#advanced magic

Table of Contents by tag (not in order)

#weather magic

#beginner witch or #witchcraft 101

#book recommendations

#correspondence table

#art magic

#technomagic or #pop culture magic or #emoji spells

#basics of spellcraft

#ingredients

Why is Spell Dictation Important?

Being in the proper headspace is so important when casting. For a lot of people, the aesthetics of their spell is just as important for maintaining headspace as music and lighting. Without being in a good headspace the likelihood of your spells working as intended drops significantly. And having a spell that takes up several pages will cause you to break from it and ruin your headspace. If you mark all your pages with significant information, references, symbols, and incantations, then you can check all your sources before casting in order to have a seamless spell process. If you feel that you'll be able to remember every detail about the spells you put into your books, and you don't plant on sharing any online- then just use this post as a guideline for spells you find on the internet.

Necessary Elements of Spell Dictation for Accurate Spell Replication.

In order for your spells to be accurately reproduced by another practitioner it is important to include enough information. There are a lot of variables when it comes to casting a spell and sadly there's almost no modern spell dictations that contain enough information. The important variables to record are:

Subtle body programing/orientation

All possible nodes. (If a memory is a node, it will not translate perfectly for another practitioner.)

Physical objects used and the process of using them

The energetic process throughout the entire spell

The required state of awareness

The variables for building headspace

The center or source of passion

The intent and focus, depicted exactly as it was cast the first time.

Prominent energy points

Energetic current flow and density as it moves through the subtle body and the paths that it takes.

Time and locations, if necessary or desired.

What it targets

How it targets and/or reaches that target

Any spirits used in the spell and their properties and roles in the casting. Potentially even how to summon or commune with them.

Psychic abilities used and how they were implemented specifically, if necessary

Any incantations, their meaning, and any sigils that were used.

Any gestures or bodily movements that were significant.

Any symbols that were used other than sigils

Thorough descriptions of any energetic constructs and thoughtforms used.

Any astral information if necessary.

Any energetic gates used.

As a neat side-effect of densely representing information, your book of spells will be difficult to read without study. This is okay, as you’ll still be able to read it clearly.

The rest of this post is for inspiration and guidance on how to achieve the necessary amount of information.

Concepts for Spell Dictation

An important aspect of thorough spell dictation is being able to fit as much information as possible onto a single page of your medium of choice. This is done by the application of magical scripts, sympathetic notations (symbols that represent a much longer word or sentence), Sigils, Magical symbols, graphical representations, illustrations, encryption, conlangs, allusions to other texts/books, and general clever design.

Using a Magical Script & Conlang for Spell Dictation

Magical scripts are special orthographies used to either write in a conlang or transcribe your chosen language. These scripts can be built on the phonetic sounds of a language or a 1:1 representation of that language's orthography. Doing so does two things at the same time: makes it difficult for others to read your work, which can be perfect for discreet practitioners; and, adds to or improves the general aesthetics of your work. Which can be extremely beneficial; for generating a headspace once you have familiarized yourself with your own methods. Using a conlang can make your spell feel more magical, especially if you design the language yourself and choose what sounds make up your language.

Allusions to Other Texts or Books

You can create a code to reference outside material that takes up very little space on your page. A simple number sequence can be used to describe the page number and line. Or you can create a code specifically for referencing in another one of your books that is dedicated to relevant information like, charts, tables, correspondences, herbs, gestures, etc. This can be done b y assigning each section in that book a letter, and each entry under that section a number. I do this very often in my second and third grimoires. Doing this allows you to include much more relevant information for casting your spell without taking up tons of space on your page.

Magical Symbols, Sigils, & Sympathetic Notation

One of the most common elements found in spellwork are sigils. These symbols pack a lot of information in a relatively small space. And if they’re designed a certain way, they can easily be reproduced from the pages of your grimoire, graphic, or online reliquary. Magical symbols work in much the same way, however they can also be integrated into your conlang or script. Sympathetic notation is when you use pictographs, code words, photographs, or illustrations as representations for magical concepts. These won't be inherently magic, but rather would signify important concepts that are to be considered when casting.

Graphical Representation & Illustration

Graphical representation refers to charts, graphs, and/or tables for important information. As much of magic exists on a spectrum it can be very simple and useful to create graphical representations for many of these concepts, especially if the magical concepts are wordy. Illustrations can work in much the same way as it often takes more space to describe a shape or design rather than just dedicating a small space to draw it out. This is a relatively common practice in online witchcraft communities, though most of which are superficial.

Possible Augmentation of Media

Sometimes, it can be very helpful to notate spells with the music you like to use to cast. The song can be augmented and written in your grimoire to look like song lyrics, alongside a short code to grab bits of information out of the lyrics. This practice can be very useful to discreet witches. The same can also be done with literature, poetry, videos, and movies by notating a time or page along with a code. Sometimes a single quote from a movie can pack a significant punch for the concept you’re trying to capture. Maybe notate the movie or series title with the range of time in which the desired dialog or scene takes place.

Ciphers, Encryption, & Code Words

Sometimes even transcriptions and references aren't enough to protect your information from being read by those that don't have your permission to read it. To solve this issue, you can create an encryption. This can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like. From using conde words to creating a multi-variable cipher wheel. This way, even your transcription wont make sense. Doing so with a magical script would actually add another layer of protection to your encryption. However, doing so can be difficult to use on the fly. The only way it can used once encrypted is to take the time to decrypt your own spell onto a piece of paper or tablet/phone/computer before the spell can be done. I personally only use encryption for my curses and spells that could be dangerous if used by the wrong people or practitioners who dont have enough experience or context to safely cast.

Clever Design

As far as aesthetics and encryption go, you can get very clever with how your information is depicted. There are infinite options for you to choose from when creating your work. One of the biggest elements I would recommend taking into consideration would be continuity of design. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to the aesthetics or designs for your grimoire, I'd recommend starting by watching and reading media about Concepts in Design.

Examples from my own grimoires

The Grey Grimoire

In my first Grimoire I hadn’t really dove into the importance of in-depth spell dictation. The spells in this Grimoire are difficult to reproduce for this reason. I have to remember a lot of the variables involved when I was creating the spells.

Key:

1a: A list of all the necessary items and tools required for casting.

1b: A spell circle intended to be reproduced for use in the spell and then later burned.

1c: A Sigil-chain and accommodating incantation, intended to be reproduced and burned as part of the spell.

Also, in this Grimoire, I created a complex cipher wheel that is used to decode the Golden Grimoire.

The Golden Grimoire

In my second Grimoire, I started moving away from magic that required physical tools and objects. A majority of the spells in this book are purely gestural and energetic, with a few exceptions. It was here that I began realizing the importance of detailed spell depiction. Unfortunately, I didn’t take into consideration the amount of space all of my reference tables would take up in the book. This Grimoire only has about 12 spells in it as a result.

Key:

2a: A pictographic script used to describe both the gesture and energetic process of casting.

2b: A symbol that denotes the level of difficulty for the energy work involved.

2c: References to tables and infographics within the Grimoire.

2d: A 2D topographical graphical representation of how to program the subtle body and the subsequent energetic fields.

2e: The Sigils involved. In this case they are to be reproduced energetically as constructs.

2f: Symbols that are sympathetic notations of important concepts involved in casting such as: Integral energy points, key energetic properties, and what correspondences are the most important to physical use.

2g: The incantation.

2h: What may look like a spell circle, but in actuality it is a graphical depiction of the gestures and stances over time.

2i: A phrase meant to give insight into the mindset required for casting.

The Red Grimoire

In my third Grimoire, which is still very much a work in progress, I applied a lot of what I learned from the prior two about space management and densely recorded information. In this Grimoire, the spells are 100% gesture and energy based and require no physical objects at all whatsoever. Furthermore, the spells in this Grimoire are designed to be modular so that they can be combined to create spells with more specific effects, as each element within each spell is depicted in it’s entirety in terms of energetic programming, mindset, gestures, etc.

Key:

3a: The title of this specific combination of gesture magic and energy work.

3b: A more detailed 2D topographical graphic representation of the subtle body’s programming.

3c: A more refined variation of the pictographic script used to describe the gestures and energy work.

3d: Important information related to the process of preforming this spell-component.

Key:

4a: The beginning of this gesture is notated to begin with the spell-component page above this one.

4b: A graphical representation of the shape of the energetic constructs involved in casting.

4c: References to other books, like the prior two grimoires.

4d: graphical representation of the level and point of focus of Gnosis

4e: Important information required to maintain the proper headspace.

4f: The bodily stance that should be used through the entire series of gestures.

4g: Important Energetic points that should remain in use throughout the entire spell process.

4h: A graphical representation of how the intent and headspace should shift throughout the spell process.

Word definitions:

Encryption: the process of converting information or data into a code, especially to prevent unauthorized access

Cipher: a secret or disguised way of writing; a code.

Subtle Body: The energetic system that is constructed of energetic fields, nodes, and conduits that connect them.

Energetic Awareness: The ability to be aware of energetic density, volume, properties, movement, and location.

Energy Point: An energetic node within the Subtle Body

Energetic Gates: An artificial Energy Point that connects a practitioner to a specific source of energy.

Conlang: AKA Constructed language, is a language that is created by one or a few individuals. Sometimes referred to as a fictional language.

Script: A set of symbols used to represent words, concepts, and/or sounds.

Orthography: The graphical representation of sounds, The Latin alphabet is a good example.

Transcription: The act of creating a new script that has a 1:1 representation of each letter in a language’s orthography.

Headspace: The ideal environment and mental state that allows for complete focus on a single task.