The Spell Book

or "Book of Shadows"

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Witchcraft, like any other spiritual path, needs to be followed with dedication and belief by its practitioners. By performing a simple ritual to reaffirm your faith on a regular basis - daily, weekly or at least monthly - a witch's power and self-confidence will increase.Spells are a form of ritual or sometimes even a meditation. No matter what we see in movies like The Craft or on shows like Buffy or Charmed spells don't quite happen like that. There's no 'poof!', 'zap!' or instant results. They take time, which is why I think some younger witches loose heart, they are after quick, fix it all solutions and fail to look at the reasons they are in their situation. So what you will find in this section is not quick correction spells, but spells to help you gain self confidence and deal with the situation yourself, with a little help from the God and the Goddess.

While witchcraft is a form of worship it is also a means to affect positive changes within your life, using your will and divine assistance. We all want to be healthy, wealthy and wise - spells are one way to help achieve this. However you cannot expect your riches to grow if you are constantly spending all you receive - not everyone can win the lottery. Your commonsense attitude and actions can only help increase the level of success achieved.

You will find almost all spells require a few basic ingredients which you will be able to find in most shops or supermarkets. Do not despair if you cannot find the exact items as almost everything can be substituted with something else. Once blessed (or consecrated) they can be stored for future use. You may want to get a cupboard or some shelves to keep everything in.

Tools - Athame, Wand, Candle Snuffer
Candles - You should begin to collect all different colours and styles, it is good to have them on hand. It does not matter if they are made from Bees wax or a synthetic paraffin base. Try to gather a variety of pillars, tapers, votives, tealights and even "birthday" candles. You might also like to work by candlelight so some unconsecrated candles are good to have also. Also look around for candle holders so that you don't burn yourself and your surroundings.
Herbs - Again build up a collection, you'll find most of the common herbs at your local supermarket. You can go to occult stores or order online for some of the rarer or more unusual herbs. If you are inclined to you may even wish to start growing your own herbs. You may find that you are drawn to a few specific herbs and tend to use these in most of your rituals and spells, this is common and so is not feeling an affinity with herbs at all. It may be that you work better with crystals. Flowers also come under this category and are easily obtained.
Crystals - Keeping a variety of crystals on hand (as well as your other ingredients) allows you the freedom to do your rituals and spells when you need to. Especially if it is a spur of the moment thing. Try to get a variety of types and sizes. You can even use your jewelry as part of the spells.
Incense - Having a variety or just one is a personal choice. If you find a particular scent that you adore then by all means use it regularly, or if your moods swing and have no preference rely on your intuition to guide you on which is appropriate.

Other items to collect include - jars, cloth and thread, paper and other stationary,

You do not have to gather endless supplies before you can begin your spellcasting. Start with some basics - Salt (preferably sea or rock salt, however regular kitchen salt is OK), Sage, Basil and flowers. Clear Quartz, Amethyst, Agate, Malachite, Lapis Lazuli. Rose, Lavender and Jasmine, fresh or dried it is up to you. With the basics you can begin. If you are not comfortable with any of the above items do not feel that you have to use them and when choosing your crystals if a particular one grabs your attention and wont let you go - then get it. Crystals sometimes know us better than we know our selves.

Where To Begin

The first spell you need to know isn't really a spell, it is the casting of the circle. The circle is the sacred, protected space in which you do all of your spells and rituals. Depending on which tradition you follow this can be a simple visualisation or a complex ritual which contains many steps. Not everything in the universe is good (or bad for that matter) and energy which is the foundation of life as we know it is neutral. This is why the most simple casting is imagining a sphere of pure white (neutral) light surrounding us.

In between is a physical drawing of the circle clockwise, or deosil, and a welcoming of the God and Goddess and Elements to join you in your working. If you have a large clear space in which to work you can use chalk or flour to mark the circle on the ground. If you don't or cannot draw onto the ground the use your Athame or Wand and even just your finger. Once the circle has been cast you should not cross it unless absolutely necessary. So make sure you gather everything that you need before you begin.

If you want to take things further then you can chant or sing or even dance as you cast your circle. Once the circle is cast you can then begin to welcome the Gods and Elements and their representatives to join you in your work.

Always cast your circle before begining any spell, meditation or magical working.

Under Construction

	Spell Book
Protection	Prosperity	Healing
Divination	Love	Banishing
Family	Purification	Creativity
Peace	Legal Matters	Sex
Spirit Realm	Work	Luck
Travel	Happiness	Curses

How to End Your Spells

After completing your working you must close the circle. Basically you will be doing the reverse of the casting. Begin by thanking the Gods, Goddesses and Elementals for assisting you and for their time. Thank and Dismiss the quaters and then break the circle. If your circle is physical then moving anti-clockwise, or widdershins, erase the line. If your circle is a visualisation then do so in your mind.

Because working magic is energy based you may feel disorientated or light headed, always eat afterwards.
This will help you ground yourself and get in touch with the physical plane again.

The Spell Book

or "Book of Shadows"

Where To Begin

How to End Your Spells

Recommended Reading