Free Will Magick

Spells and Charms are methods for directing our own energy and asking the Universe to help us with a step along our path. They are very similar to prayer and meditation, because the goals are to focus ourselves and to request and draw in energy from a deity, the Universe, or whatever you prefer to call it. The ritual elements of spellcasting are there to help focus all of this energy in specific ways. Herbs can be used which have certain attributes and affinities which match the desired outcome. Spells are cast during certain times of the solar, lunar and astral cycles which also lend focus to the outcome. Words recited and actions performed all serve to focus as many different parts of ourselves as possible into the process of working towards our goal. There are magickal traditions around the world which vary according to the belief-systems behind them and the cultures in which they evolved. What is important is not which system you use, but which system you feel the most affinity for. A spell will always be more powerful when cast in the way that the caster identifies with, because in the end it’s the energy that matters, not the motions.

There are some very elaborate rituals for conjuring and spellcasting, but it’s usually best to cast only with the amount of ritual you can be comfortable with. If you’re busy trying to remember a list of hand-movements and a complicated incantation, then you’re not going to be focusing your mind and energy on the goal and the spell probably won’t work. Throughout history, when someone went to a wise-woman, shaman, or hedge-doctor for help, they would usually be given a powder, potion, or charm and a simple set of instructions for how to use it. Many spells require that the person who has the goal be actively involved in working for it, because the Universe is not set up to give us big things for no effort. “Folk Magick”, (as opposed to formal, ceremonial magick, which was generally the providence of Alchemists and Priests), is all about taking simple things and using them in practical ways. If you’ve ever thrown salt over your shoulder, or been careful not to pick up a penny if it’s wrong-side-up, then you’ve participated in a little of this tradition. Magick needs a connection to work, so often the things that you identify most closely with will actually work much more powerfully for you than things chosen just because they look mysterious, expensive, and/or sparkly.