nine

Constructing a Spell

How do you go about constructing a spell?

First, figure out what the problem is. Determining the goal and target is almost always the hardest part. You start with a problem: someone needs a job, someone is sick, someone wants a career change, a life change, a new baby, a good verdict in court. There are thousands of potential issues that inspire spellcraft. Work with the issue to figure out as much about it as possible. Don’t be afraid to use your intuition to help you through parts of the problem that start out a little fuzzy.

Start thinking about what that goal and that problem feel like. Maybe you think the subject needs more structure, more discipline, to achieve the goal. In that case, a highly structured spell might be in order. Maybe the subject needs to assert more self-control. In that case, perhaps you shouldn’t do a spell on behalf of the subject as a third-party—he or she needs to participate. Or maybe you feel like there’s a really simple solution, but you just don’t know what it is. Make sure simplicity informs the spell itself—too many elaborate steps would be counterproductive.

Brainstorming

In my coven, we have brainstorming sessions before any spell. First, we determine if we will do the spell at all. We discuss the ethics, the practicality, and how we can make a connection between ourselves and the target. Often, we change the concept of the spell entirely.

How can we help a very sick child whose mother refuses to bring her to the doctor? One possibility is to do the spell to heal her directly, but that doesn’t address the issue with the mother. In one particular case, we were dealing with a child with a chronic illness, so there was a risk that we might heal an occurrence but not the entire illness—ideally, the mother would be willing to monitor the illness later on down the road.

Magic also works best when mundane and magical efforts are combined—we wouldn’t work healing magic for an adult who refused to see the doctor. Is our example of helping the sick child the same? Is it ethical to try to change the mother’s mind? What about sending her a dream? The mother was traumatized by the circumstances of her husband’s death—could that be keeping her from doctors? What about sending a comforting image—a doctor’s visit that feels safe? If we send an image in one of these ways, is that ethical, since she still is making up her own mind?

How can we help a couple in the middle of a divorce when we have love and friendship for each of them? If we send energy to help one, does that somehow harm the other? What’s the right energy to send to both of them? “Fairness” was rejected as sounding like a measuring and divvying-up; that kind of thing can be emotionally damaging. “Peace” was rejected for the opposite reason, as it might lead to feelings of surrender and unfairness. What about “best possible outcome”? Is that too vague? If it’s vague but as close as we can get, is it worth doing the magic?

How can we help a person whose request to us is for a job, but whose job seeking is impaired by issues with clinical depression? Do we do one working or two? If one, do we work on the job or the depression? Can we combine the two goals, or does that dissipate the power of the spell? What about “positive energy for effective job seeking” as a goal? What about “personal breakthrough that leads to a new job”?

Choosing a goal helps us choose the target. In the last example, if “personal breakthrough” is chosen as a goal, then the target is obviously the job seeker himself.

In each of these cases (all based loosely on real-life examples), choosing the goal and the target helped us begin to understand the flavor of the energy, and therefore exactly what the spell would be.

For healing, I keep anatomy books in the house. Being able to visualize the exact part of the body being targeted is very helpful. The Internet is always available as well, for definitions of illnesses, for geography, and so on.

At this point, we start to talk about the energy in a fairly specific way. For example, for a friend with a cardiac condition, we pinpointed blood flow as a crucial issue and began to think about ways to create smooth and successful flow. Eventually we developed a spell wherein water was poured from one container to the next, flowing smoothly, building the energy of the spell while it imbued “flow” into the energy we would eventually send. For a depressed person who really wasn’t facing reality, we started talking about the idea of movement and eventually began walking around the circle. The walk was imitative magic for the person, who needed to walk his path and who needed steady movement out of his difficulties.

At the same time, we’re figuring out who will concentrate on what (with a group, most participants concentrate on the goal while one concentrates on, and sends to, the target), what ingredients to use, and what will be on the altar. For a woman with fertility issues, we wanted something small on the altar so we could send it to her immediately. During a more complicated working, we charged a piece of jewelry. For another fertility spell, we used an egg.27

Exercise 19: Develop a Goal and Target

Now is the time to start thinking about your own magical goal(s).

Begin mapping out the questions to ask yourself. Be as specific as possible. If you don’t have answers yet, that’s fine; formulating the questions is a great start. Think about the specific questions for a goal offered in the examples in chapter eight (for the job goal and the relationship goal), and also think about what that goal feels like, which we just discussed.

Does your goal suggest a target? If not, start imagining what your target might be. If a target seems impossible to find, go back to the goal—is it specific enough? A vague goal will make finding the target more difficult.

First Steps

I have described more than one step that could or should be first in constructing a spell. At various points, I’ve recommended grounding and centering, stating the intention of the spell, and evoking a deity (if you use that step) as first or preliminary. What order should these steps actually be in?

First: Ground and Center

Readying your mind must always be first, because without your mind being in the proper state, none of the rest of the steps can be truly effective.

You will be doing various preparations, such as getting out your magical tools or setting up your altar, and your mind will begin to center itself around these activities. Once you’re ready to formally begin, ground and center again to bring yourself fully into the moment. In a group, ground and center once you’re all in place together.

If you (alone or in a group) are doing a spell as part of a larger ritual—at a certain point in a Wiccan circle, for example—then it’s ideal to begin the ritual with grounding and centering. Then briefly re-center when it’s time to do the spell.

Second: Declare Your Intention

This step completes the process of grounding and centering and formally begins the spell. It’s like grounding and centering is saying “I am here,” and declaring the goal is completing the sentence with “in order to (achieve this goal).” A stated intention can be the purpose of the spell—for example, in the sample job spell in the next section, “I will have a full-time job … with a company I consider ethical” is the stated intention. Or it can be much simpler, such as “Tonight I work magic,” with your detailed goal fleshed out elsewhere in the spellwork. Everything you do will be sharpened by having that stated intention behind it.

I like to state my intention out loud, whether working solitary or in a group, because words have a particular power that just thinking to oneself does not.

Third: Elemental Balance (Optional)

If you are balancing the spell in the four elements, the power of that balance should be accessible to everything else that happens. Subsequent steps will have more power and completeness with the elements already present, and you can, on a purely practical level, use those elements in whatever is done next, such as charging a sympathetic object.

This step is not about consecrating a ritual or sympathetic object by the elements, but is simply a matter of bringing the elements present to the space. You’ll see an example of these steps in this order in the sample job spell in the next section.

Fourth: Prayer, Evocation, or Petition of a Deity (Optional)

If you do both steps 3 and 4 (balance and pray), then I would balance first. To do so creates a kind of elemental temple for the deity to enter. It prepares the mind, the heart, and the space you’re in to receive the presence of deity.

All of these are “getting ready” steps, and whatever spell you do can be preceded by them and should have at least the first two built in.

The Sample Spells

Here are the two spells—the job spell and the love spell—that we’ve used as examples throughout this chapter and chapter eight. As we go through the spells, I’ll point out on the side things we’ve learned in this book and how they are used in each spell.

The Job Spell

Please note that this spell and the one that follows use the language from the examples in chapter eight. If you use the spell, you’ll obviously change the goal and job title to suit your own needs, just as you will change the qualities of a romantic partner to those uniquely suited to you.

Set up the altar with a green cloth and green candle. On the altar are:	Green creates symbolic sympathy with money/career goals.
Censer with charcoal	Component 4 of a spell: ingredients gathered beforehand
Incense
Matches/lighter
Small cauldron or dish on a tile
Water
Salt
Athame
Résumé	Component 2 of a spell: a target (the résumé)

Light the candle.
Concentrating on your goal, say:	Component 3 of a spell: intention
I will have a full-time job as a systems analyst in the healthcare technology industry, paying at least $85k, with a full benefit package, within forty minutes from home, and with a company I consider ethical.	Component 1 of a spell: a stated goal (that is specific)
Place your athame in the dish of incense, saying:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
I do charge you with the power of air, power of the mind, of intelligence, and of movement. So be it!	Power is being raised from: • Repetition (repeated phrase)
Place your athame on the (lit) charcoal, saying:	• Natural sources (incense ingredients)
I do charge you with the power of fire, power of the will, of passion, and of purpose. So be it!	• Supernatural sources (the elements) • Stored power in a magical tool (the athame)
Add incense to the censer and inhale the smoke.	• Magic words
Place your athame in the water dish, saying:

I do charge you with the power of water, power of the heart, of empathy, and of kindness. So be it!
Place your athame in the dish of salt, saying:
I do charge you with the power of earth, power of the body, of stability, and of finance. So be it!
Add salt to the water and stir.

Evocation to Mercury:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
Intelligent and bright, swift and scientific, Bright lord Mercury, ruler of digital technology, Mighty one, Hear my prayer: Lend your power to this work. Look upon my goal and see it is worthy. Give to me your aid in achieving my ends. Thank you.	Power is being raised from: • Deity (by evocation and by offering)
Add additional cinnamon to the censer, saying:
Accept this offering of cinnamon, O Lord Mercury, in thanks for your aid.

Lift up the résumé, saying:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
Résumé! Foot in the door! Shine brightly in the eyes of all who read you! Bring attraction! Bring interest! Let employers look upon you and be inspired! Let them read you and want to meet me and hire me!	Power is being raised from: • Magical words • Supernatural source (elements)
Pass the résumé through the smoke, back and forth, so that it is thoroughly censed, saying:
I do charge this résumé with air, that it capture the thoughts of those who read it. O Air, O communicator, let this résumé be a powerful messenger, bringing swift communication from the employer I seek.
I do charge this résumé with fire, that it be a force of my True Will, awakening and enlivening the employer who reads it. So be it!

Now sprinkle the résumé with saltwater, thoroughly, getting both sides. Be sure especially to touch your name and desired job title. (Don’t soak the paper—you’re going to burn it.) Say:
I do charge this résumé with water, that it open the heart of the employer I seek, that deep satisfaction be a part of my work.
I do charge this résumé with earth, that it bring stability and prosperity. O earth, make this new job a home for me! So be it!

Concentrate on the résumé while visualizing your goal. Begin chanting your desired job title slowly, over and over, while you fold the paper in half and then in half again. (You want it small enough to fit into the cauldron, but not so tiny that it won’t easily ignite.)

Component 5 of a spell: raising power   Power is being raised from: • Concentration (the mind) • Rhythm • Magic words

Say: Systems analyst! (fold)
Systems analyst! (fold)
Find a rhythm to the job title, SYS-tems-AN-a-LYST! and chant it like a beat. Clap your hands in tempo to the chant, gradually gaining speed as your intensity builds.
When you’re ready, pick up the paper and light it in the flame of the candle, then drop it into the cauldron. As you watch it burn, visualize the flame taking it out into the world, sending its message magically just as you will send other copies of it physically and/or digitally.	Component 6 of a spell: sending power to the target
Remain at your altar, watching the flame until it has fully burned out.

You can allow the candle to burn down completely.	Component 7 of a spell: finish the spell
After the flame is out and the ashes have cooled (it can be the next day, if you wish), take the ashes outside and bury them, saying:	• Disposition of remains • Declared success
My new job is in the earth, steady and strong like the earth, stable and long-lasting like the earth. So be it.

The Love Spell

Clean the entire bathroom so it is spotless. Move the ordinary things (toothpaste, hairbrush) so they’re not visible. Make sure only fresh, clean, unused towels and washcloths are present. Have your new pink bathrobe or towel in its place.

Beautify the bathroom however it feels right to you. Beauty is an important part of any love spell—make sure the room is pleasing to you. It should look, feel, and smell lovely. You can play recorded music that is romantic or beautiful as well. Flowers are a great idea—you will be using rose petals, so a vase of roses can be a part of the space too.

You are working with six as a magical number. Rewrite your goal so that it contains exactly six or twelve qualities for your ideal partner. Your flowers should be a multiple of six as well.

Create an altar in your bathroom on a small table, at the sink, on the floor—whatever works with the space. The altar should contain:	Component 4 of a spell: ingredients gathered beforehand
• Sea salt • Six candles: three pink, three red (unlit) • Censer and charcoal • Matches/lighter • Pink and red rose petals • Vanilla and patchouli essential oils, or a blend of the two • Incense, including cinnamon, rose, and jasmine • Your athame or wand (I’ll say “athame” throughout the spell, but use whichever is comfortable for you.) • A representation of Aphrodite	Symbolic sympathy: • The colors pink and red • Beauty (associated with love and romance) • Numerology (numerology can also be considered a source of supernatural power)

The altar, too, should be beautiful. You should be pleased by the layout, by the dishes in which things are held, by the candleholders—all of it.
Fill the bathtub to a comfortable temperature. (You’ll find that salts and oils blend with bathwater best when they are added as the tub is just filling, rather than at the end. If you prefer, fill the tub partway now and add the rest of the water after the other ingredients are added.)
Place the six candles, alternating pink and red, around the outside of the tub. Don’t light them yet.

Declare your intention. Earlier, I created the following goal:	Component 1 of a spell: a stated goal
To find the partner I will spend the rest of my life with, who laughs at my jokes, who thinks I’m sexy; a masculine, open-minded, liberal Pagan with a compassionate heart and a strong libido.
We’re going to build the description into the actual spell, so for now simply state:	Component 3 of a spell: intention
I do a spell of love.

Place your athame in the dish of incense and say:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
O air, open my mind to those around me, that my beloved comes to me.	Power is being raised from: • Repetition (repeated phrase)

Light the charcoal in the censer. Place your athame on the lit charcoal and say: O fire, ignite my passions, that my beloved comes to me. Place your athame in the bathtub and say: O water, imbue me with loving attraction, that my beloved comes to me. Place your athame in the dish of salt and say: O earth, strengthen my commitment, that my beloved comes to me.

• Natural sources (incense ingredients) • Supernatural sources (the elements) • Stored power in a magical tool (the athame) • Magic words

Take some of the flower petals and/or a flower, and place them at the feet of the Aphrodite image. Focus on her beauty and her loving nature. Say:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
Aphrodite, lady of love, I call to you. Be here, in this place of beauty and love. Be here for me, as I open my heart to your blessings. Be here to bring two of your worshippers together.	Power is being raised from: • Deity (by evocation and by offering)

I invoke the gracious one, The beautiful one, The delightful one. Look upon the work I do, blessed Aphrodite, And aid me. I thank you. Blessed be.

To make my stated goal work for this spell, I converted the qualities to six lines. I then added a call at the beginning and end.

Component 1 of a spell: a stated goal Component 3 of a spell: intention Component 5 of a spell: raising power

I call my beloved! I call my masculine life partner. I call a compassionate heart and an open mind. I call the one who finds me sexy and wants sex often. I call someone who laughs at my jokes. I call someone liberal. I call a Pagan partner. I call my beloved!	Power is being raised from: • Magic words • Supernatural source (numerology)
Light the candles. With each pink candle, say:	Sympathetic connection to the beloved
For love, for love, for love. My beloved comes to me.	Sympathetic use of color
With each red candle, say:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
For passion, for passion, for passion. My beloved comes to me.	Power is being raised from: • Magic words • Repetition
Take the incense and wave it over the water. Say:	Component 5 of a spell: raising power
I call my beloved. I am attractive to my beloved. My beloved comes to me.	Power is being raised from: • Magic words • Repetition
Add six pinches of sea salt to the water. Say:	• Supernatural sources (the elements, numerology)

I call my beloved. I am attractive to my beloved. My beloved comes to me.	• Natural sources (the oils)
Add six drops of your oil(s) or, for a stronger scent, a multiple of six (twelve or eighteen should be plenty). Say:
I call my beloved. I am attractive to my beloved. My beloved comes to me.
Sprinkle the rose petals over the surface of the water. Say:
I call my beloved. I am attractive to my beloved. My beloved comes to me.
As you step into the tub, clearly visualize yourself being surrounded by, bathed in, and changed by the magic you have created. See the soft, pink light of love surrounding you, calling to your unknown partner like a beacon.	Component 2 of a spell: a target (yourself, surrounded by love, being a beacon of love)   Component 5 of a spell: raising power
Bathe in this pink and passionate light, visualizing it growing in intensity.	Power is being raised from: • Concentration • Visualization

Bring yourself to orgasm in the bath, sending the power of your climax into your spell.	Component 5 of a spell: raising power Power is being raised from: • Sex Component 6 of a spell: sending power
When you are ready, step out of the bath and wrap yourself in your new pink towel or robe, saying: It is done.	Component 7 of a spell: finish the spell • Disposition of remains • Declared success
Allow the candles to burn out completely.
Enjoy the flowers while they’re fresh, then leave them, with the flower petals, in a remote place as an offering to Aphrodite.

Exercise 20: Construct a Spell

In exercise 19 you came up with a target and goal. Now it’s time to put together the steps you’ve learned so far to create your own spell.

What ideas, flavors, and energies will you create? What is the through-energy of the spell?

The ingredients list is something you can come up with after you’ve written the entire spell, but thinking about ingredients can be inspiring and help you create the spell. Answer these questions:

• What elements are associated with your spell?

• What color(s) could be a part of your spell?

• What herbs could be associated with your spell?

• What numbers could be associated with your spell?

How will you raise power and how will you send it? Answer the following questions:

• Are you working alone, with a partner, or in a group?

• Will your target respond to gentle energy or forceful energy?

• What flavor do you want to impart to your spell?

• What methods of raising and sending power are fun for you? (Pleasure is a huge asset to magic.)

How will you finish the spell?

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27. Like most people, I have friends and family who don’t all know each other. At my wedding, it was delightful for people in my magical group to finally meet two of the babies they’d helped bring about through fertility magic.