g SPELLCRAFT g Contents
Understanding how spells work is key to practicing magick. Similarly to math, you need the foundational “plus and minus” to be able to work on more complicated equations. If you are able to intrinsically understand spells, you can improvise with them, breaking them down or building them up on your own.
“Magic’s just science that we don’t understand yet.” —Arthur C. Clarke
The microcosm and macrocosm theory is the belief that our human body is a small-scale version of the universe, and, just as the universe has an influence over us, we have an influence over it, too. Particularly interesting is the idea that because humans have a mind, the universe, too, may have consciousness, or divinity. This creates a circle, meaning we, too, may be divine or connected to divinity. You could think of spells and magick as a drop in a still body of water—the drop creates ripples, spreading and creating an effect, showing everything is connected.
There are many reasons why a spell did not work. Perhaps it is still actively working and taking longer than expected—did you use the right ingredients to set up the timing of the spell? Using the element of fire—an element of fierceness and immediate effects—will tend to show results much faster than the element of earth, which is slow and steady (more on elements). Or perhaps you need to analyze your spell and consider if the ingredients were not quite right. Maybe you performed the spell in imperfect circumstances—for example, you rushed through it because you were tired. Sometimes a spell needs to be done periodically to show effectiveness, at other times you need to completely redo it, adding or changing a few things—that is why keeping a grimoire or spell book is important, so you can go back and analyze your work. It is also fundamental to fully commit to the energy of the spell, meaning your intention is important, too—it is essentially one of the ingredients. Doubt can often interfere. If this is a concern, try to forget about your spell once you’ve cast it, so as not to interfere with its energy.