How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells -- Part III

In my previous two articles in this series, I highlighted the importance of writing clear Directors and Limiters for your spell and choosing the right symbols for your spell. Paying attention to both of these will help you cast stronger magic spells. In this article, the third in the series, I cover the basics of cleansing yourself, your tools, and your space when it comes down to casting your spell.

The Importance of Magical Cleansing
Casting a well-written spell in an area filled with junky energy is like dining on a fine meal in the middle of a dog pound. It's totally incongruous and starts the spell off on the wrong foot. Don't do this!

Magical cleansing is important for every aspect of your spell, including yourself, your tools, and your space. Most magical practitioners develop, over time, some kind of cleansing ritual that helps them prepare to launch a spell. The bigger the spell (or the more you want the spell to accomplish) the more important it is to do a cleansing ritual.

Cleansing Yourself Magically
As a being, you are a Spirit with a body and a mind. Before launching a spell it is important that you cleanse all of these three parts of yourself. Personal cleansing is, well, a very personal matter, and you should give some thought to how you want to do this.

Your personal cleansing might include a meditation to settle the mind, an invocation to your personal guides and totems to support your Spirit, and a lovely scented bath to cleanse your body. Some people also like to cleanse themselves with the smoke of burning sage and pine resin, plus consecrated water. Other people like to use essential oils and candles. Once you have cleansed yourself, consider clothing yourself in special ritual garb for launching your spell. Choosing clothing in colors relevant to the purpose of your spell always helps. For instance, if you want a lot of power, choose a Fire color, like sun yellow or bright red.

Cleansing Your Tools Magically
To cast a strong magic spells, your magic tools need to be clean of junky energies. Consider what tools you will need to launch your spell. Will you need a scrying bowl, an Athame, a Wand, a firebowl, or a crystal? Then consider how you will cleanse your tools. For instance, some magicians store their crystals in pewter boxes to keep them clean. Others dunk their crystals in consecrated water or bury them in a garden for a moon cycle to cleanse them. If you are going to use a Wand, decide whether you need to cleanse it by pulling it through the smoke of burning pine resin and sage. However you cleanse your magical tools, make sure they are clean and laid out before casting your spell.

Cleansing Your Space Magically
Creating sacred space is one of the most important factors in casting a strong spell. If you are going to be using one room in your house to launch your spell, such as your altar-room, be sure to four-element cleanse it before launching your spell. This includes smoking it with burning pine resin and sage, as well as flicking consecrated water on the walls. In addition, some practitioners like to cleanse the space energetically with their athame, sweeping the area clean of any junky psychic residue.

As with all magical acts, take your time and be sure to cleanse yourself, your tools, and your space thoroughly and carefully before launching your spell. A spell cast in a clean environment will encounter far less resistance and produce better results.

Want to Know More About Magical Cleansings and Tools?
Learning how to use, cleanse, and maintain magical tools like the Wand, Athame, Chalice, Place, and Firebowl are important to proper spell work. If you want to learn more about these tools and how to use them, check out our ebooks on the subject.

Magical Tool Ebooks from the Esoteric School

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How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells - Part II

This is the second in an article series on how to cast stronger magic spells. In Part I of this article series I outlined three principles to help magical practitioners clarify what they want their spells to do and not do, resulting in a stronger spell. In this article, I focus on the importance of gathering the appropriate symbols for the spell.

Choosing the Right Symbols for Your Magic Spell
One of the keys to casting stronger magic spells is choosing and using appropriate symbols. In spell work, symbols are not just for decorative purposes. Symbols are actually like doorways, and they access the power of the thing they represent.

For instance, we often use the symbols for the four elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth in our spell work. Take the Air symbols. Air can be symbolized as clouds, gusts of wind, or a Wand, which is the magical tool for the element Air. The clouds or gusts of wind symbolize Air on the mundane or ordinary level, while the Wand symbolizes Air on the spiritual level. On the ordinary level, the element Air is associated with thinking and communication. On the spiritual level, Air is linked with enlightenment and spiritual understanding. If I want my spell to increase communication between distant family members, I would use the cloud symbol, since the spell is for ordinary world-level communication. If my spell is for increasing opening up my spiritual horizons, I would use the Wand symbol.

And how would I use these magic symbols? That depends on what kind of spell I am casting. For instance, if I am casting a single candle spell, I would carve the symbol on the candle I will use to launch the spell.

Gathering the Symbols for Your Spell
Since symbols access the things they represent, they are really doorways to great power. Knowing this, it becomes obvious that choosing the right symbols for your magic spell has a lot to do with the power of your spell.

A magician preparing a spell is a lot like a mother preparing for the arrival of her baby. Your spell is your baby. When you start gathering the symbols, litanies, and other tools for your spell, it's similar to a mother preparing the nursery for her baby. If you take the same amount of care preparing your spell as a mother does preparing for the arrival of her baby, you will cast a much stronger magic spell. Plus, you'll enjoy the process more!

If you have a long-term spell, consider using a talisman or touchstone as a symbol for your spell. Check out the wide variety of animal, fairy, angel, and tribal symbols in the online store to use as talismans and amulets.

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Photo credit: Fairy Child ~ Amy Brown Inspiration ~ Explore

How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells - Part I

I get asked all the time by magical practitioners how they can cast stronger magic spells. Is there a secret ingredient that makes one spell stronger than another? Is there some secret to choosing the right spell for the right occasion? Or is it something else altogether?

The question of casting stronger spells can be a tough one to answer because, like other disciplines in life, casting spells is a cross between science and art. There isn't one single answer that is going to make the difference for every magician or every spell. But if you want to cast stronger spells, what you can do is walk through every step of the process and see how you can improve each step. This article covers the first step in casting a spell: defining what you want. We also call this step Directors and Limiters.

What Do You Want Your Spell to Do?
I know that there are a lot of magical practitioners out there who use pre-written spells authored by someone else. This is perfectly acceptable, especially if the spell doesn't have a huge scope. For instance, we frequently teach people how to use the Sun Candle for basic mood-lifting spells or how to use the Bathtub Litany for reducing stress. Using pre-written spells for this purpose is convenient and effective.

But if you want a spell to do something more than relieve stress or fluff your aura, you might want to create one from scratch. Launching a spell that you've created yourself, for your own purposes, is kind of like the difference between eating homemade biscuits and store-bought biscuits. There's a world of difference in the quality.

If you choose to create your own spell, then the first step is to define what you want your spell to do (and not do). These are the Directors and Limiters for your spell. If you want to cast stronger magic spells, then it's important to be very clear when you write your Directors and Limiters.

Be Clear About Your Directors and Limiters
How can you be clear in writing your Directors and Limiters for your spell? I've come to rely on a few principles when I write mine:

1. Take Your Time
Don't get in a hurry when you write your Directors and Limiters. According to the magic principles I was taught by Reverend George Dew, when it comes to doing magic, "Take your time, think it through, and do it right." Your Directors and Limiters form the foundation of your spell. Get those wrong and the whole spell will go awry. A lot of people launch spells because they "need" something to happen right away, which causes them to hurry when creating their spell. Don't do that. Resist the temptation.

2. Create Freely
If you're going to go to the trouble to write a spell and launch it, make sure your spell has a wide scope. It can take a lot of work to launch a homemade spell, so make sure your spell is really going to do something for you. When I consider what I want my spell to do, I sometimes take flights of fancy. I ask myself, "If time and money were no object, what would I really want?" This question unfetters my mind and allows me to think big. I may later have to downsize some of these flights of fancy so as not to overburden my spell, but starting with a strong vision is crucial. After all, if your spell isn't big enough to excite you, why bother?

3. Consider Worst-Case Scenarios
As always, when writing spells you need Directors (what you want your spell to do) as well as Limiters (what you don't want your spell to do). When it comes to writing Limiters, consider the worst-case scenarios and limit them with your Limiters. For instance, you don't want your spell to cause anyone to die. You probably don't want the spell to result in loss of property or income for yourself or your family or your dog, etc. You don't want your spell to cause you do to anything illegal. Be sure to write your Limiters to include these scenarios. One magical practitioner wrote a "get a job" spell and forgot to exclude jobs that required illegal activity. The spell brought her the most fantastic job with great pay and fabulous working hours. The only catch was that she ended up working for the mob. Bummer!

Clarity Leads to Stronger Spells
I hope these principles help you reach clarity as you write your Directors and Limiters for your spell. Taking your time in this step can mean the difference between a splendid outcome and a total flop. Casting stronger spells is all about being more methodical, consistent, and careful in your approach to creating spells. Being clear in defining the do's and don'ts for your spell is a great place to start.

Did You Know?
Did you know that magic spells actually begin to work the moment you begin creating Directors and Limiters? Spells are nothing more than formalized intentions, and writing Directors and Limiters is nothing more than setting your intentions on paper. Want to know more? Learn all about spells -- designing them, writing them, casting them -- and much more in our comprehensive Basic Magic Course.

Learn More About the Basic Magic Course

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Photo credit: Kites in a Storm

Why Magic Protection Symbols are More Important Than Ever

Have we reached the "End Times"? Are we approaching them? Are we in danger of a pole shift or some other form of catastrophe?

No, no, and no. I get asked these questions all the time by people who are concerned with the approaching "deadline" of 2012, when the Mayan calendar supposedly "ends." In truth, according Tony Shearer, who dedicated his life to studying the Mayan calendar, the calendar doesn't end in 2012, but instead simply starts over.

There are plenty of books and articles on the Mayan calendar, so I won't go into a detailed explanation of this predictive tool, but I will say that each time the calendar prepares to shift into a new cycle, our world does experience major energetic shifts.

What Energetic Changes Are Happening Now?
One major energetic shift I notice occurring with this change of cycle, which will happen around 2012, is that energy moves much more quickly than it has in the past. Specifically, the energy of our thoughts and feelings are manifesting much more quickly into physical events and occurrences. For instance, a negative thought like "I hope I don't lose my job!" is translating much more quickly into a lost job than it did about a decade ago. At the same time, a positive thought such as "I really feel soul mate is on her way to me" now manifests as a meeting between soul mates very quickly. It's a fast-changing world that is much more reactive to our thoughts and feelings than ever before. This is both good and bad--the usual double-edged sword.

Another major energetic change has to do with the Law of Contagion. The Law of Contagion deals with how easily we are affected by other people's thoughts and feelings. In the past, when energy moved much slower, it was easier to maintain our own sacred space, and not be affected by other people's energy. These days, not only does energy move faster, but the whole stream of energy pulsing around the globe is much larger. This means that not only are we more affected by the energy of another person, but we are also much more affected by global energy.

Every nation in the world is currently being affected by the economic downturn, and this is creating a large stream of energy filled with doubt, fear, and paralysis. You may have noticed that it is more difficult for you to be positive and proactive in your life. You may feel it is more difficult to take action or make choices. This feeling of oppression doesn't mean you are becoming a lazy slob or that you are losing your motivation. You may simply be affected the current global energy.

You may have also discovered that you are easily affected by the energy of another person. For instance, suppose you talk on the phone who is feeling down in the dumps. Do you notice that you also feel down in the dumps, or anxious about your own situation, after getting off the phone with that person? That's the Law of Contagion at work. You are simply more easily affected by any energy you come in contact with.

What to Do About the Law of Contagion
So what can you do about the Law of Contagion? How to preserve your sacred space? From a magic point of view, I would suggest cleansing your space (your home, office, car) with sage and pine resin, or other cleansing herbs. That's a good start.

Next, look around your environment and decide whether protection symbols would be useful, both to wear on your person or to put up around your environment. For instance, I recently re-shielded our property and added some protection symbols, like the Eye of Horus and pantacles. Other people have reported useful shielding results by wearing the psychic shield amulet, which is in the design of the seven-pointed faery star. Finally, others like introducing the energy of animal totems to gain the protection of Wolf, Buffalo, and so on.

Finally, on a mundane level, you may want to become far choosier about the people you contact. In a wonderful mixing of technology and magic, the prudent use of caller-ID to help you decide whether to pick up the phone can mean the difference between feeling down in the dumps and accessing a more positive flow of energy. In this day and age, you have the very real possibility of manifesting what you want in life faster than ever, but only if you take the time to create true sacred space around yourself. Cleanse your space, protect it, and choose your contact with other people in the world carefully!

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Photo credit: Mayan Sun Calendar

Which Magic Rituals Should You Do Now?

It's amazing how, during this economic downturn, people are suddenly confused about what kind of magic spells and rituals they should do now. Sure, more people are unemployed, the economy is pretty rocky, and times seem uncertain, but in actuality nothing has changed.

Here's the deal: we are all students in the Earth school and there are a limited number of problems we need to learn to solve while we're in school. The basic lessons are health; wealth and career; and relationships and sex. Sound familiar? Just about everything else can be put under these basic categories. And, here's the real kicker: we get happy and graduate when we solve these problems.

Your Big Life Lesson
Each person usually has one main lesson to learn in Earth school. If you look back on your life, you can probably easily figure out which lesson you signed up for. You can look at your friends, and do the same. For instance, you probably have one friend who has never had relationship issues but can't seem to get healthy. Then there is your friend who has money problems like crazy, but is as healthy as a horse, which is good because he can't afford to go to the doctor.

No matter which life lesson you have, chances are that the world economic situation hasn't really changed it, right? Maybe the lesson or "problem" has intensified, but it's still the same old problem. In the worst-case scenario, you might still have your major life lesson, but now you have a minor in some other life lesson, too. If health has been your main lesson, maybe the economic crunch has now made it more difficult for you to get the healing you need. But the bottom line is that health is still the main issue.

In short, nothing has really changed.

Magic and Your Big Life Lesson
So what kind of magic rituals or spells should you do now to help you learn about your life lesson? Your first magical act should be to meditate on the fact that, magically, size doesn't really matter when it comes to problems, or their solutions. As our teacher Abraham-Hicks is fond of saying, "It's just as easy to manifest a button as a castle." By the token, it is just as easy (or difficult) to magically solve the problem of unemployment today as it was when the economy was going strong. Your big life lesson is the same as it always has been. So, if you are feeling depressed, fearful, or pitiful, stop it. Get off the pity pot. Nothing, regardless of the gloom-and-doom of predictions of economists, is any worse than before.

The Sun Candle: A Magic Ritual for Today
Now that you've discovered that you are no worse than before, it's time to start using a magic ritual that will help you stay positive, and make forward progress toward learning your big life lesson.

One of the simplest magic rituals you can do to help you stay positive is to use the Sun Candle. Burning the Sun Candle with the appropriate litany on a daily basis will not only nourish your spirit, but give you tangible magical act to do, so you feel like you "doing something" about your situation.

Here's how you use the Sun Candle.

You will need a pure yellow candle (a bright yellow that is not too orange) and wooden or paper matches. You can find pure yellow candles at most grocery stores in the section with the religious candles (in glass containers).

You will also need to know which direction is South. To create sacred space with the Sun Candle, you will need to "charge" it, or program it to do so. Here's how:

• Stand or sit in the South facing North with the Sun Candle in front of you
• Light the candle using wooden or paper matches (do NOT use a lighter)
• Wait until the candle flame is steady and tall
• Hold your hands up to and around the flame, focusing your attention on the candle and flame.
• Say the charge verse below in a voice of command (a strong, powerful voice)

Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!

If there are other people in the room with you, you can change the "My" to "Our" and the word "Spirit" to "Spirits." Leave the candle burning in the room for at least 30 minutes (be sure the candle is on a protected surface such as a plate and is not a fire hazard).

At the end of 30 minutes or when you feel ready, blow out the flame (don't snuff it). Spend a moment or two in the area to see if you can detect a difference in the level and quality of energy. The area should feel lighter, more harmonious and/or more peaceful to you.

Have fun using this daily magic ritual to regain balance!

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Photo credit: Scent of a Candle Sunflower