Each of us is born with a wonderful instrument that we can use for healing, transformation, and magick: the voice. The earliest spells were probably spoken ones. Ancient shamans, witches, and sorcerers understood that sound and resonance had the power to shift reality. They may have uttered words that held meaning in an evident way, but that also contained sounds that impacted the ethers when said aloud. Today, spellworkers still use chants, prayers, affirmations, and other types of verbal magick, as you’ll see when you get to Part II of this book.
In the mid-1990s, Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto began experimenting with how words affected water. He discovered that words could visibly alter the water’s structure. Just as each snowflake is unique, Emoto found that each word produced a unique shape when the water was frozen. When the words love, gratitude, and peace were projected into the water, it froze into beautiful shapes. Expressions such as “I hate you” caused distorted, broken forms. The vibrational energy actually changed the physical appearance and the molecular shape of the water. Interestingly, it didn’t matter what language was used. The words love, amour, amore, and the kanji symbol for love all generated similar snowflakes.
Because the universe—and everything in it—is composed of vibrations, all sounds produce effects. When you consider that all words create results, it makes sense to choose your words wisely and to think before you speak.
For thousands of years, in cultures around the world, people have sought divine intervention to relieve suffering and attract blessings via the use of prayers. John Bunyan, a seventeenth-century English preacher and writer, said that prayer is the “sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God.” American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson described prayer as “a study of truth.” The Unity Church calls prayer an “inward, silent knowing of the soul . . . of the presence of God.” Witches view prayer as a means of communicating with the Divine.
Like meditation, praying calms the mind and body, placing you in a gently altered state of consciousness where you can receive insights and guidance. On the physical level, blood pressure drops, heartbeat slows, breathing rate is lowered, and the adrenal glands secrete fewer of the stress-response hormones. Consequently, not only the recipient of the prayer benefits; so does the person who’s praying. Prayer is also a demonstration of hope, and as you already know, hopefulness and a positive attitude can manifest beneficial results.
Whether you pray for yourself or someone else, your words have amazing power. According to Larry Dossey, MD, author of Prayer Is Good Medicine, in cases of intercessory prayer (praying for someone else at a distance) the consciousness of the person doing the praying actually influences the body of the person who is being prayed for. Dossey discovered that “more than 130 controlled laboratory studies show that prayer, or a prayerlike state of compassion, empathy and love, can bring about healthful changes.” Numerous studies have shown that prayer can have a beneficial effect on a range of illnesses.
Much of magickal work involves healing—doing spells for yourself or for others. Therefore, it’s encouraging to realize that the results of your words and intentions can actually be measured scientifically. However, you can tap the power of prayer for virtually any purpose: to gain protection, to attract love, and so on.
When you pray to a higher power, it implies that you honor that higher power—God, Goddess, Spirit, your guardian angel, or however you envision it—and that an established relationship exists between you, which enables you to call on that higher power for aid. It also implies that you believe the higher power can remedy the situation. Prayer isn’t begging or pleading with a deity to give you what you want—it’s humbly aligning your personal will with Divine Will. You commit yourself to co-creating the best possible outcome, under the guidance of a higher power.
Prayer can take many forms, from the formal repetition in a church or temple of memorized verses taken from a religious text, to feeling grateful for a beautiful sunny day. You can pray silently or aloud, alone or with others, for yourself or someone else. You can pray first thing in the morning, before meals, at bedtime—or when you’re stuck in traffic, in the shower, at your computer, or taking a walk in the park. You can even join an online prayer group. The Internet offers hundreds of sites where you can post a prayer request, respond to others who currently need help, or read the personal testimonies of people who believe they’ve been helped by prayers.
Spiritual and occult literature abounds with references to the power of the human voice. For millennia people have recited magick words as a way of evoking supernatural forces and petitioning them for assistance. This is usually done by calling out the deities’ names. Speaking someone’s name is said to be an act of power, giving the namer influence over the named (which is why in some belief systems, individuals have “public” names and “private” names that are kept secret). In the Genesis story, Adam was allowed to name the animals on earth and thus was given dominion over them.
Witches and spellworkers recognize the power inherent in some words and use them in spells and rituals. You’ve undoubtedly heard the word abracadabra, but the word isn’t just something a stage illusionist says before he pulls a rabbit out of a hat. It derives from the Aramaic Avarah K’Davarah, which translates to “I will create as I speak”; it expresses your intention to manifest a result. Ancient magicians wrote the word as an inverted pyramid and used it in healing spells. In Chapter 13, you’ll learn how to do this, too.
Many witches end spells with the words “So mote it be.” This phrase (like “So be it”) seals a spell and instructs the universe to carry out your will. If you want to banish an entity or energy, you can order it to leave by saying, “Be gone.” The expression “Blessed be” is a favorite greeting among witches and a magickal exchange of positive energy.
In spells, you can choose to speak or write a single word, a phrase, or a longer statement. Words such as love, abundance, peace, happiness, and safety instantly bring to mind the results you seek. When you say the words aloud, you send a ripple through the cosmos stating your intention. When you write the words, the acupressure points in your fingers trigger responses in your brain. Many of the spells in Part II use words as components.
One of the most powerful and sacred statements is also one of the shortest: I am. It connects you with your divine essence for creative purposes. You can consciously choose to form a sentence that begins with “I am” in order to manifest a desired condition. Be very careful how you use the phrase “I am.” Whatever follows these words will be charged with magickal energy and intention. Never say hurtful or derogatory things such as “I am stupid” or “I am ugly”—these statements can materialize as unpleasant conditions.
A good way to state your intention in a spell is to create what’s called an affirmation. An affirmation is a short phrase or sentence that clearly and optimistically expresses whatever condition you desire to bring about. Affirmations leave no room for doubt, fear, or ambiguity. Whether you write affirmations or say them aloud, putting your intentions into words helps to focus your mind and empower your spells.
As is true with most things in life, there are “right” ways and “wrong” ways to design affirmations. These tips will help you to word yours effectively:
Let’s try a couple examples to help you get a feel for designing affirmations.
Right: I am completely healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
Wrong: I don’t have any illnesses or injuries.
See the difference? The first sentence affirms what you seek: health. The second makes you think of conditions you don’t want: illnesses and injuries.
Right: I now have a job that’s perfect for me.
Wrong: I will get the perfect job.
In the first sentence you state that the job you seek is yours right now. The second indicates that you’ll eventually get the job you want, but it could be some time way off in the future.
Being specific is usually a good thing when creating affirmations. If your goal is to lose twenty-five pounds or you’ve got your heart set on acquiring a 1965 red Mustang convertible with black leather seats, for instance, list the pertinent details in your affirmation. But sometimes you don’t know all the ins and outs of a situation, or you don’t want to limit your options—as in the job example we just considered. Sometimes it’s best to let the universe work out the fine points.
Here’s a case in point. A friend of mine wanted to attract more money into her life, so she wrote this affirmation: “I now earn more than enough money for everything I need and desire.” When I read what she’d written, I immediately noticed she’d limited her potential by using the word earn. I suggested she revise her affirmation so it said: “I now receive more than enough money for everything I need and desire.” Soon afterward, she got an unexpected tax refund that fulfilled her affirmation.
When you cast a spell, you can say affirmations aloud if you like. Or you can write them on slips of paper and put them in mojo or medicine pouches, to use as talismans or amulets. Some people like to carve words into candles and then burn the candles during a spell. Another popular way to use affirmations is to write them on a vision board and place the board where you’ll see it often. Each time you read the words, you’ll be reminded of your objective. Once you understand the basics of creating affirmations, you’ll probably find lots of original ways to include them in your spells and rituals.
Want to kick an affirmation up a notch? Design it as an incantation. Incantations are written as rhymes. The catchy phrasing and rhythm make the incantation easy to remember. The rhythm also adds power to your statement by drawing upon nature’s rhythmic patterns, e.g., waves breaking on the shore or the beat of your heart. Don’t worry about the literary quality of your incantations; just follow the same guidelines for creating affirmations, then make your statements rhyme.
Incantations can be as short as two lines or as long as your imagination and intention dictate. You can use an incantation in the same way you’d use any other affirmation. Although it’s perfectly okay to merely write an incantation, more often they are spoken aloud. Because incantations feature both rhyme and meter, you may enjoy putting them to music and singing them.
Here’s an example of an incantation to attract love, from my book Nice Spells/Naughty Spells:
As the day fades into night
I draw a love that’s good and right.
As the night turns into day
We are blessed in every way.
Okay, it’s not going to win any awards for literary value, but it gets the message across and that’s what counts. You’ll find more incantations in Part II of this book. Creating incantations is fun—use your imagination to design your own. The more energy you infuse into your creation, the more effective it will be. If you do spellwork with other people, singing an incantation together raises the energy exponentially. Wiccans and witches often sing incantations at celebrations. Chanting a love incantation while dancing around a Maypole on Beltane, for instance, is a joyful and powerful form of magick.
When you think of chanting, your mind may produce an image of Buddhists uttering the Sanskrit phrase Om Mani Padme Hum or medieval monks intoning Gregorian chants in European cathedrals. Chants are typically phrases, words, or syllables repeated aloud for a particular purpose. Saying a rosary is a form of chanting, for example. Witches sometimes chant rhymes in their rituals to raise energy and to unify all the participants. Some shamans even use chanting to reconnect a person’s soul with the physical body after a trauma has caused a separation.
Dr. Alfred Tomatis, a French eye, ear, and nose specialist affectionately known as “Dr. Mozart,” noticed that the ear was the first sense organ to develop. According to Tomatis, frequencies in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 cycles per second—those found in the upper range of the human speaking voice—are the most beneficial in healing. These resonances stimulate vibrations in the cranial bones and the ear muscles, which then revitalize or “charge” the brain.
The repetitive nature of a chant, as well as the actual words that compose it, act on your subconscious to generate results. You may wish to accompany your chanting with drumming, clapping, rattles, dancing, or playing musical instruments, in order to increase psychic energy. The vibration of the chanting (as well as that of any other accompanying sound) has a measurable effect on the nervous system. At its height, chanting can even stimulate altered states of awareness, including ecstatic trances.
Some people chant mantras while meditating. A mantra is a group of sacred sounds repeated for spiritual purposes. The mantra not only helps you to focus, it lets you become aware of the spirit housed within your body. By recognizing this spirit and your connection with it, you move from the material world into the magickal realm. That’s why it’s often beneficial to meditate prior to doing spellwork.
You can chant to create circumstances you desire. You can also chant to enhance your link with divine entities or to call upon them for assistance. Chanting is a particularly good way to dispel unwanted energies. The cumulative power of the repeated sounds breaks down obstacles that might otherwise impede a spell’s success, just as sound waves can break down obstructions such as kidney stones in the body.
Have you ever wanted to write in your own secret language? Guess what, you can. One way to do this is to design sigils to use in your spellwork. A sigil is a uniquely personal symbol you draw in order to produce a specific result. In a sense, a sigil is a way of communicating with yourself via secret code, because no one else can interpret the symbol. Although there are various techniques for designing sigils, the easiest one involves fashioning an image from letters.
Start by writing a word or a short affirmation that states your intention. Delete any letters that are repeated. For example, the word SUCCESS contains three Ss and two Cs, but you only need to put one of each into your sigil. Entwine the remaining letters to form an image. You can use upper- and/or lower-case letters, block or script. Position them right-side up, upside down, forward, or backward. The end result depicts your objective in a graphic manner that your subconscious understands, although it won’t make sense to anyone else. Each time you look at the sigil, you’ll instantly recognize its meaning at a deep level and that reinforces your intention.
The following sigil takes the letters L O V E and combines them to create an image (the L is inherent to the E). Of course, you could configure the letters in a zillion different ways, according to your own preferences, and each design would be uniquely powerful. That’s what makes sigils so special.
The process of creating the sigil as well as applying it are magick acts. Treat them that way. You may wish to design the sigil as a magickal working in itself and then use the sigil later as a component of another spell. In this way, you both craft and cast, and produce two effects by doing so: the crafting part—drawing the sigil—produces an effect on the person who draws it; it can then be used in casting another spell, for example the sigil for LOVE could be added to a love talisman. You can incorporate sigils into spells in myriad ways, for instance:
In Part II of this book, you’ll find suggestions for using sigils in spells. There’s no limit to how many sigils you can draw or how many ways you can use them. Give your imagination free rein.