I’ve never been the kind to use prewritten spells in their entirety, even when I was just starting out on my path. Sometimes I would borrow bits and pieces from prewritten spells or use them as a sort of outline for writing my own spells but I don’t think I’ve ever once used a prewritten spell as it was written. Does that make me special or better than anyone? Heck no! That’s just how I do magick, I’ve always got to make it my own.
Part of that sprang out of necessity, when I started out practicing magick I was a broke college freshman and I couldn’t afford all of the fancy tools and spell components that the spells called for so I had to figure out ways to make magick more accessible to myself. Which started my ability to make substitutions for items that were hard to get for items that I could easily get my hands on. And in changing the items that I was working with I had to alter the spells or completely write them from scratch to go with what I had to work with, which was sometimes nothing but my will.
I’ve written a lot of spells over the years and just like everyone else I’ve had both failures and successes and I’ve learned from both. In this post I hope to impart to you some of what I have learned. I will be discussing spell writing as something separate from a ritual, you can decide for yourself when doing your working if your spell needs to be part of a ritual or if it can stand on it’s own. Spell writing can be a complicated process so I’ve tried to break it down into a few steps.
1.Prepare yourself. The first thing to do is to get yourself ready by being in the right head space and spiritual alignment. Set the mood in the area you will be working. Light some candles or some incense. Play some music or some nature sounds if you like. Keeping a piece of amethyst nearby promotes intuition and inspiration. Adjust your environment in any way that makes you feel witchy. Then ground and center.
2.Define what it is that you want. Sit with some paper and a pencil and start writing down what it is that you want to make manifest. Once you’ve started writing things down you’ll need to refine what you have. Be specific about what you want but not too specific. For example you might not want to name a specific car you want but instead list what it is that you want in a car. So instead of saying, “I have a Ford Focus,” list the qualities that you are looking for in a car. Reliable, 4 door, fuel economy, etc. There will be more on how to word things when we discuss writing your spell. Really flush out what it is that you want because you need to be perfectly clear in your spell. You may need to spend quite a bit of time writing and rewriting your desires until you get something that is clear and specific. Sometimes we think we know what we want but when we actually have to sit down and define it, it turns out to not be so simple.
3.Read other spells. This step is optional but it can be helpful especially if you’re new to spell work. Have a few of your favorite books handy so that you can look through for spells that are similar to what you want to work. Look for wording and what spell components they use. Remember you are not bound by what the author has written. You’re looking for inspiration and ideas for creating your own spell. Think of them as outlines and suggestions.
4.Decide on the tools and spell components you will use. When I sit down to write a spell I always have my BOS and a couple of reference books on hand. I flip through them and decide what if any spell components I want to use. I also contemplate what if any tools I want to use. How many spell components and tools you use is a matter of personal taste and what you have access to.
5.Write your spell. At this point you’ve clearly defined what it is that you want and what items you intend to work with and now it’s time to get down to the work of actually writing the spell. Here are some things to keep in mind when wording your spell. Make sure your desire is specific and clear for a couple of reasons. Being specific helps to ensure you get what it is you really want and not something off base. Also magick takes the path of least resistance so it will take the easiest way to get you what you want and by being specific you avoid it taking a short cut to a goal other than what you intended. To use the old example just saying, “I want to lose weight,” isn’t specific enough. The easiest way for you to lose weight may be to become ill. Instead say something like, “I have lost 15lbs through exercise and healthier eating habits.”
Some folks like to add a time frame to their spell as well, they may say something like, “in one moon cycle,” or, “over the next six weeks.” You can do this if you like but I usually like to let things happen in their own time.
Always word things as though they have already happened. Don’t say, “I want a new job,” because then you will be in a perpetual state of wanting a new job. Try saying something like, “I have a new job that pays enough to support my desired lifestyle and where I am respected.”
This next bit is a matter of personal style and ability. Rhyming. There are some schools of thought that say a spell must rhyme. I am not of this school, don’t get me wrong I like the flow of spells that rhyme but I believe the clarity of the spell is what is most important not whether or not the spell rhymes. If you like rhyming and can write a spell like that while keeping your desires clear and specific go for it. Remember though that the most important thing is not if you our good at rhyming poetry but if your goals are clear and specific.
Among the books you have on hand for this process I recommend a thesaurus. This can be helpful whether you are writing in rhyme or not as it lets you better refine your language. You can make your spell as flowery or a plain as you like. I recommend keeping your spell close to your conversational language. If you use words that are too outside your norm saying those during the spell may make you feel odd and affect the energy you put into your spell.
Expect that you are going to have to rewrite your spell several times before you have something that you are happy with. Just start writing and see what comes out. Once you have the start down on paper you can play with it and reword it however you need to. Some spells will come together quickly others may take longer to craft. This is not a process you want to rush.
Don’t be forget to include any actions in your spell. You can write in places where you light candles or incense or whatever action you’d like to take. If you like you can think of a spell like a theater production with lines and direction. Spells don’t have to be grand productions but they can be if that is your style.
Memorization is another optional bit you can take or leave. If you have a good memory you may want to take the time to memorize your spell and perform it from memory. This is not necessary though. Reading your spell can be just as powerful if you read with feeling.
6.Work your spell. Spells can be worked within a ritual or outside of one. Look at the spell you’ve written. What does your intuition tell you, does your spell require a ritual or can it stand on its own? Trust your intuition.
Timing is another matter where you’ll have to decide what works for you. Some Witches will only perform their spell on a time, day, or moon phase that corresponds with their intent. There’s nothing wrong with doing this but what if the matter is too pressing for you to wait for the “right” time? If you can’t or don’t want to wait for the “right” time then work the spell whenever is best for you. The “right” time is when you feel it is right to work your spell.
7.Reflection. No matter how long one has been practicing magick it is always a learning process. After you have worked your spell take some notes as to how it went. After some time has passed go back and look at your notes. Add to them. What was the outcome of the working? Is there anything you would change if you did the spell again? Record any other notes you feel you would like to keep. This is an important step because by reflecting on what we have done we can find patterns as to what works and what doesn’t work for us.