How Spells Work For a spell to work, especially how you want it to, you need good visualization skills. It's not the tools you use that make the spells work, they just help you to focus and direct your energy towards the specific goal in the spell. You have to see the goal happening in your head then send it out into the universe. AND! You have to completely believe in magick, and the fact that spells do in fact work. Without that belief the either wont work at all, or wont work how you want them to. That can lead to allot of problems. Also, follow the Rede and other spell casting rules, because I'm not going to begin to tell you the consequences if you don’t. So exercise your visualization skills, Follow the Rede, and believe that spells are real. You'll see. Writing Spells The first step in writing a spell is to research the correspondence that relate to the subject of your spell. These would include which Gods or Goddesses to invoke, what colors and plants to use, etc, and anything else that will strengthen the spell. Creating Spells (These spells are included as examples. I have not tried any of them, and so cannot speak to their efficacy.) The easiest way to teach you how to write a spell is by example. Attract love to yourself: After you have chosen the items that will correspond with this spell.... Aphrodite is an appropriate deity for men and women to appeal to: Let Love find me! Get five pink or orange balloons (heart shaped ones if you like.) Write your name on slips of red paper with silver ink. Put one in each balloon before it is filled with helium. Do this on a Thursday. Attach peacock feathers to each balloon and tie them to your altar overnight. Scatter herbs of love on your altar. burn five pink candles and rose, patchouli or other appropriate incense (away from the balloons!) Invoke your choice of Deity/s that correspond with love. Pray. Take the balloons out on Friday and separate them. Release them one by one, as close as possible to the place where you live. As you release each balloon say: A similar spell could be created with a net, if you live near the ocean or a mighty river. The symbolism there would be 'I cast my net upon the waters’, and Aphrodite could be invoked in her Fish Goddess aspect. Just remember 2 things with this spell. 1.)This is only an example and in no way shape or form should be directly taken from this without some changes to make it fit you. Changes would include coming up with your own words and materials but keeping I’m mind that you can use anything that corresponds with love in your spell. 2.)When casting a spell of love you can not cast it on a specific person and SHOULD NOT! be thinking of anyone in particular while casting a love spell. It is unethical and against the Wiccan Rede. You wouldn’t like it if someone made you think or feel something you didn't want to. Closing The usual closing for a spell is, "So mote it be!" I have no idea where that phrase originated. But other ways to end the spell could be something like: This manifestation closing, derived from ancient Egyptian sources, can be altered in any way you like: Rhymes Rhymes can be used to help with the memorization. Its easier to remember rhymes then it is to remember blank verses. Languages Spells can be written in any language you understand, ancient or modern, so long as they make sense. Your communication with the Universe is actually a psychic one. Mystical-sounding nonsense words will not work, unless you have a firm idea of what they mean to you. (I got most of this from open sesame) Ritual and Preparation for Ritual Rituals need not be pre-planned or traditional, nor must they slavishly adhere to one particular pattern of form. Indeed, Wiccans have agreed that spontaneously created rituals can be the most effective and powerful. A Wiccan rite may consist of a lone celebrant lighting of fire, chanting sacred names, and watching the moonrise. Or it may involve ten or more people, some of whom assume various roles in mythic plays, or speaking long passages in honor of the Gods. The rite may be ancient or newly-written. Its outer from isn’t important as long as it is successful in achieving the awareness of the deities within the Wiccans. Wiccan ritual usually occur on the nights of Full moons and the eight days of power, the old agricultural and seasonal festivals of Europe. Rituals are usually spiritual in nature but may also include magickal workings. The best way to learn Wicca is to practice it; thus through the course of time, by performing rituals such as those here on my web page. (RITUALS NOT SPELLS there is a difference)or ones you write yourself, you'll gain understanding of the true nature of Wicca. (Writing your own spells is more powerful anyway.) Many people say they want to practice Wicca, but sit back and tell themselves that they cant observe the Full Moon with ritual because they don’t have a teacher, aren’t initiated, or don’t know what to do. These are merely excuses. If you’re interested in practicing Wicca, simply do so. To the lone Wiccan, the creation of new rituals can be an exciting practice. You might spend nights with reference books, piecing together bits of ritual and invocation, or simply allow the spirit of the moment and the wisdom of the Deities to fill you with inspiration. No matter how they're created, all rituals should be done out of joy, not obligation. If you wish, time your rites with the seasons, Pagan feast days, and phases of the Moon. If you feel particularly attracted to other sacred calendars, feel free to adapt them. There have been highly successful adaptations of Wicca utilizing ancient Egyptian, American Indian, Hawaiian, Babylonian, and other religo-magickal systems. Though most of Wicca has, until recently, been primarily European and British-based, this needn't limit us. We're free to do what we will as solitaire Wiccans. SO long as the rituals are fulfilling and effective, why worry? First off, make sure you wont be interrupted during your religious (or magickal) rite. If you’re at home, tell your family that you'll be busy and aren’t to be disturbed. If alone, take the phones off the hook, lock the doors, and pull the blinds, if you wish. Its best if you can ensure that you will be alone and undisturbed for some time. A ritual bath commonly follows. For some time I almost couldn’t bring myself to do a rite without having a quick dip first. This is partly psychological: if you feel clean and refreshed from the days worries, you'll feel comfortable contacting the Goddess and God. Ritual purification is a common feature among many religions. In Wicca, we see water as a purifying substance that strips off the disturbing vibrations of everyday tensions and allows us to stand before the Deities with purity of body as well as purity of thought. Once bathed, it's time to dress for ritual. Among many Wiccans today (particularly those influenced by the writings and ideals of Gerald Gardner, or one of his students), nudity is a preferable state in which to invoke the deities of nature. It is certainly true that this is the most natural condition in which the human body can be, but ritual nudity isn’t for everyone. The church did much to instill shameful feelings regarding the undraped human figure. These distorted unnatural emotions survive today. Many reasons are given for this insistence on ritual nudity. Some Wiccans state that the clothed body can't emit personal energy as effectively as can a nude body, but then go on to say that when necessary, clothed rituals preformed indoors are effective as nude outdoor rites. If clothed, Wiccans produce magick just as effective as that produced by naked Wiccans. Clothing is no barrier to the transference of power. A more convincing explanation of Wiccan ritual nudity is that it is used for its symbolic value: mental, spiritual as well as physical nudity before the Goddess and God symbolizes the Wiccan's honesty and openness. Ritual nudity was practiced in many ancient religions and can be found today in scattered areas of the world, so this isn’t really a new idea, except to some Westerners. Though many covens insist on ritual nudity, you needn't worry about that. As a solitary practitioner the choice is yours. If you don’t feel comfortable with ritual nudity, even in private, don’t use it. There are many options. Specialized dress, such as robes and tabards, are quite popular among some Wiccans. Various reasons are given for the use of robes, one of which is that slipping into garments worn only for magick lends a mystic atmosphere to such rituals and shifts your awareness to the coming proceedings, thereby promoting ritual consciousness. You can also wear regular clothes. Its up to you Colors are also used for their specific vibrations. See the Color Correspondence section for help with that. You can also wear special ritual jewelry, which you can either wear all the time, or just for specific (special) rituals, or have Jewelry you wear for all rituals but don’t wear outside the circle. The Jewelry can be a ring, necklace, pendant, bracelet, etc that is special to you that you wish to incorporate into your ritual. Do you wish to worship the Old Gods of Wicca privately, or with others? If you have interested friends you may want to invite them to join you. If not, no problem. Solo ritual is fine when starting out on the Wiccan way. The presence of like-minded people is wonderful, but can be inhibiting as well. There are certainly rituals at which others can't be present. An unexpected glimpse of the Full Moon half-shrouded in clouds calls for a few moments of silence or attunement, an invocation, or meditation. These are all rituals shared with the Goddess and God alone. Deities don't stand on ceremony; they're as unpredictable and flowing as Nature Herself. If you wish to gather with friends for your rituals, do so only with those who are truly in tune with your feelings concerning Wicca, Snickers and wandering thoughts will do nothing to further your Wiccan progress. Also beware the love interest-the boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife who takes an interest only because you are interested. They may seem to be genuine, but after a while you may realize they're not contributing to the ritual. There are many wonderful aspects to coven workings; Most of the best Wicca can be found in a good coven (and worst in a bad one), but most people cant contact covens. They may also lack friends who are interested in practicing with them. This is the reason why there is such thing as a Solitary practitioner (that and the fact that some people just want to practice alone. If you wish find a teacher or someone to guide you through your studies. In spite of the emphasis placed on initiation and group workings in the vast majority of books on Wicca, solitary Wicca shouldn’t be viewed as second best to the real thing. There are far more individuals who worship the Old Ones today then there are coven members, and a surprising number of these work solo out of choice. Save for a few group meetings you can attend...Just because you practice alone doesn’t mean you always have to. You can have a group of solitaries practicing together a few times. Never feel inferior because you're not working under the guidance of a teacher or an established coven. Don’t worry that you wont be recognized as a true Wiccan. Such recognition is important only in the eyes of those giving or withholding it, otherwise it is meaningless. You only need worry about pleasing yourself and developing a rapport with the Goddess and God. Feel free to write your own rituals. Break off the handcuffs of rigid conformity and the idea of "revealed books" which must be slavishly followed. Wicca is an evolving religion. A love of nature and the Goddess and God are at its heart, not unending tradition and ancient rites. I'm not saying that traditional Wicca is bad. Far from it. I’m Just saying that if you are solitary then you don’t have to follow a tradition like mimicking something that has so much room to grow. Each tradition (expression) of Wicca, whether passed down or intuitively preformed, is akin to a petal of a flower. No one petal constitutes the whole; all are necessary to the flower's existence. The solitary path is as much a part of Wicca as is any other. This is just a cool little meditation elemental deity think you can try. Its quite fun, and very relaxing as well as giving you an energy burst A Ritual of Gestures Stand in the ritual area. Still your thoughts. Breath deeply for half a minute of so until composed and calm. Turn your mind to our Deities. Face North. Lift both hands to waist height, palms down. Press your fingers together, creating 2 solid, flat planes. Sense solitary, foundation, fertility. Invoke the Powers of Earth through the gesture. Moments later, turn towards the East. Raise your hands a foot higher, your palms facing away from you (no longer parallel with the ground), and elbows slightly bent. Spread your fingers and hold this position, sensing movement and communication. Invoke the forces of Air through the Gesture. Face South. Lift your hands fully above your head. Keep the elbows straight, grasp your fingers into tight fists. Feel force, power, creation, and destruction. Invoke the forces of Fire through the gesture. Turn to the West. Lower your hands a foot or so. Bend the elbows, turn your palms upward and cup them, pressing the thumbs against the forefingers, Sense fluidity, the ocean ,liquidity. Invoke the forces of Water through the gesture. Face north again. Throw our head back and raise both hands to the sky, palms up, fingers spread. Drink in the essence of The One, the unknowable, the unapproachable ultimate source of all. Sense the mysteries within the universe. Lower your projective hand but keep your receptive hand higher. Pressing the third, forth, and fifth finger against the palm, lift the forefinger and thumb to create a rough crescent shape. Sense the reality of the Goddess. Sense her love, her fertility, her compassion. Sense the Powers of the Moon in thief gesture; the force of the eternal seas-the presence of the Goddess. Lower your receptive hand; lift your projective hand. Bend down the middle of the fourth fingers towards the palm, and trap them within the thumb, Lift the forefingers and little fingers to the sky, creating a Sun in the gesture; the untamed energies of the woodlands-the presence of the God. Lower your projective hand. Lay down flat. Spread our legs and arms until you have created a pentagram pattern. Sense the powers of the elements running through you; merging and coalescing into your being. Sense them as emanations from The One, the Goddess and God. Meditate. Commune, Communicate. When finished simply stand up. Your rite of gesture is over. The Elements of Spell Construction 1.)Clearly understand and define your magickal need. It helps to write it out on paper. 2.)Gather together all the items you will need for your spell, such as candles, herbs, gemstones, athame, cup, etc. and empower these items. 3.)Decide on your words of power, and create an appropriate chant if so desired. It is helpful to memorize these, so as not to interrupt the flow of energy while trying to remember what you are going to say. 4.)If you will be invoking a particular Deity, decide on who and write out and memorize any special prayers and invocations that you will use. 5.)Plan how you will visualize your goal...this is very important! 6.)Decide when and where you will work your spell. 7.)At the appropriate time, gather what you will use and go to the place where you will perform the spell. 8.)Cast your circle, or create your Sacred Space. 9.)Invite whatever elementals, faeries, spirits, or Deities you wish to have present as you work. 10.)Clear your mind and begin visualizing your goal. 11.)Raise energy within yourself and pour it into your magickal objects. 12.)Use your words of power, light your candles, charge your stones, dance or sing. Do whatever you have decided to do to focus your attention and raise energy. 13.)When you feel that you have put as much energy into your spell as you possibly can, send the energy out to do your will. Relax, throw up your arms, raise a tool, kneel, or do whatever else makes you feel the energy being sent. 14.)Finish your spell with words such as "So Mote it Be!" It is a statement of completion and an affirmation that you know your magick is successful. 15.)When you are ready, Close your circle and thank the elements, faeries, Deities, etc. who have been with you to help. 16.)Ground your energy --see it dissipate and return to the earth. 17.)Record the ritual in your book of shadows. There's no great mystery concerning the structure of Wiccan rites, at least not anymore. Some say this is a good thing, this lessening of secrecy regarding Wicca. Others feel that it has stripped the religion of its romance. I understand this, but I also feel that Wicca should be available to all. So here is an outline of a ritual. You don’t have to follow it like this, you can if you want to. It's up to you. Right now though since you are new (obviously if you are looking at this page) you may want to start out with this until you get the hang of it. Also remember spells are different from Rituals. not by much, but they are. So this is for a Ritual not a spell...although if you did use this outline for a spell it would seem like a very formal spell. Ritual Preparation 1.Define Purpose 2.Write Ritual 3.Gather Necessary Tools 4.Prepare Area 5.Prepare Body Open Circle 1.Find Compass North 2.Set up Door between Worlds 3.Call the Elemental Quarters Invocation to the Deities 1.Align Self with Deity 2.Invoke Deities Statement of Purpose Actual Working or Act of Honoring 1.Working •Complete Preliminary Manual or Visual Tasks •Raise Energy •Focus Energy •Ground Energy 2.Honoring •Complete Preliminary Manual or Visual Tasks •Dedicate Cakes and Wine •Partake of Cakes and Wine •Meditation •Thanking the Deities •Closing the Circle 1.Mentally and Verbally Close the Circle 2.Physically Close the Circle 3.Clean Up •Disposal •Washing of Plates and Glasses •Putting Away Tools Remember: this is still just a general outline. You don't have to follow it to the letter... actually you don't have to follow it at all. Your ritual can be done however you want to do it, whatever is right for you. I don’t even follow this format directly. Its just here for beginners that need something to work from. Music, Dance and Gesture Wicca understands that what we perceive to be the difference between the physical and the non-physical is due to our limitations as materially-based beings. Some of the tools used in the practice of religion are indeed non-physical. Three of the most effective of these are music, dance and gesture. These techniques are used to raise power, alter consciousness, and to unite with the Goddess and God-To achieve ecstasy. These tools are often part and parcel of ritual, and indeed the most effective, powerful rites can be those exclusively utilizing such tools. Music and dance were among the earliest magickal and religious acts. Our ancestors probably utilized the magick of hand signals and bodily postures before speech was fully developed. The simple gesture of pointing still has powerful emotional effects, from a witness singling out the defendant as the person involved in a crime, to a hopeful at an audition being selected among a sea of her or his peers. The first music was probably rhythmic. Humans soon discovered that pleasing rhythms of sound could be produced be slapping various parts of the body, especially thighs and chest. Clapping creates a distinctive, clean sound which is still used by some Wiccans today to release personal power during magickal rituals.
Scott Cunningham 'Guide for the Solitary Practitioner'
Scott Cunningham 'A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
