Witchlings and Baby Witches, gather ‘round to learn how to cast a simple Circle. You may be wondering, “Why do we cast Circles?” and that can be easily answered! Most of the time, we cast Circles to create a sacred space where our spellwork and rituals can be conducted. There are other various reasons, but you can discover that with time, research, and practice. For this lesson, we are going to focus on creating that sacred space for you.
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CASTING A CIRCLE
**Circles can be cast alone or with others. If you are participating with other witches, you may want to print them off a “script” of what will be said and done that way everyone can participate. Change “I” in the script to “we”, “me” to “us”, and so on and so forth.
**Circles can be cast indoors and outdoors. However, I do caution you not to cast Circles without getting the permission of the person who owns said space, home, property, etc.
**You can decorate and dress up for your Circle casting. Using the appropriate colors, plants, stones, and meaningful objects can aid in powering your Circle. This, however, is not necessary.
**Decide in advance what will be done in the Circle. Make a plan of what you want to do inside your circle, whether it worship, prayer, spellwork, or meditation. Don’t feel rushed and take your time.
**Music may be used to accompany the Circle casting and rituals. I typically choose songs that don’t have words. (I get distracted easily by music.)
**Feel free to customize these words and tailor them to fit your own practices. You can substitute “walls and floors” with “foliage, stones, and ground” if you are casting outside. Names for Gods and Goddesses may be used in place of “Lord and Lady.”
**There is no right way to cast a Circle. There are many traditions that different witches use. Find what you like, experiment and customize your circle casting ritual.
**NOTE** This is just one example of how to cast a Circle (one I used when I was just starting out.)
TOOLS FOR CASTING THE CIRCLE
Candles, incense, matches (or a lighter), representations of the four corners, decorations, an athame (ceremonial knife) or wand.
BASIC CIRCLE CASTING
1. Ground and center, and then lay out where your Circle will be cast. This doesn’t have to be physically marked, but I have seen people use cord, chalk, and candles. (Note: using lit candles can be dangerous. Please take precautions when doing this. We don’t want anyone or anything getting hurt.) I used to create a small altar at the direction North with representations of the four elements.
2. Light incense and candles, and make your announcement: The Circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.
3. Take one candle in hand and begin walking the Circle. Here, we are acknowledging the Four Quarters (North, South, East, and West.) We will stop at each direction and call out the corresponding greeting found below. For this, we will walk deosil around our Circle. To move deosil is to move in a clockwise (or sunwise) direction. Once you have finished acknowledging the directions, return to North.
–North: I call upon Light and Earth at the North to illuminate and strengthen the Circle. –East: I call upon Light and Air at the East to illuminate and enliven the Circle. –South: I call upon Light and Fire at the South to illuminate and warm the Circle. –West: I call upon Light and Water at the South to illuminate and cleanse the Circle.
4. Return the candle to its rightful place and raise the athame or wand into your hand facing North. Call out: I draw this Circle in the Presence of the Lady and the Lord that They may aid and bless me in my work.
5. Lower the athame or wand and walk deosil once more around the Circle, envisioning a blue light shoot out from the Circle’s boundary. Call out: This is the boundary of the Circle, around me, through walls and floors, above me and below me as a sphere is the Circle cast and consecrated to the Lady and the Lord that They may work with and through Their child, (your name/Craft Name). This Circle is charged by the power of the Ancient Ones! Only love shall enter and leave.
Begin your ritual, spellcasting, meditation, or any other word you wish inside the Circle. Within it, you will be protected. However, a word of caution: if you are a witchling, make sure you do not over exert yourself inside the Circle. Casting any magic can make anyone grow weary or tired, so be aware of how much energy you are expending. Like any magic, it takes time and practice. When you have finished your work, you will open your Circle.
OPENING THE CIRCLE
6. Take the athame or wand in hand both hands facing North. Call out: Lord and Lady, I have been blessed by Your sharing this time with me; watching and guarding me; guiding me here and in all things. I came in love and I depart in love.
7. Raise the athame or wand high in the air in salute. Call out: Love is the Law and Love is the Bond. Merry did I meet, merry do I part, and merry will I meet again. The Circle is cleansed.
8. Kiss the flat of the blade or the tip of the wand. Here, we will bid farewell to the Quarters and move widdershins. Widdershins, which can be spelled withershins, widershins, widderschynnes, appears to come from German and Lowland Scottish. In German, widersinning means “against the senses”, that is “not the usual”, or “against the grain.” For our purposes, it means to move counter-clockwise. So, we will go from North to West, South, and East. As you move, this would be the time to blow out candles if they are how you laid out your Circle. Once you have finished saying goodbye to the Quarters, return North.
–Depart in peace, Elemental Earth. My blessings take with you! –Depart in peace, Elemental Water. My blessings take with you! –Depart in peace, Elemental Fire. My blessings take with you! –Depart in peace, Elemental Air. My blessings take with you!
9. Raise your arms into the air with athame or wand in hand. Call out: Beings and powers of the visible and invisible, depart in peace! You aid in my work, whisper in my mind, and bless me from the Otherworld. Let there ever be harmony between us. My blessings take with you. The Circle is cleared!
10. Take the athame or wand in hand, and move widdershins once more around the Circle, calling out: The Circle is open yet the Circle remains as its magical power is drawn back into me. The Circle has been cleared. My ritual has ended.
11. Place athame or wand aside, and take a seat on the floor (you may also lie on your back.) Close your eyes and focus on grounding excess energy by touching your palms to the floor. Let the magic in the room (or outdoors) disperse and settle. Take a few deep breaths, open your eyes, and begin cleaning up your space.
I hope all of you find this helpful. Again, Circle casting can be completely tailored and customized for your needs, and you don’t have to cast one this way. It is meant to be a resource for those just starting out. If you have any questions, you can reach me via ASK or by messaging me.
my advice for ppl who want to learn tarot? just do tarot.
im serious, just jump right in. get a deck and do as many readings as possible and learn the meaning of the cards as you go. use a website like biddytarot to teach you what each card means and keep doing that until one day you do a reading and realize youve memorized everything.
you dont need to study, tarot is not a school test, and you certainly dont need any “special abilities”
Monotheism: belief in and worship of only one god.
Polytheism: belief in and worship of many gods.
Megatheism: belief that there are multiple gods, but that yours is superior to all others and only They are worthy of worship.
Henotheism: worship of only one god while acknowledging (the possibility of) the existence of others.
Kethenotheism: the worship of only one god at a time.
Monolatrism: the worship of only one god while believing in multiple gods.
Pantheism: belief that the divine is in everything.
Panentheism: belief that the divine is in everything, while also being beyond everything.
Apatheism: being neutral towards the possibility of the existence of god(s).
Atheism: neither believing in nor worshiping god(s).
Antitheism: being actively opposed to the belief in and/or worship of god(s).
Transtheism: a belief system that cannot be easily categorised as either theistic or atheistic. (Sadly, not the belief that god(s) is/are trans or that trans people are god(s)).
Autotheism: belief that divinity is inherently within oneself (may or may not exclude external divinity).
Agnosticism: belief/philosophical position that the divine (and/or whether or not it exists) is unknowable.
Ignosticism: belief/philosophical position that knowledge regarding whether or not god(s) exist is unprofitable.
Deism: belief/philosophical position that God does not interfere directly with the world.
Pandeism: belief that the creator deity became the universe and then ceased to exist as a separate and conscious entity.
Monism: a philosophical position that attributes oneness or singleness to existence.
Dualism: a philosophical doctrine that attributes co-eternal binary opposition to existence.
Omnism: the recognition and respect of all religions.
Panpsychism: belief/philosophical position that consciousness, mind or soul is an intrinsic universal attribute within all things.
Ietism: unspecified belief in an undetermined transcendent force.
Omnibenevolence/eutheism: belief that (a) god is wholly good.
Dystheism: belief that (a) god is not wholly good and may be evil.
Maltheism: belief that (a) god is wholly evil.
(Please correct any false definitions or add new ones to the list.)
When divining with a pendulum, ask these two questions first:
Pendulum, are you in harmony with me?
Is now a good time to ask questions of a spiritual nature?
If you get a “no” for either question, do a quick cleansing of yourself, your pendulum, and your space using your preferred method and try again. If you still get a “no” for either question, try again later; perhaps in a different place.
This will help you calibrate your pendulum and get into a good habit of when and where to use it. It will also let you know if there may be spiritual interference that would affect the answers you receive. Happy divining!
Deciding to practice witchcraft and magick can be equally daunting and exciting. Here are some tips about what to do if you are thinking about becoming a witch!
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First, a few things
that you should NOT do:
1. Do
not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, period. Trust your intuition, and always stay true to
yourself.
2. Do
not do anything that puts you in danger. This includes casting a spell without
protection, or opening yourself to spirits before you know what you are
doing. This also includes running out in the middle of a storm to collect rain
water, or agreeing to meet a witch that you met online, alone. Use common sense in all matters of your
craft; your safety and health, both physical and mental, must come first.
3. Do not
do anything that contradicts your own
personal, spiritual, moral, ethical, or other beliefs. Unless you plan on changing what you believe,
just don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if
everybody and their familiar is doing something; if it doesn’t agree with you,
walk away from it.
4. Do
not start actually practicing anything witchcraft-related until you have researched it. Do not do a spell until you have a working
understanding of magick, as well as all
of the ingredients involved in the spell – even ones you intend to substitute (especially the ingredients that you intent to
substitute, actually).
5. Don’t
take witchcraft lightly.
Your craft doesn’t need to be all serious spells and spiderwebs, but you do need to have a healthy respect for
the energies and powers that you will be working with. You shouldn’t fear them – never work with anything that makes you afraid – but you should respect them.
6. Don’t
take your studies lightly. Put yourself through witch school. Research everything; ask yourself questions
and give yourself homework. Ask others
questions and ask them to give you
homework! Be creative in your studies,
but still take them seriously. You don’t
have to be hunched over spellbooks all day, but you should make an effort to at
least mentally review your existing knowledge, on days that you can’t find the
time for more.
7. Do
not be afraid to ask questions or for help – but do not automatically assume
that everybody actually knows the answer. Most witches around here will do their best
to answer your questions, but they’ll also usually straight tell you if they
don’t know something themselves; you should respect that, whether or not they
point you in the direction of somebody else. On the other hand, if something sounds wrong,
trust yourself and double check. Get
a second opinion, if need be.
—————————————————————-
Next, a few things
that you should know before you enter the world of witchcraft:
1. Witchcraft
is real, and magick is real. Whether or not you believe in it, it believes
in you (as the saying goes). Approaching
magick as if you were cosplaying Harry Potter is an attractive but ultimately
unwise idea. Approaching magick as if
you were learning to operate a highly beneficial but potentially dangerous
piece of machinery – now, that is a
wise idea.
2. Witchcraft
isn’t inherently evil, but neither is it inherently pure good. Witchcraft is power, plain and simple. It is what one chooses to do with that power that gives it such
meaning, and even then, the concept of good and evil is an ethical and
spiritual one, and thereby tends to vary from person to person, and from
witch to witch. You have to use your own
morals to guide you. The only type of magick
that should be in your witchcraft is the magick you intentionally choose to put
there. On a related note: I personally
don’t agree with classifying magick as ‘black magick’ or ‘white magick’, period
– not because magick can’t have precise descriptors, but because there’s no
need to use terms that have such negative racial undertones. Light can be harmful and ‘evil’, while
darkness can be protective and ‘good’.
Your intentions aren’t “to do dark” or “to do light”, anyway. Your intentions are “to do harm” or “to do
healing”; your intentions are “to take away” or “to give”.
3. Witchcraft
is a personal practice.
You do not need to follow any one specific path, spiritual or otherwise,
in order to practice witchcraft. There
are many different types of witches, and many different types of magick. If there is not one specific path that you
feel is absolutely perfect for you, don’t choose one that feels ‘close enough’ –
walk your own path and mold your witchcraft into something that is uniquely
yours.
4. Witches worship in varying ways. Some do not worship at all, and are purely
secular witches. Some are simply
spiritual and do not follow one set path.
Some are polytheists and worship many gods; some are monotheists and
worship one. Some are atheists and
worship none! Some are Wiccan. Some are Christian. Some are Satanists. Some worship ancestors. Some worship the stars. Witchcraft
is a personal practice, and should co-exist with all other aspects of your
life.
5. You don’t need a whole lot to get
started. Twigs
can be used as wands; rock quartz can be used as a crystal. Tea mixes contain herbs, and your spice
cabinet is basically a magick cabinet. Most
of what is in your house can be used for magick, for that matter. While it is definitely helpful to have the
proper tools and ingredients when performing magick, it is possible to DIY your
way through witchcraft until you can afford otherwise. Also, it is probably smarter to wait a second
before you run out and purchase anything, anyway. As you learn more, you’ll start to see which
tools you really need, which ingredients you’ll likely be using the most, which
items really call out to you. If you run
out and buy everything that you see right away, you risk wasting money on
things that just don’t work for you, or that you don’t even need.
—————————————————————-
Lastly, here are the
things that you DO need to do, no matter what:
o Be
true to yourself. Do not compromise
yourself or your beliefs.
o Be
safe. Don’t do or use anything
that you do not have a working knowledge of.
o Be
educated. Never stop seeking out
new knowledge; try to learn something new daily.
o Use
common sense. Don’t get caught up in
things; think before you take action.
o Trust
your intuition and instinct. We often know more than we consciously
realize.
o Be
creative. Write the spell that you’ve
been looking for. See what is laying
around the house that you can use for your witchcraft. Be inventive!
o Have
patience. Learning takes time;
magick takes time; developing your craft takes time.
That’s it for the moment! Tune in tomorrow for a post regarding more tips and information
on what to do when you do decide to go ahead enter the world of witchcraft ^_^
Most witches / magic workers have a Book of Shadows aka Grimoire, Book of Secrets, Book of Spells, etc.. Many beginner witches have no idea what they should put into their special book…
Your Book of Shadows is personal to you. You make this book your own. You don’t need to put every single bit of witchy knowledge in it. You should put things that are important to you such as what you believe and are practicing.
Crystals: names & uses
Herbs/Plants/Trees: their medicinal and metaphysical properties
Spells: ingredients, prayers
Rituals
Zodiac: characteristics and dates
Planets/celestial bodies: relation to magic and mythology
Gods/Goddesses/Deities: powers, how to worship them
Animals: spiritual powers and which animals you are connected to
Books: writings for reference
Colors: definitions of each color and what they can be used for
Altars: how/when to set them up and what you’ll need
Recipes
Sigils & Symbols
Things that are specific to you and give you power
Moonstone can influence dreams. Sleep with it under your pillow to dream of important things you need to learn or to dream of what you need to focus on in life.
A path is the journey that someone takes as they practice witchcraft. Some use it to describe their past, present and future on their magickal journey. Others use it to represent what they would consider a “label” to themselves and their craft. In general a path in witchcraft is a word to describe that specific witch’s journey, views, experiences, focuses and future goals that surround their own personal magickal practice.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, has a different path because each person is an unique individual with unique interests, hobbies, views, practices and choices. This is why your path may vary so greatly from others around you, your friends and even your mentors/teachers. There is nothing wrong with this because it is your path, not their path.
How do I know what my Witch Type/Path is? Is there a test I can take?
No, there isn’t a test you take to determine what your path is or what type of witch you are. There is only one thing that determines that: you. You are the one who chooses your path and what you wish you focus on.
You don’t have to be any specific type of witch at all. You don’t have to be a storm witch or a green witch. You can be whatever you want. If you want a label and to focus your path onto one thing, then do it. If you want to be labeled as more than one thing, go for it. Do you just want to do whatever you want and have no labels? That’s perfectly fine too!
You decide what kind of witchcraft interests you by:
Researching: research every single thing you can find! Save your sources, read through articles, take notes and compare them to other articles, posts, blogs and writings on the same topic. Look at the differences but also examine who is writing: a person who is an atheist witch will have different views on the spirituality and morals of something compared to a Wiccan witch or a Christian witch. Examine who is writing the post, and take their views with a grain of salt and not as solid fact because everyone differs. If you agree with their views that’s great! If not, take it as something to consider. Research the scientific and medical relations of things as well, what I mean by this is each herb is a medicine and like medicine and drugs it has side effects, research it before ingesting it or using it. Research your crystals and stones to ensure you don’t ruin them or harm yourself with them. Science and witchcraft come hand in hand, remember that. It’s not fun sending yourself to the hospital because you overdosed on a herb you didn’t research well enough.
Cater to Yourself: By this I mean look at what you as a person enjoy doing: your hobbies, your likes, your dislikes, your talents, your interests, etc. Use these in your craft, take these and put them into your craft. Are you interested in art? Use art supplies, drawing, painting and sigils in your craft. Interested in singing? Sing your spells and incantations, use song lyrics for spells, sing to cleanse a space or attract things. Enjoy collecting stickers? Use stickers to seal spell jars and sachets, use them like sigils and stick them to things, buy stickers that relate to correspondences via color, shape, or imagery. You can use anything you want in your path. If you are passionate about gardening, then your path can bring in gardening and plants into it. If you are passionate about cooking definitely bring kitchen magick into your path. If you just love reading, bring literature, writing and spell books into your path. Bring in your interests, make your path full of things you love. Don’t force yourself to be the “dark mysterious witch” if that is not what interests you. Why bring in tea magick into your craft if you hate tea? Your path is meant for you to enjoy it, it is to cater to you. If you like pink, glitter, candy and soda then use that! Use those things, because they are important to you. That means they hold magick in them, because they are special to you. You will find more success in doing things you love and working with tools you associate with.
Follow Your Own Beliefs: This is a big one, some people in our community will try to push that you have to worship a certain religion or deity. You do not have to worship anything or anyone to practice witchcraft. You do not have to be part of any religion, all who tell you otherwise are gatekeeping. If you wish to be Wiccan then be Wiccan, if you wish to be Pagan then be Pagan, if you wish to be Christian then be Christian, if you don’t want to bring religion into your craft at all that’s fine too. It is your choice what your beliefs are, and don’t let others tell you that you are wrong but give that same courtesy to others. Others will likely have different views and beliefs than you and so you should also give them the same respect for their beliefs as you expect them to give you. If you do wish to work with a deity or religion, research it and look into what it is like to be apart of it. Ask others who worship this deity how they do and their bond with them, this can help you figure out your own way to worship.
Why can’t others just tell me how to find my Path? I don’t want to research.
Well, that isn’t how it works I am afraid. Other people don’t know what is important to you in your core, they don’t know what holds your interest or what holds your passion. They can’t just tell you everything about your path. They can give you advice based off of their own experiences however, but this is not the same as them being able to instruct you as to what to do.
Research is apart of witchcraft, that’s just a simple fact. Yes you can ask around to people what things may be or for help but think of it like this: People don’t like feeling like google. Asking someone what the correspondence of a crystal is can get quite annoying if you or just several others keep doing it when you can easily search the phrase: “Correspondence of ____ in witchcraft” and find exactly what you need or to simply search that user’s blog for that specific crystal. Research for yourself, it is your responsibility to do if you wish to use witchcraft. You walk your own path and that means you are responsible for your own lessons. People have out there tons of amazing resources that you can use.
Common Falsehoods, Lies, Red Flags and “Dishonest Truths” about Witchcraft/Paths:
You have to be Wiccan/Pagan: As spoken about up above, this not true. You can follow whatever religious practice or belief you desire or none at all.
Cursing is Bad!/Three Fold Rule: This is another popular thing people will throw out at new witches to try to scare and shame them away from cursing, hexing and other acts of baneful magick. As a whole, this is a personal opinion. If you choose to curse that is your choice and others have no right to tell you that you’re a bad person for it. But, if you chose not to curse yourself, then that is your choice. Don’t drag others down or insult them for their choice.
You can only be one type/kind of Witch: No, you do not even have to label yourself as we talked about above. If you wish to label yourself as a “Sea Witch” or “Cosmic Witch” or “Green Witch” then do so. If you wish not to just focus on one thing then that’s perfectly fine! A lot of witches don’t label themselves as a ‘specific type’ of witch.
You have to use crystals/herbs/tea/etc: Nope, you are not required to use any specific ingredients, you don’t even have to use any ingredients at all if you don’t wish to. Use what you have hand and what you like. If you have a lot of candy, make candy spells; if you have a lot of crayons, make drawn and colored spells; if you have a surplus of toilet paper rolls, use those as poppets or for spell containers.
You have to have companions/familiars: Nope, you do not have to work with spirits or animals or anything like that if you don’t want to. Before you do get yourself a companion I recommend heavy research into spirit companions and make sure you have a way to communicate with them.
“Only women can be witches!”: Nope! Any gender, sexual orientation, race, etc can be a witch. If you practice magick and you want to be called a witch, guess what you’re a witch. If anyone tells you otherwise they are not worth your time.
You have to be trained/in a coven to be a witch: Nope! You can be self taught and you can work alone. Beware of toxic covens too, there are some out there who try to gender-shame and can be quite toxic in general. If you wish to be apart of a coven ensure that the rules of the group are ones you are okay with and that you aren’t pressured into behaving a certain way.
You have to have “witch blood” if you want to be a strong witch: huge lie right here; your bloodline and family history does not weaken or strengthen your magick. You don’t need to be from a long line of witches to be a witch, you don’t have to be “born a witch”.
Tech Magick/Emoji Magick/Pop Culture Magick/Modern Magick is terrible and is ruining true magick!: You will see this a lot on tumblr I am afraid. Lots of people trying to tell other witches that their paths/craft is not “true witchcraft” since it is not based on traditional witchcraft or religions. Don’t listen to them. If you want to practice modern magick and pop culture magick that is your choice and you are valid in every way!
If you’re mentally ill/disabled/sick you can’t be a witch: Spoonie witches exist and there are plenty of them! Just because you have found that you may not be as energized as other witches means absolutely nothing. You are valid, even if you use simple and basic magick due to low energy levels you are valid! You are still a witch.
You can only be friends with/date other witches: big red flag here! If anyone is telling you this, whether it is a mentor, teacher, friend or coven member/leader you need to find someone else fast. This is majorly toxic behavior used by some witches in this community to make you cut ties with others. It is an abusive manipulative tactic that you have to be aware of and avoid. You can be friends and date whoever you want (obviously within legal terms), whether they are a witch or not.
True witches practice magick everyday: Nope! You can take breaks! Especially when you have other things going on, you are tired or you just aren’t mentally/emotionally able to do witchcraft. That is perfectly fine. Take breaks, rest up, focus on other things – its okay. Take care of yourself. You aren’t being a ‘bad witch’ for taking breaks.
Everything is related to the supernatural!: No, the mundane is a thing. Not everything you see will be a mystical sign or message. Not everything that happens to you is because of spirits, curses, spells, etc. Rule out the mundane first such as medical problems or common sense/reasoning before you go leaping onto it being some great supernatural occurrence. Once the mundane is ruled out then you can consider other things.
Magick is better for you than medicine/doctors!: NO NO NO NO. Magick can aid in medical things if properly researched but never EVER substitute medical procedures, doctors or medicines for magick! Go and take care of yourself!
I was making a spell candle for the Imbolc ritual I’m hosting for the coven tomorrow and figured: why not turn it into a little tutorial? So here is my version of the spell candles!
What you need: (note: I made a candle for creativity and inspiration, so everything matches that goal. Change herbs, colours and stones to match any goal you want/need!)
🕯 a base candle, either white or a colour that works for your goal
🕯 through-and-though coloured candles for dripping in colours that match your goal. I usually use two or three, in this case yellow for happiness and inspiration and orange for creativity
🕯 herbs, I used basil (creativity), rose (passion/motivation), mistletoe (fertility for ideas) and mugwort (creativity)
🕯 small stone chips, I used aventurine, citrine and burnt amethyst (all for creativity)
🕯 oils, I used jasmine (creativity)
🕯 ribbon and charm (optional, but pretty!)
🕯 baking paper to protect your work surface
Start with carving some words or symbols into the candle. Today I used a bindrune for creativity, the runes kenaz (inner fire), wunjo (happiness) and gebo (gift).
Now drip the first colour. Make sure to first go around the edges for the pretty drips and then fill in the top.
Next are the herbs, stones and oil. Simply sprinkle them on top and arrange the bigger pieces so they are spread out a bit. Press the stones gently down into the still soft wax for sturdyness.
Drip the last colour, making sure to set but not drown the herbs, and tadaa! One pretty spellcandle! But wait, there’s more!
Tie the ribbon around the candle with one knot.
Slide on your charm and knot again, fitting it snuggly against the candle.
Make a pretty bow and trim the ends,and you’re done!
Burn it during your spell (note: remove the ribbon before it catches and reuse it!), place it on your altar or even make them to give away as gifts!
Also, feel free to tag me if you make one with the tutorial, I’d love to see them! 🌙
This is just one/some approach/es out of infinitely many, so feel free to take them as you please and use it as something to chew on while figuring out your own magical path!
All the power we need we already have. That’s right, you could theoretically cast any spell with just intent and energy work, and many magic users don’t use any tools or items at all. However, doing something really huge would either take a very specific method or a metric crap-ton of effort. Since most of us are human beings with limits and nobody ever truly masters magic, items, tools, and correspondences help us focus, filter, and direct our own energy so that the result is more concentrated and more powerful than if we did it on our own. Like differently-shaped strainers.
All items have their own power. Everything from that double-terminated quartz to that old Snickers wrapper can be good for something. Most items are good for more than one thing, even on a mundane practical level. Some items are better suited for certain tasks, though, which is where you get those quick-and-dirty lists of key words from. When we use items for their own power, we’re taking the aspect of them we find most useful, focusing, and amplifying it so that it works its own magic. If all your ingredients work for lots of things but all of them work for luck, that aspect will shine through strongest.
They work WITH your energy… putting a bunch of ingredients together without energy, effort, or meaning is like building a computer but never charging the battery. Or throwing together a salad but never eating it! Correspondences make our job go a lot more easily, quickly, and effectively, but they aren’t reliable simply on their own. (In my view, it’s because the energy is unfocused and there’s a lot of extra noise.) So find a rhythm and a balance between your energy and your tools/ingredients and find what works for you!
fair--y backup 