Spell casting captures our imaginations. The idea that we could achieve our life’s desires with a simple magic ritual is as alluring as it is ridiculous.
What if it does work, though? What if we could cast spells that open doors to our dreams?
The truth is, you can, it’s just not as straightforward as you think. Here we reveal how spell casting really works, its ancient history, and how you can use spells to achieve your goals.
What is a Spell?
When we think of spells, our imaginations automatically shift to evil witches gathered around their bubbling cauldrons, or magic wizards casting fireballs in battle.
These fictional representations of spell casting are so far from reality that it’s absurd for people to believe they’re real.
A real spell is simply a spiritual ritual that helps witches focus their attention and intentions on what they desire. It’s similar to prayer in other spiritual practices, but uses tools (like herbs, crystals, candles, etc.) and explicit steps to guide the practitioner.
Spell Casting
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Spell casting has an ancient history. Our earliest ancestors sensed the magic in the materials around them, using them to tell the future and guide their way.
Archaeologists found evidence of binding spells and magic rituals dating as far back as 400 BC in ancient Greece, and even further back in ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of human civilization.
The evidence suggests we’ve been casting spells for as long as we’ve lived in society, but it might even date to prehistoric times.
Humanity’s earliest spells warded away evil spirits, protected warriors, bound minor gods to do a sorcerer’s bidding, and helped us find our place in the world.
Today, we have a better understanding of science and how the world works, but many still believe in a spell’s power.
And for good reason.
How Spells Work
We’ve already covered how spells work in depth, exploring the marriage of science and faith that guides our modern magic rituals.
To summarize, spells work because we believe they work. And because we believe they work (in the deepest depths of our subconscious), we act like they will work, and the spells become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Spells help us focus our intentions and energies on the things we desire most, and help us clear our minds to see things for what they really are.
Of course, that’s an overly simplistic explanation, and there’s far more to it than that (read the article for the in-depth explanation!), but belief is a huge part of it.
Spells work because our minds are more powerful than you can even imagine, and spells help us focus on what we want.
How to Cast Spells that Really Work
Now that you know how spells work, you can cast a spell to achieve your dreams.
Follow these steps to create and cast a spell that will work.
- Decide what you want
- Write an incantation
- Gather Supplies
- Craft your “spell recipe”
- Make a Space
- Set Up Your Spell
- Cast Your Spell
Here’s how each step works, but remember, it’s fluid. You might want to create a recipe before writing the incantation, or gather your supplies after deciding what to use in your spell.
Complete the steps in the order that makes the most sense to you.
Decide What You Want
The first step to any spell is figuring out why you’re casting it. In witch speak, that desire is your intention.
You need to set your intention to successfully cast a spell.
Intention is one of the hardest parts. You can’t make it so broad that your energy will be all over the place, but you also can’t make it too narrow, because you have to allow the universe space to work its will in its way.
For example, your intention shouldn’t be something broad like “I want all my dreams to come true” or narrow like “I want a million dollars.”
Instead, focus on something like wellness, prosperity, happiness, health, or protection.
When you focus your intention on prosperity, you’re channeling energy toward a specific goal, but also allowing space for the type of property you need, which might not be what you thought you wanted.
Write an Incantation
Your incantation serves as a way to focus your intention with words. This part of spell casting is the most similar to prayer, in that you’re specifically asking for what you want.
Your incantation can take many forms. Some witches write poems and verses, while others simply ask for what they want in plain English. New witches who struggle to create their own incantations can build upon the spells they find in published works from other witches.
Whether you write your own or borrow from others, your incantation is crucial. It uses the power of words to focus your energy on the things you desire.
Gather Supplies
Modern magic depends on the natural energies of herbs, crystals, tools, and symbols. Different types of witches may use different tools. Some use candles, while others use thread.
Lunar witches focus on the moon cycles, crystal witches prefer working their magic with crystals and minerals, and eclectic witches take what they like to form their own style of the craft – there’s no right or wrong way.
Use items that represent your intention. For example, if you’re casting a prosperity spell, you might use colors, symbols, herbs, and ingredients representing prosperity, like green and gold, dollar signs, coins, cinnamon, and horseshoes.
Craft Your Spell Recipe
Once you have your intention and supplies, you must decide how you will cast your spell. I call this your “spell recipe,” because it’s similar to a recipe you’d find in a cookbook, but most witches consider this step the essence of what a spell is.
Your recipe should include all the supplies (candles, threads, or cauldrons), ingredients (herbs, potions), symbols (crystals, colors), and incantation you use in casting your spell, written out in a step-by-step guide so you can recreate it later.
It should also include timing (lunar witches need to consider the lunar cycle, while sea witches might cast spells based on the tide).
Write your ingredients and steps in your grimoire (a witch’s spell book) to remember what you did, and so you can tweak them in the future.
Make a Space
Although a dedicated altar is ideal for spell work, you can use any space in your home that makes sense to you.
Clear a small table or use your kitchen counter. Make sure you have enough room for all your tools and ingredients, and that you won’t be disturbed while casting your spell.
Set Up Your Spell
When setting up your spell, consider the tools and materials you will need. Take out your candle, cauldron, ingredients, and channeling tools and arrange them on your altar in the order that makes sense.
Keep your spell recipe with your incantation close at hand, so you can recite it at the right time (or memorize it!).
Arrange everything so you can easily access it while casting your spell.
Cast Your Spell
The final step is actually casting the spell. Light your candle, mix your ingredients, chant your incantation, channel your energy, and blow out your candle to complete the spell.
Every Spell is Different
Of course, every witch has a different process, and every spell has different steps. You might not have a candle or ingredients or an incantation, but none of that matters.
What matters is that you follow your dedicated process for casting a spell. The beauty in the magic is that it adapts to the individual using it.
So do what feels right. Cast your spell and accept all the goodness the universe offers into your life.
Did the Spell Work?
People scoff at witchcraft because they cast spells asking for massive sums of money (or something equally ridiculous), and it doesn’t work.
Spells don’t work like that. They often work in beautiful, unexpected ways, but you must be open to seeing it. Sometimes, they help you realize that you weren’t asking for what you wanted, and help you realize what you really needed.
Going back to our prosperity spell example, you might have intended prosperity to mean money, but the universe might teach you its other definitions. You might find prosperity in a bountiful garden, in friendship, in love, or in having all that you need. Your spell can help you see and appreciate all the wonderful things you already have.
So if your spell didn’t seem to work on the surface, go back and rethink your intention. Maybe it did work, but you just didn’t see it.