Just as each magical practitioner takes an individually personalised journey that inevitably differs from the witch next to them, each spell has the same freedom to work differently under the cast of their practitioner. There is no specific formula. A combination of different things work together to create the energy necessary to cast a spell. We combine the energies of intention, action and speech to materialise our intended outcome. The intention of a spell is exactly as one would expect, it refers to the feeling that a practitioner holds within them, the part of them that is searching for an outcome – a specific intention. Speech refers to use of chanting, incantation or mantra, this helps to release your intention into the collective consciousness.
There are several different elements that form the action part of a spell, the spell ingredients are one of these elements. The ingredients that you choose to use for your spell should have a connection to both you and your intention. Most spells combine the use of elemental, planetary and natural components. The use of symbolism and sympathy combined is also important to be mindful of during the process of spell work because of the spiritual understanding that like attracts like frequencies throughout the universe. Not only this but dressing your altar in accordance to your intentions through choice of colour, incense and crystals set the base for strengthened and powerful spell work.
Much like selecting ingredients for the new culinary masterpiece one might create in preparation for a dinner-party, the ingredients for a spell must be carefully selected to work for a specific purpose. It is possible to create spells both from scratch and modified from an existing spell or ritual. Experimentation is encouraged when writing spells. The pagan community often finds that the strongest spells are cultivated through trial and error. Many pagan communities find that their traditional spells exist in other places, but they may have been adapted slightly to fit in with the cultural demands of the other space.
Judika Illes –
‘Magic spells are cast by burning botanicals (incense) thus releasing their magic power into the atmosphere (fumigation).’
Common ingredients used to cast a spell are botanicals such as magical oils and herbs. The simplest way to use oils during ritual is to mix them together with the intention to create powerfully charged blends, rich in energy and influence. The blend can then be used on magical tools or the practitioner’s body to either attract or deflect the desired effect. Since ancient times, one of the most popular and longstanding methods of spell work is to burn herbs with conscious deliberation. The process combines the use of the four elements – fire, earth, water and air – which come up in pagan tradition in a multitude of ways. With fire, we burn a product of the earth (the herb) which has been nourished by water. The air is then filled with smoke from the process.
Spells are used for a variety of purposes such as clearing negative energies, purifying, healing, exorcism, breaking a hex or lifting a curse, aiding love, summoning spirits, meditation and divination and much more. Our shop hosts a wide variety over thirty herbs, different essential oils and bottles to store your very own blends and potions. Whether the herb you need be a common one used in spell work (Sandalwood, Cloves or Damiana) or more obscure plants (Blessed Thistle, Mace or Solomon’s Seal Root), we can provide. Spells don’t have to be complicated. If you are new to witchcraft, consider one of our spell starter-packs. Or consider creating your own charm, talisman or amulet by blending herbs in a pouch with a crystal anointed with oil. Work on the charm until the magical goal is achieved.
There’s no formula for a magic spell; each one works differently, as do we as practitioners. However, in the West, we generally combine intention, action, and speech to create the desired outcome. Your spell’s ingredients form part of the action – and should have an affinity with you and your intention. Most spells have elemental, planetary and natural components to them. Symbolism and sympathy are important too, because of the widely held spiritual belief that like attracts like. Simply dressing your altar in greens and golds, for example, as well as burning the right incense and giving prominence to prosperity attracting crystals, could form the foundation of a powerful money spell.
Choosing ingredients for a spell is very much like choosing them for a recipe. Each item has its own purpose, and spells, like recipes, can be created from scratch or modified from existing rituals. Many witches find they create the best spells through experimentation. Ingredients from all over the world can be used in spells – and invocations and ceremonial style can be adapted from one tradition to suit the purposes of another.
Magical Oils have wide-ranging uses in spellcraft – the simplest of which is combining different varieties to create powerfully charged blends. These can be used for consecrating magical tools or anointing the body in order to increase or attract whatever is desired. In addition to oils and incense, we also offer glass bottles and plastic bottles for storage and for blending ingredients, as well as dried herbs and botanicals.
Dried herbs form part of the vast majority of spells, and we stock over 30 varieties including many popular kinds (Sandalwood, Damiana, Cloves and Basil) as well as the more obscure Blessed Thistle, Solomon’s Seal Root, and Mace. We also offer potent Oak Bark and Pine Needles – both ideal for Sabbatt rituals. According to Judika Illes:
‘Magic spells are cast by burning botanicals (incense) thus releasing their magic power into the atmosphere (fumigation).
One of the most ancient methods of casting spells is consciously, carefully, and deliberately burning botanicals. This method incorporates all four primal elements into one spell. By applying the power of fire, botanical power (which has been nourished by the Earth and by water) is transformed into smoke (air) and dispersed into the atmosphere to provide magical solutions and fulfil magical desires. If you burn incense on a metal pan or burner. Then you incorporate what many consider to be the fifth element, metal, into your spell as well.’
– Judika Illes, The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells. London: Harper Collins, 2004.
Our dried botanicals can be used in spells for peace and healing, clearing negativity, exorcism, love, lust, and fertility, as well as protection, hex breaking and curse lifting, money and business success, divination, meditation, summoning spirits, and more besides. For anyone uncertain of creating their own spells, we offer a spell kits for prosperity, protection, healing, consecration and love. Magic doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply blending dried herbs in a sachet or pouch, perhaps with a crystal anointed with magical oil, can become a powerful charm, talisman or amulet to carry until the magical goal is achieved.