Tips for Spell Writing
Now just to be clear, this is an off the top of my head list of tips. It is not meant to be your only source and it is far from all encompassing. Feel free to comment if you see something I missed or a place where we should be more specific but I will try my best to give a high level overview of the process to give any novice a place to start.
State Your Intention
Your intention is the result you would like to achieve, your goal for the working. This can and should be written as though it has already happened. For example, say I have financial security, not I would like to have financial security. Assume the sale, so to speak. One of the things the philosophy of the law of attraction teaches us that our thoughts manifest outcomes. Make the intention clear. Specificity is great but not as important as clarity. For example, saying I have financial security is fine but if $1000, would make you financially secure but you want $10,000, say I have $10,000. You can write your intention out in your native language, in a witch’s alphabet, in a sigil or however you please truly as long as it adequately and accurately represents your intention. There are really no limits on what your intention can be, it is up to you, your morals, your values, and your personal practice to set the boundaries.
Spell Timing
Can timing help your intention manifest? There is a good possibility it can. One of the first ways most novice practitioners think to time a spell, if they think of it at all is taking advantage of the cycle the moon is in. See our earlier post here for more details on that but essentially and briefly the phases of the moon can align with your intention with the New Moon used to manifest, create, bring something to fruition, and the full moon to release things that no longer serve you. Planetary transits are another helpful way to give our intention a boost. See our post here on planets and the role they play in your natal chart for an idea of what aspects of life are associated with each planet. How the current planets are positioned in general and how the current planets are positioned in relation to the planet’s position at your birth time can play a part in helping or even hindering your spell work but certainly not every practitioner, in fact I can even go so far as to say many if not most practitioners are not checking their astrology charts for every working they do. Now maybe if a particular spell is very important to you, you may want to check the planets for the best time to do the work.
Another more common way to plan spell craft is by using corresponding days, the funny thing about this way that is probably far more common than a practitioner checking their chart is that the correspondences of each day are based on the planet/deity associated with each day. Think Sunday is the Sun’s day, Apollo’s day, etc. Monday would be the Moon, Tuesday is Mars, Wednesday is Mercury, Thursday is Jupiter, Friday is Venus and Saturday is Saturn. Now each pantheon tends to have deities associated with each day of the week so as I always suggest, Do Your Research but in general this gives you the idea. Now this can and is taken one step further by considering the elemental associations with each day via the deity so for example: Friday we can look to Venus so yes spells for love and finance but also associated with the water element so spells involving water or emotions in general can be as appropriate for a Friday as they are for Monday, the day of the Moon.
Speaking of elements, next up is timing by weather. It is not uncommon to use a coming storm to power up a working or a sunny day to add a boost of positivity and joy to a spell. Staying in tune with the seasons is another way to help a working along. Spring is a good time for growth and manifestation, Winter is a good time for grounding, Summer is a good time for energy spells, and Autumn is a good time for abundance. Now these are not hard and fast associations and this list is not exhaustive either but using the natural energy of the world around you will help bring the spell to a successful outcome and is likely to feel the most natural.
Tools and Correspondences
What tools you use will greatly depend on what type of spell you intend to cast. Some tools are easily used in a wide variety of workings such as candles, crystals, and herbs. It is also common to use a pen and paper whether to create a sigil or to write a spell or an intention down. Symbolism plays a large role in a choice of tools. A practitioner that is drawn to the elements may want to have symbols associated with the element that corresponds with their intention, some may create a sacred space and will require specific tools to do so, such as sage and salt.
Some commonly used tools include:
Cauldron/Bowl/Container(s)- used to hold water, salt, offerings, crystals, etc.
Broom/Besom- Used to spiritually cleanse space
Parchment Paper- Used to write sigils or spells and then burned/soaked, etc to fuel the intention
Crystals- Used to help focus and energize the intention
Divination tools- used as focus items
Wands-used to direct energy
Athame-used to separate or create a circle
Bell-used for sound cleansing, call on deities, honor, and to begin and end rites
Candles-colors can correspond to the intention and bring fire element energy into the workings/space
Chalice(s)- brings the water element of water to the space and can be seen to represent the feminine aspect