Preparing to
Do Magick
F olk magick traditionalists often have ways of performing rituals that are different than modern, Western esoteric systems. Common magick may incorporate older rites into more current ceremonies or vice versa. We might syncretize our ways with the practices and beliefs of other cultures. Folkloric nature spirituality and magick are truly eclectic. There are some conditions that no longer apply to us, like needing a talisman to ward against smallpox or a charm for butter churning. There are new things to consider, like how magickal energies can affect devices such as a cell phone or a motor vehicle.
Some old rituals are timeless and can be applied to new situations. People still need help for success at their workplace. A deity related to childbirth or crop fertility can aid us in current situations. Many of us long for a connection to our natural world. This is why common magick is still relevant today. In this chapter, I’ll go over some of the basics that can apply to any energetic rite, then discuss some of the particulars of common magick.
Some traditional witches tell me they don’t need all the rigmarole of ceremonies, calling magickal helpers, and protection from harmful beings. They simply walk outdoors into the electrically charged air before a thunderstorm, grab some moss and a granite rock, and use it for healing. However, those actions still involve a type of rite. They utilize natural tools, a particular time and event, and a ritual space. The principle of sympathetic magick is employed. There is an objective. There is a focus of magickal energy. There is an outcome. Although they might not acknowledge it, the witch has created some type of shielding for protection from harmful energies. Not every step is necessary to do a magickal working … but many of them truly are.
Until people have practiced magick for a while (longer than five years of continuous working), I strongly suggest that they go through certain steps when enacting a ritual. While they may not call upon deities for help or buy a long list of fancy ritual tools, there is still a procedure to successfully use common magick. Going through all of the following steps helps to attain the desired result.
After this checklist for performing magickal workings or rituals, I will go over some of the steps for getting ready and actually performing the rites.
Magickal Checklist
1. Thought and intent
2. Shopping list
3. Preparing oneself
4. Engaging
• Preparing a space
• Shielding
• Calling for help
5. Declaring intent
• Visualization
6. Directing power or attuning
• Raising and directing energy
• Receptive magick and attunement
7. Sharing
8. Disengaging
9. Acting in accord
The checklist is a guideline, not an absolute. Not every single prayer, spell, working, or rite must utilize every single step. For example, if someone is greeting the dawn, they might think about intent, which is showing appreciation for a natural event. They don’t need any particular tools. They might briefly prepare themselves as they would for any social encounter. They will engage by putting their feet firmly on the ground and raising their arms toward the rising sun. The sacred space is wherever they are; most common magick users will not need to create a protective place, other than ordinary personal shields, for this type of rite. Curious spirits may just show up, or the practitioner may want to call upon a goddess of the dawn such as the Roman deity Aurora or the Celtic Anu, the dawn mother. The magick user might simply wish to acknowledge the natural event. Intent is declared when the person says, “Hello, beautiful sunrise. I greet you!” The person is attuning with the natural world as the sky turns pink and gold, they are immersed in the sun’s first radiant glow, and they feel a sense of awe and contentment. The person disengages when they lower their arms and go about their business. Analysis includes noting how this rite makes them feel. It really is that simple.
Other workings and rituals are, of course, much more complex. First I’ll give an example, then I will go through all of the steps one by one. Things will be explained in more detail during subsequent entries and chapters.
Ritual Example Containing the Checklist Steps
Say that my bank account could use a little boost. I want to pick up more overtime hours at work; maybe even get a raise in pay. How to go about it?
I’ve read in tables of correspondence that Saturday and Wednesday are aligned with deities and energies that represent commerce. I check my personal calendar and an almanac, and I find out that next Wednesday will be during the waxing moon, the time of increase and continuing projects. The optimal planetary hour is morning, but I must go to my job, so I settle for doing the rite in the evening right after I get home. I choose a liminal place that represents new opportunities opening: a windowsill.
My intent is to gain more money through my hard work without causing harm or distress to others. It would be bad if a coworker got sick and had to take time off just so I can be given their scheduled hours. Better situations include gaining new clients, performing more services, or attracting more customers. I also must consider a limit to the amount of overtime I can handle. Writing all this down helps me to focus my intent.
Next is considering any tools and ingredients I may want to use. This is the “shopping list” part, although I needn’t purchase everything. Some items I have on hand; others are found in nature. Things that symbolize money are coins, the color green, the abundant dandelions growing in the yard, a malachite stone, a paid bill, and a beautiful coin purse that I got on sale. These ritual ingredients will use the principles of sympathy and contagion. The coins and the paid bill might contain residual energies of other people and situations, so I blow smoke at them for cleansing. Then I dab them with “money oil” that I purchased at a metaphysical shop, visualizing what these objects represent to me: income, commerce, security. I don’t have a green candle so I use white. I inscribe it with sigils that represent dollars or euros. I often work with fairies, so I avoid things they dislike, including iron. I remember a nice reward for my magickal assistants: a shiny new penny and a bowl of milk. Finally, I choose a garden rake, a tool that symbolizes work and is used for drawing and directing power. It has aluminum tines, which should not adversely affect the fairies.
Wednesday evening comes and I prepare myself by taking a shower, putting on a loose-fitting green bathrobe, eating a protein bar, grounding and centering, and thinking about my intent. I voice aloud my goals and use visualization to “see” myself working hard, helping customers, and getting a fat paycheck deposited in my bank account. I do not focus on unpaid bills or my need for money. I want to envision positive results.
I prepare my ritual space by opening the window and arranging the tools on the windowsill, including the bowl of milk and the penny for the fairies. I shield myself from unwanted energetic situations or beings by visualizing a spinning three-pointed daisy wheel sigil around myself. I set a ward to watch over me. The ritual area is left open for free-flowing energy. The open window acts as a symbolic portal from my home to other realms—a “window of opportunity,” so to speak.
Summoning help for my working includes calling upon beings known for labor and industriousness. In folktales, brownies, leprechauns, and hobs perform tasks around the home and workplace, and they are compatible with one another. I politely invite them to join me and ask them for their assistance in exchange for the milk and the penny.
Voicing intent is the next step. I read aloud from my written statement, saying that I wish to gain more income from my efforts. I will be able to handle ten extra hours of overtime per week at my job, and I’d like that to be derived from new customer accounts with my company. I’d appreciate if the payment manifests as money rather than stock options or free products. Declaring that no injury will occur as a result of my actions is crucial.
Now it’s time to connect my ritual tools to my intent. I light the candle, then hold the wooden handle of the rake with my dominant hand and place its end onto the floor, visualizing the wood connecting with the bountiful, abundant earth. The tines face the ceiling, and I envision it drawing power from the sky, the sun, and the waxing moon. Through the open window, I consciously, deliberately accrue energy. This can feel like a tingling sensation, the exhilaration felt on an amusement park ride, or a sense of “rightness.” It may sound like wind, radio static, a ringing noise, or it may be silent. With my receptive hand, I touch the items which symbolize money—the purse filled with coins, the malachite stone, the paid bill, the dandelions. While doing these actions, I again think about my purpose and intent. I can verbalize the wish, sing a song, or be silent and recall the reason I’m performing this rite.
When it feels right, I taper off on drawing power. As an intuitive, I can perceive the power that I’ve accumulated. It can feel like a crackling ball of electricity or seem like the presence of a mighty being. I can feel it flow into some of the ritual objects, creating a repository for energy. Hopefully, I will be infused with a sense of strength, accomplishment, and success. Now is the time to release the energy for my goal. Focusing on intent, I throw the ball of energy back out of the window, picturing it landing on my target (or I could envision shimmering light, a flash of color, or a swift animal running). It might feel like waves flowing toward my goal. Sometimes, I perceive a sound like a slingshot snapping or a bird’s wings in flight. Others may not see or hear anything, but that’s all right. Again, I focus on intent.
I declare my commitment to share the milk and penny with the fairies and speak aloud my reasons for performing the rite. This is the sharing portion of the working. “I will be very happy with my raise in pay.” This uses the magickal principle of “speaking into being.” Now is also a good time to thank the entities that were present.
Disengaging includes grounding and centering again, if needed. It may mean telling the energetic beings that they are free to go home if they want. The penny is put outdoors and the bowl of milk is set on the kitchen counter. The candle is placed in a safe spot and left to burn down or is extinguished. Any wards or guards can be taken down. Ritual tools are stored away.
After the ritual, I might feel that one or more of the objects took on power, so I may want to keep them on a nearby shelf, the headboard of a bed, or a table used for work. I may want to carry the objects around for a period of time. I also may wish to do a cleansing on the room, such as waving a besom to dissipate extra energies.
Now is the time for analysis. What went well? Do I feel confident and empowered? Did I think the tools and ingredients were right for this working? What could use improvement? This step may be revisited after the results are in. Must a similar rite be enacted again at another time? I might think that once is enough and patiently wait for the outcome, or I may consider that the ritual should be repeated, perhaps at the next new moon, or until I get the desired result.
The most important part of a ceremony takes place afterward. People must act in accord with their workings. My husband has a saying: “In order to win the raffle, you’ve gotta buy a ticket.” In order for a rite to achieve goals, a practitioner must perform behaviors in “accord,” which means in agreement or in harmony. This means taking action toward the objectives. I will have to show up at my job on time and work extra hard. I’ll mention to my supervisor that I am willing to take on some overtime hours. I will endeavor to treat customers well and be nice to my coworkers, even the grumpy ones. I will also carry my power objects with me to work.
This probably sounds like a lot of effort, but the results can be amazing. Things might not happen the way that people originally envisioned it, either. Rather than overtime, they could receive a promotion. They might get a new job offer in a better location. Magick can be limitless.
Below are more suggestions regarding each step for a magickal working or ritual.
Thought and Intent
This is one of the most crucial parts of performing any magickal act. Everything else follows one’s intent; follows as in chronological order, but also meaning that intent leads the rite and everything else lines up behind it.
Some questions to consider include: Why is this rite or working being done? Is it to celebrate a holiday? Does a goal need to be accomplished, such as creating an object to store power or directing energy to a person or cause? Is the working intended to continue a situation that already exists or bring about a condition that previously happened? Is it a brand-new circumstance? All reasons should be considered using the lens of truth.
Magick workers must think carefully about their desired outcome and any bonuses or side effects. A proscription should be included against any possible negative result, including how the working might affect oneself and others. People should leave themselves open in order to accept positive forces, which achieve objectives that they may not have thought of. Conversely, they might wish to make some specific requests. Again, I’ll use the example of abundance, a term that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Do I want an abundance of weeds in my garden or an abundance of food in my cupboards? Some other words to carefully consider include wealth, opportunity, fertility, plentitude or plenty, fame, fortune, success, attract, repel, know, be aware of, understand, perceive, justice, revenge, bind or binding, restrict, impair, control, influence, manage or rule. I must define what constitutes “plenty,” and in regard to what. Material objects? Time? It’s suggested that the words positive, beneficial, good, helpful, and favorable be added to the verbalization of intent.
It’s a good idea to write down and analyze the reason for a rite as well as every consideration or contingency related to it. Written intent can add to the magick, aid as a memory device, and help to focus one’s will. Some people write out an entire ritual; others find one online or in a book. Some magick users improvise, but the steps outlined above are still utilized.
Next is planning the rite itself and its time, date, and location. What is available? What lines up the best with the goal? Is an altar required? Is the location of the rite practical, legal, and safe? The nearest crossroads at midnight might be the most magickal place and time but could garner unwanted attention. Outdoor spaces are wonderful but can take some extra preparation. Here in Michigan, when we have four feet of snow on the ground, the wind is high, and the temperature is below zero, hardy people can stand outside for about fifteen minutes … while wearing winter coats and huddling around a bonfire. It’s best to have the outdoor winter rite last for a few moments, then go indoors. Liminal periods can be considered as well. Day and time correspondences are based on natural occurrences, such as fertile periods of the year and moon phases. Some are absolutes—like the dark of the moon, which lasts for a brief time—while others are merely a guideline. For instance, the common magick practitioners of old celebrated the harvest season anytime during the months of autumn.
Shopping List
Before making a shopping list, consider the steps outlined at the beginning of this chapter and the purpose of the rite. Will a talisman need to be crafted to store magickal power? Will specific tools be needed to direct energy? Magick users should think about the laws of sympathy and contagion when choosing material objects needed for a rite. What is on hand? Can items be found in nature? What needs to be purchased? Facsimiles may suffice; if a crown of real holly leaves for the Winter King can’t be found at Midsummer, a headdress can be made out of paper or cloth. Do any items need to be cleansed or consecrated? Are tools legal and appropriate for the setting? Some locations do not allow blades, food, open beverages, or open burning.
How about food and beverages to share? Certain magickal treats or ethnic dishes correspond to specific gatherings. Some rites include passing a chalice or horn. A gift for magickal helpers should be considered as well. This can be food, a trinket, a beverage, or another item that represents the entity. The object should be buried in the earth, cast into a fire, left outside for the spirit, dropped into moving water, put in a place that holds importance, or discarded after a certain number of days.
Preparing Oneself
As a person physically prepares for a rite, it is important to mentally focus, think about the intent of the rite, and get in a proper emotional state to participate in a working. Cleansing and purification may be needed. This might mean taking a soothing herbal bath beforehand, symbolically cleaning the spirit as the physical body is washed. Some people use a sauna or sweat lodge to remove toxins from the body. These impurities are considered to be both physical and spiritual. (Yes, the ancient Celts actually did build sweat lodges. Archeologists have discovered stone structures used for purification rituals.36 ) Ceremonially anointing oneself with essential oils, water blessed for that purpose, vinegar, and/or smudging may be undertaken. (Note: Before using any oils or bath additives, people should do a “patch test” on the inside of the wrist in order to check for a possible allergic reaction.)
Preparation can include fasting to empty and purify the physical body. If there is a medical issue such as hypoglycemia, fasting is not recommended. Some people may want to beef up with protein or carbs for physical energy. Hydration is important as well.
The energetic body should also be purified. This includes intuitively checking for unwanted attachments, such as bindings or symbolic cords fastening one to other people. Check for “psychic leeches,” which might appear like the animal, bloated with discolored energy. They may also appear as a demonic being, a cloud of gray polluted energy, an infestation of fleas, or a strange feeling of disquiet and worry. Folk magick practitioners can use a ritual tool, such as a ceremonial knife, to remove bindings that are no longer functional. The saying about “cutting ties” is applicable here. Visualization is also effective—imagining a sizzling energetic weapon to “cauterize” unwanted bonds, or water to wash away undesirable conditions. A sigil can be used to remove a binding, such as a daisy wheel or pentagram acting like a lawnmower blade to chop through restraints.
Grounding and centering may be necessary before beginning a rite. Grounding means connecting the physical body to the mind, emotions, and spirit and touching base with consensus reality. It is orientating to time, place, and physical surroundings. Some common magick users say “rooted,” which carries the image of a plant sending roots into the ground. Others call it “earthing.” Grounding may involve keeping a stone, amulet, or statue as a physical connection to this material plane. It can include placing the feet flat on the ground and emphasizing a connection to the earth and one’s surroundings. Being “anchored” means connected to the physical realm. “Centering” means finding one’s inner being and ensuring safety and confidence. Some folkloric traditionalists simply call this “getting right.”
Grounding and centering are important so that a person does not retain excess energy, which can make them agitated, anxious, “spacey,” or “airheaded.” Conversely, grounding and centering help to ensure that an individual’s personal energy reserves are not drained or depleted, which can make them feel exhausted and depressed. (Note: This is different than the medical conditions of clinical depression or an anxiety disorder, which may require treatment by a professional.) Meditation, breathing exercises, connection to the earth, affirmations, speaking one’s name and lineage, or simply closing the eyes and finding one’s inner spiritual core can work. Grounding and centering may need to be redone after a rite as well.
Words of power can be verbalized, stating readiness for a folkloric magick rite to begin. Many folkplays begin with “In comes I …” Even a simple starter like “Ready, set, GO!” can work.
I further suggest securing children and pets before a working, although small kids and animals can wander in and out of a ritual space, folkplay, procession, or other ceremonial location without adversely affecting the energy. Children may benefit from attending a holiday celebration or other religious occasion, and familiar animals can actually help by enhancing the power. However, much as we love them, kids can be a distraction when trying to focus the will and intent. Some pets may be overwhelmed by the energy and flee or act uncomfortable. This fact may have led to the cliché about witches holding their mysterious rites at midnight. While it can be an auspicious time for a ritual, it’s also the hour when the kids and doggies are asleep. At the very least, children and pets will need shielding, which we’ll get to in a moment.
It is also recommended that electronic devices are turned off, or left outside of the ritual space, since they can interrupt one’s focus, or worse, get “zapped” by the energy and stop functioning. Besides, they’re annoying.
Engaging
Preparing a Space
The purpose of this step is to clear a spot in order to raise and move energy or secure a location for doing more passive rites, like taking a spiritual journey. The ritual space is often considered holy ground. It can be used to keep out negative energies and to contain and strengthen magickal power that is conjured by the rite’s participants.
Casting a circle is one tried-and-true method of creating a sacred place. This is an area surrounded by magickal energy. A tool such as a ceremonial knife or wand is used to draw power from the surrounding area or another realm. The force is then shaped into a sphere, which may resemble a shining globe of light or feel like an enclosed place of safety. Cardinal directions may or may not be included in this rite. This widely practiced method might be familiar to anyone who has been involved with Western esoteric traditions, but common magick has many other ways of protecting a ritual space. Of course, some folk traditionalists don’t use any ceremonial place at all.
Folk magick users of Cornwall, called pellars, use a staff or stang placed in the center of an area to create an energy circle or dome. The power unfolds from the instrument like an umbrella. A string or cord can be attached to the stang in the middle of the space to ensure that the ritual circle is a certain distance from the center, usually a precise nine feet across. Another method is using a cord called a rig, anchored with a peg called a dod or doth, which is driven into the ground at the center of the ritual place. The other end of the rig is grasped in one hand and the practitioner walks clockwise to create a circle. This is sometimes called “making the compass.” Some people use a blanket or tarp with a circle called a compass painted on it, which is placed on the ground. A round ceremonial area might also be called a mill, a sphere, and a bought.
Other methods of enclosing a ritual area include passing a skein of yarn around to participants, winding energy and connecting people. The yarn may also be placed on the floor or around trees and bushes at the perimeter of the rite. Putting rope down in a circular shape is believed to keep negative energies and snakes out of a ceremonial space. Drawing a chalk outline around an area can work to outline a sacred space. Different shapes can be used to delineate a ritual location, including a square, a spiral, or a maze. A triangular shape is sometimes used to enclose power and energetic beings while standing outside of the triangle. Other shapes work as well, including the stereotypical pentagram, marked by paint or chalk with lit candles at each point, which genuinely works.
Some common magick practitioners do not isolate ritual areas from other spaces. We might prepare a certain location by “hallowing” it, which means declaring that it is especially holy. We may also cleanse and/or protect our ceremonial space without separating it from the outside world. A ritual location can be sprinkled with droplets of water, vinegar, or salt water, which is called saining or aspergating. Other substances can be scattered about the ceremonial place, including cornmeal, salt, flower petals, glitter, or sand. When purifying or hallowing an indoor ceremonial area with a fine-grained material like salt or sand, it’s best to have hardwood floors or linoleum, as it’s not fun to remove these substances from the carpet. Only natural, organic materials should be used outdoors. Sigils can be chalked at the perimeters of the ritual space for hallowing and protection. Moonstones or feathers can be tossed onto the ground to catch the attention of magickal entities.
“Smudging,” or cleansing a ritual area with smoke, is often done for purification and protection. While associated with Native Americans, the word “smudge,” meaning a smoldering fire, is actually from Middle English.37 The rite was and is practiced in Britain, using herbs such as mint, burning heather stalks or dried raspberry canes, or hazel twigs. “Enhazeling” a ritual area is done by encircling it with hazel wands, or hazelwood crosses, bound with red string. Liquid witch hazel, found at grocery stores or pharmacies, has the same result. Sweeping around the perimeter of a ritual space with a besom or feather fan also works.
Magick practitioners can perform a ritualized movement in order to protect an area, like making the sign to repel the evil eye. This gesture resembles the forked fingers that represent the Texas Longhorn sports team, or the sign used by fans of heavy metal music. However, the ward against the evil eye is unique. The thumb is placed on the palm of the dominant hand and the middle two fingers are folded over it while the pointer and pinky fingers make horns. This may represent a horned deity such as Herne, the Buca, or Cernunnos, and is used to protect a specific area. The thumb can also be placed between the pointer and middle finger, and the ritual area is delineated by pointing. Another gesture, done with the dominant hand, palm out, can be used push away unwanted energies. Common magick users can whirl in place, arms extended, either to delineate a ritual space or to raise energy. Walking clockwise around a specified area, usually three times, can sanctify and protect a sacred area.
Another method of creating a safe place for a working is to bang a drum with a staccato beat, which is said to scare away negative energies. The drum can be played in a heartbeat rhythm to bring participants in sync with Mother Earth. Additional musical instruments both frighten harmful spirits and summon pleasant, helpful beings. A handbell is often used for creating sacred space as well as summoning entities. Whirling a bullroarer can purify an area. The location in which the sound travels is considered as being within the ritual place. Folk magick users can stomp the ground with their feet around a circular area in order to delineate the circumference and frighten malevolent spirits. Songs, chants, and the spoken word can accompany any of the above ritual actions. Intent may be verbalized, such as “I consecrate this space to my deities and my working” or simply saying, “Here and now.”
Moving clockwise (also called sunwise, southwise, or deosil) is preferred in many folkloric traditions. This is because moving in sync with the earth’s rotation “winds up” magickal energies, like winding thread on a bobbin or spindle. There is nothing harmful about going counterclockwise (also called northwise, wraingates, or widdershins), but it does unwind energy. Moving counterclockwise is best used for dispelling, or when something is banished or repelled. Tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere usually spin counterclockwise, while water going down a drain moves clockwise. Most British ritual dances and ceremonies use a clockwise movement.
Common magick users often envision or set wards or guardians around the exterior of a ritual space. We call to friendly spirits, a familiar, animal helpers, or ancestors to protect us during the rite. We may invoke a watcher, a spiritual being who will cry an alarm if the perimeter is breached, or even repel harmful entities. The wards can be physical objects, sometimes made of natural materials such as eggs, which are said to absorb negative energies. They can be certain magickally charged items, such as crystals, prisms, hollow glass balls, iron nails, or sharp blades, edge facing outward, believed to repel harmful beings and conditions. The wards can be sigils drawn in the air or symbols inscribed with chalk around the perimeter or onto objects. Wards or guardians might not encircle the rite; some are placed at the four corners or at entrances to a home like chimneys and windows. Warding or protecting the working space utilizes the magickal principle of repulsion. In addition, some wards, guardians, and related beings can help summon, contain, and send magickal energy.
Some rituals, such as folkplays, processions, or ceremonial dances, are not held in a singular location, and thus do not have a designated sacred space. They still might require cleansing and/or protection. These rites may use talismans, wards, guardians, or personal shields for magickal safety. Folk dancers can wear bells, which jingle as they dance down the streets to repel baneful energies. The folkplay character of the fool usually carries a staff or baton, which rids an area of harmful beings.
Of course, many common magick practitioners do not use any type of ritual space for protection or containment. They prefer to let the energy flow freely in and out of the location where they are performing their rite. For some, using personal shields are enough.
Shielding
Folk magick users who do not contain a sacred place or set wards for a ritual depend solely on personal protection rituals. Most of us use a technique called shielding, which can defend a person and their loved ones. Rather than being attached to the ritual space, shields protect the spirit and physical body of the individual.
Shielding is wise if a person is participating in a rite where they are not familiar with everyone who is present. It is also a good idea to shield when performing a folkplay or dance in public. Any alternative state of consciousness can leave one open to unwanted energetic attachments. Thus, shielding must definitely be performed in times when a person is most vulnerable; for example, while journeying. Protection rites should also be done before enacting a solitary ritual that involves working with spirits of the dead, unknown spirits of nature, or performing any type of banishing.
A person may use a magickally charged item, such as a talisman or amulet, to shield themselves from psychic harm. Sigils can also be used for shielding. Protective words of power are intoned, such as prayers or blessings. A practitioner can envision a sphere of light around themselves, a crackling electric fence that keeps negative critters from invading, or a guardian spirit designed to prevent a psychic attack. When shielding with an image or visualization, be sure to protect the unseen parts of the body such as the bottoms of the feet, private parts, armpits, and the back of the head. Remember to protect any vulnerable attendees at rituals, such as small children, as well.
Calling for Help
This is the portion of the ritual in which energetic beings are requested to attend and lend their powers and qualities to the ceremony. This can be done verbally, by speaking the entity’s sacred name or a phrase that invokes them, by singing a song, and/or requesting help. Summoning aid can be done by writing to the entities, drawing a picture, or using something that represents them, including a statue, photo, or a ceremonial object. Visualize how they look and remember or imagine how they feel, smell, and are.
Another way to attract an energetic being is to use ritualized movement. A gesture such as crossing your arms over your chest, representing an embrace, might be used, or a beckoning “come here” motion. Standing with the feet firmly planted on the ground and hands raised above the head, palm-up or palms facing out away from the body, connects a person to the earth and sky. The placement of the hands depends on whether the magick user believes that spiritual beings dwell in the sky, in an underworld location, or in an alternative dimension on the same level as the material realm, such as Fairyland or the otherworld. The idea is to reach out to the entity and to connect with the beings’ location.
Common magick users who perform folkplays and ritual dances may avatar, or ritualistically “become” an entity, which brings them to life within the ceremony. Performers can put on the mask and/or costume that represents the being before or during the actual ceremony, which serves to invoke them. More about this will be explored in a subsequent chapter.
As previously mentioned, some magickal practitioners are nontheistic. Thus, calling for assistance is not a required part of a ritual. Remember: If you do call for aid, a warm greeting is advised.
Declaring Intent
Intent should have been considered during the very first step. Now it is time to bring the will into manifestation. Some folk magick users choose to make verbal statements about intent, sometimes using song, verse, or a strongly voiced proclamation, as if they were giving a speech before an audience. Others use imagery or movement. Words and images have power under the law of sympathetic magick, the law of contagion, and speaking into being.
Caution is advised because anything requested during a magickal rite within a sacred space can be spoken into reality. Many folkloric magick users believe in the axiom “from your lips to the gods’ ears.” Gossiping, complaining about a boss, and hating on a former partner can be considered as a curse. Negative emotions and verbalizations can also divert the energies from the actual purpose of the rite. At worst, it can pollute the magickal pool. Instead, concentrate on desired conditions. During a ritual is not the time for self-doubt or mistrust. Stating things such as “I sure hope this works” might cast aspersion on one’s words, which can undermine the positive verbalizations and weaken the will. Act confident, be optimistic, and stay focused on goals. Determination goes hand-in-hand with intent.
The step of declaring intent is also a good time to make requests of magickal beings. Some folks believe that an entity must be politely asked for a boon using very direct words. Others think that saying something like, “I would like good health for my daughter” is enough; the deity or entity will offer help on their own terms.
To avoid intruding on another’s free will, it’s best to not speak or write their name unless granted permission. “I would like to have a better relationship with my neighbors” is a truthful phrase, and also does not infringe on their rights.
Making positive statements to invoke beneficial conditions is much more effective than trying to abate the negative. For instance “I would like more income” is more powerful than “I want to stop being poor.” Attraction magick means that positive statements attract positive outcomes.
Strong verbs like manifest, invoke, invite, call forth, bring, create, enchant, empower, summon, embody, and determine are helpful to cause or bring about a condition, and words such as banish, remove, cleanse, change, and cast forth are used to get rid of something.
Some folkloric practitioners may believe in proclaiming something as if it has already happened. Affirmations such as “I feel strong” or “My neighbors are always nice” are believed to bring about the positive circumstance which has been declared. Others feel this is not in keeping with the concept of true-speaking. “I feel strong when I carry my crystal” or “I attain newfound prosperity with each paycheck” are modified affirmations that include a time frame or condition.
Of course, some ceremonies have no verbalization or sound—the rites are totally silent. Some rituals, such as folkplays, do not verbally declare intent. Priordination rites do not require a statement of purpose, as it is implicit in the working. A performer might want to declare intent and purpose anyway to inform any non-Pagan onlookers of what’s occurring. Other peoples’ skepticism or disbelief is unlikely to affect the rite as long as the participants are fully invested.
Visualization
This magickal technique is used to see with the mind’s eye, to imagine, and to create a desired situation. Visualization can be done in conjunction with statements of intent or during the energy-raising portion of the ritual. This can also be called conceptualizing, picturing, evoking, conceiving, envisioning, or conjuring.
Common magick utilizes visualization, but all of our other senses are involved as well. Practitioners endeavor to see, taste, sense, smell, emotionally feel, tactilely feel, and intellectually understand each requested condition as if it had already occurred. This helps to focus the will and bring about a positive outcome. Engaging all the senses, emotion, and intellect can help increase the probability that a desired situation will transpire. Magick users also use visualization and involving the senses during passive rites like astral projection.
Directing Power or Attuning
These are two different situations that can take place during the next step: active magick or passive magick. Folkloric practitioners believe it’s best to choose one or the other for a single ritual.
Both active and passive magick use power. The energy needs to be accumulated before it can be employed. This can be done by raising or generating a force or by drawing power from one’s surroundings. This energy is said to be used to “fuel” a magickal rite.
Raising and Directing Energy
To raise energy, a participant can dance, sing, burn a candle or bonfire, spin yarn from fiber, knit or do needlework, grind a mill or perform other repetitive movement, walk in a clockwise direction, drum or play an instrument, use gestures, rotate a staff around like a baton twirler, or whirl around in circles. Skipping, setting off fireworks, making love, and creating sound can all produce energy. Nearly any activity can raise power.
Magick users can also draw or summon energy from their surroundings. Force can be accessed from the consciousness of a deity or the sentience of the earth. It can be acquired during natural events like the sunrise or a lightning storm. Power can be channeled from an energetic pool. The practitioner must use care to not deplete any one source of power, including their own reserves.
To tap in to the power, a folkloric magick user can visualize or sense it. An energetic force can appear as a bright beam of sunshine or moonlight, a mighty river with rolling waves, or a lightning bolt. It can be sensed as static electricity, a rush of air, a vibration, sound waves, the force that gathers before a storm, wind, the sensation of moving at a high speed, or a strong emotion.
Power can be accrued into one’s own being or within a ritual tool. Power can be stored in a talisman or other magickal implement until its release. Energy can also flow freely from a person or a receptacle, like a stream. It can be emitted like a sound wave or pushed into an object or person. It might “zap” from the witch’s fingertips or wand like a bolt of lightning, as seen in so many movies and television programs about magick, or it might waft slowly and deliberately like a scent. It is subjective; unique to each practitioner.
One way of channeling power is called an “onlay” or “laying on of hands.” One’s hands are held up, palms out, attracting and absorbing the power. Then the hands are placed onto the intended receptacle, releasing the energy. It might feel like an electric current, like water flowing from oneself into the target, or like blood moving from the heart to an extension of the body. It might feel as if all of the senses are heightened with everything looking especially bright, causing hyperawareness. Conversely, it might feel soothing, like a fantastic hug. Channeling power through oneself requires excellent grounding and centering skills.
Energy can also be directed right from the source of power to the intended recipient without any intermediary. Some healing rites or workings to bring a desire into manifestation send energy from its supply to its target. A wand, athamé, staff or stang, farm tool with a long wooden handle, broomstick, or large crystal point can also be used to direct energy. Catching and tossing the power can seem like throwing a ball or hitting a puck into the goal, which might be why it’s called “casting” a spell. A chalice or other container, physical or imagined, can be filled with power and the energy can then be poured out onto the recipient.
It is a good idea to restate intent while directing power. A simple statement like “I release this energy into this stone for healing my friend” works. So can a word of power like “Go!” This is to ensure that the energy is aimed at its intended recipient, and this makes it more likely that the energy will land successfully. Energy that is unfocused can scatter and affect other beings, persons, or situations. Scattered energy can also have no effect at all. Regardless, this is wasteful of all the time, effort, and resources that have been mustered for the ritual.
Directing power is one of the most wonderful, magickal feelings. Energy can seem very dynamic and vivacious, full of the life force. The magick user might feel exhilaration, strength, an adrenaline rush, or (of course) empowered.
Speaking of which … Another essential thing to do is consciously replenish the common magick pool. Remember to retain some energy for oneself. One’s own personal life force and energetic body or spirit is important and may need a boost. This is called recharging, drawing power, renewing, propagating, or revitalizing. It works like recharging a battery, a power storage device that can accept energy from another source. The same process is used as sending power toward any other receptacle.
Receptive Magick and Attunement
Divination, astral travel, alignment with a spiritual being, and using one’s own natural psychic abilities are passive, receptive forms of magick. Attunement can mean coming into balance with nature, the spirit world, and/or oneself. Folkloric practitioners use certain techniques and rituals to attain the change in consciousness or heightened awareness required for attunement, or to help them navigate the otherworld.
Attunement and other psychic work can require some type of distraction for the physical body so that the mind can open. While the material body is occupied and the senses are being engaged, the mind will quiet or empty, and the spirit comes into awareness. More about this topic will appear in a subsequent chapter.
Once the mind has been distracted and the mind and spirit opened, energy is raised or channeled in the same manner as for an active rite. The forces can be used for the purpose of divination, attunement, or journeying. Power is also used for personal protection during the process of the rite. This requires sending energy inward, to the self, as well as reaching outward, toward the ether or universe, in an attempt to connect with the being or with a source of knowledge.
While not every folkloric magick user performs augury or uses their psychic abilities within a ritual setting, a ceremony can help with summoning power and granting protection. Doing a deliberate magickal working for attunement rites can also help to prevent the draining, tiring depletion of energy that sometimes accompanies an intense spiritual encounter. A magick user who undertakes astral travel can have difficulty orienting themselves in a place where there is no “down” or “up,” or where time is meaningless, and thus must work on processing their experience. This leads us to …
Sharing
Sharing can mean talking to others about involvement in a magickal rite, the effectiveness of a ritual, and emotional reaction. It can mean journaling or creating art. These actions help a person to comprehend what just occurred during the ceremony. Sharing can help to process an event that might seem fantastical or unreal. After a ritual, it can assist the practitioner with evaluating what things went well and what needs improvement. Sharing can also help a person to interpret and calm emotions that may be difficult to experience, to readjust to consensus reality, and to analyze any information that is not quite clear.
Sharing can also mean giving gifts or food to the entities who helped during the ritual. This may be part of a magickal pact and also embodies the virtue of hospitality. Sharing food and material goods with spiritual helpers must be done before fully disengaging from the rite. This might be accomplished by pouring a libation from a cup onto the ground, placing food in a special location for the spirits, putting an item onto an altar, tossing an object into water or the bonfire, or burying it in the ground.
Sharing information and food with other celebrants can be done after the ceremony is over, if preferred. Sharing connects the individuals who just participated in a ritual. “Breaking bread” is symbolic in many cultures of getting along and being peaceful. Nutrients can help to ground and stabilize a person after a rite. Eating connects the spirit and emotions to the material body. It may help replenish physical energies. Certain foods may have symbolism to an ethnic group or holiday ceremony. As a bonus, food is yummy, and many Pagans are really good cooks.
Disengaging
These activities take place to conclude a rite or working. A magickal practitioner can verbalize that the rite is at an end by saying, “So be it,” “What’s done is done,” “It is good,” or “Thus, it has become.” These phrases affirm that the ritual is finished. It works like the period at the end of a sentence. In Welsh, a practitioner might say “Bendythion” or “Bithdedwydd,” which are blessings.
Actions including tying a final knot in a magickal cord, stomping one’s foot or the end of a walking staff three times, clapping hands, ringing a bell, or making some other gesture that tells people and magickal beings that the working is complete.
After a working or ritual is completed, a magick user may want to ground and center again. Some practitioners physically touch an object stuck into the ground like a stang, pitchfork, or sword. Excess energies from the body are believed to dissipate into the earth, using the tool as a conduit. Other techniques include sitting down on the floor, or touching one’s bare feet or hands to the ground while visualizing the surplus power trickling out into the earth. Some folk magick users work to reclaim themselves, verbally affirming identity or stating, “I am here. This is now.” This is also the appropriate time to retract any anchors and to “cut ties” with any magickal tethers. A ritual blade may be used for this purpose. Some people visualize reeling in a cord or having the energetic ties simply unravel or disintegrate.
If someone feels particularly disoriented, spacey, hyperactive, or “out of it” after a magickal working, they may need special attention. The person can lie down on their back, fully in contact with the ground. Other participants can “lay on hands” in the attempt to siphon off extra energy. They draw surplus power from the affected person into their palms, then shake off the force, like shaking water from their fingers. Participants can also direct excess power to a ritual object or the ground. The affected person can orient themselves to time and place by stating their name, names of loved ones, their profession, address, the date, and several qualities about themselves that are part of their consensus reality. They can name a few things they notice through each of their five senses. They may wish to become “rooted,” or attached to the earth and the material realm. A magick user can take deep, cleansing breaths, counting to ten with each breath. Cooling the body with a sponge bath or warming with a blanket might be required. Eating plain, bland foods and drinking water can also help.
During the time of disengaging, it is also appropriate to thank and release any entities that helped during the ritual. Offerings or rewards can be given at this time. Personal shields may be retracted into the spiritual body, put away in a place like a cabinet or trunk of the imagination, or let go into the ether. Some magick users retain their shields in everyday life.
Sacred space may be “devoked,” let go, retracted, or taken down. Some of us leave things as they are to dissipate on their own. If you wish to release a magickal circle by moving counterclockwise, I suggest you don’t, as that can banish energy that has just been raised, undo one’s efforts, and work against the desired outcome of a rite. Moving counterclockwise can be effective if banishing or removing certain conditions is the intent.
A besom or feather fan can be used to sweep excess energies out of the room. Verbalizations can be spoken: “This rite is ended” or “Now we end and begin again.” Some rites end by a natural event, like birds singing as the sun rises. Others simply finish when the song, folkplay, or dance is completed. The words “Merry meet and merry part” are a genuinely older way to signify that a ritual is complete and were spoken after the conclusion of ceremonial dances and folkplays.
Acting in Accord
Now comes the time for analysis and acting in accord. Analysis is looking at the ritual with the lens of truth. What worked? What did not? Was it too long, or not long enough? Was energy raised and directed according to plan? Should anything be added to the rite to make it more efficient next time? Other subjects to consider include the effectiveness of tools, the contribution of magickal beings, and whether or not power flowed smoothly. Divination can help ascertain if the rite was successful and if goals were achieved.
Some common magick users feel that a magickal rite done for a specific purpose should be performed only once, then left to manifest on its own terms. The reason is that doing a ritual multiple times is pestering the deities, similar to the way you may feel if a child repeatedly called your name. It can also show a lack of faith that requests will be heard and honored. Others believe that a working must be performed repeatedly until the desired result has been attained. They feel that the squeaky wheel will get the grease, and so a rite must be repeated as often as is needed. Of course, seasonal rites are performed on a yearly basis, while full moon ceremonies occur monthly. Rituals for priordination can reoccur often. Attunements may have to be refreshed once in a while.
“Acting in accord” is vitally important to any active working. While magick works by using energy to create change, the conditions must be present in the physical, material world for it to function. A magick user must act in accord with a magickal ritual in order to fulfill their desires and cause their endeavors to have a positive result. In other words, doing a rite to gain employment is great, but a practitioner must also send out resumes, network with others, brush up their skills, and go to interviews wearing appropriate clothing. Just performing a ritual and then sitting back and waiting does not always accomplish the goal. Common magick, like any other magick, increases the probabilities that the desired condition will occur. So does putting physical and mental effort into the undertaking.