NEW YORK – After decades of seminal work in the Pagan community, Wiccan priestess Phyllis Curott is redefining the meaning of magic.
Her latest book, Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-Being, and Wonder (Hay House), is a vast collection of magical workings designed to enchant and enrich every aspect of life. What differentiates the book from other modern grimoires, however, is Curott’s reframe of magical practice.
“Casting spells, truly and deeply making magic, working together with the sacred – it’s a spiritual practice,” Curott said in a Zoom interview. “The book starts from a different premise of magic—that magic is not about manipulating supernatural forces or nature. Magic is the flow of the divine through realms of spirit, from realms of spirit, into you, into creation, embodied by the natural world. It’s the life force, and we’re enmeshed within it.”
British occultist Dion Fortune coined magic as “the art of changing consciousness at will,” and it remains the most commonly accepted definition among practitioners today. But Curott, who has been a practicing Witch for over forty years, views magic as “an act of communion” with divinity that creates alchemical changes in both the individual and the world. That principle is evident throughout Spells for Living Well.
Also evident is Curott’s belief that a spell is comprised of more than its mechanics. Most online tutorials about magic illustrate the nuts and bolts of dressing candles, charging herbs, and choosing the correct words to ensure a spell’s efficacy, but Curott thinks the “why” of a spell is just as important as the “how.”
“We all start with the mechanics,” she explained. “A lot of the approach to magic is that you set your intention and then use your magic to manifest that intention. You have an idea, you do the spell, and you think positively and then it manifests. Well, no. Intention is a part of it, but so is energy. So is your heart. The more powerful your emotions, the more likely your spell is to manifest.”
According to Curott, the topic of energy is too often missing from spell books.
“How are you raising energy?” she asked. “How are you bringing energy into yourself? How are you generating energy to make your spell work? And what is the nature of that energy? Is it selfish? Is it greedy? Or is it sacred and holy and love-filled? How are your emotions engaged in it, and how are you acting in accord? Nobody talks about acting in accord.”
The principle of “acting in accord” – taking concrete actions to ensure successful manifestation of magic – is one that Curott has long extolled.
“The old models of magic were esoteric,” Curott explained. “They were all in the head, disembodied. They were ‘out there’ in the ether. That’s where you made your magic – out in the ether. But if you want to materialize something in this realm, you have to act in accord with the laws of this realm, and that means you have to act. You have to work hard. You have to take all of the necessary actions in this realm to help your energy, intention, and spiritual work to manifest. If we’re living in a sacred world, we have to live in sacred ways. Acting in accord is having integrity. If you encounter and experience the world as sacred, you must act in a manner that treats it as sacred.”
Even so, Curott is quick to admit that spellwork can be a tricky business. The manifestation of a spell doesn’t always match the intention of the practitioner, but therein lies a significant lesson about the unpredictability, and effectiveness, of magic.
Phyllis Curott at Global Prayers for Ukraine – #48 – Image credit: Isaac Humphrie
“Maybe you thought you were manifesting the love of your life, but what you manifested were the profound lessons about how to have real love in your life, lessons that were absolutely essential in order for you to be capable of love,” Curott explained. “With a spell, you are going to the well of your own inner divinity, aided by the magic of creation, the magic of spirit. A spell works because you work. The first thing magic changes is you.”
Transformation is an inevitable result of magical practice, and Curott knows this well. Her own practice has changed significantly over the years. When she first started on the path of Witchcraft, much of her magic was admittedly “me-oriented” and focused on her own well-being. Those intentions have evolved.
“Now, when I cast spells, I’m always thinking: ‘Yes, this is the essential organizing principle of creation. It’s a sacred principle,” Curott said. “All living things, when taking good care of themselves, to be healthy and happy, are simultaneously making the world a better place for all life. So now, how do I cast a spell that makes my life better and flows out of me not only to change my life, but also to change the world, to make the world better?”
It’s a question Curott believes many Pagans, Witches, and magical practitioners are asking themselves today, as social movements intersect with the rising popularity of esoteric subjects and practices in popular culture. A leading voice in the fields of interreligious dialogue, feminism, and diversity-building efforts – she founded the Temple of Ara and will once again serve as Program Chair for the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions – she feels this crossover acutely.
“If ever there was a time for Witchcraft, this is it,” Curott said. “Not just in terms of casting spells, but in terms of sacred activism. There are many reasons why there are so many Witches now. It’s the first spirituality in the Western world to honor the sacred holy wisdom of women and LGBTQIA people. It’s a spirituality that honors our capacity to see the sacred. We’re summoned forth to embody what we know to be true.”
Phyllis Curott [courtesy]
“I think that’s the magic that is stirring inside of so many people,” she explained. “What is summoning them? The voice of Mother Earth, calling her children home and saying: ‘If not now, none of us will survive. You need to know how to live here. Everything knows how to live here except you human beings, and if you don’t learn, now, everything will die.’ Witches are healers. We have to stop wounding and start healing.”
Healing is a strong current that runs throughout the pages of Spells for Living Well. Along with spells for abundance, love, and protection are those aimed at creating peace and cultivating strength, clarity, and wonder. Curott sees her spells as universal practices.
“It’s for everybody,” she said, “The point is to transform our thinking about, and experience of, magic – to deepen it, and widen it, and enrich how we cast spells and what we derive from them.”
Reflecting on this wider-frame approach to magic, Curott then put an even stronger point on it: “A spell is an offering to the world.”
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