Over the many years that I have been a teacher of the Craft, I have received numerous questions concerning the operations of magic from both Witch and non-Witch alike. Many believe, as Hollywood would have you, that for a spell to be effectively cast, one must first collect the “proper” materials and utilize them in a complex ritual. For instance, many have come to me convinced that the magical operation they wish to perform vitally depends on the use of a particular herb, stone, or color of candle.
While those things are certainly nice and can greatly enhance our work and even increase our chances of success, in most instances their inclusion or removal will hardly make or break a spell. While each ingredient and practice possesses its own spirit or force of power that we may potentially tap-into for the purposes of our spell, what most fail to realize is that most of these are, by themselves, largely impotent. Like batteries they contain power, but unless inserted into a compatible device, that power will remain untapped and undirected.
In order to make use of the powers within those objects and practices we need to make use of the only tool that is truly necessary for the magician or witch: the strengthened and focused will.
A selection of small spell bottles. Image: Deposit Photos.
Numerous Witches, Warlocks, covens, traditions, and lodges have given much in the way of thought and practice to the subject of the magical will. Some have defined it simply as intention, but to me that feels more associated with the processes of the mind alone, leaving the realms of the spirit untouched and uninvolved. I have also heard it described as character, bringing together the qualities of self-discipline, honesty, and conviction. While this definition touches many of the key aspects that I feel are necessary to understand the magical will, it too fails to elaborate on the intensely spiritual quality that is at the heart of this most personal power.
Perhaps it is because of its spiritual implications that it is so difficult to fully describe. The ways of spirit seldom settle for mere words to praise them. To be more fully understood they must be experienced. With this simple exercise one can begin to do just that.
Give yourself some time to really get into this. Turn your phone’s ringer off, lock your door. Relax.
Breathe deeply. Every work of magick must begin with the breath. In many cultures, the word for breath is the same word for spirit. Breathe it in!
Close your eyes and allow yourself to more fully relax. Become aware of your body, where you might be holding tension and where you are more relaxed. Imagine that your breath is rushing into those tense areas, filling them. With your exhales allow this tension to flow out from you on your breath. Give yourself awhile with this.
Now is where we really get to use our imaginations. Pretend (because any child worth their weight in fairy dust will tell you that the power of pretending is a formidable one) that you have magical powers. Imagine that the forces that drive the universe are flowing through you. You may wish to say a favorite affirmation, prayer, or poem that particularly inspires you. Or you can say something like:
“I open myself to the True Source of all Creation,
to the One Power that is also Many,
Blow through me like a cleansing wind,
Burn in me like a raging flame,
Flow through me like a rushing river,
Be in me like an ancient stone,
Guide me like the brightest star.”
Imagine1 this magical power like an electric blue fire; a force that permeates and enlivens everything. Imagine that you can feel this force flowing into and through your body. Allow it to rush inward with your inhale, and to flow outward with your exhale. Get to know it. Imagine becoming one with it. (Don’t be discouraged if this part takes some time. Real magic takes effort. If it didn’t, everybody would be doing it!)
The important thing now is to experiment with it. With each revisiting of the exercise try bringing in a new element into the practice. Try moving it around your body. This can be done by placing your hands out in front of you palms facing each other. Imagine that this energy is traveling from one hand to the other, or otherwise in some pattern within and/or around your body. Imagine changing its color. Notice what it feels like to you as you move through the spectrum. Try singing with it. (This is great in the shower.) No matter how you choose to experience this energy, notice how you feel it. Some report feeling it as a tingling, or as a heat. Conversely, some describe it as a coolness or even simply as a “knowing”. Whatever the sensation, physical or otherwise, focus on it until it becomes a familiar one, so familiar that you can call up this sensation on command in the span of a single breath. This may take some time and so be prepared to devote as much as is required. This is a simple yet significant skill, necessary in the development of the magical will and cannot be rushed.
When you feel confidant running energy in this way, you can try “programming” it with specific qualities by focusing intently on the quality and noticing how you then experience that energetic flow or space. You can then imagine this energy into a stone and carry it with you, a “reminder” of that energy to be drawn upon in times when that energy is needed, or you can imagine it into your food before you eat. The possibilities truly are endless and with each new experiment you will have raised the capacity of your magical will.
1. Since our internal operations are all somewhat different from one another it is important to experiment with approaching magical work through the varying lenses of our imagined senses. While many may visualize their various magical goals as being completed, it is just as valid to affirm them using any of our senses, including simply a deeply held conviction that the goal is the absolute truth. Those with aphantasia should be particularly encouraged to experiment with alternate forms of magical goal affirmation. As my own teacher would often affirm, “Feeling is more important than seeing.”↩
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