Spellcraft

[lordalfredhenry]

Is there a generic format for spells? I mean, can you fill out a form/madlib and get a spell? I'm looking for several "generic spells" (spells for any purpose with minor alterations). I suppose candle magic or censer fire magic might be like that. I do like more complexity however than some of those forms. Observing a day of the week or moon

Comments

[annabellle]

this wont' be particularly helpfl, but no. it's however you feel comfortable. if it means doing leaps and bounds and quacking every thirty four seconds - as long as you can connect to the universe and adiquately express your intention, then you've got a spell.
personally, i find i need to speak my intention while focussing on something that represents the outcome, but i don't do many spells, just small rituals to practice energy movement.
sorry this wasnt more helpful.

[lordalfredhenry]

Thank you...now while I agree that connecting to the universe and expressing intent is important, I do think I like to make things straightforward, not necessarily easy. By the way, the quacking thing worked for my nose zits and does in fact raise energy quite well for other applications as well. Thanks for the tip ;) Blessed be.

[midwesternmage]

I'm afraid I wont be a super help either as a lot of what I do is ritualized. However if you're looking for a few things to make specific workings more special I'd say look for correspondences. I, personally, use the Complete Magician's Tables for that kind of thing. If I'm working with an earth elemental and want a certain incense I can see the perfumes that correspond with Earth. Or the Day of the week that corresponds with that scent.

[lordalfredhenry]

I found the Skinner book you mentioned and I must say, I LOVE correspondences. I have the Whitcombe book already as well as the compendium 777 as well as my own charts but as they say, the more the merrier. Being able to memorize a distilled chart is quite a good skill. I might try it some time using memory technique.

[midwesternmage]

Excellent! Glad to see you liked it. 777 was my defacto go to book before I did most of my workings. That was until I read about the skinner book and found that it was like 777 on steroids.

Glad I could be of some help for you =)

[nightshade_oak]

Spells involve three main ingredients: Will, focus, and energy. Everything else is simply trappings to help with one of those three things. Music might help you raise energy. Colours might help you focus on your particular desire - and they do, subconsciously, alter things. Pastels, for example, make one physically weaker and less aggressive

[lordalfredhenry]

Thank you. I like the concept of the three ingredients and there are a few others out there who use other "components" like: sight, sound, smell (sensory) or the four elements (chose a component from each one), or as you mention: will, focus and energy. I have been reading a lot about "raising energy", ancient sacrifice....I'm sure you're familiar with the connection. All that is energy. Intent and will are often derived at through exploring subconscious or simply listening inside a bit. The focus? That's a hard one but as you say, "trappings" do it. I like the concept of trappings as a useful prop for beginners and I would suggest that some beginners need them more than others....perhaps even some experts as well

[nightshade_oak]

From Etymonline:

spell (n.)
"incantation, charm," O.E. spell "story, speech," from P.Gmc. *spellan (cf. O.N. spjall, O.H.G. spel, Goth. spill "report, discourse, tale;" Ger. Beispiel "example;" see spell (v.1)). Meaning "set of words with magical powers, incantation, charm" first recorded 1579. Spellbound is attested from 1799, from bound "fastened."

spell (v.1)
"name the letters of," O.E. spellian "to tell, speak," infl. by O.Fr. espeller "declare, spell," from Frank. *spellon "to tell;" both O.E. and Frank. from P.Gmc. *spellan (cf. O.H.G. spellon "to tell," O.N. spjalla, Goth. spillon "to talk, tell"), from PIE *spel- "to say aloud, recite." Meaning "write or say the letters of a word" is c.1400, from notion of "read letter by letter, read with difficulty" (c.1300). Spell out "explain step-by-step" is first recorded 1940, Amer.Eng. Spelling bee is from 1878 (earlier simply spelling, 1860).

[lordalfredhenry]

Interesting. I was just over at another dictionary looking at the etymology. It seems to be an expounding out, a tale, a duration/shift or all those connotations. To be "casting" a spell seems to be akin to casting a spell of dry season, perhaps some other enchanting condition. It does seem to imply a temporary effect in any case. I believe it's close to the slang "schpiel" or "spiel" which is a term people use to go out and tell their tale/story or message. Like an advert/sales call, spells might also be associated with hypnosis it seems which seems the reason why people are "under" one. (dry expounding might put people under a drooling / trance as well). The report one is an interesting one. I suppose it's connotatively related to an expounding of one's doings or even an invitation to be rationalized/persuaded to.

Re: BTW

[lordalfredhenry]

Thanks. Do you think it would be ok to post pictures of one's altar btw?