Why Spells Work and How they Work

When most people think of magic, they think of wands and dragons and pentagrams.  While these can be part of magic there is much more to it.  Magic has existed all over the world since the dawn of time, from the ying-yang practitioners of China and Japan to the Vudun religious practices founded in West Africa (known as “voodoo” in Western parlance).  Signs of magick are all around us, but as mankind became more “civilized” they abandoned it, discarding it as myth and superstition. In modern times, most people do not have the patience--or the faith--to learn magic. 

The Forumla for Success with spells is:

We see magic within the phases of the moon and the position of the planets. The moon especially is a powerful influence on magic. Like it pulls at the tides, it warps human emotion in predictable ebbs and flows—ever notice how people sometimes get more agitated during the full moon? Traffic accidents and animal attacks become more common. The full moon is the time when the human world is drawn most strongly to the supernatural world. As a result, rituals for healing, summoning the spirits of the departed or requesting the assistance of a faerie are best performed during this time. Do not, however, attempt to rid yourself of curses or exorcise offending spirits during the full moon. You may make things even worse as ambient magic is drawn by small imperfections in your ceremony. 

Regardless of what magical tradition you follow, the requirements for performing magic are the same. First, you need to harness your internal energy properly. Known as chi in Chinese tradition (or “life energy”), it takes training to direct it in a reliable way. However, even beginners can harness this energy from time to time to work magic. First, make sure you are in a state of mind that matches your spell. For instance, love spells require a lot of positive energy, while hexes require negative energy. To clear your mind, breathe in and out and envision yourself pushing all your conflicting emotions out of your body. Then when they are gone, summon your will to perform magic. This is like positive thinking used to psych yourself up before a difficult task, but it is even more important since the actions you take when you use magic are entirely spiritual—physical effort cannot make up for a lack of spiritual will.  

Remember that magic does not always have an immediate effect. Spells can linger for months if not years before being implemented by the universe. For that reason, working magic on a whim is highly discouraged. By the time your spell takes effect, you may have forgotten the reason why you cast it!  

Be sure to practice your spell casting. Your spirit is like your heart and brain in that it requires exercise in order to improve control. As you cast more and more you will find it becomes easier to get in the right state of mind. It also lets you find which spells are good and which ones are not through experimentation. (of course, getting your spell from a friend who's already got it work is even better).  

One last note: the right material components are critical to the success of the spell. However as spells are passed down they may become altered. If a spell does not work, consider a different version with a slight variation in ingredients. If the spell requires a specific alignment or order to ingredients, pay close attention. This is similar to the effects in feng shui that the right order and arrangement can be the key to success.