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The Makings of a Good Spell
Magic as we know it exists to do a number of things - be it to give us certain advantages, heal a close friend, or do our will (as nefarious as that may be, in some cases). But a surprising amount of people have absolutely no idea how to do "proper" magic; that meaning doing it well, and doing it safely. Improper safety measures can cause all sorts of nasty things to happen - like attracting parasitic entities (or worse, and there ARE worse) or having your spell backfire on you, just to name two. And not performing a ritual or casting a spell correctly can cause it to fizzle, or just not work at all. Because doing this can be very confusing for the novice wizard, I'm going to do a (somewhat) basic outline on the makings of a good spell.
Step 1 - Have your intent.
Before you do anything, you first have to know what you want to do. Put short - think before you act. Jumping headlong into something as unpredictable and dangerous as magic has caused countless people harm or ill. So to avoid this, one must first decide the goal they wish to accomplish, and how they are going to accomplish it. It could be by mundane means (which means the "spell" stops here) or by arcane means.
Step 2 - Find your spell, or create it.
Now that you've got your intent, you must now choose how you're going to carry it out. You could use a spell you found in an old spellbook, one you created yourself, or one given to you by a friend or acquaintance. Creating spells (research Chaos Magick if you're an independent black sorceress who don't need no spellbook) is simple, and hopefully by the end of this guide, you'll even be able to create your own basic spells.
Step 3 - Starting the ritual.
Rituals can be a week-long affair or a quick five minutes spent in a quiet place. It all depends on the spell and the effect desired. Generally, a spell/ritual is started by creating a "circle" of protection. This "circle" can literally be a circle, or a square, or a pentagram lined with goat bones and skulls with candles on top. It's really up to you, and your craft. But a "circle" is absolutely necessary for the novice or apprentice wizard. Keep in mind this "circle" can be a line of salt around your area, or even an array of servitors created to function as semi-sentient shields. Like I said - it's ultimately up to you and your craft.
Step 4 - Performing your ritual.
Now that you've got the circle, and you're relatively "safe", you can start performing the ritual. Your ritual could be anything from a blood offering to a demon of the Goetia, or some incense burned while chanting a mantra. The ritual is always up to the caster and the caster's craft. But keep in mind - do the ritual well, or not at all. The clumsy and the novice should stick to short, simple rituals. Knocking over a candle during a complex ritual to an entity can offend it. And offended entities are bad news, no matter how strong your circle is. So put short - only do what you can handle. Magic is like any other art - it requires much practice.
Step 5 - Ending your ritual.
The end of the ritual depends on the spell. Some end with a simple putting out of the candles and dispelling or "releasing" any left over energy, then putting away all of the tools used. Whereas other ones require you to leave everything as it sits, for a repeat or build-on of the ritual the next hour, day, week, etc. Be aware though - a ritual ended poorly can easily ruin the sum of your efforts.
Step 6 - Don't think about it.
A lot of faiths and practices advocate "set it and forget it" which simply means to not think too much about the ritual. Thought - like everything else in the universe - is energy. Too much of it can interfere with what you did, or are going to do. The practiced wizard has the ability to maintain a clear and controlled mind, and possesses much mental and emotional discipline. Getting to this level will take a lot of meditation, and learning to control oneself.
And with that, you're pretty much ready to go onto whatever your heart desires. Most of this is common sense, but from what I've seen, common sense isn't so common nowadays. Now go on and cast your hexes, summon your demons, do your healing and money attracting spells. Hopefully you won't kill yourself now with this bit of information in your head.
Magic as we know it exists to do a number of things - be it to give us certain advantages, heal a close friend, or do our will (as nefarious as that may be, in some cases). But a surprising amount of people have absolutely no idea how to do "proper" magic; that meaning doing it well, and doing it safely. Improper safety measures can cause all sorts of nasty things to happen - like attracting parasitic entities (or worse, and there ARE worse) or having your spell backfire on you, just to name two. And not performing a ritual or casting a spell correctly can cause it to fizzle, or just not work at all. Because doing this can be very confusing for the novice wizard, I'm going to do a (somewhat) basic outline on the makings of a good spell.
Step 1 - Have your intent.
Before you do anything, you first have to know what you want to do. Put short - think before you act. Jumping headlong into something as unpredictable and dangerous as magic has caused countless people harm or ill. So to avoid this, one must first decide the goal they wish to accomplish, and how they are going to accomplish it. It could be by mundane means (which means the "spell" stops here) or by arcane means.
Step 2 - Find your spell, or create it.
Now that you've got your intent, you must now choose how you're going to carry it out. You could use a spell you found in an old spellbook, one you created yourself, or one given to you by a friend or acquaintance. Creating spells (research Chaos Magick if you're an independent black sorceress who don't need no spellbook) is simple, and hopefully by the end of this guide, you'll even be able to create your own basic spells.
Step 3 - Starting the ritual.
Rituals can be a week-long affair or a quick five minutes spent in a quiet place. It all depends on the spell and the effect desired. Generally, a spell/ritual is started by creating a "circle" of protection. This "circle" can literally be a circle, or a square, or a pentagram lined with goat bones and skulls with candles on top. It's really up to you, and your craft. But a "circle" is absolutely necessary for the novice or apprentice wizard. Keep in mind this "circle" can be a line of salt around your area, or even an array of servitors created to function as semi-sentient shields. Like I said - it's ultimately up to you and your craft.
Step 4 - Performing your ritual.
Now that you've got the circle, and you're relatively "safe", you can start performing the ritual. Your ritual could be anything from a blood offering to a demon of the Goetia, or some incense burned while chanting a mantra. The ritual is always up to the caster and the caster's craft. But keep in mind - do the ritual well, or not at all. The clumsy and the novice should stick to short, simple rituals. Knocking over a candle during a complex ritual to an entity can offend it. And offended entities are bad news, no matter how strong your circle is. So put short - only do what you can handle. Magic is like any other art - it requires much practice.
Step 5 - Ending your ritual.
The end of the ritual depends on the spell. Some end with a simple putting out of the candles and dispelling or "releasing" any left over energy, then putting away all of the tools used. Whereas other ones require you to leave everything as it sits, for a repeat or build-on of the ritual the next hour, day, week, etc. Be aware though - a ritual ended poorly can easily ruin the sum of your efforts.
Step 6 - Don't think about it.
A lot of faiths and practices advocate "set it and forget it" which simply means to not think too much about the ritual. Thought - like everything else in the universe - is energy. Too much of it can interfere with what you did, or are going to do. The practiced wizard has the ability to maintain a clear and controlled mind, and possesses much mental and emotional discipline. Getting to this level will take a lot of meditation, and learning to control oneself.
And with that, you're pretty much ready to go onto whatever your heart desires. Most of this is common sense, but from what I've seen, common sense isn't so common nowadays. Now go on and cast your hexes, summon your demons, do your healing and money attracting spells. Hopefully you won't kill yourself now with this bit of information in your head.
