The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals. Kate West

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СКАЧАТЬ so that they may be placed where the magic is desired to work or which may be carried on the person. The definitions between them are often blurred but frequently Talismans are paper or parchment with symbols to represent the magical intent, whereas Charms are frequently jewellery, stones or other objects. Totems are usually a group of objects which are kept together, often in a Totem Bag, which represent a grouping of things or people. A Totem Bag may contain objects to represent each of your family members with the intent of bonding the family together. You may also come across other terms used to describe these kinds of magical artefacts, such as Amulet – usually a charm, which is worn with a protective intent. Sometimes you will have to assess the meaning of a term by the item and the purpose for which it is intended.

      ‘WORDS OF POWER’

      From time to time you may hear, or read, about ‘words of power’, and some people do believe that there are, out there somewhere, special words which if said in a special way will create magical effects. This belief is more appropriate to the realm of the Ritual Magician than that of the Witch. It is true that resonances and vibrations, which are found in many things, can be utilized to help make change. However, their magical ‘power’ comes from the way in which the practitioner can bring those energies into balance with the elements both within and without.

      Having said that, it is worth remembering that all words can have the power to make change, depending on how you say them and who you say them to! How many times have you said something that you later regretted? This is why in the Craft we tend to emphasize the need to think before you speak or, for that matter, act.

      HOW MAGIC WORKS

      Briefly speaking, magic works when you can harness, balance and focus the five elements of Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit, both within yourself and from outside. This is a complex ability, which comes more easily with practice, so we usually start by using a number of visual links and cues to help bring all these elements together. The elements exist inside us and outside of us and they have many symbolic representations, visual and mental links, which may be used and which are often termed correspondences.

      Understanding of the five elements is one of the most important concepts of the Craft, and the foundation of working magic. Together with visualization, which I’ll talk about later in this chapter, this is what makes Magic work. All the candles, incense, cords, images and other tools are just that; tools that you use to implement and enhance your understanding of the elements and your ability to visualize.

      So what are the elements?

      AIR

      Air is within us as our thoughts, and as such should be the first element to be brought into use, for thought should always precede anything else! Air represents the thinking and planning stage of any proposed action, magical or otherwise.

      Externally, Air is everything from the gentle breeze that ruffles the leaves to the destructive force and power of the hurricane or tornado. Air is all around us and without it we cannot breathe. We take the external air into our being with every breath and, with practice, learn to draw on that external energy to fuel our internal thoughts.

      Air also represents and is represented by the direction East, incense or a feather on the Altar, the season of Spring, the morning, and often the colour yellow.

      FIRE

      Fire is our passions and enthusiasms, it is present when we become enthusiastic and excited by an idea. It is the difference between having an idea and really wanting to put that idea into action, or the difference between needing something to read and wanting to buy that particular new book!

      Fire is everything from the spark that falls from a match to the full energy of the Sun, or the inferno of a volcano. Without fire there would be no heat, no light and no life.

      Fire is represented by the direction South, a candle or crystal on the Altar, the season of Summer, midday and the afternoon, and usually by the colour red.

      WATER

      Water is our emotions. It is when we become emotionally involved in an idea or project, when it actually becomes important to us.

      Externally, it encompasses the gentlest raindrop, the streams, rivers and oceans, the torrential downpour of a summer storm to the awe-inspiring tidal wave or tsunami. Water is essential to all life; we drink it, bathe in it and use it daily with little thought.

      Water is represented by the direction West, a bowl of water or a shell on the Altar, the season of Autumn, the evening, and often by the colour blue.

      EARTH

      Earth is our physical self, our body. It is the stage in a process when we move from the mental aspects to the physical and ‘make it real’ in the world.

      Externally, it is the land, the soil, rocks, stones and mountains. It is the foundation from which all life springs and to which it ultimately returns for rebirth.

      Earth is represented by the direction North (often called the place of power), salt or a stone on the Altar, the season of Winter, the night, and often by the colour green.

      SPIRIT

      The essential self that makes us who we are, sometimes called the soul, is our Spirit.

      Outside of us the Spirit is the Goddess and the God, and that Divine essence permeates all things.

      Spirit is represented by the centre of the Circle and by the Circle itself as it is all places at all times. In the Circle we ourselves also represent Spirit, as do the Goddess and God we call upon in our workings. On the Altar, Spirit may be represented by statues or pictures of the Goddess and the God, by a gold and a silver candle, or not at all because it is everywhere. It has no time and no season for it is present in all times and seasons. It is often represented by the colour violet, or by the electric blue of the Circle itself.

      

      When preparing to work Magic we commence by setting the Altar with representations of the elements, so that they are indeed present in actuality. We then invoke the elements in the Quarters (the four compass points) and invite the Goddess and the God to complete the five elements. These steps are part of creating the Sacred Space, which is not just an area, but a key step in making Magic work. In Ritual we call upon the elements externally. But we also need to evoke the elements within, and often this starts before the practical steps of creating the Sacred Space. It begins when we think carefully about the Magic we wish to perform, and continues as we become enthusiastic and emotionally involved in it. The process culminates in the Circle when we put those mental steps into action in the actual creating of the Magic, by whichever means we select, and when we imbue it with the spiritual energy of our inner self.

      I have mentioned that we need to have the elements in balance. This is essential; you can easily see the problems that might be caused if your actions are powered by emotion and passion, but lack thought. Magic without any passion will be flat and without energy, magic without emotion will be weak and uninvolved, and so on. Where one element is in greater strength than another you also get imbalance, which is why it is a bad idea to work Magic when ill, very angry or upset. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult, for even the most experienced Witch, to work magic for those people and things which are closest and most important to them, because their emotional involvement can be overwhelming.

      In order to be able to harness, balance and focus the energies of the elements we need to spend some time actually getting to know and understand them. For some people this can be done by spending time simply experiencing them in the natural world, and this СКАЧАТЬ