Spelling Bees

Your word is magic.

The narrative that magic isn’t ubiquitous or even real is a psyop we must rescue each other from. I blame Harry Potter and the Protestant Church for this. The feelings of wonder we get when we see witches, Jedi, or even superheroes at the theater are real feelings we are allowed to access in our daily lives. They are not bound to the screen or the page; if they were, who would care about these movies? When people talk about magic, this is partly what they are referring to. We hear these stories, feel these feelings, and occasionally they do have a lasting impact on us. More often, though, we come down from that emotional state and it’s like it might not have ever happened. So we buy into the idea that these fictions hold little truth. Oh how I hate that phrase: it’s just a story. When has it ever been just a story?

Actually, anyone can cast a spell. There is no witch gene, you don’t have to be born into a certain family to feel and move energy. We all do this every day with our emotions and thoughts, perpetually buzzing in an electric energetic field. What is more human than wanting something, and then doing something to get you closer to that? Yes, a spell (and thus a mage) can look like anything. A grandma knits wards into her sweaters, strippers are entrancing dancers, chefs make potions all day long. When you change the way you look at spell casting, you’ll start to see witches everywhere. Learn from the ones that speak to you. This is a craft, and every artist has influences. Some of my greatest teachers in spellcasting include Elaine Parks (The Love Witch, 2016), Instagram’s sighswoon, and Rosalia. Who are yours?

Let us begin. The fundamental ingredients are intention (what you want) and energy (the vibes you’re establishing to mirror, evoke, or attract that). Intentions, depending on the situation and your personality, can either be specific or more abstract. If your dream job is to be, say, a financial consultant, and being an auditor or an account manager or any other related position will leave you disappointed, then you’ll want to include that precise title in your ritual somehow. It can be helpful to know exactly what you want. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a way to make money and you don’t quite care how, your intention can simply be financial abundance. A broader goal like this may return more expansive possibilities. For some, mentally labeling this desire is the extent of their spellcasting practice, and that’s okay. Sometimes, knowing what to focus on is all you really need. But…

Energy is where you get to have fun with it. This is the pack to your punch, where you do something about it all, or at least get to feeling like you have. Setting your intentions is a great first step. Prayer, meditation, manifestation, journaling about your goals and dreams, these are all tried and true methods for shaping your reality the way you want. Sometimes we even do this passively. The love song you hum on your way to work might bring you a date by the end of the week. Having said that, an absent-minded charm may not have the juice to change your life. Pouring more energy into your intention will make your spell a stronger agent. To do this, we raise the energy, drawing it out of hiding. Prove to the energy: I am like you, come play. Speak, sing, dance, play your instrument, move your hands, cook, build, or craft something, work out, rearrange your room. Your needs might call for something more grounded. Take a nap or a shower, focus on your breathing, paint your nails, separate salt from pepper. I don’t care, and neither does the rest of the universe, but you must. You must believe in your ritual. Finding what works for you can be hard at first, so experiment with different activities and notice what feelings arise. If you don’t know where to begin, pick a part of your daily routine you enjoy, and bring some intention to that.

Anything can be a spell, but not everything is: the difference between simple mechanic performance and spellcasting is mindset. Reaching a state of flow or trance during your spell is when you know you’re moving mojo. So, inhabit the moment and your body so entirely that you begin to forget your name a little. Nudity and music can be great tools here. Accept that you are about to die to yourself. After all, if you are resorting to spellcasting, it’s likely because nothing else has worked so far. Shake yourself, force yourself into another perspective. Watch yourself perform your ritual from anywhere but your eyes. Maybe you place your awareness at your heart, or the center of your forehead, or the palms of your hands. Maybe, you sit on the blades of your ceiling fan and look down at your own dancing body. Maybe vision isn’t a part of your process at all! Getting a little animalistic with it can be powerful. Two examples come to mind, each for a different type of vibe. For the first, think of the Great White Shark in Finding Nemo when he smells blood: his eyes go black, he enters a feral trance, he charges. Channeling this kind of intensity will bring power to your spell— always remembering to be safe. You may be a little scared when you first tap into your power this way. For an opposite vibe, a simple plant will sit there its whole life and diligently photosynthesize. Steady and stable, enduring the elements and growing with resilience. This is also intense, an intense equanimity. Each of these examples have a “no thoughts, head empty” quality that brings power to your spells. You can do the same in a light and airy way too; just because your mindset isn’t intense doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Maybe you focus on a fluttering pair of mating butterflies, or a friend’s laughter. When you kick out the thought of this morning’s breakfast, the energy you’re looking for will move in to fill that space.

Let’s demystify eye of newt and toe of frog. First of all, the ingredients and tools used in a spell are just symbols. This to say, it matters way more what you believe these things stand for than the items themselves. Now, if you don’t hold that association seriously in your mind, maybe your spell won’t work as strongly. For example, red roses are commonly associated with romance and desire, and maybe you’ve always been more of a heart-shaped box of chocolates type of girl. In that case go with the chocolates. Spellcasting is very choose-your-own-adventure. But for the love of whatever you hold sacred, please choose. The universe will understand your substitutions. Secondly, eye of newt and toe of frog are just esoteric names for mustard seed and buttercup leaves. In this sense, the witches from Macbeth teach us the powerful lesson that spells are an opportunity to rewrite the narrative, to make your actions and your surroundings more poetic, whimsical, fantastical. Transforming your perspective will make your magic stronger.

The wand is another accessory that’s become almost synonymous with spellcasting. Wands are great tools, but they’re not the magical equivalent of a pistol like they’re painted to be. The essential function of a wand is to help move energy around, raising it and gathering it and eventually casting it out into the world. Structurally speaking, you want something thin, sturdy, and long(ish). Hairbrushes, paintbrushes, pens, branches, all of these can do the trick. If the more expansive energy of a staff calls to you, canes, curtain rods, or umbrellas may be worth a try; the concept is the same. Growing up, my favorite fairy wands were metal whisks and wooden spoons, and I know I’m not alone there. Also, I’ve always loved the vibe those classic magician wands have, black with white tips. So clean!

Because each spell is unique, only you will know how best to perform it. Sometimes it calls for the energy to be raised and released in one session, everything sent out into the world like an expedition. Or, the spell can stay a while, a reminder of your intentions. If your spell has a physical basis, such as an art object, a jar filled with items, or a burnt candle, this might make more sense. All things, though, must die. Sooner or later you will want to release your spell, let go of whatever energy you raised however long ago. No one likes feeling trapped, energy included. Releasing your spell is also a way of mentally detaching from your expectation of the outcome. This seems counterintuitive to the idea of intention, but you can still be passionate about your desires. A watched pot never boils; take some pressure off your spell. You can still cheer it on from a distance.

If you’re disappointed in your results, wait a while. Magic doesn’t always work on our timelines. If you keep finding that persistent feeling that you could have done more, or better, tweak your process, and try it again when it feels right. Maybe do the spell the same way, getting into it so deeply that by the time you’re done, you don’t even care if it works or not. The experience of casting a spell can give you something far more valuable than whatever you thought you were looking for to begin with. Maybe you try something else entirely! Again, choose your own adventure, but choose.

We have to remember that we’re operating on another plane here. The logic behind all this is different from anything we know. Some would say that means it’s not backed by any logic at all, but that’s not necessarily true. Be open to trying things you don’t usually do, get weird with it, pathetic even, see what comes out. When we do this type of thing, we’re playing with a kind of science they didn’t teach in school. It doesn’t have to make sense if you don’t want it to. It’s way more important that it feels right to you. In witch school, there are no grades, no class rank, only laboratories and playgrounds. There are as many ways to cast a spell as there are spellcasters, and then some.

At the root of it, this isn’t really about magic or spellcasting. If you would argue that none of this is real, that it doesn’t work this way, I will not disagree with you. But! We give color to our realities, consciously or not. Doing so with decision and precision is an act of agency and empowerment, even if it’s all an illusion. Build your illusions, enjoy them, release them, and build more. It is exactly like the Little Prince’s wise fox tells us: il faut des rites. We need rituals.