Ex Penna

Magic users are studious, driven people.  We are workers in the practical and spiritual realms, healers of injustice, openers of the doors of opportunity, visionaries of a more fortunate reality.  We respect knowledge above all else and seek it in every corner of our lives, in every new acquaintance, and between the covers of every book.  Teachers are our estimation of the highest mortal beings for they can strengthen our already formidable energy-shaping powers into something almost God-like.  To be a practitioner is to hold a unique position as a creator of destiny.

But sometimes, well, it just sucks.

Of course, for me, things were a bit different than just "life getting in the way."  Most of my issue is that , these days, I do indeed deal with magic every day, just not for myself.  There's a lot more witchcraft work than play at the moment and it can really slow a person down.  The last personal spell I did wasn't even for me and that was about two weeks ago.  Things have changed a lot since I began and, at times, magic just isn't magical.  As the darkly metaphysical singer Wendy Rule said in Slow Down:


As I said, though--there is no reason to accept this as an eventuality to which we all must come. Rather, we must stop ourselves, assess the problem, uncover its source, clear out all the bad stuff, and start fresh.  So far, I've talked about stopping to notice that something is amiss.  So, just what is it?

Time Breeds Familiarity

Experienced practitioners are prone to this kind of burnout; the gloss of excitement is wearing off and what's left is coarse and dull.  It may seem impossible that anything which deals in mystery could ever grow old--and about 5 years ago I would have wholeheartedly agreed--but now I see that witchcraft can become a career like any other, and therefore become tiring.  The longer you have been practicing, the more likely that the routine of it will get to you.

More Talent, Less Trouble

This is an odd thing to call a problem, but from a spellcaster's view it can be devastating.  When you start out, you're full of issues.  You have a ton of things that need fixed and changed, brought up and put down, and it would be great if it could all happen right now!

So you fix the broken things one at a time. Situations change and new issues crop up; your ability increases with experience and you jump those hurtles as well.  But now it's been many years and the hurtles have gotten smaller. Or perhaps you just jump that much higher. Either way, there seems to be less to get passionate about.  Maybe it's a phase; wait it out, keep your magic in reserve for something big. You're not foolish enough to invite hardships, but if you don't find something to focus on soon, all that talent will start to fade away.

This, I believe, is why so many accomplished practitioners go into teaching or writing later in their careers; you must keep your tools sharpened even when there's nothing to fix.  When I began, I was full of curiosity.  Later, I was full of problems.  During both periods, I cast spells like mad, deeply immersed in my beliefs and my craft.  What a wonderful time that was, always busy, always seeing the good I did in my own life!  My work now is centered around others (my shop, reading tarot and making spell kits professionally, this blog, my manuscripts) and I truly adore it.  It's my main interaction with the magical community now and it keeps me in touch with what people want and need, and with a constant assessment of what I can provide to them.  It's the most rewarding job I've ever undertaken.

But that doesn't mean I don't miss casting spells for myself.  It's almost a silly thought but sometimes being satisfied just isn't satisfying.

Spreading Yourself Too Thin


How to Get Back on the Road

Now that you know what the problem is and have thoroughly rooted out its causes, it's time to make some plans.  Begin by thinking about your past.  What inspires you?  What has always held that special charge that lights you up inside?  Write that down!  Keep it close; find new ways to chase that dream, to explore that avenue.

Now think about what you've been putting off.  Sometimes it seems easier to ignore an entire facet of our lives rather than do the hard work that awaits us there.  If your BoS is a disaster, you're not likely to want to do any magic that would only lengthen the list of work you need to put into it.  Perhaps you have a long to-do list for spells that need cast or a situation that is failing faster than you can help.  Maybe you're lacking essential ingredients as well as the means to buy them.  Whatever your situation, recognize it and set down some ideas for ways to remedy it.  Break down big issues into smaller tasks.  Put in some effort every day toward fixing it; make small changes often and you will see results.

Next you must make plans for your immediate future.  Get an almanac and use it as your magical day-planner: mark in it weekly magical plans and upcoming timed spells.  Keep it near and refer to it often.  Once you get on track, you can opt to create a theme for each month such as focusing on a certain topic (like lucid dreaming) or increasing your knowledge of one style of spellcasting (like knot spells).  When you're not casting during that month, use some of your free time to learn in a pleasurable way, such as watching video tutorials, attending workshops, talking with friends, reading articles, and searching for books on the topic.

Keep your goal within reach by making your daily goals achievable.  Don't get discouraged if this repatterning takes some time.  It's all part of becoming the person you choose to be, and that's a big part of magic already!

Create Long-Term Goals You Love



You are a creator of destiny.  Get out there and create!




 Images from:
 http://matrix124.deviantart.com/art/The-Bored-Witch
 http://www.people-results.com
http://anaturalwitch.tumblr.com
http://prn.fm/expanding-mind-american-witchcraft

Grow Your Own Crystal Necklace


If you're snowed in (like I am) and looking for something useful to do with your hands, this might be it.  This week's link is for a great litle tutorial--complete with photos and plenty of dos and don'ts--for making beautiful pendants of alum crystals.

A neat science experiment for the kids.  A nice way for non DIY-ers to feel accomplished at jewelry-making.  Yes, there's that.  But then there's the fact that alum is a magical mineral with the impressive qualities of protection and purification but most especially stopping gossip against you.  What better way to halt those wagging tongues than to carry your defenses out in the open where they can be admired by kinder people?  Turn your enemies' disdain into your decoration!

Okay, strap in.  This will probably be the most aggressive post I've done so far.  Some of you may be offended.

So now that that's out of the way...I really hate ugly magic.  That's what I would call it, but its proponents think of it as "genius!" and "creative!" and "so practical!"  Well, it's not.  It's just awful and ugly and classless.

When you give less to something that is supposed to mean a lot to you, the endeavor seems suddenly less worthy, less brilliant.  It's as though you don't really care, aren't trying, and don't much mind if you see results or not.  Is that the way you want your work to go?

What You Give You Get

Magic requires an investment.  When you invest time and curiosity, you learn new things.  When you invest energy and desire, you create new things.  So you have to put in something you possess that is of value in order to receive outside value.  That means you either put in straight cash, goods, or one helluva lot of directed energy.  

Money has an obvious value.  We can respect things that cost money and understand that the higher the price, the greater the importance of the thing being offered.  We also show great respect for our own money and only spend it where we'll receive the most for it.  This is why I'm such an advocate for casting spells for pay--clients trust that when a witch gets paid, she knows her stuff.   Giving money to the Gods for favors (in the form of donations to organizations in their honor) and paying for spells is often seen as coarse to modern casters but it holds a lot of power for attaining your desires.  Give money and you give a gift that everyone understands and accepts.

Goods and objects receive a more subjective value--that of the individual.  How much you charge for the things you sell and how much you are willing to pay for the things you buy are largely based on your personal tastes.  Use components that are worthy according to your personality.  Here's where you can work magic with a private set of associations and strong feelings from memory.  For example, you might opt to cast a prosperity spell using a coin from a country you were fortunate enough to visit or an object given to you by a wealthy acquaintance.  It's not necessarily traditional in its associations, but it contains plenty of emotion for you.

Beware the idea that you can just put in tons of visualization and directed power to make a spell work from scratch.  Sometimes you'll be on the top of your game and it will work well.  Other times it will flop.  Too many flops and you'll become discouraged.  Too many spells calling on only your energy and you'll become drained, depressed, and possibly ill.  Use the power found in herbs, stones, colors, words, your natural environment, and other elements to fuel your spell.  That's why components are found in spell instructions at all--you don't have to go it alone.

Objections I've Heard and Will Hear Again

"Not all of us are rich!  I don't have money to waste on fancy things so I use what I find around the house.  If that's tacky then that's fine.  I guess I like tacky magic!"

First, I doubt you do.  You simply have decided to work with things that don't require anything extra from you.  However, just grabbing something and saying "This is good enough" will not get you much in return.  You're choosing to put in a teaspoon of energy when you could have a gallon.  If your spell works, it won't be much.


"Early witches didn't have expensive things.  They were opportunists and used whatever worked."

They also made nearly everything by hand, giving plenty of time for the object to be infused with their desire.  Using an herbal teabag is not as good as learning about the wild plants in your yard which could do the same thing.   That's what early witches would have done.


Spells don't have to be done a certain way.  Don't tell me how to practice!"

You're right, spells don't have to be done in a way that others agree upon, but ideally, they will look like nothing else.  Think back to any accounts by outsiders encountering magic that you may have heard.  They talk about seeing strange objects put in strange places, items they don't understand and arrangements that seem to mean something, however foreign.  That's good magic.  It doesn't look like a shoebox full of plastic charms that may have been left behind by a little girl.


It's not the looks that matter.  It's the effort!"

Then put in some effort! Do that and your magic will be instantly elevated to the level of art.  It doesn't matter what your tastes or talents may be; if you give your all to a spell, it will be a unique expression of your desire.

Take the time to pick just the right components, not just what you find around the house.  Learn new things in an effort to build a better spell: discover uses of local herbs and stones you have found; work with natural items that have classic associations, like bones; find instructions and tutorials on making things by hand that can be used for spells.  This will ensure that you are always growing and becoming stronger in your practice while also not succumbing to the lowest common denominator.

To protect you from ugly magic, remember these tips:

Take a few extra dollar and get the good stuff that your spell deserves.  Your work is important and it deserves your full attention, your full devotion.

Get the right goods for the job, not just what is easiest to obtain.  A little time and sacrifice is good for boosting your magic.

Once everything is assembled and has become a unique kind of beautiful, give it all the energy you've got in you.  There is nothing stronger than the work you feed from start to finish.


Image from:
freerepublic.com

Tutorial for Making an Origami Lucky Star


In its way, origami is a magical process.  You begin with something flat, lifeless.  Then through manipulation and concentration, it turns into something beautiful, something that has a sudden depth and character.  Sounds like a spell to me!

I enjoy the Chinese tradition of paper-based spells, including the Paper Dog spell, found in "The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells," a dog image of twisted paper strips whose job it is to bring you your desire.  My familiarity with that piece of magic made the innocuous origami star an obvious choice in my mind for spellcasting.

Use paper that has a significance to your desire.  Choose the right color for the job, as well as any other specifics that might help, such as a strip from your resume if you're seeking a specific job.

Write your desire on the paper.  The use of magical inks here would greatly increase its power.  If you don't have any on hand, try different colored pens or paint.  A good choice for overall success would be gold colored paint or a metallic Sharpie.

Give all your focus when writing.  See your wish becoming manifest in all its perfection. Visualize this coming to pass because of the words you are writing; you are creating the tale of your life and all that it says comes into existence.

When you're finished, fold the paper as instructed, repeating the words you wrote with every fold.  Make your creases sharp and straight.

Breathe upon your star as you pinch the sides to fill it out.  As in the creation of poppets, you give this star the breath of life to work your will.

Give it all your energy until you have nothing left.  Ground and center.  Now place your star somewhere that you will see it often, such as the center of your altar.  When your desire has come to pass, toss the star into a fire to release it.

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes

I actually haven't met a practitioner who owns this book and didn't fall instantly in love. It's the grand tome we all knew existed somewhere but had not yet found.  I was already long a witch by the time this one came into print and knew how special it was compared to what I was seeing elsewhere on the shelves.  I pored over it longingly until that Yule my husband bought it for me as a present.  I read it cover to cover.

In short, the Encyclopedia is huge.  Comprehensive and wide-ranging, Ms. Illes offers whole chapters on every possible magical objective.  If you cannot find a spell in here to solve your problem using components you already have on hand, you either have no components or you have no problem.  I cannot imagine any other possibility.

I was, a few years ago, fortunate enough to meet Ms. Illes in person and give her my painfully gushing review of her work.  I sounded so silly as I said it but every word was true: I cannot remember what I did before this book.  It's just that good.


Secrets of Magical Seals by Anna Riva

Ms. Riva's books are so terrific that I'm always shocked when fellow practitioners say they've never read her.  Don't let the diminutive size fool you--all her books are stuffed end to end with workable magic.


I won't go through every Anna Riva book, I swear!  I doubled these up here to make room for others, but also to point out how similar they are, how well they work together.  It is for that reason that when I turn to Ms. Riva's work, these two are always side-by-side.

True to Ms. Riva's style, each of these spellbooks cut to the chase.  Spells are short and direct.  You are expected to know how to do all the extraneous stuff like prepare for spellwork, focus energy, and send it to a target.  She gives you simple directions for the core spell and you handle the rest.  Because of this, you might want to only use her books once you have experience to feel confident enough to go without direction. For those of us who've been in the magical community 15+ years, this is a welcome option.

My favorite part of Ms. Riva's books is that they so perfectly they sit in my practice.  They make small works of magic available on a daily basis, create opportunities for adding power to mundane tasks, and can neatly dovetail into larger spells to boost their effectiveness.

The Magick of Chant-o-Matics by Raymond Buckland

I learned from a fellow practitioner that this was later reissued under a new title, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it is.  Suffice to say, the new version has a much less--let's say--unique title.

This book came from a time when it was most desirable for magic to go mainstream, to be thought of as another form of Self Help.  Because of that, you have language in the style of a snake-oil peddler and at least 2 testimonials per topic.  Couple that with the fact that though the charms obviously have stylistic and linguistic differences that seem to show a variety of sources, none of them are given to the reader.  But, with the focus of the book being what it is, that would be a ridiculous thing to do.

That about covers all the derision that other readers have placed upon this poor little book.  Now for the good stuff.  It works.  Period.

Some of the chants are clearly reduction-style affirmations, some seem derived from various languages, others are pure sound.  Whether they are traditional or freshly minted (for 1978, at least), you can't argue with results.  I enjoy adding these chants to larger spells and to boost other magical workings, like dipping candles.  They are a terrific way to increase potency by adding focus and another layer of correspondence.


Complete Book of Witchcraft and Magic by Kathryn Paulsen



Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson

Another bold book that doesn't care if you agree with it or not, "Mastering Witchcraft" is ready to offer traditional magic to any reader willing to sit down, shut up, and listen.

Mr. Huson offers many formulas as well, but don't expect the "2 pts. Frankincense, 1 pt. Sandalwood" fare you're used to from Scott Cunningham.  These are incenses et al that will require a bit of time to compound.  You might have to do some searching to gather all the ingredients but, as it is often noted by authors, the search for components is part of the spell.

The spells, while not vast in number, are tight and exciting.  Mr. Huson offers a view of magic that is enthusiastic, fearless, and intelligent.  If you have a similar outlook, I highly recommend adding "Mastering Witchcraft" to your library.


Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison

I am so happy that the era of "every witch must be a PR rep for the rest of us" is coming to a close.  We really don't need to prove to the outside world that we're just like them.  I am happy to say that I'm not just like a non-practitioner; I look at life differently, I attack problems differently, and I have different objectives than the average person would understand.

Ms. Morrison nails this feeling.  Before reading "Utterly Wicked," I was already well-versed in cursing.  After reading it, however, I was amazed at the sheer volume of curses that one person can devise as well as the many unique methods that can be used.  If anyone has done you wrong, you will find plenty here to pay them out for it.


Instant Magic by Christopher Penczak

I enjoy this book because it offers clear methods of making magic without anything on hand but doesn't use that as a cop-out.  Too often we're told "You don't really need anything to cast spells; the magic is in you!" but when methods to this effect are described, they're so dull and lifeless that you might as well not cast at all.  And, in fact, I've met many practitioners that do just that, losing their magic for the lack of any material foundation.

For me, I like my spells to be beautiful, sophisticated, and emotionally affecting.  If you can manage to do that without physical presence, I can respect your work.  Mr. Penczak definitely gets my respect.

Perhaps this is a useful balance to the darker spellbooks I've mentioned here, but it is a nice one to peruse when you have spare time.  I don't generally have this on my go-to list when I need to set up spellwork, but I can say that every time I flip through it, I get ideas for magic I want to work.  If your practice is loosing its luster, grab a copy of "Instant Magick" and get excited about all manner of spellwork again.



This list contains many of the books I had early on in my practice.  They're the ones that I've spent the most time with, used the most often, and continue to return to for inspiration and information.  They've seen me through, in their turns, 18 years of spellcasting.  That's validation enough for me.

Think about your favorites.  What are the books that opened your eyes and changed your thinking of spellcasting?  Which ones made you a stronger caster?  Which would you recommend and why?


Images from:
board.whatisfatmagulsfault.com/index.php?/topic/1356-all-things-books
696xxoblivionxx.deviantart.com
wiccanwitchspell.com

Pagan Forest Magazine

I want to share with you a great publication aimed at Pagans and other followers of a nature-revering magical and/or spiritual path.  It has sprung up through the combined hard work and talent of many individuals who have created it solely for the purpose of bringing a unique voice to the community.

That being said, here's where I show my bias--I'm writing for it!

 I am pleased to have joined a team of creative people who appreciate the written word and the spoken spell.  Naturally, I'll still be at Ex Penna just as much (more, if all goes well) but I entreat you to follow the link, check out the incredible Pagan Forest Magazine, read the free issue and subscribe if you can, but definitely share and comment to support the independent press!

Plainly put, an affirmation is a positive statement of belief offered as an existing fact.  A mainstay of New Age followers, they can be used to great effect for practitioners of magic if we learn to bump it up a bit to suit our more specific needs.

Of course, that means that our words have to be worthy of the results.  If we want big, beautiful change we're going to have to put in big, beautiful energy.  In the case of affirmations, that means that no simple statement will do.  We're going to have to make it lovely, inspiring, enticing, and--most importantly--real.

The proper affirmation follows a pattern that is reliable:

• It describes your most pressing need
• It's made of positive words in present tense
• Formed with magic in mind: this will create change

hedgemagick.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/7-chakra-balancing-affirmations-for-financial-abundance/
sacredmists.com/plantable-affirmations-seeded-wildflower-paper