#spell-casting

1. Your Belief System - Of course, you should put your belief system in your Book of Shadows. Why not? It’s yours, right? And your belief is a wonderful, powerful thing – especially when it comes to magick. You should be putting your belief system in your Book of Shadows. Write all about it! Maybe you consider yourself Wiccan, pagan, Atheist, Christian, or something else. Maybe you just call yourself an Eclectic Witch and leave it at that (Me). Either way, you should be writing all you can about your belief system…including the laws and rules, you believe in.

2. Types of Magick - There is so many types of magick, it’s unbelievable. It truly makes magick…erm…magickal.But here’s the thing: You should definitely be writing down the different types of magick. Think of it more as a reference list that you can go back to when creating spells. If you want to create a spell to make someone leave you specifically alone, you may look at that list and go…huh. A binding spell to keep them from causing harm, or a jar spell, or a puppet spell, or a…You get the point.

3. Charts and Correspondences - What is a Book of Shadows without charts and correspondences? There’s so much information it’s crazy. Candle color meanings (or color meanings).Number meanings. Dream interpretation of meanings.Tarot meanings.Rune meanings.Metal meanings.Flower meanings.Seashell meanings…Yeah, it’s so much it can probably fill a book. Or two.

4. In-depth information on your “area of expertise” - Let me clarify. When I say “area of expertise”, I’m only assuming that you have now practiced some magick and want to “specialize” in something. You know…Be a “green witch”, a “kitchen witch”, a “whatever other kinds of witch”.For the record, you can, and should, practice all sorts of magick. But you also should do certain types of spells more than others. For example, if you focused on sigil magick versus other types of magick, you’ll be a lot more powerful when it comes to sigil magick than other people. And the best part? If you are in a dire situation, all you have to do is whip out a pen and paper (or your phone…tech magick!) and cast a sigil spell. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. You’ll result will often be a lot better than if you cast another spell, too.

5. And of course, spells and rituals - Naturally, what is a BoS without spells and rituals? You can put Spells you’ve tried Spells you found online spells you found in books pulls you create spells you haven’t even tried yet rituals you create rituals you haven’t tried yetSpells and Rituals in areas of magick you aren’t quite familiar with yet but will want to try…at some point. It doesn’t have to be just spells you found or created or even tried. You can simply save a spell for later. Now, you have one hell of a good magickal Book of Shadows. 

But don’t stop there.

In my free, 71-page ebook, “A Witch’s Book of Shadows”, you can also learn…

More things to put in your Book of Shadows.

The difference between a Book of Shadows and a magickal grimoire.

What should not go in your Book of Shadows

Defining whether you should have a digital or physical book of shadows – and how to create either.

Spell-Casting tips

why your spells aren’t working

plus, 15 free spells.

Things Magic Can Do:

Hurt- Most common use of magic. Any living thing can be harmed using magic, though the strength of the demon who’s magic is being invoked is pitted against that of the target, so effectiveness ranges. 

Heal- Second most common use of magic. There’s a long history of people making deals with demons in order to save others, from loved ones to whole towns. Its effectiveness ranges based on demon, but overall it’s less effective than magic’s ability to hurt. 

Protect- Third most common use of magic. Powerful barriers permeate areas of the Archives, some of them decades old. In some cases, in order to maintain protection spells, the books containing the demon who’s power is being used, will be entombed in an area, or hidden in the home of the protectee. Often without their knowledge. 

Predict- Prediction is a far less common use of magic. Its possibility is VERY dependent on who’s power you’re invoking. Even then, the clarity of the predictions made will vary depending on the caster’s focus, and whether anyone’s trying to counter the spell. 

Detect- Pretty much a sixth sense for most magic users. Once you start using magic you get a sense for when others are using it. That said, there are plenty of spells for detecting the magic of someone who’s actively trying to hide it. 

Manipulate- This skill takes a lot of guts. It’s like lying on the spot- if you’re manipulating someone, unless you’re very good at it, you have to believe your own con, you’ve got to feel it, in order to get the other person to go along. Like heavy suggestion rather than hypnotism. When mastered, it’s extremely powerful. 

Communicate- The Archives are riddled with powerful items you can use to communicate long distance. There are spells too if you’re travelling light, but they’re a tad invasive. That said, if it’s sheer volume you’re after rather than range, spells are the way to go. 

Reveal- In order to reveal something, you need to know it’s hidden. If you go casting spells to reveal without knowing there’s something hidden, the chances of revealing something are way low, and your chances of wasting your time and spells are way up. Better to detect first, unless you’re particularly attuned. And even if you do, a powerful spell-caster's work is still hard to unveil.  

Conceal- Like any hiding place, you need to conceal your magic in the right place. Somewhere it’ll go unnoticed until it needs to be. But you’d still need at least a few months of casting under your belt before getting the knack of hiding it, mostly because you need to account for rando’s wandering into it or its sphere of influence. Hiding the fact that you’re casting? Near impossible around other spellcasters, though the seasoned magic user can deceive most normies. 

Repair- Magic can’t reverse or create, but it can build. It can alight on some fragments, and with some careful focus, figure out a way to stick them together. 

Understand- A very high level task. If something is beyond the understanding of the spellcaster, they can commune with the demon who’s power they’re using, and see what they make of it. Requires intense meditation, and can take days, so it better be worth the time. 

Silence- Dark magic. This one’s all demon. (Most) Humans or other sentient creatures don’t have the stomach to erase the empirical evidence of another living thing. You remove the voice. The echo. The person goes unnoticed until your death, or the revocation of the spell. 

Things Magic Can’t Do:

Create- Spellcasters are borrowing power from demons. Demons, in turn, are channelling the God that created them. But the God can’t physically interact with the Archives, and Demons aren’t powerful enough to create using that borrowed power. You can’t just conjure shit. 

Resurrect- Dead is dead is dead. The afterlife isn’t something the Archives are privy to- whatever happens when you die, the dead haven’t found a way to come back from it. 

Erase- Silencing is about the most a spell can do, and even then, it just revokes your ability to be noticed. You still exist. You can be killed, but the evidence of your existence can’t just be removed from the world. You’ve left indents on hundreds of people’s minds that couldn’t be accounted for otherwise. 

100% Brainwash- You can get to maybe 99%. Just like you can’t erase a person’s entire existence, you can’t erase them. If you’re controlling a person’s mind or manipulating them, even if they’re dumb as shit, there’s a persistent if small chance that they’ll break out of the trance. If you push them to do something that is deeply against their nature, the chances of them breaking out increase.

Extend Beyond Demon’s Range- You have a book. You hold the book, you cast spell. Unless you’ve got something really special living in that book of yours, you can’t extend across the entire Archive to deal with your problems. Spells are mostly short-range, aside from the odd projectile spell. 

Undo- What’s done is done. A spell can repair, but it can’t undo or reverse its own actions. It also can’t reverse time. If you wanted that building in one piece you should have either protected it or not blown it the fuck up dipshit. 

Invert- Spells can push limits, but it can’t break them entirely. Transmutation? Of course. Manipulation? Obviously. But if you turn water into wine it’s still probably going to taste watered down. If you turn a priest into a killing machine, they’ll still probably do it with God in mind. Powerful or defining traits can’t be erased, they can only have their direction/drive changed. 

Absolve- If you fuck the fuck up, if you renounce your humanity, or the lives of your loved ones, in favour of power or strength, if you turn against everything that makes you a person, you can’t get that back. At least, not with magic. Magic can’t fix your broken soul, dipshit. Go to therapy. 

Comfort- See above. You can use magic to help a situation as you please, but it can’t be used to erase or ease the emotional burdens left behind. 

Cost:

Life  Energy- Magic is like physical activity. It’s like getting tired really fast without actually doing anything physical, which can give you a kind of motion sickness in the early days. You’re more likely to pass out from exhaustion before it bleeds you dry though. 

Materials- Some spells, particularly protection spells, need some extra materials. This can be literally anything. Human material, buildings, precious items. You name it. Go nuts. 

Time- Powerful spells take a while to get out. Better find a safe spot to focus in for a few days. Bring a blanket. 

Sanity- All spells have an emotional weight. They burden your mind with the knowledge of what you’ve done, as does the voice of the demon who helped you accomplish it. Thinking too hard for too long, after doing too much, can pull the strings holding your mind together so taught that, without a rest, they’ll snap. 

Life- Yours and that of others. Sometimes as a consequence, sometimes in exchange. Sometimes to get the demon to reveal what you need to know. 

Debt- Most spellcasters take on a debt when they receive their powers. This is fully negotiable, naturally. Think it through, though. No backsies. 

Other Spells- The spells in your book will move and change from time to time. In order to cast one spell, a handful of smaller ones might become unavailable. So write them down in your own hand whenever you can. 

Spell Itself- Spells have limited uses. Use it enough times and it’ll either become indecipherable or disappear from the book, or your mind, altogether. So be moderate. 

Feel:

Like something wriggling inside your bones. A hundred writhing fingers passing through you like a ghost, shaping around you as it moves past. Like tentacles. Like one of these sponges, made of living flesh, moving under your skin. The texture and touch of its tendrils depend on the spirit you’re invoking. 

If you are new to the whole witchcraft thing, don’t fret. You’re in the right place.

I’ve gathered some helpful tips for newbies, which I also had posted on my other site - mywitchylife.com - to help you out.

1. Read the spell or ritual instructions several times over before casting

2. If you mess up, keep going. Don’t try to “go back” to fix it. Sometimes this just messes up the flow.

3. Make sure you have all the required ingredients.

4. If you don’t have all the required ingredients, make sure you have the appropriate substitutes.

5. If you edit the spell, consider charging it.

6. Know that you don’t NEED to memorize the spell, but try not to pause. Read it or memorize it.

7. If you read the spell off of something, try not to read it off a screen - if you aren’t used to tech-magick, especially. Light and technology can sometimes affect your magick.

8. Pay attention to what feels right to you. This may be the timing, movements, etc. Magick is personal.

9. You don’t really need to wait until the full moon, all the time, though sometimes it is necessary.

10. Unless the spell requires it, make sure no one is around. If you are a beginner especially, sometimes the energy can affect the people around you. My friend once did a love spell when I was in the room, and her ex-boyfriend ended up crushing on ME. I have other experiences like this one, too, back when I was a newbie.

11. If you found the spell online, or even in a book, try to charge the spell first. You can do this by visualizing energy entering the spell and charging it, or even with another spell. This is also good if you decide to edit the spell, as well.

12. Cleanse your space, and yourself. You don’t want to work with “tainted energy”, such as working with chaos magick - negative energy, basically. While some people work with chaos magick to get what they want quickly, it harms you and others in the long run and has SERIOUS side effects, and can sometimes make it harder for you to practice magick in the long-run.

13. What is your energy source? Visualize energy. Where is it coming from? The earth? the universe? Yourself? The candle (representing fire, light, darkness, spirit, heat) even heat has its own energy, as well as the astral plane, dreams, people, rocks, flowers, crystals, etc.

14. Pay attention to the elements. If you are casting a sex spell, maybe focus on the element of fire, etc.

15. Pay attention to how you are feeling. Don’t practice magick while you are angry.

16. Clear your mind, meditate, and be visual. Imagine the outcome.

17. Ask for permission if you are casting a spell on someone else, or at least cast a spell that gives the person an “option” to take this gift of energy or not. People “accept” or “reject” this on a subconscious level.

18. Don’t be too specific, or the spell may not work.

19. But also, don’t be too general, either.

20. Don’t be selfish.

21. If necessary, know how to reverse it. Many spells can’t be reversed, so in addition, make sure you can deal with the consequences.

22. Think outside the box. An invisibility spell can have consequences. You can get in a car accident because “Oh my gosh, I didn’t see you there, you came out of nowhere!”. 

23. If this is the first time casting your spell, keep your expectations in check. Some beginners struggle, and that’s OK. Some beginners are surprised by how strong they are - and that’s also OK. Both can have pros and cons.

24. Once you cast the spell, be done with it. Don’t obsess over it.