the ones in some book? It's not like they're written by God, the spells you see in books are written by the authors, who are, surprise! human (as far as I know anyway). So, what exactly is it that makes people think that the only spells that work are the ones you buy in a book from the new age section of the bookstore? Is it the money you paid for the book that makes it work? Is it feelings about your own inadequacy? Is it because the author is older/more experienced/better at rhyming that makes the spells work or what? After studying for five years, I've come to the conclusion, as well as countless and countless others, that spells work because of the emotion and energy you put into them. Spells from a book aren't foolproof. You can't just get the items needed, say the words, go through the motions, and expect it to work. You have to believe in the spell, believe in magic(k), get all emotional over it, work up the energy and direct that energy to your goal. People, including me, find that using spells that you created are even more powerful than the ones in a book. For one, you made them. You spent the time and energy constructing them. Every aspect of the spell is personal to you, and only you. You may refer to tables of correspondence to "make sure" you're using the "correct" incense or herbs or whatever, but for the most part...the spell is wholly you. The words you recite are ones you wrote, or ones you crafted using a chant or incantation from a book as an outline (which is what I do a lot). With making your own spells, you can create spells that fit your particular personal needs. For example, when I first started out, I would refer to a book to see if I could find a spell that would: find me a job that would bring in lots of money so I could, in turn, fly (on a plane) to New York to meet some guy and convince him to be with me instead of this girl way over in Minnesota. (true story) I never did find that spell, probably because it doesn't exist. And if it does, thank goodness that I didn't find it or I may have made the biggest mistake of my life. But my point is, you're going to have situations in your life that are unique, and can't be found in a 'book of spells'. So then what are you going to do? Assume that just because it can't be found in a book that your situation can't be that important or something? People have asked countless times for a spell to do this or a spell to do that. They claim they've searched the web over and over again and could find nothing. They claimed they read all the books that were available to them and could find nothing. What do they do? One, they might just give up. Two, they might resort to "summoning" angels, demons, spirits and whatnot, thinking that's the only alternative left. Three, they just might pick up a pen and write out their own goddamn spell. At first, making your own spell can be...intimidating, for lack of a better word. You've gotten so used to having everything laid out for you. You worry you're going to do something wrong, or that just because your words don't rhyme like Scott Cunningham's do, that the whole thing is worthless to even attempt. You worry that just because you found your incense at Spencers, and because it doesn't have a nifty sounding name like...vervain or something, that your incense isn't going to do the trick just as well as an incense bought from an expensive Magic(k) store. You doubt yourself, you doubt your power, you doubt the spell is going to work. Or you go into it half-heartedly, thinking, "I doubt it'll work, but I'll give it a go anyway and see how it turns out". If you go in with that attitude, you can expect zero results. Your doubt alone is what's cramping the spell's energy. Your spell won't fly, instead it'll just fizzle out. This is one thing that spells you make yourself and spells you get from a book have in common. If you don't put in the proper energy and focus, they won't work. It's not that it isn't working because you created it, it isn't working because you don't believe in it. One suggestion is to put all worry aside, and just use your own intuition. Just rely on yourself, if you want to use a red candle for a money spell instead of a green one just because some book says so, go ahead with it! Maybe you feel spellcasting is becoming too repetitious, so you want to use whatever incense smells like money or sex or healing to you and use that. It might not be listed in a book next to money or whatnot, but the important thing is: It's what you want, it's what you associate with money. You're going to be the one doing spell, it's only natural to pick out the things that are going to work for you. If you never use your own intuition, if you cast spells exactly as they are written in some book for fear that if you do one single thing "out of line" that it's not going to work, then you'll never find what works best for you. But even that suggestion is intimidating to people. "Using my own intuition? But, what if I'm wrong?" Books, I believe, are to blame for this thinking. Don't get me wrong. Books are great; they're helpful tools when starting out and you're not really sure what you're doing but in the long run, keeping them around can harm more than help. Most authors encourage their readers to use their own intuition, but then they put in "helpful" incantations or chants or spells. For example, they'll say, "Use whatever you want." and then underneath they'll say, "Here's an example: blah blah blah". I suppose if they just wrote a book about using one's own intuition in spells instead of providing examples, their book may not sell well or something. Do you think that people actually listen when the author says, "Use what you want."? No, they skip right over that part and go for the spell already written out and use that instead. Maybe it's laziness, maybe it's just fear. People have to learn to listen to themselves and to trust themselves. It's good to keep an open mind, but not so open that you have no thoughts yourself, and the only thoughts and ideas in your head come from other people. Your intuition is not "wrong". But then, neither is it right for everybody in the universe. But really, that's one of the essentials in creating your own spells. If you really believe your intuition is "wrong", if you really believe you have no power to create anything that'll work, you might as well just hang it up and take up bird watching or golfing or some other boring thing as a hobby instead. (No offense to golfers or bird watchers) So, on with the show... You want to make your own spells. The idea excites you, you think (or you know) that you've got what it takes. You're just not entirely sure where to begin. That's fine. Here I'll provide a basic outline for creating spells. I understand many people often bring deities into their spells, calling on them for aid or inspiration. That's not exactly my purpose here. My goal is to give an outline for creating magickal spells, instead of magickal ones with religious overtones. You can manipulate this outline in whatever way you see fit, if something doesn't work for you, then make it work for you. Remember, this outline is simply the training wheels; after a while, you may decide you don't need this outline anymore. Do What Thou Wilt. 1) What is the spell's goal? 2) What materials are to be used? 3) At what time will the spell be performed? 4) Writing the words out 5) Preparing yourself and your space 6) Performing the spell. What is the spell's goal? The entire reason you're even writing out the spell. The need, the desire. You wouldn't perform a spell if you had no reason to, so what is the reason for the spell? For example, if you need a job, the spell's goal then would be to get a job. This part's pretty self-explanatory. What materials are to be used? This is simple. What are you going to use? Are you going to use a candle? What size, shape, color? What are you going to do with the candle? Are you going to raise energy, light the candle, speak the words, burn the paper, scatter it to the wind, and let the candle burn out? Are you going to light the candle, maybe bind the paper you wrote the spell on with colored yarn, place it under the candle and let the candle burn out? Are you not going to use a candle at all? Maybe for a protection spell, you can charge stones you got from the Earth that felt protective to you and place them around your room or home. Go crazy. Use glitter, color, sequins, polished rocks, whatever you want. Or you can just use yourself. Just as long as the theme hangs together in your mind. At what time will the spell be performed? When's it all going to go down? Tonight? On the Full Moon, one week from now? On a certain day, hour, time? On the first of the month? On your birthday? When? Generally, if you're trying to go with the flow of the Moon's power, waxing moons (from dark to full, with the full moon being the greatest power) are for anything you want to increase. So, if you want to get a job, increase your income, increase your love, increase protection, etc., now's the time to do it. If you want to decrease something in your life, or get rid of it completely, waning moons (from full to dark, with the dark moon being the height of greatest darkness) are the time to do it. While we're on the subject of the moon, what if you really need a job? You've put in applications, you've been on interviews, but nothing ever comes out of it and now you need to do a spell ASAP to get a job. But what if this period is the period of the waning moon? And the Full Moon is a few weeks away? You can wait around for the Full Moon to do the spell, by then, you may have missed your chance. Or you can do a spell to get a job during the time of the waning moon, just reverse the reason for the spell. Instead of doing a spell to get a job, do a spell to get rid of poverty or some such thing. That way, you're in tune with the lunar cycles, and you still have a chance to get what you want. There are books and websites that list certain times of the day or week that are better for certain types of spells than others. I say, just do it when you feel like doing it. A spell that you're awake and focused for will pack more power than a spell that you barely stayed awake for at midnight and you're doing quickly so you can get to bed. Writing the words out Well, this part only needs to be done if you in fact are writing out the spell in the form of a rhyme or something. Write out what's in your heart. If you need love in your life, write that you need love in your life and you need stability and security and such. If all you want is a good wild time, write it out. It doesn't have to be lengthy, it can just be one sentence. Or it can be something like: By this candle I light, I wish for love to come into my life, May it burn strong forever, and may it die out never. There. You see how crappy that was? It just popped into my head and all those authors would probably laugh at it, but the important thing is, it must come from your heart. Only then would it be true. Pay attention to what you use to write it out on and with also. If, when you think of love, you think of the color yellow, maybe using a yellow gel pen or writing it out on yellow paper would increase the potential for it to be manifested. Generally, I would suggest using a pen that isn't going to run out anytime soon and clean, unused paper. If, for some reason, you think of shit in a positive way when you think of love, you may want to use the paper that your dog crapped on....All I'm saying is: Use what works for you. Don't feel ashamed or just because you'll never see that in a book, I can assure you, doesn't mean it's wrong. Just gross. Anyway, if you're more of a ceremonial type, and writing out everything you're going to be doing from beginning to end turns you on, then go ahead. If you want the act to be more of a "playing by ear" type of thing, then that's fine too. Whatever makes you more comfortable. Preparing yourself and your space In a lot of religious ritual outlines I've seen, taking a bath with herbs floating on the water and throwing salt around your workspace is ideal. You can do what you want. If you're all dirty and you stink, but you feel fine in doing a spell that way, then go ahead. It all depends on where and how you'll be performing the spell. If you're going to be dancing around, I would recommend a clear space so you don't step or trip on anything. If you're going to be doing the spell with one or two others, please be clean, or at least clean-smelling. Some say doing a spell skyclad (naked) is the best way, but if this is inconvenient for you, then you don't have to. If just wearing the jeans and t-shirt you put on that day is fine for you, then don't change just because someone says to. If you want everything to correspond with everything else, then maybe you can coordinate what you wear to go with your spell, like wearing an entire yellow outfit to go along with your love spell. Just do what makes you comfortable. Performing the spell This is the part people have the most trouble with. They got what they need, they're all ready, it's that time. Now what? Well, a lot of books will say: Cast your circle. I don't do this. You can, if you want, and there are plenty of books with circle casting outlines, but if it's something that's uncomfortable or inconvenient or even just unnecessary to you, then don't do it. What do I do when I'm about to perform a spell? I get everything I need. The candles, yarn, paper, pen, matches (there's nothing more annoying then starting a spell and then remembering you forgot matches to light the candles), and whatever else I've decided to use. I get all comfortable, sit on the floor in front of these things, place both hands on the candle and visualize my goal already manifested. I try not to visualize how it will come to be. I simply think of myself already with the thing. Like if I need money, I don't visualize how the money will come to me, I simply visualize myself as already having that money in hand and enjoying it. After some time, whenever I feel like I've visualized enough and raised enough energy through this procedure, I open my eyes, light the candle and chant or speak the words or whatever with conviction, then I tie the yarn around the paper and place it under the candle and let the candle burn out, sometimes all the way, sometimes I let it burn out for the number of minutes that is my lucky number. I get up. And I don't think about it. I don't doubt it. I just go on my way, letting the magick work. You can do something similar or if you think visualization is hokey and is counterproductive or whatever, then do whatever you want. Maybe you can just dance around your space, chanting and feeling love coming to you, or money coming to you, or whatever you're doing the spell for, and then when you've raised enough energy, stopping and releasing the energy outward. There are a million and one things you can do. Be creative. Believe in yourself. And you will find yourself becoming more and more proficient at spellcasting. And maybe, you'll actually find it fun, instead of just some boring ritual, because you created it all. Making the Ethical Choice A lot of people say you shouldn't use magick for "low" things, such as money or material needs. I do all the time. True, I try to achieve these things through non-magickal means first, but when that doesn't work, I turn to magick. I'm not going to tell you that if you do a money spell, that you are resorting to "low" magick or if you do a love spell, the Goddess is going to punish you. I'm not your mother and so far, my advice has been: Do what makes you comfortable. That goes for ethics too. You are your own person and you're mature enough, I would hope, to make the ethical choice, whatever that means to you. |
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