The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

I am VERY new to spell casting...and in my life, if it CAN go wrong...it WILL. I am very hesitant to try anything that has more than three lines of instructions, including the materials list.

That said, how do you go about choosing the right spell?  Especially if there are quite a number of them that will achieve the same purpose?

Thanks so much for your help.

 
I too am new to spell casting, but I was directed to the book "Energy Essentials for Witches and Spellcasters by Mya Om.  This book has greatly assisted me, not just how to formulate spells, but how to utilize my own energies.

That said, how do you go about choosing the right spell?  Especially if there are quite a number of them that will achieve the same purpose?

Step 1: Have a very clear idea of what you're trying to accomplish.

Step 2: Do various checks to make sure that is a reasonable thing to accomplish, and whether there are any non-magical actions you can take to help that you are not already doing.

(Spells to bring a great partner to you are not much good if you never put yourself in situations where you might meet someone new. Spells to get a job are not going to do it if you're not also sending out resumes and great cover letters. Etc.)  

Step 3: Figure out what approaches to magical work you're comfortable with, and in particular, comfortable with for this working. Some of these are personal. I like cord magic for some things, and candle magic sometimes, and visualisation sometimes - but which one I use depends a lot on my mood, how long I want to maintain a working, and some practical limits.

(Am I going to be travelling during the duration of the working? Cord work is a lot more practical to pack than a candle.)

Step 4: Contemplate spells. I create my own, though I'll occasionally look at other people's for inspiration (particularly the stuff that has a solid background in folk magic practice.)

For me, magic is a way of focusing and honing my own will and intention, shaping it in the ether, and then bringing it into being. So, I'm not relying on the 'perfect combination' in a spell to do the work for me: I have a lot of flexibility.

(The downside to this method is two fold: first, it takes practice and skill-building. And secondly, it can be less available and less reliable: if I'm tired or can't focus, there's a lot bigger limit on what I can do magically than someone who follows a "do these steps, magic ensues" approach.)

Step 5: If there's something I'm not sure of, I ask trusted friends to help me frame it. For people who are new to magic, asking (in a forum that's welcoming to it) to help you refine it can be good. (We've certainly done that around here, in the past.)

Generally, I say "Here's the thing I'm trying to do", "Here's the way I'm thinking of going about it" and then anything else that might be relevant. ("I'd contemplated candle magic over the next half lunar cycle, but I'm going to be travelling, so no." or whatever.)

Hmm, you are kinda speeding up this whole process. You can start by reading Pagan Primer , find your pantheon, find your patron deites and instead of spellcasting, you can pray and hope to get what you need , not what you want. You can also read books on the subject, you'll find some here Good resources on Wicca.
And about the " right spell ", a spell will be right if it feels right for you and it'll feel the best if it's written by you.
Before any spell don't forget to meditate, ground and center yourself for knowing your true intent and achieving the best result.
I hope I could help you out. Anyway if you have any questions that you can't ask here, pm me.

 
Thank You...I may have to take you up on that sometime.

(Spells to bring a great partner to you are not much good if you never put yourself in situations where you might meet someone new. Spells to get a job are not going to do it if you're not also sending out resumes and great cover letters. Etc.)  

Step 3: Figure out what approaches to magical work you're comfortable with, and in particular, comfortable with for this working. Some of these are personal. I like cord magic for some things, and candle magic sometimes, and visualisation sometimes - but which one I use depends a lot on my mood, how long I want to maintain a working, and some practical limits

 
All very sound advice....thank you so much.

There are many, many witches out there doing magic without any religious component at all.

Not to mention, there is nothing wrong with getting what you want, either.

Absent

*snicker*

I am with you on THAT one!

 
As you're a beginner, I'd follow these folk advices, they're sound and sweet. But I'd also pick the simplest ones possible, and double - check if the materials are:

1) absolutely necessary - sometimes you'll find two or three herbs in a spell that does basically the same thing.

2) readily available - once it happenned to me that a certain item was something nearly impossible to find within the area I live, and, if I'd buy it, it would have to be from overseas, which would cost me a fortune, so, if this is the case,

3) have local correspondences - it's proved by all religious systems and science that for each group of qualities we want to find in a herb or stone, there are other three or four varieties we can use safely and are commonly available within the area you live, so stick with it.

4) safe to use - in candomblé and umbanda, for example, there's a practice to use candles, and cloth and black gun powder, if these material are together within the same room with a lit candle, things tend to burn and explode, so, keep always your safety and well being in first place, right?

5) doesn't harm anyone - even though it's self -explanatory, explanation is never too much. Every single magical working you do must harm no one unintended, not even yourself. So, before you even start it, think, rethink, and think again, and, even after that, think a bit more. To think is never too much.

So, following these guidelines, you most probably are going to be as successful as possible in your magical workings. Keep smiling, keep shining and be the light you want the world to have.


Cheers!

As you're a beginner, I'd follow these folk advices, they're sound and sweet. But I'd also pick the simplest ones possible, and double - check if the materials are:

1) absolutely necessary - sometimes you'll find two or three herbs in a spell that does basically the same thing.

2) readily available - once it happenned to me that a certain item was something nearly impossible to find within the area I live, and, if I'd buy it, it would have to be from overseas, which would cost me a fortune, so, if this is the case,

3) have local correspondences - it's proved by all religious systems and science that for each group of qualities we want to find in a herb or stone, there are other three or four varieties we can use safely and are commonly available within the area you live, so stick with it.

4) safe to use - in candomblé and umbanda, for example, there's a practice to use candles, and cloth and black gun powder, if these material are together within the same room with a lit candle, things tend to burn and explode, so, keep always your safety and well being in first place, right?

5) doesn't harm anyone - even though it's self -explanatory, explanation is never too much. Every single magical working you do must harm no one unintended, not even yourself. So, before you even start it, think, rethink, and think again, and, even after that, think a bit more. To think is never too much.

So, following these guidelines, you most probably are going to be as successful as possible in your magical workings. Keep smiling, keep shining and be the light you want the world to have.


Cheers!

 
All very sound advice too...Thank you so much.