The practice of magick is rooted and steeped in symbolism. You are hard pressed to practice any form of magick that doesn’t incorporate some level of symbolism. Sympathetic magick is the primitive or magickal ritual using objects or actions resembling or symbolically associated with the event or person over which influence is sought. It relies on symbolism and is probably the most widely practiced form of magick even today. Do modern day Pagans take the time though to understand the symbolism they are using and does their understanding of the symbolism affect the quality of their spell work?
We’ll begin with what the commonly used symbols are in magick. There are many. Examples of symbols used in magick are but are not limited to; deity idols, animal representations, herbs, crystals, blood, feathers, skulls, bones, tarot cards, written sigils/symbols, runes, stones, moon water, black salt, salt, incense, water, poppets, and candles. These are just naming a few, there are many more symbols that the Witch can use. All of these symbols have a meaning and some have many meanings. While you could use any crystal to symbolize the element of earth each crystal has its own more specific symbolism. It takes time and research to learn the symbolism behind each item. Symbols are not just limited to items. Actions, such as dancing, drumming, and leaving offerings, can be symbols as well.
Let’s handle the second part of the question previously asked first. Yes, understanding the symbolism you are using affects the quality of the spell work. The practitioner needs to have a connection with the symbol and one can’t do that if they don’t understand what a symbol means. Symbols are meant to be psychological and spiritual triggers. They can’t do their job as triggers if the caster doesn’t understand what they are triggering. We need to have a connection, an understanding, of what the symbols we are using mean in order to connect to and manifest the energies and forces we desire. Using a symbol without knowing its meaning is like using a word you don’t know the definition to. You may even be using it in the right context but you’re not effectively communicating because you don’t really understand what you’re saying, you’re really just faking it and hoping the other person understands you when you don’t understand yourself. When a caster uses symbols they don’t understand the meanings to they are sending a vague and unclear message out and expecting to manifest something specific in return. It might work but it will work far more effectively if you understand the meanings of the symbols and there by send out clearer intentions.
Do modern day Pagans understand the symbols they are using? There isn’t a blanket answer to this because we, Pagans, aren’t one size fits all. There are Witches that take the time to understand the symbols they are using. A caster is far more likely to understand the symbols they are using if they write their own spells. Where the problem comes in for most is in using prewritten spells and those who write their own spells by just taking elements of prewritten spells without doing research can fall into this trap as well. It can be tempting to just work a spell someone else gives us, especially if they say they had good results with it. Remember though, just because the symbolism worked for them doesn’t mean the same will necessarily be true for another Witch. There’s nothing that says you can’t use a prewritten spell and it’s certainly not wrong to do so, but resist the temptation to use it without researching its elements if you don’t already understand the symbols included. For example let’s say you want to use a prewritten spell for financial abundance, you may make the assumption that all of the symbols stand for abundance but the writer of the spell may have included symbols for stability and speed. If the caster doesn’t know this they are missing out on important elements of the spell. They may indeed bring themselves some financial abundance but it may not be lasting or it may take longer because the caster didn’t manifest these qualities due to not knowing that the symbols where there for them to trigger.
Understanding the symbols being used is essential for quality spell work. To get the desired results it is imperative that the caster spend some time researching the meanings of the symbols being utilized in the spell. Doing this allows the Witch to send out clear and specific intentions in their casting. A little research can insure that a spell is cast effectively the first time instead of the caster having to go back to the drawing board when a nonunderstood spell fizzles out. Understanding symbols makes for far more effective magickal practice.