Five Ways with Magic.

Magic can be considered as an art and science as it requires and combines elements of both approaches. Performing magic requires knowledge of the many methods and materials used and this will need personal research or the help of another more experienced person. While these aspects are important to being able to perform successful magic it is also very important to follow your intuition and personal creativity. In fact one of the most vital aspects of casting any magic spell or performing a ritual is your intent – what you wish the outcome to be.

Although books, websites and the teachings of others can be an excellent guide, particularly when you are inexperienced do not be afraid to follow your heart or gut feeling and use herbs, stones, colours or words that feel right to you and your wishes.

Regardless of religious, spiritual or if you are following a set tradition such as Wicca or kitchen witchery some basic elements of magical work are always the same. Everything that exists has its own energy, including the earth itself. It is this energy that can be harnessed and used in magic. This energy can be increased or attracted in order to bring positivity, good luck, health or prosperity into your life or can be blocked, repelled and bound to stop or remove harmful and negative aspects from your life. Magic can be used to aid the recovery from illness, increase prosperity, luck and fertility or to protect from negativity and harmful influences and energy.

As well as the energy naturally present in all items and buildings they can also hold onto the energy of previous owners, occupants and visitors and their experiences. This collected energy is carried within the item or place and can be felt by and influence other people, even many years later. Fortunately it can be removed by using cleansing or clearing rituals or spells and this can be especially useful when an item has a negative, unpleasant energy or stale energy.

Even when performed by someone with a great amount of experience magic is not guaranteed to work. Using magic does not ensure that you will receive the outcome or thing that you desire, however it can increase the chances of it happening. By using magic you can encourage a situation along or ask to be guiding in what is the correct way to move forward and reach your goals.

The items that you use can have an effect on how successful your magic will be. This relates not only to choosing those that are appropriate for your spell or ritual but also to ensuring that they are the best quality possible. Herbs, flowers, plants and other living items should be a fresh and not collected from polluted sources such as roadsides, for example. Lists of appropriate correspondences can be found online and over time you will be able to build up your own using your intuition and results of past magic.

The outcome of magic can also be affected by other factors such as the reasons behind your wants. If your intentions are negative, selfish or intended to harm others, the magic may be less likely to work. Performing too many spells or taking part in a large or complex ritual can also cause your own energy to be depleted temporarily and lessen the effect of further magic done during that time. Another important thing to consider is that your magic may have worked perfectly but just not in the way you had been expecting. For example, if you cast a love spell hoping that one specific person will fall in love with you and they do not, the spell may still be carrying out its work. It could be that the person is not for you and that the magical energy is working on attracting someone who is. Perhaps you asked to win the lottery in order to increase your wealth but instead will receive a promotion at work in a few months’ time instead. Some magic also takes longer to work and manifest results and it is important to remember that magic cannot perform miracles. You cannot hope to win the lottery if you do not buy a ticket and however much you wish for and dream of meeting the partner of your dreams, this is unlikely to happen if you stay indoors or do not speak to or interact with other people. Magic can guide you towards methods, places, information and people who can help you achieve your wishes and goals. This is an aspect of magic that is generally more focused on intuition rather than knowledge.

The ethics of your magic workings should always be carefully considered because any energy that you send out into the universe can affect other people and the environment. It may also come back to you and harm you directly. Many people believe in the three fold law (also known as the rule of three) when it comes to magical ethics. This states that whatever you send out will come back to you three times greater. This concept can also be thought of as karma or the idea of reaping what you sow. Of course it can be very difficult or even impossible to consider every likely possibility of an action you carry out and so the best we can do is carry out magic with good intentions and think careful about whether magic is really needed in the situation.

Many people consider that any spell that is intended to harm or attempt to control another person’s free will are ethically wrong and should not be used. Some believe the only exception to this would be using magic to prevent someone from harming you. This is considered to be the magical equivalent of self-defense and so is acceptable as long as no direct harm is sent to the person. If someone has intentionally harmed you in some way their actions will eventually come back to them negatively through the three fold law and you should not take action against them yourself in any way.

There are many different types of magic and some also incorporate elements of several types. There are no rules on what magic you should use although some are thought to be more effective in certain circumstances than others. The magic that you use may be chosen based on other spiritual or religious beliefs that you hold or because you have the materials to hand; for example, herb, plant and flower magic would be ideal for someone who enjoys gardening. Your intuition may also guide you towards one type of magic over others.

Herb Magic

Each variety of herb has unique magical and healing properties. This includes many common and well known varieties that you may already have at home to use in cooking. Herbs are very versatile in that they can be used fresh or dried and can be bought already dried or can be grown at home. This is possible in even the smallest outdoor spaces such as a window box, pots and container or on a sunny windowsill. These can then be used fresh and some dried in order to preserve them for future use. Herbs should be labelled clearly with their name and if dried the date, as over time they can lose their potency. Labelling herbs will avoid any confusion between the types and ensure that you not only know what you have but are always able to select the correct item easily. Not only is this important for success but also for safely as some herbs are not safe for all uses or in all circumstances.

Some common herbs and their uses in Magic

Acorn – growth, luck, money and safety.

Basil – love, protection and courage.

Bay Leaves – Protection, Psychic Powers, Healing, Purification, Strength and Divination.

Cashew – money.

Ginger – love, money and success.

Lavender – love and sleep.

Rosemary – love, strength, memory and mental clarity.

Thyme – healing, psychic knowledge and purification

Knot Magic

Knot magic is sometimes known as cord magic and is a very simple but effective form of magic. Energy is gathered by tying knots in a length of cord while charging it with a chant or other spoken words or visualisation. The knotted cord can be carried with you or kept somewhere safe. In order to release the spell later once it has worked, the knots are then untied. Other magical items such as herbs or essential oils can be incorporated into knot magic. Sprigs or bunches of herbs can be tied in the knots and essential oils could be dabbed on the knots or cords. Appropriate charms can be added to the cord and the colour of the cord itself could be selected to correspond with the intent of the magic. For example: a green cord could be used in prosperity magic and a pink cord would be ideal for love magic.

Candle Magic

As the name suggests, candle magic focuses on the use of candles as the centre of the spell. Candles of all types can be used in this form of magic but should be coloured all the way through and not just have a thin coloured coating. Essential oils can be rubbed or dabbed onto candles to enhance the magic or they can be decorated with symbols, names or other words. The colour of the candle should be chosen to suit the purpose of the magic. Sometimes herbs, crystals and other items are also used alongside candles.

A very simple candle spell can be performed by lighting a candle and while looking into the flame, visualise your intent and it coming into being. Most spells require that the candle is left to burn until it goes out naturally and for this reason many people chose to use small candles such as tea light candles for spell work. It is important that all candles are burnt safety in heat proof containers and on a heat proof surface. They should never be left burning unattended or near any flammable materials such as curtains.

Charm Bags

Charm bags are small cloths bags that contain various items that correspond to the intent of a spell. They are also known by many other names including gris-gris, mojo bag, root bag and conjure bag depending on specific beliefs but the general principle is the same. Small cloth bags are chosen in a colour to match the spell and then filled with various items such as crystals, herbs, charms or images and written words. Many people consider that it is best to carry a charm bag with you at all times but others believe that they can be left in a relevant place. For example a charm bag created for protection could be placed above the front door to your house. The bag will need to be accessible as they require feeding to keep the magic alive. This is done using a few drops of alcohol or in some cases essential oils. Care must be taken with charm bags as they should not be known of, held or ideally seen by another person as this can stop it from working.

Witches Bottle

These are simple to make and are similar to charm bags but use jars, bottles or other containers and can be thought of as spells in a jar. The container is filled with items that are relevant to the particular wish or desire and charged with magical energy. A great variety of items can be placed in witches bottles and include small candles, incense, nails, sand, herbs, spices, plants, stones, salt, coins, essential oils, hair, charms and carvings. Each ingredient should be charged with energy and your intent before being layered in the bottle or jar. Continue to add items until the bottle is full and then add the lid, you can also decorate the outside if you wish or seal the top with wax.

Lists of items that correspond with most magical intents can be found in books or online if you are unsure of what to use in a particular witches bottle. Some also full list spells and rituals that can be used but if you are drawn to a particular herb, oil or other item following your own intuition can often result in a more tailored and successful outcome.

Knot Magic

Knot magic is sometimes known as cord magic and is a very simple but effective form of magic. Energy is gathered by tying knots in a length of cord while charging it with a chant or other spoken words or visualisation. The knotted cord can be carried with you or kept somewhere safe. In order to release the spell later once it has worked, the knots are then untied. Other magical items such as herbs or essential oils can be incorporated into knot magic. Sprigs or bunches of herbs can be tied in the knots and essentials could be dabbed on the knots or cords. Appropriate charms can be added to the cord and the colour of the cord itself could be selected to correspond with the intent of the magic. For example: a green cord could be used in prosperity magic and a pink cord would be ideal for love magic.

Candle Magic

As the name suggests, candle magic focuses on the use of candles as the centre of the spell. Candles of all types can be used in this form of magic but should be coloured all the way through and not just have a thin coloured coating. Essential oils can be rubbed or dabbed onto candles to enhance the magic or they can be decorated with symbols, names or other words. The colour of the candle should be chosen to suit the purpose of the magic. Sometimes herbs, crystals and other items are also used alongside candles.

A very simple candle spell can be performed by lighting a candle and while looking into the flame, visualise your intent and it coming into being. Most spells require that the candle is left to burn until it goes out naturally and for this reason many people chose to use small candles such as tea light candles for spell work. It is important that all candles are burnt safety in heat proof containers and on a heat proof surface. They should never be left burning unattended or near any flammable materials such as curtains.

Charm Bags

Charm bags are small cloths bags that contain various items that correspond to the intent of a spell. They are also known by many other names including gris-gris, mojo bag, root bag and conjure bag depending on specific beliefs but the general principle is the same. Small cloth bags are chosen in a colour to match the spell and then filled with various items such as crystals, herbs, charms or images and written words. Many people consider that it is best to carry a charm bag with you at all times but others believe that they can be left in a relevant place. For example a charm bag created for protection could be placed above the front door to your house. The bag will need to be accessible as they require feeding to keep the magic alive. This is done using a few drops of alcohol or in some cases essential oils. Care must be taken with charm bags as they should not be known of, held or ideal seen by another person as this can stop it from working.

Witches Bottle

These are simple to make and are similar to charm bags but use jars, bottles or other containers and can be thought of as spells in a jar. The container is then filled with items that are relevant to the particular wish or desire and charged with magical energy. A great variety of items can be placed in witches bottles and include small candles, incense, nails, sand, herbs, spices, plants, stones, salt, coins, essential oils, hair, charms and carvings. Each ingredient should be charged with energy and your intent before being layered in the bottle or jar. Continue to add items until the bottle is full and then add the lid, you can also decorate the outside if you wish or seal the top with wax.

Lists of items that correspond with most magical intents can be found in books or online if you are unsure of what to use in a particular witches bottle. Some also full list spells and rituals that can be used but if you are drawn to a particular herb, oil or other item following your own intuition can often result in a more tailored and successful outcome.