Spellwork & Magic

Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants and Prayers

Composing Magic:  
How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants and Prayers  
by Elizabeth Barrette
New Page, 2007

 

Whether you’ve just begun to write rituals, or have lots of experience, Composing Magic is a must-read that will provide you with a wealth of insight about the writing process and how connected it is to the magical practices you pursue. Even better, this book is a good primer on how to improve your writing skills in general.

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Location! Location! Location!


©2012 Holly Golightly

 

cityWitch
Location! Location! Location!
by Christopher Penczak 

Location really is everything. Each location is a pocket of potential energy, and that energy will influence all that you do. The ancient traditions of magick knew this, and their sacred sites of power become arenas of mystery to the modern world. The powers of the Giza Pyramids, Stonehenge and the Serpent Mound are sought out by modern practitioners looking into the mysteries. But in seeking out power in only the places of old, we do not find the magical energy all around us.

In my experience, every location is a vortex of energy, including the urban environment. Cities are built because they are found on such powerful swirling pools of energy. This energy is one of the reasons that attracts settlers, even if most only feel the pull intuitively. As each city develops, it gains its own flair, personality and psychic climate. It develops a relationship with the people inhabiting it. Not only does each city gain a “vibe” all its own, each section of the city, each district and neighborhood develops its own energy.

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Bell, Book & Candle


©2012 Holly Golightly


Bell, Book
& Candle
by Rev. Galina Krasskova 

I always get a good chuckle when I read the average book on magic. The reader is presented with long, ponderous instructions, ominous words of warning and a list of ingredients that look like they belong in an annotated volume of Shakespeare.

I just shake my head and laugh at how insistent most people are about complicating the simplest of procedures. In reality, there is nothing difficult about magic. Almost anyone can learn to work simple spells with nothing fancier than what can readily be found in a typical kitchen cabinet.

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Dress Up Your Magical Image With Color


model Amber Desmond, hair & makeup Melissa Herman,
jewelry supplied by Dark Charm, photo ©2012 Thunder Voltz

Dress Up Your Magical Image
With Color
by Veronica Cummer 

If what you choose to wear is a song, a poem, an expression of who you are and what you believe about yourself, then what are we, as today’s Witches, saying to the world at large? If you go to any big Pagan-friendly event, wander into your local occult bookstore, or hook up with other witches at that odd little coffee shop on the corner, you will find a sort of dress code that will be as natural to you as it is familiar. Nine times out of ten, you will know who the Witches in the room are, and not just because they give off that certain Witchy vibe.

Silver jewelry, ankhs, and pentacles aside, nine times out of ten, you will see your fellow Witches dressed in, you guessed it — black.

Deep, dark, mysterious, even a bit wicked, wild, sexy, and ever cool — black. Most Witches adore black in all shades and permutations, from lace to leather, from jeans to swishy ankle-length skirts. Black just feels right, black is familiar and comfortable to wear, black simply is what being a Witch is all about. And that’s not just our view of ourselves as Witches, but what others expect of us.

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Magick Helped Me Escape My Abuser

newWitch Voices


©2012 www.photos.com

Magick Helped Me Escape My Abuser
by Maluna Starcloud

I didn’t realize I was being abused when it was happening. I think that’s how it is for a lot of women, especially teenage girls. We know what abuse is and, in theory, we’d never let a man treat us that way. But in the end, we often lack the ability to admit the truth.

I’d spoken to my mom many times, hearing stories of drunken stepfathers and abuse. I was cocky, because I’d never let a man hit me and get away with it. I knew I’d never let a man use my emotions against me, making his mistakes my fault. I’m a strong, Goddess-worshipping young woman.

Or so I thought.

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A Magician’s Guide to Magical Herbs


Artwork by Holly Golightly for newWitch

bell, book & candle

A Magician’s Guide to Magical Herbs

In this installment, we will focus on one of the most basic and powerful magical tools: herbs.

(DO NOT EAT any of the herbs I am describing below. We are not dealing here with medicinal herbs but magical. The two are quite different — herbs for healing should be ingested only under the advice of a skilled herbalist.)


Herbs of Power

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