The use of an Ouija Board, Talking Board or Spirit Board is among the simplest and most basic forms of necromancy. While the use of a spell is not always necessary to use an Ouija Board, preparatory spellwork takes a lot of the guesswork out of the communication, helping to ensure that you are only talking to spirits which you want to communicate with, as well as laying a contingency to make sure no spirits linger beyond their intended communication. This spell is no substitute for knowing and understanding the basic operation of an Ouija Board, however, so always make sure you fully understand how to use the board, as you would with any other tool. That being said, so long as you understand what you are doing, you will be in absolutely no danger from using an Ouija Board, to spite what popular culture would have you believe. 

First, you must have an Ouija Board and Planchette (or a small, clear glass like a shot glass to be used as a planchette. The board doesn’t have to be a ‘proper’ board either; even a piece of paper with the appropriate letters and words written out will work just fine. Just make sure you have The full alphabet, numbers 0-9, “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “Yes” and “No”.) Additionally, you will need some dried Wormwood, wormwood incense, or Wormwood candles, as well as two black candles, and a lighter or matches. If using dried wormwood, you will also want a fire-safe bowl or incense holder.

Before beginning, cover all mirrors in the ritual space with cloth (If doing the ritual in your home, cover all mirrors in the house). Place the candles on either side of the Ouija Board. Put the Wormwood in the bowl and light it. Holding the bowl with smoldering wormwood, slowly walk in circles around the board, making sure to encompass the area that all participants will sit. Walk in a counter-clockwise pattern, encircling the area a total of four times. As you do this, you may evoke the names of any you wish, especially deities of death.

When you have completed the circle, set the remaining wormwood to smolder near the board and have all participants sit around the board, then you will place the planchette in the middle of the board and have all participants place their fingertips on the planchette. Proceed to say the following incantation in a loud, clear voice to evoke the spirits to communicate.

Veni mortuus spiritu. Veni mundus spiritu. Veni caelorum spiritu.

We call and invite you to this space, at this time, to commune.

Visitas nos venit (Full name of the deceased to be communicated with*) spiritu!

If you are having trouble making contact, you may repeat the above incantation as many times as you wish until you get a response. When you have finished speaking with any spirits using the board, place the Planchette on the “Goodbye” and say the following incantation as you extinguish the candles and incense.

Exite (full name of the deceased*) spiritu!

Our visitation has come to an end.

Exite caelorum spiritu. Exite mundus spiritu. Exite mortuus spiritu.

Return now from where you’ve come. I command you now, go in peace and do not linger.  

If you continue to sense spirits, repeat the incantation loudly and firmly until you feel the spirit has left the space. Once the spirit has left, it is safe to uncover the mirrors and put away the board.

     Stormcalling is a very old category of weather magic which is used with the intent of creating, summoning and controlling storms. There are many methods for carrying out this act, but one of the simplest forms of Stormcalling is to simply whistle. One long whistled note imitates the sound of the wind itself, and the witch can visualize the blowing winds and coming storms while producing the sound in order to enact their will on the weather. 

      As someone who is both a witch and a gamer, I have noticed an inherent potential of some videogames as tools of the craft. In witchcraft, it is very common for spells to involve visualization of the desired effects, imagining the outcome of the spell as though it is happening in real time before your eyes. For this purpose, a lot of spells will use fetishes and foci to help the witch focus and visualize. This is what Image Magic is all about- using things to represent other things for spell work.  In much the same way, videogames can be used to represent the real world, more visually representing the changes you wish to make. Some games seem almost tailor-made to represent our real world, in fact. There are many ways that Minecraft, for example, could be used in spell work.  Consider the following ideas:

     -Use a nametag to name a Villager after someone who bullies you, use a lead to tie the villager to a post, then encase the whole thing in bedrock to restrict your aggressor’s actions in an unbreakable binding.

     -Surround your Minecraft home with a circle of pillars made of Gold and Emerald blocks to draw money and prosperity into your real-world home.

     -Use a block of Iron above the door of your Minecraft house to ward unwanted energies from your life outside the game.

      This methodology can easily be applied to other games as well, including The Sims. For example, make a Sim that looks like you and shares your name, then give that Sim traits that represent ways you’d like for your own personality to grow. Create Sims representing people who would like to be in a relationship, then use the game to help them along. The possibilities are nearly endless. This is also incredibly helpful for witches who wish to keep their practice a secret, giving them a way to engage in spell work in a powerful and tangible way without anyone raising any eyebrows. Someone walks in and sees you playing a videogame, they won’t bat an eyelash or pry into it. If they ask what you’re doing, you could even be completely honest with them and they would never even question that you’re just talking about your goals in the game.

 Just Some Minecraft Correspondence Ideas

     Bedrock- Impermeable, Unbreakable, Containment.

     Wool, Stained Clay- Associated Color Correspondences. Wool for softness, gentleness. Clay for firmness, strength, sturdiness.

     Lead/Leash- Binding, Drawing, Containment.

     Slime/ Slime Block- Sticky, but also repellant and bouncy.

     Lava, Fire, Netherrack- Heat, Burning, Destruction, Pain, Light.

     Torch, Glowstone- Illumination, Guidance, Safety.

     Glass/ Glass Pane- Clarity, Separation, Vision.

     Redstone/ Redstone Block- Speed, Time, Power, Energy.

     Gold- Money, Magic, Solar energy

     Emerald- Money

     Books/Bookshelves- Wisdom, Knowledge, Mystery, Secrets.

         Liminal Spaces are locations that are in a state of liminality. Liminality can be defined as a state of transition between one thing and another; a state in which something has ceased to be what it used to be, but has not yet become what it will be. Another way to think about this, in terms of a physical space, can be to think of Liminal Spaces as being boundaries. A doorway, for example, is both inside and outside, but at the same time is neither; It is in a permanent state of liminality. Another example would be hedgerows around a property, as they mark the boundary between properties. Old magic was often worked along hedgerows, and it is because of this that the word Hedge can be used to refer to any Liminal Space in the context of witchcraft (Not to be confused with the terms Hedge Witch/ Hedge Witchcraft, which are largely unrelated.)

        Liminal Spaces can be very important in practices of witchcraft, as it is said that any Liminal Space has its own power and can be treated as a place where the veil between worlds is thin. Because of this, Liminal Spaces are not only considered places where powerful magic can be worked, but also places of potential danger where demons and spirits from other worlds can more easily manifest and work their way into our world.

        Because of this, many witches choose to focus their magical protections around the Hedges of the space they occupy. Protective charms and wards are often hung from window sills, nailed around doorframes and placed at the corners of rooms. However, this concept can be taken even further and you will quickly realize that doorways, windows and property lines are only the beginning of the Hedges you encounter in your life.

        One such space that is sometimes forgotten when warding and protecting Hedges is the bed. A witch’s bed is actually a very potent Hedge, as it represents a boundary or vehicle by which one transitions from one day to another. On another level, the bed also represents a physical boundary between the waking world and that of dreams or even, in a sense, a gateway between the physical world and the astral realm. Some witches believe that it is possible for spirits to piggyback on the consciousness of the living in dreams in order to hop that boundary and emerge in the physical world when we wake. Because of this, it can be very important to safeguard our dreams and sleeping areas as we would any other Hedge.

        Along the same vein, mirrors are also an age-old form of Hedge, and one that is fiercely protected and often feared by witches. They are very often considered to be a literal window into other worlds, the glass of the mirror separating us from the worlds of the unreal. You often hear tales of mirrors being used to trap demons and children summoning malicious spirits by candlelight in a dark bathroom. Perhaps these fears harken back to an instinctual truth, similar to the childhood fear of the monster hiding in the darkness beyond the closet door.

        In this modern age, many witches have taken to using modern technology on a daily, and in some cases, minutely basis. This presents a unique situation in which new forms of Hedges are being created, and in some cases, carried with us. In much the same way that beds and mirrors are windows and gateways between this world and nonphysical ones, so too can screens be seen in this light. Computers, televisions and even cellphones are metaphorical windows through which we view and are separated from the outside world, and as such, they can be viewed as Hedges that carry great magical potential, but can also be points of entry for all manner of spirits, and thus should be warded like any other.

There are many ways to cleanse energy from a space, but one such way involves enlisting the help of air Elementals called Sylphs or Sylpheeds. Sylphs are very good at clearing away that which is unwanted or stagnant; Clearing the air, so to speak. Wind freshens, clears away dust and dirt and spreads life as when seeds are blown in a breeze. This is one way to utilize the assistance of Sylphs to cleanse a space.  

To begin, open all the doors in the space that is to be cleansed, creating one continuous space through which air can flow.

Choose a place to conduct the cleansing. This should be a place where you feel comfortable. Places near the center of the space and places above the ground floor are great for this, but it is important that it feels like a place you can easily draw power.

Take this opportunity to cast a circle if you desire, though it isn’t completely necessary.

Open a window. This will allow the wind and outside air to enter the space, carrying with it the cleansing power of air. Do this with intent; as an act of invitation to Sylphs.

Burn some sage and/or other cleansing herbs/incense of your choice. It is good to do this in a small cauldron or portable fireproof container. Incense and the smoke they produce are closely tied with the element of air, and are often used in cleansing rituals across the world. 

Sit down on the ground with the sage/incense in front of you. It may be helpful to face eastward if you desire, as this is the direction of Air.

Sing a song! Sylphs love music and will come to your aid when you offer up a melody in return. Sing, hum or whistle any song you wish- it doesn’t matter the melody, just the act of producing music is what they desire.

While you are doing this, pass your hands through the smoke and use the motion to direct it. Visualize the Sylphs bathed in the wisps of smoke and flowing in the wind. Visualize them passing through the space and clearing out all that is unwanted from the space.

This is a small charm I created for a friend to help ward off unwanted spirit activity and I thought, “Hey! Why not share this with Tumblr?”

So I am!

PS  The penny is for size comparison.

What you’ll need:

Piece of black cloth

Brown string, twine, yarn etc. 

Marker, paint pen or similar. 

Lavender Oil (Protection, Purification and Peace) 

What goes in it:

Sage (Protection, Exorcism) 

Basil (Protection, Exorcism, Sooths Temperaments) 

Cascarilla aka powdered white eggshell (Protection, Shielding) 

White Willow chips/shavings (Protection, Stability)

White Clover blossoms (Protection)

Juniper Berries (Protection, Exorcism, Psychic Strength)

Peppercorn (Protection, Adds ‘kick’) 

How to do it:

It’s pretty simple, really. Once you’ve gathered up all your materials and ingredients, you start by putting all the ingredients in the middle of the piece of cloth. You can either combine all the herbs separately or just put them in a pile on top of each other directly on the cloth as I did. It should look something like this. 

Next, carefully fold up the cloth into a little pillow shape. Make sure that you keep all the herbs together in the middle as you do this, and try to keep the folds as tight as possible, leaving as little empty space inside as possible so the ingredients can’t move around and shift or escape the cloth. 

At this point, you can use your marker, paint or paint pen to inscribe a sigil, bindrune or other protective symbol of your choosing on one side of the charm. Be careful while doing this so you don’t let it come undone as you won’t have tied it up yet. I used a silver paint pen to represent a connection to the lunar powers of protection, shielding as well as associations with metallic qualities like reflection and steely unbreakability. The bindrune I used is my Bindrune of Magical Protection. 

After that’s set, you’re ready to use the brown (for protection) string, yarn or twine to tie up the charm. This can be done any number of ways, so just make sure you keep it nice and tight so it doesn’t come undone or spill. You can even incorporate some knot magic here if you want! After it’s all tied up and secure, dab it with some Lavender oil.