Is Sharing Spells/ Ritual effective?- Part Two

In an earlier blog post:http://cocyeabroomstick.blogspot.com/2010/10/is-sharing-spells-ritual-effective-part.html

I began outlining the differences between spells and rituals. I also pointed out that learning styles had a profound effect on determining the elements in the spell/ritual which would be most effective for ourselves. I stopped at that point as I didn’t want the blog post to be too long.

What I have seen, is that people share spells; using someone else’s spell well…..”word for word” without considering if the spell’s associations have any meaning to them.

Spells and rituals, must mean something to the individual…..its no good doing a spell for new beginnings using yellow and purple, when the colours or baby pink or blue always came to mind as your association to the idea of new beginnings.

The inner work must be done before the spell. Sometimes, it is helpful to make notes in preparation for the spell. I usually outline the following points in preparing:

1)      In one sentence, what is the spell’s/ritual’s intent or goal

2)      Is it phrased in a way to “harm none”

3)      What colours do you associate with this goal?

4)      What scents do you associate with this goal?

5)      What actions / shapes etc do you associate with the goal

The process of creating your own spell leads to an inner work that is missed by just borrowing a spell. I remember reading a bit from  Austin Osmand Spare where he pointed out that attempting to teach others his magickal techniques was futile, as the techniques were developed  by his mind, for his mind. 

The same idea is put forward in learning any creative subject. The process of finding the end (painting) is more important than the end (painting) itself. You need to discover for yourself, what makes your mind click, and the only one who can do that is you.

Do the ground work……..you get deeper into your spiritual style by doing so.

Is Sharing Spells/ Ritual effective?- Part One

DEFINITIONS

In the article “When a Spell Becomes a Ritual-Magical Definitions for Pagans and Wiccans,” Elizabeth Yetter, points out the differences between a Ritual and a Spell.

Spells

Modern day Wiccan spells are very much like the spells used centuries ago. There are the spoken words, usually a rhyme that states a desire, and there are usually a few props, such as candles and incense. According to Hill and Williams (1965), “[t]he power of the spell derives from the power of words and incantation” (p. 154). For example, a love spell may require the person searching for true love to light a red candle and chant a simple set of words. After the person performs the spell, she is finished. She will not need to cast the spell again.

Rituals

Rituals, on the other hand, do not rely on the power of incantation alone. Instead, rituals rely on repetition. In the Oxford American Dictionary (1980), ritual is defined as “a procedure regularly followed” (p. 585). By this definition, a simple spell can become a ritual when the same person repeats it for a continuous desired effect. A repetitive procedure can be a group ritual where a coven initiates a new person into their group. The same welcoming ritual will be performed each time a newcomer decides to join the coven. Another form of ritual is casting a circle. Casting a circle is performed each time a practitioner of Wicca performs an act of magic, and is meant to create a magical barrier of protection.

Read more at Suite101: When a Spell Becomes a Ritual: Magical Definitions for Pagans and Wiccans http://www.suite101.com/content/when-a-spell-becomes-a-ritual-a31916#ixzz11IN6AOiK

Another dictionary defines a ritual as:

Ritual- according to the Free Dictionary

a. The prescribed order of a religious ceremony.

b. The body of ceremonies or rites used in a place of worship.

2.

a. The prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony: the ritual of an inauguration.

b. The body of ceremonies used by a fraternal organization.

3. A book of rites or ceremonial forms.

Right, we’ve got the definitions out of the way. Now lets get down to the reasons we seek to perform these spells or rituals.

WHY PERFORM THEM?

Rituals in themselves give us a sense of stability. Performing a ritual over and over again inculcates certain ideas and associations in our minds. We begin to feel comfortable that things are going right.

But why do we need to feel this way? Spiritual practice as a whole connects the individual to the wider existence. Whether we work in a group, or on our own, the intention is the same. We like feeling a part of something larger than ourselves. All spiritual paths create this connection. Where witchcraft is concerned, however, our free-will gives us permission to actively do something to change our situation. Once we decide the direction we wish to go, a spell is usually our first option to introduce the change. For some, ritualizing the change assists with the reinforcing of the idea, and keeps the person on track for a longer period of time. This usually happens with deeper inner work which requires a mental shift in the perception of the practioner, nessecary over a longer period of time. We all know that changing an in-built mind programme is not easy.

In order to create the change that we want, our symbols in our work must connect with our inner core. For us to know the symbols that connect deeply, we need to know ourselves. A good place to start is the symbols/associations that we are drawn to most. It is also extremely helpful to know how we learn. This will be dealt with in the next Blog post.

Does the Spell or Ritual correspond to your inner core?

LEARNING STYLES

Some basic learning styles are visual, auditory, tactile, and I would like to add olfactory and gustatory. This are of course linked to the five senses, and all senses are required to cement the experience of the spell/ritual. Workers in Magick are all tactile. We want to do the work ourselves, not sit passively by and have it done for us. J In my experience developing a practice for myself, I have come to learn that the most effective spells are those where there is a lot of use of colour and scents. I am a very visual person, drawn to colour (being an artist I guess) and smells have a profound effect on my mental state, and can trigger emotions. As for the auditory part, silence is best for me. I can focus best there. (Some people work best with music). I have not explored the gustatory method effectively, and have only done two spells chanelling energies into food I prepared, the idea being that by ingesting the food I was ingesting the energies which would give me the power to achieve my spell’s goal.

Basic guidelines for each of the learning styles would be:

Visual – Knowledge of colour associations, symbols and understanding of emotions caused by images. Crowley’s Liber 777 is still the best reference for this.  http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/liber058.pdf

Colour Therapy knowledge helps greatly. And techniques can include drawing the goal, crafting the image through collages etc while planning out the colours and symbols which would be used.

Auditory – Key to this is the understanding of the emotions that musical keys evoke in ourselves. Just like there are visual universal symbols, there are universal emotional reactions to the vibrations of the notes. More information on this can be found at: http://www.oldenwilde.org/oldenwilde/members/diu/quadriv.html

And also at http://www.gradfree.com/kevin/some_theory_on_musical_keys.htm

Olfactory- This obviously is where the incense comes in. Knowing the associations for each scent is also key. But also remember that if the scent is offensive to you its best to find an alternative. Liber 777 can also help as well as http://www.alchemy-works.com/planetary_corresp.html

Gustatory- Deals with the effect that taste has on our emotions. This is addressed in Magickal Cooking. The most comprehensive look at this aspect I have seen has been in the WITCHSCHOOL’s course on Magical cooking. But to culminate a spell with “cakes and ale” associated with your goal has to be exciting to anyone! Of course a knowledge of herbs and their associations help as well.

Herbs for health: http://www.moonsmusings.com/pagan/kitchen.html

General herbal associations: http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/sylverspage/herbs.html

Additional resources: http://www.ecauldron.net/bookherbals.php




The next part of this topic will explore how we can understand our touch stones and open discussion on creating our own rituals.

            

Elemental Magick - Air Magick - Clarity Spell

Meditation Clarity Spell
This spell requires at least half an hour. Do this exercise after a ritual bath or shower.

You need
Broom/Besom
4 small ceramic saucers
4 charcoal blocks
Frankincense grains, Air incense or incense sticks
Chalk
Cushion –yellow and purple preferably

Prepare charcoal blocks and place in saucers. Cleanse your ritual space, marking your ritual circle.
As you sit/ kneel in the center of your circle, face the east and mark the symbol of the element AIR. In the center of the symbol, place a saucer and while sprinkling the incense onto the charcoal block say:
AIR cleans
AIR clears
Clarity is here

Face South. Mark the symbol for Fire. Place the saucer in the center, sprinkle your incense and say:
FIRE cleans
FIRE clears
Clarity is here

Do the same with WATER and EARTH, marking each symbol to the west and north respectively; changing the chant each time.
When all the incense is lit, sit in the center of your circle. Close your eyes and visualize the AIR saucer and the incense burning. Visualize the incense clearing away any disruptive THOUGHTS, till your vision is one pale yellow screen. When you can visualize this clean yellow colour, turn to the south.
Facing south, visualize all the disruptive PASSIONS being cleared away by the incense smoke, until all that can be visualized is a clear red screen. Nothing but pure FIRE energies can exist in your body, only passions for the good of all.

Do the same for WATER (west) and EARTH (north), again visualizing all the disruptive EMOTIONS, and MATERIEL distractions being cleared away by the incense smoke to leave a clear blue and citrine colours respectively.
Go through each element again if needed, until all the colours visualized are clear.
Continue to meditate for as long as you wish. Thank your deity for the power to do this for yourself.
Open your circle, and clean up.

I usually finish this with some Clarity Tea, which I would post in another blog.

The ritual of stagnating yourself.

With exuberance, many people jump into witchcraft feet first eyes open and learn all the ways to perform the correct ritual, the perfect spell, and learn how to do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their backs.

They challenge each other about whether air should be in the west or east, or north, and which incense is the correct one for what etc etc. If you are so bent on perfecting the ritual by the books you are reading, then Magick will never help you, neither will Wicca, witchcraft or any other spiritual path for that matter.

Lets take a look back in time. Imagine if you will, that we have no thinkers of scientific theory. What would life be like without the wheel, without running water, education, internet?

The human race is constantly evolving, changing and developing. The individual, led my their minds also constantly changes and develops. Life becomes difficult when we struggle against it due to lack of acceptance or inability to accept changes. There is no benefit to us in stagnating ourselves.

Indeed, when we decide to clamp down barriers in our minds, like say refusing to consider that alternate rituals are possible; we are committing to ourselves the greatest injustice. You would not like anyone to put you in a 10" square room and order you to live out your life there. Why then, do you put your mind in a limiting position and want to stay there?

Our minds should always remain open. Our thoughts and desires are allowed to change. Its what Free Will is for. Its the ability to think "Where can I grow?" next and continue to make changes in lifestyle until your are happy in yourself. Life is about experiences, and if you desire an experience in an area...and can see you will grow from it, why hold yourself back?

Magick only works if you can relate to it. Which is why you have to know yourself. No sense doing a cleansing ritual using salt when the granules make you feel dirty. Your attempt is to condition your mind. Thats what the rituals are for- to condition your mind into believing that it is so, your are clean. Follow your gut, take your first instincts with something and use it. Remember always, that you are developing a system for you and you alone. Yes coven work helps, but your personal system is the best for you. Practice, change, adjust, use what pops into your mind.

Learn everything, try it out. Then throw the whole thing out the door and go with your gut.....fly on your own......fly in your own.

When Life Gives you Lemons

So every so often LIFE will throw something at you which causes you to stop and ponder. If you are a "crazy-maker" this would seem like a big deal and you would be like "how the hell can this happen to me? Why is this always happening to me?"

If you are the one to internalize it, it will grow on your mind like the biggest Pumpkin in the Universe and block your view of reality. Or it will warp you vision and twist everything associated with that issue.

Breathe.....your first step is recognizing that you are allowing the issue to control you. Magickally, you are in control, or should be. Nothing is to great for your mind to handle. Do not allow it to take over your mind and allow your emotions to spiral out of control. GRAB A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!

Look up.... no matter how bad the situation get outside and find a piece of sky to look at. Just the act of looking upward releases emotions which would assist in clearing your mind.

Repeat your core goals which direct your life. As a Magician/Magick worker, you should have a few goals you are working on for self-improvement/success, and repeating them helps get back to the center of your focus, and off of the annoying/mind-crushing problem.

When the issue no longer feels like its in charge, imagine it like a flat coin. The issue is on the "heads" side. Imagine walking around the coin and seeing the "tails" side. Tail Sight is where the wisdom is...what can I learn from this lesson. This issue is a gift, meant to strengthen, to teach, to push me to learn. What can I learn from this gift.

If this is a difficulty, leave the issue alone, and continue to repeat your core Magickal goals every time it feels like its taking over. Talk to no more than three people about it. Understand that three is offloading, but more than that is obsessing...and adding fuels to its energy.

Continue to repeat your core Magickal goals to yourself. If that doesn't help, draw the issue as a "beastie" on a peice of paper. Colour the bugger, make it as ugly as you want with a big mouth, horns and warts. The beastie should only be an issue, not a free-willed being (no people please, they are not the issue. Your reaction to the situation is the problem, not the person) Draw that beastie locked in a box, or a cell, and burn the bugger with a nice little cleansing chant you have created for yourself. It always helps to be childish and playfull in times of stress!

Every issue that comes up is one step on the path to your Magickal Success. Experience is the best teacher, the the Universe will send things for you to experience and strengthen your mind. If you wish to learn to be more compassionate, experiences will be sent which require compassion...so the bad news about friends and family all around who are undergoing problems and seek you out for advice or help is your work-book for compassion.

Look for ways to make lemonade with your lemons, life suddenly becomes sweeter, and tastier too!!!

Reflections

The later part of this year was one long spell becoming manifest. I watched while a spell I casted took effect and did not realize the emotional and mental challenge that it would have on me, while I adjusted to this new role.
That's another thing to note. You can cast a spell, or wish, and have it come true.....but you never realise the feelings that have to be processed in order to accomodate this change in your life. Can you inhale some of the bewilderment and grief of letting go of the old? Can you then process that letting go, in time for the new happenings of joy and contentment that are slipping in at the same time? Can you process two completely contrary feelings at the same time? You need to, when a spell is coming to pass.

It has taken six months for the effects of the spell to settle, and at the other end of that doorway, now, I am finally calming down. I used to feel something to the equivalent of being on EMOTIONAL CRACK...... high on a feeling constantly and not always in a good way. Sometimes my mind switched to "happy happy joy joy bunny on cocaine" in order to deal with my low points.

One of the most difficult things to do during the period was to reassert the goal while in the middle of heartbreak. "You wanted something...and this is part of getting that something."

I never suspected for a moment that the outcome was what would happen. But the greater good was always on my mind. The happier more contented me was always the goal. And I am glad for that resolve...I am now in a better place.

Magick as a tool for Self Transcending Self

In an attempt to transcend yourself/ mind, a practice of magick can be adopted, which would rewire the brain and create a different paradigm to the one previously held. (in your mind).

Our current mental flux, which emanates around this island, creates a “net of consciousness” which has the capability of trapping other individuals who seek to transcend the “net” and their individual minds.

Each Self here is bound by thought patterns and programs, which create the paradigm by which we operate. This is passed on from generation to generation. Our core beliefs about what is, or what is not possible have been stamped and sealed in our minds; and almost nothing that we have learnt speaks to ourselves. We have been programmed in our behaviour and our beliefs. We have been programmed into the “we culture” and “ we ting.”

A friend of mine pointed this out recently. Being from another country, he is not bound by the paradigm placed on us Trinidadians. The reaction and behaviour of Trinidadians is often perplexing to others. The inability to rise above their mental limits is a curious thing. Conversations and behaviour most often have a scripted quality.

In all countries, there are cliques and stereotypes. Individuals attempt to conform to a group, which is closest to their purpose. However, the difference on a small island is that there are a limited number of cliques, limiting the number of choices, which can create a local relative meaning (local to the Self) for an individual. The cliques create their own conscious net, and only very few strong willed individuals can pull away. Almost none of these strong willed individuals are successful in creating a completely new paradigm or clique.

That being said, magick is a useful tool, which allows the individual to rewire his/her brain to transcend personal paradigm/ reality.
According to the author of the blog “Exemplum Stupendous”, magick allows for a new operating system to be introduced into the mind. This system challenges all the previously held beliefs, which the Self held as “Truth.”

It is important though, that the individual recognises those things, which his/her mind responds to, and use them to create a believable dogma or system for the purpose of achieving Self’s goals.

The Self needs to recognise the statements which held them from belief. For example, if the goal is to get a car, and the goal is not forthcoming, then there is a negative belief at the core preventing the flow of energy in Self’s observer created Universe. It is a difficult thing to realize; to purposely change your own beliefs. But it can be done. More on this will be discussed later.

It is absolutely possible, that all the associations, tools listed in Magick to shift belief (paradigm) do not register as “truth” for the individual.
Many of us, in searching for Magick do not ever sift through the wrappings of ceremony and associations to realize that we need to create our own associations. Many practioners and Wiccans would tell you that intuition is more valuable to your mind than regurgitated readings. Intuition; is the thin Golden Thread of thought, which has the beginnings of real belief.

Austin Spare said many times that the system of Magick he created was valid only to his Self. This does not mean that we throw out things and lessons practiced by those gone before. Rather, we absorb, experiment, learn the thing well, and then break all the rules and make our own. Magick needs to speak to you, not to be believed by anyone else. Be as silly and as creative as you wish to be. If you wish to wear a pair of pink fairy wings to create the belief in transcendence, then so be it.

You can find whatever tools are needed.
Listen to your Self.