How to Know if You've Been Bewitched

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

Bewitchment is a nice all-purpose term, albeit a bit dramatic, for any kind of spell cast upon another person, especially without their knowledge.  Most people worry only about curses but bewitchment can happen for any purpose--to bring that target love, money, success, peace, healing...anything the caster feels they need. Sometimes it's in your favor, oftentimes not.  We'll be talking today in terms of spells you would like to rebel against--the love spell that horrible guy down the block wants to put on you; the job your mother-in-law thinks you deserve, even if you don't want it; the move you're desperate to make but your friend will do anything to prevent.


Secretly working on others is not all bad, of course, but even when it is totally benevolent and selfless, this sort of work is still looked down upon.  Many practitioners shun going on their own permission in even the worst of situations, even when the target cannot be reached or is too ill to respond to requests to help.  Others are more lenient but still have a large amount of rules governing its use.  I don't mind at all what an individual chooses to do or not do.  I'm not out there handing out flyers on the street and trying to convince people to cast spells on everyone in sight, but I understand the reasoning for not making a person aware of your assistance.  It's fine with me either way.

But it is an unfortunate by-product of widespread hex-shunning that a few silly ideas (as noted in the above link) have cropped up about all forms of secretive magic.   But, I can attest that the truth is there really is no need for compliance by a target of the spell and targets are generally unaware of any kind of work being done on them, so it's unnecessary to make it public.  This goes for one and all types of spells, so it becomes even more important to know the signs and watch for them.  Even if a spell is just a kind act by a friend, you should know what is being worked on you.  And if it was a friend, say thank you!


So let's jump right in, shall we?



Signs that You're Being Bewitched
1.  Repeated Thoughts and Emotions

 Curses, by their forceful nature, must be irrepressible and painful.  You're most likely to see what's going on around you as one disaster after another, with no way to halt the storm.  But other kinds of bewitchments don't need to go to this extent to get the job done.  Instead, you'll note the sudden and persistent thoughts about things you don't normally obsess over.  These thoughts will often be accompanied by strong emotions of excitement and longing.  This is part of the spell casting itself--to make you really desire what the caster desires you must feel what they feel.

Watch any thoughts that come unbidden, especially if they give you ideas that are opposite of what you normally think of that topic.  If your once happy marriage is suddenly smothering and you can't take your mind off the woman at work who bats her eyelashes at you, consider the origins of this thought and if it is indeed your own.  She may be more of a temptress than she seems.

To this end, I recommend journaling so you can really dig into these feelings and see them on paper.


2. Unusual Dreams

The best time to cast spells has always been at night.  Why is that?  Why is midnight "the Witching Hour"? Because your target is asleep!  While we sleep we are vulnerable to influence of every kind. What you awake thinking about, what transpired in your dream world, memorable images or words, and how they make you feel all can be a part of a spell's effect.


Pay attention to your dreams.   Especially if you can't seem to shake them after waking or return to thinking about the dream throughout the day, this could be a sign that it was intended to act upon you in a specific way.


3.  Using Strange Words 

How you describe what you're feeling or doing is usually typical to your upbringing and your current surroundings.  But if you find yourself saying things foreign to you, consider who's words they might actually be.  Casters implant ideas into your thoughts using images and emotions, but also words. Though it is more rare, pay attention to the desire to say what you normally wouldn't. 

Here's an example: you're in the process of breaking up with your girlfriend.  She's got a laid-back "downtown" style and yours is anything but.  Suddenly you think of giving this mismatch another try. When your friends question you, you say with a shrug "I just can't quit that girl!"  Is that you speaking, or her?  Most people would shrug off a few words out of character for you, but you're best to pay attention.  This might be just what she repeated to your poppet.



These are the most obvious, in order of likelihood, symptoms of bewitchment.  There are others, I am sure, but they generally come after these three have been evident.  Naturally, as not all bewitchment is meant for harmful coercion not all spells need to be rallied against.  I remember years ago creating a sigil to get my brother to call me on the phone.  I had lost his number and had something important I wanted to discuss, so I sat down, made the sigil, empowered it, and posted it to await his call.  And, sure enough, within an hour the phone rang.  He is a spellcaster himself and whether or not he knew I cast a spell on him, he went with it because it did him no harm.  If you discover symptoms of a spell that is in your favor, roll with it!  You notice a few words slip out in the same accent as that cute guy down the hall?  Let them slip!  You feel a tug in your chest every time you and your boss walk by the upper management office you'd love to call your own?  Revel in it!  These might be signs that someone is doing all the hard work for you.

If you have been bewitched and would like to share your story, feel free to write in the comments below.  I'd love to hear about your experiences!  If you're shy, message me on my shop's Facebook page, Quill's Occult Supply.

Related reading includes How to Tell if You're Cursed

Images from:
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cookmepancakes.deviantart.com




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Quick Link: Threefold Law

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

Presented for your consideration:  Shocker: There is No Universal Threefold Law in Wicca


Normally, we wouldn't be discussing Wicca here at all but the concept of the Threefold Law has become so widespread that most people accept is as part of all magical traditions and not just a specific interpretation within a single path.  Even the "Harm None" dictim of the Wiccan Rede has been conversely named the "Witches Rede" by a variety of books and their readers.  The idea that we all should adopt any and all guidelines which will help us to appear less threatening to non-practitioners spread rapidly throughout the '90s and is only now beginning to taper off.

Read and consider.  I have my own theory on the misinterpretation of Gardener's tabboo on haggling for magical tools.  Remind me to tell you about it sometime.

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The Perfect Love Spell

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

The controversy over love magic is not as fierce as it once was, but it still remains a topic of debate any time witches gather.  For me, love spells are the same as any other kind of magic.  The concepts by which they are governed are no different than what you use to protect, to make prosperous, to
make well.  There is the same potential to make your target happy or miserable, to bring pain or to soothe the pain.  Coercing a relationship can go wonderfully right or horribly wrong, just like coercing a job or a new house.

Know What You Want and What You Will Give

It's been my experience that love spells rarely end in "happily ever after."  This isn't because of some failing on your part or the part of the spell itself, it is only the limitations of our human interactions. If your grand gesture of love is only the act that initiates that second glance, you will never keep the heart of the one you love.  Lasting relationships require your presence and your effort.  You will need to say and show the other person--in whatever way is both comfortable and comforting for them and yourself--on a daily basis that you love them and want them with you.  Some folks need long evenings spent by the fire, gazing into one another's eyes while reciting poetry. Others could never abide such things; they want the occasional afternoon coffee or weekend away, texting during a work break, or going for drinks with friends.  You will have to find someone who provides the level you need and whose level you're prepared to fulfill.

Know What You Can Expect

So love spells alone won't sustain a relationship for you.  So what are they good for then?  Love magic is handy for giving you a second chance with someone you already know but upon whom you know you haven't made the right impression, a romantic impression.  It's also useful for quick liaisons, infatuation, and lust.  That's usually what we're talking about with such "love."  It's not normally about the deep connection that keeps two people inexplicably returning to one another in quiet moments for that other half of their soul.  Instead it's a compulsion of the body, a physical desire to be close, to taste, to feel.  That's still love, don't be mistaken, but of a different sort than you may be thinking.


Even if it's not common, just the act of connecting to another person in an intimate way does create potential for affection that can last for years, if not a lifetime.   Think about Sally Owens in "Practical Magic."  It was only a spell that brought her and her husband together but it was something deeper, their mated personalities, a true connection that made it last.  It began with a trick, so to speak, and then became real.  That's the essence of a great deal of magic.  You can bewitched your boss into giving you a promotion, but then you must put in effort to keep the high-powered job.


As you see, I'm not of the mindset that says magic is just a tiny part of your physical efforts to gain your desires.  Instead it is the initiator, the creator of opportunity, and you need only flow along with what it begins.


The Perfect Love Spell

 Instead of giving you one all-purpose, all-powerful spell (one that, surely, thousands of readers will take objection to) I offer the necessary aspects of any perfect love spell.  With this as a guideline you will be able to judge spells you discover to be certain they have the approach needed for truly potent love magic.  A perfect spell:


  • Offers the kind of attention you need.  Do you have time and energy for a high-maintenance relationship?  If not, make sure your spell allows for more breezy affairs.  Be specific and picture the physical reality of your time together.
  • Leaves out the flowery language.  It's decorative but unnecessary, and if you're not that type of person it's a distraction.  Not every romance is romantic.  Not every love feels like "divine blessing."  Pick wording that feels like actual relationships, not fantasy.  Love spells are best when they express how you really feel.
  • Is quite specific.  Though there is no shortage of authors saying it is morally wrong to cast a love spell upon a named individual (meaning don't bewitch Joe from the corner store, unless you do it with your eyelashes), you really will need to get it squared away what type of person you're seeking.  I personally have no problem casting upon anyone, but that's just me.  Make sure you're doing things your way and that the person you're asking for is able to keep you happy.
  • Is inspiring!  This one really falls under the directive I give to all good spells: it must beg to be cast.  Flip through a spellbook with your goal in mind and you'll see what I mean.  Even if there are many which could fit, only one will seem to leap from the page and give you chills. Cast that one!  Ideally, a great spellbook will have lots of such spells, even to the point of inspiring you to get to work even when you don't need anything.
  • Doesn't use negatives.  Okay, that title was a bit of a gag, but the message remains relevant.  Proper spells ignore what you don't want (or, at the very least, mention it once and cover it with positive language many times over).  Fill your space with everything you do want: how you want to feel, how to want to spend your time, who you want in your life.  Fill it up so tight with all these terrific words and thoughts and emotions that there's no room for anything else.  Then let it explode out into the world, rushing in all directions to work your will. 
  • Duration.  Though it's somewhat out of fashion these days (yeah, I just said that.  I'm officially old.), putting a time cap on spells is very helpful.  Make sure you know what the spell is supposed to do exactly.  Did you choose one that makes you more open to love?  Okay, what does that look like?  How will you know if you've achieved it?  Try for something more finite like creating opportunities to meet a special someone.  If you suddenly get invited to lots of parties, you know it's working.  And contrariwise, if no new social events present themselves it might behoove you to recast your spell.

Love spells are as valuable in your kit as any other.  The main consideration is just in how we see things.  If you believe it to be more manipulative than, say, changing a traffic cop's mind about writing that ticket, then feel free to completely forget everything you've just read.  But if you're like
me you'll want to know a little (or a lot) of every form of magic there is, just in case you someday are called upon to use it.  And if that day comes, you'll be happy you can reach into your little bag and pull out a wonder.

In all seriousness, giving and receiving love is actually one of the finest things we can do as human beings.  We're each here for a nearly insignificant span of time; let's not waste it arguing over whether or not it's selfish to ask for love.  Just get out there and connect with somebody, a whole lot of somebodies if you have to, but do it today.  Give your kindness like you're on a parade float--by the handful to anyone, to everyone.  And take the love that you're offered, relish it, savor it.  Even if it isn't perfect, it totally and completely is.


Related reading includes  Spells You Can Cast Today for Free

Images from:
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lovespells.me
imgfave.com

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What It Feels Lke to Be in the "Broom Closet"

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

With the witchcraft resurgence now growing some real chin hair, fewer and fewer witches came from a time when secrecy was considered a must.  But I remember that time and it wasn't all that long ago. It pleases me greatly to see the openness present in the magical community today.  I have learned to be quite open so that perhaps I can spur it on.

When I first began to practice I was steadfast about keeping it a secret.  I told only my mother and sister--once--and never really mentioned it again.  My brother before me had started his career in the occult while still living at home and though he was by then grown and in the Navy, the sour taste of it was still fresh in my mother's mouth.  She denounced my interests in a general way (seeming interested only in washing the topic away as quickly as possible, but noting especially that she hoped I wasn't getting into "the religion of it" though we were by no means a religious family) and then simply ridiculing the rest.  I said I was only really interested in casting spells and that mainly it was out of innocent curiosity.  She scoffed but left it at that.  I never discussed it with her again.

From this experience, and everything I had read at that point, I decided that witchcraft was simply something you don't talk about (and from a occult perspective, you can't talk about).  So I went out into the wide world with an open mind and a closed mouth.

At about 17 I dated a guy who revealed after a month or so that he was very interested in magic.  I said nothing.  He talked at length about occult theories he'd learned, the meaning of different symbols he invented for spells, and friends he had who also practiced.  I said nothing.  Here was a golden opportunity to dig into what was then a burgeoning community right in my own area and I let it slip away.  Now, this guy wasn't any kind of magical genius and even at the time I could see how many of his ideas were silly, yet opening up about my practice could have lead me into a greater realm than was previous available in my life.  We dated for only a few more months and then parted ways without me ever telling him that he was, in fact, explaining nothing new to me.

A few years later, at my first "paycheck" job, I met a young woman with coke-bottle glasses and a giddy laugh.  One evening as we talked casually over our work counters (about 10+ feet apart) about our interests and lives, she openly talked about casting spells.  My lazy gaze suddenly snapped to 
attention and I calmly asked what she meant.  She went on to describe how she owned many spellbooks but that as she read them she would never read aloud because "even just saying the words is enough to make stuff happen.  You have to be really careful not to make stuff happen accidentally." Suddenly aware of how public this conversation was, I asked if she should really be talking so loudly about all this.  I even breached the topic of the the Witches Pyramid (to know, to will, to dare and to be silent) by asking if "people like her" didn't have rules against talking to outsiders.  "'Oh, no!" she declared, "We can talk about it whenever, where ever!"  And, with that, I decided that she was much too blithe about witchcraft to bother with and I never talked to her about it again.  Perhaps things would have been different if she'd known that by that time I'd already been practicing for years.

For much of those early years I was quite content to stay alone and not discuss it with others.  This indifference was a juxtaposition with my deep longing to have a teacher, or at least, a like-minded friend with whom I could learn.  I've met some folks who are still quite reserved today, whether because they want to maintain something rare and special for their own or because they simply are not social creatures who need the company of others.  In those instances, none of what I experienced would have affected them in the slightest, but to me it was anxiety-ridden. I would be calm on my own and then suddenly struck with an electricity in the presence of those who actually knew something of the occult.  I wanted to say something, anything.  I wanted to declare myself one of the band, the tribe that was connected even if disjointed and strange.  But that misunderstood dictum--to bee silent--and the rules I lived by to keep me shut away, held me back.

Oddly, I think I only held onto the concept of a "broom closet" for as long as I did out of habit.  It was a safe place where I didn't have to prove anything or compare myself (or be compared) to anyone else.  Now that I am away from that mindset, and I have seen how judgmental the magical community can be, I understand my logic.  But living in the dark, away from the rest of those like oneself, is not the same thing as being protected.  Instead I was cloistered and closed off from the greater world.  I was actively denying myself knowledge, the closest thing to a mortal sin among witches.  That is not where I ever wanted to be and it was only my husband who convinced me to discard it.

When we first met, I talked about my love of art and Monty Python, family trips to Canada and Florida, my many books and my prized typewriter.  But I never talked about the most notable part of my life, witchcraft.  Indeed, it wasn't until I was set to move in with him that the truth wriggled its way to light.  I had packed up all my things and brought them to his place, all set to begin a new life. He, in his eagerness, was proud to show me the whole shelf he'd cleared for my books.  I was touched by this gesture (any readers out there with as much affection for the printed word as he and I will instantly see what a sacrifice it is to give away shelf space) and right away I began to unpack my many books, one after another on the topic of witchcraft.  My poor husband/then boyfriend watched quietly, his head tilted to read the spines, and then asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Can you imagine?  I was so set in my silence that I could very well have ruined a wonderful relationship just as it was beginning, all for the ties I had and never expressed.  Lucky for me that he was so understanding; I have heard of other couples who weren't able to weather such a thing.  I think about any other deeply held belief--like a religion or even a prejudice--and can see what a bombshell it would be to have the news launched at you by the one you love.  What a strange past I have woven from following what I believed to be the rules.

I have met many practitioners since, but now that I am open about what I do, I may make myself a
part of the exchange instead of just witnessing it.  I have been stopped in the bookstore and the grocery store, I've overheard bits of conversation that posed interesting questions about witchcraft
and I was compelled to interject my answer.  I've put myself in the open for public view not, as I thought in the early days, because I am foolhardy or a braggart but because I am not alone.  Surely some of the times when I have been outspoken, one of my kind was listening quietly at a distance, too cautious to speak up with me.  So I wear the pentacle and I cast outdoors, our family holds rituals in plain sight and we have taught our kids to dance in the springtime to the "Song of Isobel Gowdie" (with such incredible lyrics as "We sing this song in the devil's name, with joy and feasting to his fame.").  We do this because we are not afraid.  Those who went before us, those who broke the silence and made our work protected under the law, those who refused to be misrepresented, they made it safe for us.  There are avenues now that we may take against injustice and intolerance.  And, in our everyday lives, the most obvious avenue is to be completely obvious.


Images from:
freakinfacts.com
earthreview.eu
thepioneerwoman.com

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Spells You Can Cast Today for Free

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

A reoccurring theme is the newcomer asking how to be a witch without spending money.  Beautiful robes, vials of oil, colorful gems, and shining tools whisper words of power to them and they are sorely tempted to spend money they do not possess.  And, sadly, some of the biggest names in the magical community give a wholly unsatisfying answer:

"You don't need anything to practice magic; all that you need is inside you!"


But I am here to tell you a painful truth--magic is in the things. Herbs, stones, sigils, metals, bones, rocks, feathers...these are components and they are the body of spellwork.  Sure, the spirit that is within you is the fuel that makes magic work--and that is essential--but each physical object added to the spell is another limb to be animated by that spirit. Give it physicality and you give it a body of immense strength to work your will in the world.  You can act on spirit alone but, unless you are at the top of your game, it will be a ghost of its potential.


So my spells generally require "things"--easily-found and inexpensive things--but they are not cheap.  I have an extreme dislike for things like birthday candles and nylon yarn so you won't find any of that stuff here.  Instead, what I'm about to hand you is pure traditional folk magic with a thrifty modern twist.   The goal is not to use less but to use more wisely.   Everything here is original and you may enjoy it at your leisure.  Perhaps even casting it today!


Health and Healing

  • To Protect Against Injury: Wash a locket in hot salt water and dry carefully with a handkerchief.  Cut a tiny piece of paper to fit inside and write upon it the following words: LIGHT, BEFF, CLETEMATI, ADONAI, CLEONA, FLERIT.  Press this paper inside while reciting the words.  Fill the locket with a pinch of yellow mustard seed and snap shut.  Place the locket around your neck (or the neck of another whom you wish to protect) while speaking the words a final time.  Now the talisman will be a safeguard against physical and spiritual harm anytime it is worn.
  • To Protect Against Disease:  At the end of summer, dig up a few dandelion roots from your yard and scrub them clean under running water.  Chop them up and drop a spoonful in with  coffee grounds before brewing.  Add a pinch of cinnamon to purify and vanilla for energy. Brew while chanting: STRENGTH AGAINST, STRENGTH WITHIN. TAKE ME THROUGH TO WINTER'S END.  Drink your coffee this way throughout the cold and flu season to assure that illness passes you by.


Love

  • To Bring Love Home to Your Door:  Chop Ladies Thumb herb fine and gather in a large bowl.  After dark on a full moon, remove your shoes, let down your hair, and take your bowl of Ladies Thumb outside.  Bow to the moon who makes the ties that bind lovers' hearts, walk to the roadside, and turn to face your home.  Begin to strew the herbs in a path that leads from the
    road all the way to your doorstep. Visualize making a path that only perspective lovers can see and by which they are compelled to travel.  Pour out any remaining herbs on the doormat, bow to the moon again, then return inside.  By the time the moon is full again, you will have your choice of love interests.
  • To Cause Loving Feelings Toward You:  Make a batch of sugar cookies using your normal recipe but add a spoonful of lemon juice and zest.  Roll it out, placing a kiss upon the dough with each roll.  Cut the cookies into "gingerbread man" shapes and bake.  Remove the cookies from the oven and dip the tops in vanilla sugar, telling each little man his instructions: MAKE HIM (or say target's name) LOVE ME BY YOUR WILES. I AM SWEET AND I BEGUILE.

Money

  • To Increase Your Business' Prosperity:  Chop or grate Yellow Dock root and add to a bottle of strong spirits.  Shake 7 times while chanting the name of your business and words like "GREAT SUCCESS."  Put the bottle away, only bringing it out to shake again every time you think of it.  If you have a disparaging thought about your work or your customers, pick up the bottle and give it another 7 shakes while chanting.  After closing time that day, pour out a little of the alcohol onto your palm and wash the doorknobs to all entrances of your business while thinking of all the happy customers whose hands will touch it.  Sprinkle a little on the threshold, then replace your bottle to its safe storage.  Keep it nearby for times of slow sales.  This will encourage customers to come to your door, ready to spend.
  • To Draw Money and Good Luck:  Find a Buckeye or Horse Chestnut (I've found no difference between the two for magical purposes) and bring it home.  Mix a few pinches of as many money herbs as you have on hand and pour a little oil over them.  Mix well with your fingers until you have a paste.  Rub this paste all over your Buckeye and wrap in a crisp new dollar bill.  Tie this bundle together with green thread and carry it in your pocket or in a conjure bag of other fortunate items.  Money will come to you and stay.

Protection

  • To Guard Yourself While Traveling:  Before embarking on any long trip, especially when going by boat or plane overseas, toss Bladderwrack on the wind to appease the spirits and bless your journey with the words: I OFFER THEE OF THE SEA THIS GIFT IN LIEU OF GUARDING ME.  KEEP ME SAFE, OCEAN WRAITH, AND THEN RETURN ME BACK TO STAY.
  • Protection Against Witch Wars:  Blend Dill seed and coarse sea salt together in a bowl.  Mix with your hands in a counterclockwise direction while envisioning all spells against you being turned with your motions and ground in the bitter grit of salt.  Scatter this around the rooms in your home, especially in the corners.  This destroys plots against you and safeguards you against further curses.

Power

  • To Increase One's Psychic Power:  Cook the whole of a hyssop plant, celery seed, and anise seed together in a pot of boiling water.  Turn the heat off and let stand overnight.  Strain the next morning and add an equal amount of alcohol.  Add a quart of this wash to your bathwater and soak in it before attempting spirit contact, astral travel, or important ritual work.
  • To Call Spirits to Visible Appearance: Arrange a cauldron of fresh water from a stream, spring, or river over a fire and allow to boil.  Toss in handfuls of Mullein leaf while calling the name of the spirit to be conjured.  Circle around the fire clockwise, brandish a tool of commanding (usually a knife or wand), and speak evocations aloud until manifestation occurs. When you have completed you business with the entity, tip over the cauldron spilling its contents and extinguishing the fire.   

As you can see, you needn't cheapen your work with lesser quality components nor forgo magic altogether, as many have been tempted to do, for lack of funds.  Keep an eye for beauty and depth and the rest will come at will.



If you have enjoyed these spells--as well as the concept of timeless, thrifty magic--you will love my upcoming book, Back to the Land with Witchcraft: Natural Secrets of Beautiful, Affordable, Powerful Magic.  Keep watching this blog as I continue the long road to publishing.


Related reading includes Money Magic for Poor Folks

Images from:

gamingmage.wordpress.com
brianvantighem.photoshelter.com

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3 Reasons You'll Never Find a Coven

Author: Quill / Labels:

Without the benefit of advertising or proselytizing, most magical groups are deep underground.   There are, of course, in-roads you can take to membership, but you need to know a few simple things

if you're ever going to find them.

If you've ever thought of joining a coven you've probably dreamed of what it would be like to work together as a great magical family, meeting in secret groves or brightly lit living rooms, enacting rituals and spells that have a ring of beauty and power you've never experienced before.  That can happen...or it might not.  That would be my first piece of advice: don't get ahead of yourself and expect to discover the perfect coven (or, better yet, to seek you out).  Look instead for the right fit, good people, and a place where your talents can be of use.

One more thought before we tuck in.  Don't be lured by the suggestion you will undoubtedly hear that you should just start your own coven.  Please note that this method is no easier.  You haven't found some grand workaround that will make the road to adepthood a quick trip.  Being in charge of a group of like-minded but still fiercely independent people is a hard job and without a little training--and a whole lot of patience--you may find yourself lost in just as many power struggles, arguments, money woes, and abuses of power as would have been possible as a joining member to a group hosted by strangers.

It is my belief, too, that a single large group is more effective and prosperous than ten small groups.  Unless you have a very different outlook from any existing coven, always try to band together with fellow practitioners.  Large groups host events, plan trips, maintain group documents and books, and offer services that smaller covens cannot.  Try to always combine your efforts with others.

But that is only an issue once you've found a coven within driving distance, of an appropriate age group, with similar practices, who seek new members, and with whom you are interested in joining.  There's a lot that can go wrong from the moment you realize what a great idea it would be until you even get the chance to see it in action.  For simplicity, we're going to talk about the 3 most glaring problems as I have seen them.


1. You don't have enough exposure to the magical community.
As an underground resource, you're not going to have access to names, numbers, or locations unless you know someone.  And you're not going to know anyone with this information unless you meet people.  This means getting out where other practitioners are and involving yourself.  Where to begin?

  • Find an in-road and take it.  Anyone you meet can possibly lead you to corners of the magical community you have not yet seen.  If you get word that a divination workshop is being offered next month or overhear some familiar magical phrases in passing, put yourself into the discussion and learn more.  Be polite, naturally, but don't let manners keep you from a possible connection with the broader magical world.
  • When you make a connection, expand on it.  Does the person you're speaking with know other practitioners?  Do they host or attend events?  Have they been to festivals, workshops, or public talks in your area?  Ask about their background, tradition, and experiences.  Offer your own.
  • If given the chance, work at festivals and events.  Most of the workers in these places are volunteers, others are working off their admittance fee.  But whatever your situation, you will be certain to meet others who are involved in the occult.
  • Be sure to never walk away without getting full names and contact information.  
  • If you find a magical shop in your area, ask about its calendar of events.  Get to know the shop keeper and other regular shoppers.  Businesses are often a hub for covens.
2. Fears About Cult Behavior
Though it is important to be watchful of dangers to yourself and your family, the actual statistics for cultish behavior in covens is still quite low.  Much of the "bad" things that go on in groups are more about collective ego issues than any dedicated manipulation with intent to harm.  

  • Carefully read Isaac Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame to see what a cult really looks like.  It's terrifying from the outside but (from accounts) comfortable and reassuring inside.  
  • Watch a documentary or read personal experiences of past cult members.  If this sort of thing is a major concern for you, do this before you get involved in a group so you will be able to keep a balanced view.

If you are involved in a coven and they tell you to do something illegal, immoral, or dangerous, beware.  If they ask you to do something difficult, perhaps you should step up to the challenge before crying "cult!"  

If this seems obvious, note that my requests for completed homework from my students have at times been met with angry resistance at my "abuse of power."  Our coven's need for collecting dues to pay for events and trips was considered devious by a member or two in their time.  Know the realistic expectations concerning control and benefit.

3.  Too Much Focus on Individuality
A wonderful aspect of group work is the talent each member brings to the whole.  Too much effort to remain distinct, though, will prevent a coven from coming together effectively.  Know that to make it in a group, some of your preferences, opinions, and tastes must take a backseat.  The same thing goes for every other member.   But this is a good thing:
  • Groups with solid cohesion build tradition, host events, work with other covens, and make elaborate magic.  Do you want that?  You'll have to work together.
  • Get to know your covenmates on a deep level.  Connect with them.  The group mind is more powerful than the individual.  This is how powerful spells are cast.
  • Ask questions, start discussions, posit topics to debate.  Ask for ideas, make plans, dream for your collective future.  Find ways to interact with other members in a personal, intellectual way.  
  • Seek out ways that your coven can benefit your goals in magic.  Groups are able to hone an individual's talents and elevate their practice.  



Coven membership is a relationship; give and take is essential.  Consider it with the same care as you would when entering a romantic relationship. Use your best judgement when mixing with new people, but know that a solid bond will require understanding and forgiveness in order to flourish. Think well on the benefits of the relationship as well as the costs to your time and independence. This part of the decision cannot be strongly enough stressed.  

But once you're in, love and love completely.


Images from:

allthingsfetiche.blogspot.com
pinterest.com
thedascrypt.blogspot.com

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Money Magic for Poor Folks

Author: Quill / Labels:

Nothing is quite so popular as the money spell (I know, love spells are a close second.  We'll talk about that later).  Magic to bring opportunity, better jobs, raises in pay, refunded loans, windfalls, and plain ol' hard currency about in books and online.  They come from all times in history and any
country you can name.  Some are so simple as to seem too mundane to work and others are so richly executed one can hardly afford to try.  I recall reading one in Sarah Lyddon Morrison's "Modern Witch's Spellbook" that required a diamond ring in order to be cast.  Really.  An actual diamond ring. Like the average cash-strapped witch has both outstanding bills and diamonds.  I know I've mentioned it before but that book is garbage, and there was another example.
So, moving on, a main point to be made is this--when funds are low, don't waste money on magic. Now that certainly sounds weird coming from me, but there's a rider to it that makes it all come together: spending judiciously and with the greatest care can be an expert way to increase your devotion to the work (and therefore it's potency) but to blow cash on every trinket you see that promises wealth is a grievous mistake.  Money is a resource, and in this case a precious one; use it with discretion.

To maximize your efforts, begin with small free forms of magic and then build up to larger works that require some outlay.  Some of the best methods to start:


  • Recite prosperity charms several times a day.  Upon waking, at noon, and before sleep is a good start, but also consider times like before leaving for work, when opening the mail, and every time you have to spend money.
  • Arrange an altar dedicated to success.  Show value you have now alongside what you hope to attain.  This isn't a worship space; instead it's a diorama of your desires.  Add some lucky objects, prosperous tarot cards or runes, and photos of yourself happy and carefree.
  • Post affirmations around your home and work space.  Some of the worst things we can do to our magic is sabotage it with a mindset that breeds failure.  
  • Cook with foods and herbs that are linked to prosperity.  Start with a list like this and grow from there.  Bake with grains and focus on abundance.  You are the giver of your own bounty.

From there you can increase your efforts into more complex works.  Beginning small helps you to see that every little change helps to set the pace for the large changes to come.  Once you are able to feel a positive presence of success in your mind, see it in your surroundings, and focus on it in your day-
to-day activities, you are ready to have it working for you on the grand scale.  Try one or more of the following at this juncture: 
  • Make a poppet of yourself and stuff with money herbs. Put a fat wallet in its hand, cover it in gold paint, draw money sigils upon it, or otherwise adorn it with wealth.  
  • Dress your money with money-drawing oil before spending it.  Now don't go crazy--just a dab on the corner is plenty--but dressing money helps it return to you.  If you must spend, bring it back again as quickly as possible!  This works with all kinds of money oil, so find a recipe that calls for what you already have in your cupboards and go with it!
  • Work knot spells to hold onto your cash.  There's always the standard "By knot of one, this spell's begun..." method, but there are a lot of knots out there and a lot of ways to work with them.  You might find, like myself, that knot-tying suits your magic well and use it for many purposes besides.
  • House and personal cleansings.  I often say this but it bears repeating--most of the "stuck" situations we find ourselves in are from the bad stuff that clings to us and gobs up the spaces in our lives.  Create a fresh flow in your home and your person to allow new possibilities--including wealth, work, and stability--to enter.
As you can see, magic doesn't need to bee expensive but it does need to be carefully crafted. Laziness is not the same as thriftiness.  You have more at your disposal than you may realize.  Great systems of magic are based on simple things like paper and rope.  There is nothing stopping you from rising up with the help of your fore-bearers, who probably had much less than you on a good day.  Learn from their heartiness and grow strong.  In the meantime, here is my contribution--a sort of first copper in the cap--this charm to bring new money:


Green river, golden sea
Money, money flows to me
To my pocket, to my stores
And every dime I spend brings more. 


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squidoo.com/best-howtomakeavoodoodoll-ever

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