Spellcasting is problem solving. That is the simple truth I learned when I first began. That became a central theme in my practice because I started out on a different road than most
witches are taught to walk. I began learning only because I was fascinated with spells and power. I didn't want to become enlightened, I knew nothing of the Gods, I wasn't seeking a higher plane--I just wanted to make magic. And so I did. Because of that I didn't have the rules of many other practitioners, namely that magic should be one's last resort. I made it my first, and continue to do so to this day.
If we take magic as purely practical, we can easily see the three ways in which it can be used to deal with the hardships of life.
Here we have the protections and shields, the harmony and peace spells for home and work. Keeping things running smoothly is key to effective magic in other parts of our lives. After all, if your job stress is keeping your mind occupied, how will you ever have the focus for a love spell? Cast spells to keep your life tidy and take care of problems before they erupt.
Immediate Magic
These are the charms, formulas, and tiny works that you can do right away when something goes wrong. Keep a bag of powder, a vial of potion, a bit of string to tie knots into, and you will have magic at hand all the time.
Immediate magic is all about being small and fast. For straight-forward problems without any nuance, you can either work with the off-hand forms mentioned above or use the kind of itty-bitty spells that have proliferated the internet. The standard example of this is the placement of items (putting crystals in the corners of the room, carrying herbs in your pocket, or tucking a slip of paper with a magic symbol in your shoe), but it also includes the little combinations like chanting over a lit candle or dissolving ink from a magic seal in water and drinking it.
Modifying Magic
This is the big stuff. Here we have the large-scale spells, the major works that that time to organize and require a collection of components. In this category, too, are the spells that must be regularly recast, the items which are reconsecrated at each moon, the candles lit one upon the other, the jars whose contents are compiled over time. It's often the kind of
"big magic" that we think of when we're talking about witchcraft, though it's more rare than the other varieties.
Modifying magic is the long-range works that keep our track clear of obstacles and veering toward all the best attractions. When you have guarded yourself from danger and distraction (Preventative) and handled the small upsets as they come (Immediate), then you can look to the future to decide where you ultimately wish to be. This can mean the grand scale of life itself or something more localized, such as work or relationships.
In my own life I've worked quite a few of each of these, but a couple of examples really stand out as meeting, through magic, a specific need which evaded a problem and maintained positive progress. I suppose that sounds a little business-like for a witch but it is perhaps the clearest way I can describe without frill the mission of a spell.
Organizing your life through magic means:
- Planning ahead
- Keeping up with changes
- Knowing your goals
Years ago, my husband worked at a very dangerous, and not at all safety-conscious, outdoor job. In a disastrous accident, one coworker was injured and believed the reason for the injury lay with my husband. This was not entirely surprising based on the instigating attitudes of the other members of the crew, plus the aggressive bosses whose only interest was blame and termination, not prevention and training.
So there we were, a young couple with two small children and for the sake of an accident in an unsafe workplace suddenly on the edge of homelessness. Nothing had yet happened at this point. All the workers went home and the injured man went to the hospital. He said he would decide the next day what he would recommend happen to the person(s) involved and we were terrified. So I set to work.
My spells revolved around cooling whatever anger he actually had about the accident, ending the influence of those who just want to stir the pot (of which there were many), and finding resolution that injured no one.
That night, several hours after the spells were complete, the phone rang. It was the coworker. He'd been released from the hospital and called as soon as he got home to say that he was sorry for how things turned out at work. We were both shocked at the idea that anyone would apologise for getting hurt! My husband waved away the apology and they spent the next 30 minutes patching things up and apologising to one another (a symptom of two painfully polite upbringings). The whole thing blew over and nothing more came of it. We couldn't have been more relieved!
In this instance, the time to begin working on what might happen was the very first moment I heard about the problem, before opinions could gel into actions. Preventative magic paid off.
My Immediate Magic Moment
My husband and I were at a big sunny barbecue, a rare outing during the summer of my pregnancy with our second child. It was in celebration of a job well done for the crew who was responsible for an entire remodel of a local department store. Everyone was having a great time playing games and enjoying the terrific spread of food when the storm clouds started to roll in. Whispers and jokes soon turned to sad comments about such a nice party needing to come to an end at its very beginning. My husband looked at me and we knew what to do.
I used one of the many charms for deflecting a storm. My husband engaged others in conversation while I stared at the sky. Breathing out my words, I let them disperse the dark clouds above us, repeating them in an unending string until it felt complete. In a few minutes time, I noticed a change in the lighting: the sky was already brightening. The thick roll of storm clouds had broken up and in their place were white tufts and streaming sunshine. The party was back on! We celebrated in high style the rest of the day and into the evening.
This is the kind of thing I wish more witches were adept in. With immediate magic, the problem has already begun and you need to work while everything is in motion. Being able to shut out the world around you and cast a spell right this moment is both challenging and rewarding beyond what I've felt from carefully timed and prepared works. It's always great fun to see if you can do it and to what accuracy. If for no other reason, you should always stay in good practice so that when the situation arises for immediate magic, you will be ready.
My Modifying Magic Moment
This was a big one. I was seeking a job but had a lot of requirements. No, I'm not the fussy type who demands a high paying job with zero stress and long vacations. I am a willing worker and have been all my adult life. But now I needed work that would be able to fit into my already full schedule. It wouldn't be easy.
So when that job presented itself, I was overjoyed. But a single stone in that road was so significant that it may as well have been a concrete blockade--my job was already taken. The person in question was on the way out but not before finding safe landing in new work somewhere else. Not being a risk-taker meant that it was unlikely for this person to find anything quickly. Time began to slip away, and with no progress, I grew impatient. So I went to my workroom and brought out my best spellbooks.
I sought a job similar to the previous one--taking into account the security this person craved--and cast my spells with care. This was pretty big; not only was I rerouting something in my life that I cared about, I was doing the same in someone else's. The results were very important to me, so I plotted things slowly. I made some petitions, too, and laid papers on my altar with descriptions of the soon-to-be empty position with my name across the top. A short while later I heard the good news that the job was available and I was to start immediately! The previous employee had found the perfect vacancy and now my own vacancy was secured.
In this situation, the expected outcome was stagnation and impasse. This could have continued for a very long time without any sign of change. My only option was to plan
carefully and then direct my work to the specific points that needed it. Even though there were only a few of us within this situation, it still had the potential to rage out of control in a short amount of time if had I made a misstep, hence my insistence on research and organization. If anything needs it, it's definitely these long-term spells whose effects are designed to linger.
As you can see, the combination of these 3 methods of casting are problem-solving at its core. I declare that you should use witchcraft as your first resource for guidance and maintenance. Magic is a spyglass and with it you can see from a distance the opportunities and pitfalls all along the paths you have chosen. Cast your spells to deftly navigate them and you will reach your destination without scuffing a knee.
Related reading includes Spells You Can Cast Today for Free, The Secret of Powerful Magic
Images from:
blog.lib.umn.edu/jaku0040
windling.typepad.com/blog
whitemagicwitch.com/basic-preparation-for-casting-spells
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