How to Structure a Spell

So there are many ways to do spell work, each person has their own personal path to make one up.  There are many pre-made spells out there that you can grab and choose from; that is great at the beginning.  However, I have always found that making my own, with my specific intent and details are by far the strongest and give me the greatest results.

Spells can be quite simple or quite complex. They don’t have to be rhyming to work. It is really about you and your style and preferences.

Here are some guidelines that I was given when I was first starting out to consider when constructing a spell:

Consider your intent.  Intent is the most important part of any magical working.  This is the reason for the action in the first place.  What is your intent in the spell, is it protection? Love? Abundance? Something else?  Be clear.  Also, be careful what you wish for…you might just get it!

Intent also includes what is the function of your ego? Are you doing these spells with an egotistical intent to control to have your way toward something.  Is a healing spell for the person’s highest good or does it mess with free will by focusing on the outcome that you want rather than the person it is directed at.  Love spells are notorious for this.  Making someone, “love” you or bend to your will is an act of psychic attack rather than a place of positive intent.  Consider this in your process.

I wrote an article on Healing as Psychic Attack for exactly this reason, here’s the link for you to consider along with spell work intent:

Healing as Psychic Attack

Consider materials and tools.  What do you have, what are you going to use?  What do you need to gather together before you even get started? herbs, crystals, oils, colors, numbers, athame, wand, cauldron, shapes, directions,etc…

What are your protections?  This includes your person, your space, safety concerns on the spiritual as well as the physical level.  Are you using tools, like chalks, dirt, dust, ash, salt, are you using sigils, glyphs, symbols, seals, how about smudges, oils, etc. This can be a complex long list or a very basic one.

Space, where are you going to perform the spell work.  Is it all in your head as a quickie casting or are you going through a formal ritual, or anywhere in between that.  Consider your environment, indoors, outdoors, house, nature, public area.  It matters for protections, privacies and availability of supplies, etc.

Additional layers, think about adding elements, directions, spirits, chants, drums, movements, the list is as long as your imagination.

Timing is also an important part of thorough spell work. This includes moon phases, planetary alignments, constellations, etc. time of day, season, any and all aspects of time.

Spirits,Dieties,Guides,Entities:  Many people include help in various ways from the spiritual world.  Make sure you are providing good safety measures, proper offerings, boons, or whatever else is required of you, and that you follow through with what you may be asked or told to do, proper protection, proper parameters.  Know what you are doing before you get into messing with all of this category.

With any magical workings there is always the area of ethics and responsibility to consider.  Is what I am doing ethical?  Should I be doing this spell? What will be the outcome? Who will be harmed, if anyone? What is the consequence? Can I live with the consequences? Can I handle the responsibility of this spell and outcome?

A word of caution: when you are doing spell work you are making a creation. You are breathing life into something through words and intentions.  The term, “spelling” comes from this, a series of symbols, (the alphabet) with an intended meaning.  You are creating a living form that will take on its own energy.  It is your creation, and as such, it is your responsibility.  This includes any and all outcomes, positive or negative, any Karma if you believe in that and any consequences.  There is always a cause and effect. So consider that in your work.

Additional considerations for:

Returning Negative Energy Through Spell Work, (counter attacks):

Negative energy that has been sent to you creates discomfort that distracts you from them, (the person who sent it,) it keeps you from focusing on them, so include in spell work if you are sending retaliatory measure back:

Everyone involved should be made to feel the same level discomfort and distraction, this could lead to the famous, “Witch Wars,” scenario, so be prepared for the consequences and responsibility of your actions.

If you are constructing a basic spell against someone, make sure that there is no permanent harm to be done.  (If you are, that is a whole other level for another day.)

Think about how long is the period of time that your spell work will last, (from now until tomorrow moon rise) longer, what ever your intent.

Describe in your spell, exactly what the discomforts are, be specific and detailed.

These basic guidelines help to keep your own negative consequences or karmic ties at a minimum, (if you believe in that sort of thing.)

2016 copyright by Katie Pifer available at http://www.witchpetals.wordpress.com