10. Magic - Spells

Spells manifest, direct, channel and focus intention using the power of words.

Acknowledgements: I’d like to acknowledge and thank Cristina Orbe who taught me the new moon ritual that I still use, adrienne maree brown for teaching spellcasting at Allied Media Conference 2018, and Chani Nicholas and the Chani app team for their wealth of astrological insights around moon cycles and manifestation.

Words are things and they have power. We shape reality with language, because of the ways in which the words we speak and write give form to thought and feeling, mirroring it back to us. Through words we create channels for and give direction to our thoughtforms, and subsequently, the actions we take or do not take. But it is easy to use words in an unreflexive and unintentional way, to forget to filter what spills out of our mouths into our and others’ ears. This is no way to live. Words are prolific but they are also precious, and can be used to bring worlds into being. Once we understand the power of words we must also have respect for this power. Thus, intentionality of language becomes crucial.

Spells manifest, direct, channel and focus intention through the power of words. Witches and mystics have always used spells to help us to achieve our goals. adrienne maree brown describes spells as ‘little poems that shift [a] state of being and power’[1]. In this she recognises that spells are never crafted in a vacuum, but are created with awareness of the current state of affairs – i.e. that they are both metaphysical and political, and as such, relational and responsive to the world at hand. This suggests they should be reflective of some present truth as well as their planned future intention. Moreover, we see in the shift they create that spells are transformative, holding the capacity to influence the status quo. Therefore, spells offer a solution to the ever-present problem posed by the gap between where we currently are, and where we want to be. The verbalisation or written setting of an intention – in other words, a spell – is a solid first step on any transformational path.

The intentional language that constitutes a spell can accomplish many things: overcome negativity and other emotional blockages, heal past or present wounds and trauma, connect us with others, raise energy and build power within ourselves and our communities, surface resources we hold deep within us, prepare us for futures that lie ahead, and bring closure to chapters we are ready to leave behind. They are available to us at any time and can be used as frequently as needed. They may take the form of a mantra or saying that is repeated to yourself or aloud, a prayer, poem or rhyme, a written formula that is placed upon an altar to bring attention and focus to it in a daily practice. Neuroplasticity research suggests that repeated affirmations (similar to mantras or spells) can create new neural pathways, or connections in the brain – in this way, and more, words have a material effect on reality.

The monthly eve of the new moon is a fortuitous time to plant seeds in the dark. Spells cast at this time give shape and form to the intentions we wish to bring to fruition. You might consider writing down, with a clear intention to receive, a list of all the things that the seeker wishes to manifest, from very practical outcomes (e.g. satisfying employment with people who respect me and my contributions) to less tangible, more spiritual goals for growth and development (e.g. patience, persistence, and harmony in my life). This practice may constitute part of a new moon ritual, and can be written and placed on an altar, and recited nightly during the two weeks of the waxing moon, with the spell written in a positive way (e.g. an increase in patience). After two weeks, as the moon begins to wane, the spell can be rewritten with the intentions reversed (e.g. a decrease in impatience). This way, we are working with the natural cycles of increase and growth, and decrease and decay, to heighten the impact of our intentions.

In this post-postmodern age, it is normal to be slightly sceptical of spells. Our socially conditioned fear and mistrust of witches and witchcraft has taught us to dismiss the ways in which women and femmes in particular have historically used words to bring-into-being, and leveraged language as a key facet of our worldmaking. But one only needs look around us to see clearly how words produce worlds: look at pronouncements, land claims, laws, treaties, policies, and procedures, all of which are discursive tools, or dictats, that, when spoken by those in power, have an effect on material reality. Such words establish rules and norms, create political divisions, become rationale for behaviour, and lend justification to action.

If we learn to see such documents, which have great legitimacy in the world as we know it, as spells, we may begin to pay greater attention to the way our individual and collective lives are always-already being shaped by the spells of others. This opens us up to the possibility of being more willing to access our own agency and power through the creation and casting of our own spells, and more open and attuned to the words we need to manifest the realities of our choosing. Spells are nothing to be afraid of; they are simply a way of giving shape to our dreams.

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[1] brown, a.m. (2017) Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. Chico: AK Press. p. 192