Magic has been defined by Dion Fortune as “the art of changing consciousness at will”. But what does that mean? Simply put, magic is the art of bending energy. Spells are one way to do that. Prayer, affirmation, and ritual energy raising are a few other ways.

So then what exactly is a spell?

A spell is the process that we use to work our magic in the world. It is the way that we bend energy to manifest our will. This can be as simple as lighting a candle and saying a prayer or it can be a more complex process that includes research and special planning and timing. The more we focus our energy on it the stronger our ability to work our magic.

So how do we work a spell?

The first thing to think about when we write a spell is our intent. What is it we are hoping to accomplish, and what are the possible outcomes. It is important to consider as many possibilities as you can and then know that there will be something you didn’t think of. Intent is the key for any magical working. You should be sure about what you want and you should have considered and/or attempted the mundane ways of achieving that goal before you choose to work magic for it.

Many times people will use divination at this point to see if they are on the right track. You can use whatever divination you like, pendulum, tarot, etc to find out if you are working on the right goal and if you should be doing a spell to achieve it.

The next step is to determine what kind of spell you would like to perform. Do you want to use candle magic? Do you want to make a charm or talisman? This may take a little research to determine what the best way to work the spell would be for you.

When you work magic, you will probably want to state your intent to the universe. You will see in many spell books that this is often done in a rhyme. The reason for this is that rhyme is much easier to remember and flows nicely off the tongue. When reading or reciting your rhyme over your candle (or whatever form you choose) it can become like a chant, adding energy to your work.

Be very aware when writing your spell that your words have a lot of power. Be very careful how you phrase things. Saying something like “I need money” may seem innocent enough but does that mean you want to find 50 cents on the sidewalk? Probably not. Or even more worrisome, is that money going to come to you because someone close to you died and left it to you in their will? So make sure that you remember the power of your words and be specific and keep your intent pure. Adding a line like, “An it harm none, So mote it be” may be helpful but may not always be enough.

Once you have worked your magic and sent your energy out into the world it is time to wait for your results. Many times you will hear people say that you shouldn’t talk about spells after you have done them. The reason for this is that you will want all of your energy around that spell to stay focused. Some people believe that if you talk about it before it is finished you will spread that energy out and dilute it. This does NOT mean that you should not back up your spell with mundane work.

If money for bills is what you need then you will still need to be out actively looking for additional income sources. It isn’t going to just fall from the sky into your lap. You must be active and open to receiving it. Be Patient! Oftentimes spells take a while to manifest.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if a spell seems not to work there may be a good reason for it. If this happens, look back over the steps you took. What was your intent? How did you ask for it? Why might this not have been the best idea?

In general, the intent is the most important part of magic. Keep it simple and keep it honest. Blessed Be.