Ritual and Spellwork

When working with Magick, in the beginning, it is best to always ask yourself the traditional five questions that are drilled into our heads in school: Who, What, Where, When and Why, but with one exception "Why" should be first on the list, as follows:

Why?

What will be the purpose of this magical working?

Will it be for in honor of the Spirit (I use this term to be non-denominational), , in honor of the Spirit at the time of an Event, to cast a spell, or some combination of these three? Once you have the answer to this question, you will need to make sure that your ritual will be appropriate to meet this desired end.

Though I do not (yet) have complete rituals available on this website, there are many available from a plethora of other sites across the web, instead of taking a spell that someone else wrote and using it verbatim, to consider the remaining questions of Who, What, Where, and When, to ensure that your Magick is as effective as possible.

Who?

Who will be participating?

Will it be just you? If so, you need a ritual that is written for the solitary witch. Or will there be others joining you in the circle? If so, how many? Your ritual will need to be able to accommodate the number of people that you will have present.

If possible, the ritual you will use should also be able to accommodate the Magical strengths and weaknesses of each participant. (i.e.: the novice who just started studying the Craft last week is probably not the best choice for Drawing Down the Moon at the a particular rite. Some ritual tasks will require a higher degree of Magickal mastery than others to be performed effectively.)

What?

What supplies will you need? Which tools will you be using? What type of incense should be using? What flowers to decorate the altar? What crystals are appropriate for the intent of the Spell you will be casting? What color candles should you use?

Where?

Where will you be working?

It is best to work out-of-doors whenever possible, but the thought of the neighbors seeing you in the back yard with a flaming cauldron and a ritual sword might be unappealing for obvious reasons. (It has happened!)

This question needs to be considered carefully, and if you opt to work indoors, make sure that the room you choose is large enough to allow the number of people you are expecting to move about the Circle safely and comfortably, with minimal risk of tripping over each other, knocking over flaming candles or lit incense, or other ritual catastrophes that we have all heard about happening but never want to witness firsthand.

When?

Timing of rituals and spell casting is extremely important.

For spellwork, timing takes a little bit more consideration, and there are many natural influences that are considered to be important factors, including the positions of the Planets and the Zodiac overhead, and the current stages of the Sun and Moon in their cycles of birth, growth, peak, decline, death and rebirth. Arguably the most important of these considerations, and by far the most widely considered, is the phases of the Lunar Cycles probably because the Moon's effects on the Earth are the most immediately noticeable in the short term, in the form of the tides of the sea, the menstruation and birthing cycles of women, and the monthly changes of mood that so many people experience.

Information about the phases of the Lunar Cycle, including calendars for every year from 2003 to 2013, are available here:

Cycles of the Moon

 Keep in mind the below and you should be able to advance from there:

• Ritual Preparation
  
• Choose a time.
  
• Decide the intent.
  
• Choose an aspect of the Divine, if you wish.
  
• Decide how to raise energy (i.e.: dance, chanting, drumming, etc.)
  
• Choose how to cast and close the circle.
  
• Cleanse yourself and your magickal space.
  
• You can do this with a ritual bath for yourself, or through meditation to still and focus your mind.
  
• You can cleanse your space with your magickal broom or with incense or burning herbs.
  
• Cast the Circle
  
• Invocation of the Divine
  
• Statement of purpose
  
• This is simply to tell the Divine why you have called him/her to the circle, what you are trying to accomplish.
  
• Magickal Working
  
• Raise energy, through chanting or drumming or however you have chosen to do so. Direct or channel this energy by using candles, herbs, stones or whatever other correspondences you found to fit your specific need.
  
• Ground your energy when you have completed the working.
• Cakes and Wine eat a small piece of bread or cookie and drink a little wine, milk or juice to help restore your energy.
  
• Thanking the Divine
  
• Closing the Circle
  
  (Divine is your spirit, god..entity)