 The Phrase "Performing a Spell" or "Performing Magick" can be easily misread. Its a lot more than standing center stage and reciting a few lines to cue the special affects crew in the rafters. As was discussed before, Magick is the process of bringing about or causing change. You aren't Performing for anyone.
So lets go, make some Magick.
Of course there are as many ways to perform magick as there are people doing it. There are no rights and wrongs in magick, so do what feels right for you. Magick should not be performed for fun or to fulfill wishes. It should be performed to improve your life and the lives of those you love by solving NEEDS.
As I said previously, there is a lot more to it than lighting a candle and muttering some words. Its all a matter of focusing your thoughts, will, emotion and timing.
What about Tools?
Let me speak bluntly here, Magick begins within you. Its a truely beautiful thing, tools are simply a great aide in concentration and meditation. You can center all of your energy on anything candles, oils, incense, rocks/stones, soft music, symbols/relics, herbs and athames. You could even use a piece of paper, a lock of hair, a poppet, a baby blanket or a deck of cards. If it represents your need, in your mind. That is all that matters. You dont always need them.
Why do we have tools?
Without tools, you have nothing to focus on but your thoughts, and let's face it, full control over our thoughts is next to impossible without YEARS of practice. Noise, stress, and worries from our everyday life often pop into our heads at any given moment. So, unless you are highly advanced in spell crafting (and even then, many of the most adept practitioners still use tools) magickal tools are highly recommended.
Putting it all together we know all this can be a lot to take in, but Yes it is necessary.
Magickal Will is the conscious choice to act in either a magickal or conventional manner and then implement that choice. Therefore, you must first learn to Choose to Act. Having chosen, you then learn to complete that act with a total commitment - to act with abandon. Having acted, you learn to accept the consequences of your actions, thereby becoming responsible for yourself and for your actions.
By developing your Magickal Will, you will continue to reinforce your personal power in such a way that your subconscious mind acknowledges that you act on your decisions, are truthful in your motivations and are in charge of the course of your life and your magicks. It is the subconscious mind that releases the energy and power behind the rituals that you do. Having your conscious mind and your subconscious mind acting in concert with each other will enhance the effectiveness of your rituals and also make your mundane life work more smoothly in every action you take.
Emotion is the power that drives the whole show; emotion from the guts, and from the heart. I will go even further; it is not just emotion, but passion that is the power behind magick. Passion in the sense of an intense desire to be connected to that which you are seeking to invoke; a desire that places no restrictions or limits on the connection, but which is so one-pointed that nothing save that which is sought is included within its focus. And passion in the sense of a boundless enthusiasm for the acts by which you seek to create that connection. Admittedly, this is the ideal case; but the closer you can get to it, even for a few moments, the more likely your work is to be successful.
This Emotion is what creates the magickal link between the Witch and that which they are invoking; or, if the link already exists, expands it and strengthens it. The emotion literally creates a channel or umbilicus between them, through which energy and knowledge can flow in either direction. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the link becomes; the less energy is lost in side-thoughts and distractions, the stronger the link becomes. Etc.
In its highest form, this unconditional passion becomes almost indistinguishable from what is called "Divine Love", which is the closest that one can come (within the worlds of manifestation) to the transcendental state of the Mother aspect of divinity. Passion-for-connection transforms into a state of pure relationship, pure Love, in which all distinctions are erased; both the nature of the magician and the nature of that being invoked disappear, totally lost in the link between them.
Timing is very important. Casting your spell at the proper time will enhance its power. Days of the week and phases of the moon all have specific energies associated with them. By choosing the right time for a spell, you can help to insure its effectiveness.
I could spend hours explaining planetary significance, lunar phases, and the significance of each day of the week. However, we have other sections entirely dedicated to those forums and avenues.
Astrology If it doesn't already then it will cover all the planets and their significance.
Esbats Includes a real time lunar callendar (linked with the U.S. Naval Observatory in washington D.C.) that explains the importance of lunar phases in magick, and which phase works best for different kinds of magick.
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