Valley Wands

What is spell work? I liken it to the idea of praying, but perhaps through the use of props and tools to create a ritual which helps to reinforce the psychological effect and fix the event in our minds. It can be done alone or in communion with others. It is the creation of a positive mental state wherein we can tap into the subconscious, thus utilising our minds to bring about a desired conclusion. Praying, or working a spell for ourselves, enables us to achieve this mental state, and, when working with others, the knowledge that others are also doing exactly the same reinforces the 'belief' that the desired outcome will be achieved. It is simply psychology in action.

I see no problem if someone also wishes to include god(s) in the equation, although it may not be necessary but profound belief in deity and its desire to enhance the well being of the believer effectively seals the deal, thus creating the desired state of mind for effective spell work - or prayer.

Have you ever though about the word ‘Spell?’ Have you ever seen a connection with the other common meaning of the word? Spell, as in a sequence of letters, which, if placed in the correct order, convey a specific meaning within a given context. Lets take a series of letters thus - S.E.G.A. A.S.U. Nonsense, isn’t it. Those letters, in that order, convey nothing of any meaning. Now let’s rearrange the letters thus - S.A.U.S.A.G.E. What happens? Immediately you read that word you have formed an image in your mind that just wasn’t there before, you had no control over it. A moment ago there was no sausage, now there is. In a very simple and basic way I have effectively controlled your mind. Oh come on, admit it, you weren’t thinking of sausage before you read the word now were you. (if you were you are probably both psychic and a smart arse.) So where did the idea come from? Simple, I put it there. And THAT’S magic! Well actually, no it’s not, but understanding it is the first step to effective spell working.

If we are working alone it doesn’t matter all that much what words you use to express the concepts and ideas you are working with. Sausage, Wiener, Wurst, Banger, Hot Dog. Use whatever slang or dialect you like, just so long as you know exactly what you mean, no problem. But in a group situation that just isn’t good enough, it has to be a word that everyone understands and effectively conveys exactly the same image to everyone concerned at exactly the same time. Similarly every single word used in a spell has to do the same, as does every sentence, phrase and paragraph.

We all have to not only speak the same language, we all have to speak the same version of that language. Lawyers follow exactly the same practice by eliminating almost all punctuation in their documents. It makes them read like gibberish to most of us, but to another lawyer it makes instant sense and they will understand, but then they are trained in these arcane mysteries at law school, with the specific intent of keeping us mere mortals ignorant so that we have to pay their outrageous fees. I suggest you stick to a more conventional grammatical system, unless you have an interest in ‘High’ magic(k), in which case bung in plenty of Latin, Greek and Hebrew references and write it all in a secret code. Come and see me later when it doesn’t work. However, if it does work but it all goes horribly wrong, clear up your own crap. (More on the ethics of magic and spell working at a later date.)

Which is why I have always thought it sensible to keep the wording of spells as simple as possible, in order, so far as is humanly possible, to remove any opportunity for misunderstanding. I choose to use standard English and grammar when working solo or with my coven as it is what we all understand. I leave out all that fancy stuff some seem to love, all those ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ just add needless complications and introduce room for error or misunderstanding. Remember the old adage K.I.S,S. – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I do though tend to write in verse form particularly when working solo, I find that the rhythm of the meter helps with concentration and it also means I have to concentrate really hard to convey the desired meaning of my words, but that’s just me and it doesn’t work for everyone.

Which brings me neatly on to my next point, those crappy books that you see for sale, ‘101 spells for witches’ or ‘spells for love and money.’ Absolute unadulterated rubbish, just junk pumped out by the publishers to separate fools from their money. They don’t work, they can’t work. (Well they DO work, but only for the author and publisher, which is why I dislike these people even more than I dislike lawyers) So why don’t they work? Simple; they are written by someone else, they convey the concepts and ideas of the writer and as such they do not convey our own ideas and concepts. If you are desperate for ideas go ahead and sneak a peek between the pages and stick it back on the shelf, then go home and write it in your own words to convey your own meaning and intent, better yet do all your own work. Likewise, anything you find on the internet should be treated the same way, there is more nonsense on the internet than in all the books ever published…….treat it all with equal suspicion, including this!

BB Hywel