By Moon

Spells project your will and intention into the universe to create change you desire. Some spells involve the use of natural ingredients such as crystals, herbs and incense as well as objects such as photographs, signitures or anything that has been in contact with the person you wish to influence or the changes you wish to happen( ex, you go for job interview and get hold of an object of the interviewer and then do a spell to secure the job with the object). These items for some are an intergral part of spell casting, as they serve to connect the willpower of the magickian with the energy of the Universe. However the most fundemental catalyst for a successful spell is thought, just pure thought and projecting that thought into energy.

Magick is based on the idea that the events that take place in the physical( mundane world) are just one aspect of reality, that is what we perceive with our five senses are simpley the external manifestations of deeper processes at work.

The human mind has many levels of awareness: On a conscious level it takes things at face value and discerns meaning and on an unconscious level it is capablof of picking up on people's thought and transmitting them to others.

Recent advances in quantum physics have shown that thoughts are energy and like electrical impulses they jump. Your thoughts are affecting the people around you as well as shaping your life( the power belongs to you). Most of the time people don't attempt to control their thoughts, they jump from issue to issue , subject to subject in a rapid way which makes most people's lives seem chaotic.

Spells allow you to concentrate, and direct your thought energy toward a specific goal and purpose. When your intention is clear and your thoughts are charged with passion and determination you instantly ascend to a level of awareness where you can create for yourself whatever it is you desire. This level of awareness is known as the universal energy field a domain where the unconcsious minds and mental processess of all human beings are linked. By tapping in the universal energy field when you cast a spell, it influences a person's thought process on an unconscious level and affects their behaviour accordingly. We only use a dime's worth of our brain, we naturally can project thought without candles, incense ect.... However it is harder done then said. Our brain is capable of transmitting our thoughts and feelings therefore influencing our desire and will.

Spells are an important aspect of magical training. They require the use of the combined faculties of relaxation, visualization, concentration and projection. The casting of spells provides practice in coordinating these skills and developing them further. Spells are extremely sophisticated psychological tools that have subtle, but important, effects on a person's inner growth.

Spells may highlight otherwise hidden complexes of the person casting the spell. A person who has conflicts about success will find great difficulty in concentrating on a money spell, for example. Many times the practical results of a spell are far less important than the psychological insights that arise during the magical work, for discovering our inner blocks and fears is the first step in overcoming them. Spells also go one step further than most forms of psychotherapy, in that they allow us not only to listen to and interpret the unconscious, but also to speak to it in the language it understands.

Symbols, images, and objects used in spells communicate directly with Younger Self, who is the guardian of our emotions and who is barely affected by the intellect. We often understand our feelings and behavior but find ourselves unable to change them, but through spells, we can attain the most important power - the power to change our lives as we wish them to be.

Spellcasting also forces us to come to terms with the material world.Many people attracted to the spiritual path of the Craft find themselves uneasy with using magic for practical or material goals. Somehow it seems wrong to work magic for oneself, to want things and to get things. This is an attitude which is a holdover of the Judeo-Christian world view that sees spirit and matter as separate and that identifies matter with evil and corruption.

In the Craft, flesh, the material world, none of what is commonly thought of as matter is separate from spirit. The universe is made up of the Goddess- God or deity of one's choise who is manifest in all things. Union with your deity comes through embracing the material world and all the gifts that it has placed in it for us. Our major task on this plane of existence is to become masters of this realm of manifestation. We do not fight self-interest; we follow it, but with an awareness that transmutes it into something sacred.

Mechanics of Spellcasting
Spellcasting is the lesser, not the greater magic; but the greater magic builds on the lesser. The paradox is that in spellcasting we may start out working with the personal self, but in order to work the magic we are forced to expand and recognize the Self that moves through all beings.

Magic involves the deliberate self-identification with other objects and people. For example, to do a healing, we must become the healer, the one who is healed, and the energy that is to do the healing. To attract love, we must be able to love ourselves and to become love its self.

Spells work in two basic ways. The first is through suggestion; symbols and images implant certain ideas in Younger Self, or the subconscious mind, and we are then influenced to actualize those ideas. Spells can also influence the external world.

The theoretical model that witches use to explain the workings of magic is a clear one and coincides in many ways with the "new" physics. It is simply an elaborate but extremely useful metaphor.The metaphor is based on a world view that sees things not as fixed objects, but as vortexes of energy.

The physical world is formed by the vortexes of energy, and if we cause a change in the energy patterns they, in turn, cause a change in the physical world. When our own energy is concentrated and channeled, it can move the broader energy currents. The images and objects used in spells are the channels. They are the vessels through which our power is poured, and by which it is shaped.

As energy is directed into the images we visualize, it gradually manifests physical form and takes shape in the material world.

Directing energy is not a matter of simply emoting. Emotion can be likened to a strobe light which provides a very inconstant light, while directed energy is more like a laser beam. Even concentrated power is a small stream compared with the vast surges of energy that surround us. The most adept witch cannot be successful in all her spells, for the opposing currents are often too strong.

The craft teaches to first identify the flow of energy and then to decide whether or not it is going where we want it to go. If it is not, then we can try to deflect it, or we may have to change our own course. Sensing the energy climate is a matter of intuition and experience. Some witches make a study of Astrology in an effort to plan their magical workings at the optimal times, while others prefer to work when they feel the time is right.

Of all the planets, the Moon's influence on subtle energies is the strongest. Subtle power increases as the Moon waxes, so the time of the waxing Moon is best for spells involving growth or increase, such as money spells. The power peaks when the Moon is full and that is the best time for workings of culmination and love. During the waning Moon, power subsides and turns inward. The waning Moon's period is used for banishings, bindings, and discovering hidden secrets.

The practical witch soon learns to adjust her spells to fit the time of the Moon. If, for example, she needs to do a money spell during the waning Moon, she would put a little 'English' on it and make it a poverty banishing spell.

Energy pursues the path of least resistance. Material results are more easily achieved on this plane of existence through physical actions than through magical workings. For example, it is simpler to lock your door than suffer the constant drain from maintaining psychic seals on your doors and windows while you are away from home.
Of course, once you have locked your door, you might feel more reassured by placing seals on it.

No magic spell is going to bring results unless channels are opened into the material world. For example, a job spell is useless if you are not willing to go out and interview for jobs or at least let potential employers know that you are in the market for one. In the same vein, a healing spell is no substitute for medical care, but certainley aids in recovery, sometimes a spell using chakras will open up the bodies natural will to heal itself. Mages have been known to perform healing on relatives that were in accidents and slated to pass on, in which the spells brought the reletive out of comma's and helped the bodies natural agents heal, and at times the healing was quickley, again it was the psychological energy involved.

Visualization used in creating a spell should focus on the desired result, not the individual steps leading up to the result.

We give the spell free rein in how it goes about achieving the results,spells have a habit of working in very unexpected ways. If you don't wish to harm another to assure that the power you have unleashed does not inadvertently cause harm, bind the spell. This serves to 'set' the form we have created so that the energy becomes fixed in the pattern we desire.

The energy we project to others affects us even more strongly than the other person. This is because we have generated the energy, and thus we have become the object at which the energy is directed.

If healing energy is sent out, then the health of the person casting the spell is enhanced. By the same token, any hex or curse that is sent out may affect the person who sends it, if percautions are not taken such as sheilds, also the words of the curse and hex may be thought out, at the end of a curse one may bind the curse to ensure it doesn't reverse on them.

MAGIC IS NOT TO BE USED TO GAIN POWER OVER OTHERS. Magic is a technique used in developing your own 'power from within.' Spells that are directed at gaining power over others weaken the 'power from within.' Aside from the damage done to oneself, it is important for another reason. Many people who do not understand the laws of magic are afraid of being attacked magically and are given to paranoia.

The witch's main stock-in-trade used to be removing a competitor's hexes and preparing charms to protect their clients. Do yourself a favor, and resist the temptation to 'help' these types that are prone to paranoia. They will never let you rest or give you peace there will be always something more they need your energies for. If you must help set a guideline for yourselves on how much and how far your willing to help each individuel person depending on their request.

Most magical formularies consist of formulae gathered and tested by witches as well as many charms to protect the common man from those same witches who sold them their charms.

Times and Correspondences
Over the years, systems of Correspondences were developed which assigned certain attributes and aspects to the seven ancient planets of Astrology. Each planet was assigned a God or Goddess, who embodies the attributes the ancients wished to invoke. Each of the Gods and Goddesses were assigned an hour of the day, color, incense, metal, number, signature, plant, mineral, musical note, and animal or bird.

General Guidelines for Casting Spells
( Note this is a general guideline and does not have to be followed to a tee... there are some that don't have an extra room, make the provisons and substitutions that you feel is best for you when you try to create your altar or space.)

Set aside a room for your magical work. Decorate it with things that put you in a magical mood. Remember to use things that stimulate all five of your physical senses. Some obvious things would be the use of appropriate colors for sight, incense for scent, music for hearing, wines for taste, and textures for feel.
If you do not have a room you can set aside exclusively for your magical work, then choose a room that can be locked while you do your work. This will allow you to work undisturbed. In any case, you should clean your work area periodically with a purifying agent, it can be a poweder, floorwash, sage,ect... whatever you feel will keep away negative vibrations.

Set up an altar to be used as your worktable. It's size and shape should be those that appeal to you. Placing candles and other items that assist you to concentrate on the work at hand is a good practice. Some people like to cover their altar with a white cloth and place fresh cut flowers on it every day.

The subconscious is very good at making do with raw materials that one has and it can shape to its own use. ( the most expensive materials doesn't mean you will get the best results) Any materials that you feel comfortable with and you can afford is suitable.... for example how good of a result will one get if they have spent to much money on items... that one couldn't afford... it would more likely take away from what you are trying to accomplish because your subconscious would be harbouring on the cost of the materials.

Never cast a spell until you have a clear and concise picture of what it is you wish to accomplish. This ties in with the saying "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

Always ground out any extra energy you raise for the spell, and release it back into the universe to go back with love whereever it is needed.Once you have cast the spell, do not discuss it with any one until after it has worked. Most spells peter out because the person who cast it speaks about it to so many people, or they have doubt and want reassurance, that the spell is robbed of power before it has a chance to work. The ancient bond placed on the magician was to dare, to know and to keep silent.

love and peace,
moon