one time on that same campus someone in the equine program didn’t shut a pasture gate and the pastures were just right there where all the classes were so when all the horses got out I just left class and saw first: a bunch of horses running
second: a bunch of equine majors chasing them on Foot for some reason
third: a group of students from the city just absolutely losing their minds laughing and recording it on their phones
fourth: a terrified work-study student parking authority who, when I asked, said “I don’t know anything about horses, but they told me to stop them if the come this way. what’ll happen if they do?? will they trample me???”
fifth: a group of boys in cowboy hats and flannels that I ended up standing with while the whole thing unfolded.
it took Twenty Minutes for someone to get on horseback to corral the herd.
I was like “is anyone on horseback?? what’s going on??”
and they said “no. we’re wondering when they’ll figure that out.”
and we all stood there like this
I’ve never heard of an Equine major, but it sounds lovely and entirely chaotic.
Here’s a quick-and-dirty list of things that I think sets up a good foundation for someone moving forward with magic work and why. They’re also in order of what I think is best approached first. (For a time reference, I recommend the whole thing taking at LEAST a year, but individual steps and overall length will vary in each person.)
Learn basic magical theory. What is happening when you cast a spell? What is grounding? How do correspondences work? Why is X step or tool important? Learn about what it is you’re doing before diving into actual casting. Have a basic grip on how it works.
Some form of divination, even if it’s something as simple as a pendulum. Other people won’t always be there to help you answer questions, validate your interpretation of something, or offer direction. Having some form of divination under your belt helps you avoid dependency on other people. You can more easily answer your own questions, check your own intuition, and take matters into your own hands.
Protection and Cleansing. No matter what path you go down or what type of magic you end up doing, these are two things that every magic worker needs to know how to do, and know how to do it well. They also tend to be fairly straightforward to learn. Cleanse your space, cleanse yourself, cleanse that object, cleanse your grandma. Then protect them. Learn how to set up wards and shields, which brings us to….
Basic energy work. You’ve probably already run into it a lot by this point and it’s fine if you’ve already picked up some things. But now is the time to really focus on it and get comfortable with it. Learn how to confidently sense what’s around you and interact with it, fix gaps in your wards and shields, project your intent into things, you get the idea. Energy work will always be there in a pinch and requires no materials besides your body, and is extremely versatile. Plus, most paths really require at least a base-level understanding of it these days. Can’t hurt.
Start honing your specific path. Here’s where the cookbooks, the old graveyards, the skulls on the shelf, the fairy figurines start really coming into play. If you have an idea of what sort of path you’d like to follow, start really getting into the meat of it! What does it look like? What are the first steps to that type of magic? If for now you’re still eclectic or aren’t sure, then just read what interests you or try more advanced general spells than you have so far.
Go back and do it all again. That’s right. You can also put time into your path or your regular research, but go back and pick up those old books from step one. Read the old articles. Return to the basics and see how your views have become more nuanced, or how you disagree. What details flew over your head the first time? Can you pick up a new form of divination or try something new with your main form? Could those wards and shields be stronger? You get the idea. Once you’ve revisited it, you should have a really solid foundation that will help you no matter what direction you take next!
Other stuff to study on the side: Local folklore, mythology, and types of spirits. You may not want to work with spirits, but sometimes spirits want to work with you! So it’s good to have an idea of what to do if they pop up. What plants grow in your area? What‘s edible? What is used in healing? What plants are NOT edible in your area? What’s poisonous?
If you think there’s another important step that you recommend that I didn’t include, feel free to add it! 🙂
Grab your notes and close everything down. Dismiss any spirits or entities you are working with. Close down the circle. End the ritual. Diffuse the energy of the spell and close it down. If you were enchanting an item, announce over it that it is closed and nothing more may come in or out.
Spells and rituals are little portals of power; if you leave one open without closing it, all sorts of things could get screwy and come through.
2. End any spooky/witchy atmosphere immediately.
Blow out all the candles.
Put out all the incense.
Turn on all the lights.
Turn off spooky chanting music. Turn on some happy music or better yet, a non-supernatural television show or movie you love.
If you were enchanting an item, immediately put it in salt.
3. Don’t destroy the items/notes you will need later.
Trust me, do not throw away the spell you wrote or the objects you were working on. If things go wrong in the future you will needthese to fix the problem.
► Immediately write down exactly what happened. Write down every deviation from the spell that you did. Write down exactly what you said and saw during any visualizations. Write down exactly when things started to get freaky.
► If you were enchanting an item, keep it in a black bag filled with salt until you are ready to deal with it.
4. Cleanse.
Use an energy cannonball to purify the space you were working in. Burn rosemary and bay leaves to fumigate the area, or spritz a premade water solution if you can’t have smoke. Pay special attention to all ritual tools.
If you feel the need to, cleanse yourself by visualizing the power of the smoke enveloping you and driving away any bad vibes; or take a shower if you really feel something has gone wrong.
5. Get out of the area you were working in.
Go to another room. Leave the house if possible. Seek the company of others or turn on the television if you are alone.
6. Do mundane things for a while.
Eat a nice meal. Drink a big glass of water. Go for a jog. Do some chores. Put anything magical totally out of your head. Absolutely do not focus on how weird things just got.
7. When you are ready, return to the area you were working in.
Relax yourself and judge the energies within the room. Are things still ‘creepy’? A heavy-duty cleansing is in order. Do you feel as if someone else is there? Open a window and command it to leave – if it does not, more fumigation or a banishing is required.
Judge your ritual tools and determine if they will need additional cleansing. If you were working on an object, determine if it has been corrupted or if anything is wrong with it. If so, put it back in the salt and deal with it as soon as you can.
8. Take a break from witchcraft for a couple of days.
9. Figure out what went wrong.
Fear is never a good thing. There is a difference between embracing the darkness and being afraid.
► Fear can be caused if an entity showed up you were unprepared to deal with.
► Fear can be caused if your intuition (or perhaps a spirit ally) was warning you that what you were about to do was a really bad idea.
► Fear can be caused if you tap in to powers that overwhelm you.
You need to figure out what went wrong. It isn’t a situation where you can say “oh well” and try something else later – because you screwed up, and next time you may not get an adequate warning before things go to hell.
fair--y backup 