your own spells

[hipsage]

im wondering how people can create their own spells and rituals. you may read alot of different stuff, but what about making your own spells so you can share with others and rituals to whichever diety you follow?

[Dark Raven]

A lot of that comes with practice and confidence. For example all of the spells I cast are written and created by me - I don't cast any other types of spells. But I didn't get here overnight - at the start I was afraid to do that too.

A good way to get started in that process is to do the following:

1) Learn your correspondences - if you know your correspondences you know what to add to each spell. It makes creating your spells easier.

2) Start small - don't try to create elaborate rituals and spells. Start with small spells and grow from there. Remember that the key ingredient in each spell is YOU!

3) Modify - find spells you like and start modifying them to make them "yours". Once start getting comfortable with that, its a short leap to creating your own spells.

4) Confidence - Just because someone wrote a spell and published it in a book it doesn't mean that it is any more powerful than a spell you create and write. Have confidence in your work - remember that if you believe in it, you can make it work!

I believe that confidence is the main reason why people don't write their own spells. They are afraid of doing it wrong, or afraid that their own spells won't be as powerful as something someone else wrote. Plus there are so many books out there that tell you that each spell MUST be cast as its written and they make you scared to make changed. Boloni!! You can make any changes to any spell and so long as you feel the changes are right for you - the spell will still work!

Spellbooks are wonderful idea sources. You may see something in it that may sound cool, but then you look and see some bizarre things that you may not be comfortable with or sometimes not even know what it is! Just take the central idea of the spell - the part you like - and modify it to make it work for you.

I hope this helps! =)

[Nicole]

Your intent is the most important thing to keep in mind when writing a spell, and for rituals you incorperate whatever feels best to you from what you have learned. Keep it comfortable for you. And you can always amend them as you go. ;) Blessed be.

[Witch Daughter of Aradia]

I'll let you guys in on something that happened to me nine years ago when I first started looking into spells. I found a "love spell" in a magazine article that had been modified from a spell of Z. Budapest and Starhawk. I didn't know enough about spells, but I had had enough knowledge to know that those two authors were very good and well respected in the pagan/dianic field. I got too excited and jumped the gun, even though 1) I knew for a fact that you shouldn't start off your first spell as a "love spell", 2) I didn't really know about the concept behind the intent, which is important, because you want to be able to visualize the outcome, but you don't want to manipulate another in a love spell, and 3) learning the basics of meditation, visualization, and grounding and centering are important to learn beforehand.

But I did it anyways, after a long thinking about what my intent was, what I wanted to achieve, and told myself when the spell was done, instead of waiting for a guy to just appear in my life, I would move on in accord -- going out to meet new people, living my life, and letting the Gods bring what was right for me at that time in my life. And I realized that whatever happened afterwards, I would have to face whatever consequences emerged ( good or bad).

So silly me, I did the spell--after a lot of thinking. It was actually going beautifully (I had modified it well, and had also used some of Ray Marlbrough's ideas) until a huge wind blew in and left me in the dark. Then when I relit the Goddess and God candles, more wind blew through my space, the candles started flickering wildly, incense was burning heavily, and MY MOM WALKED IN ON ME, wondering what the hell I was doing. That broke the whole mode of the ritual; I lamely told her I was praying in silence. After I finished, a flood of the shakes came over me. I hadn't yet learned how to ground myself, and I was a wreck. But at the same time, I felt a sign of happiness. The spell was over, and I could forget about it (leaving it to the Gods) and move on with my mundane life.

To make a long story short, I ended up with a boyfriend about a year later, I think it was. I was ecstatic. Then things turned sour, and I developed a physic that I couldn't control. I knew absolutely everything good and bad that was going to happen in our relationship, and I should've followed my intuition about him, because he ended up cheating on me and I finally came to my senses that this was NOT the kind of guy that I wanted to be with. After I let him go, I wasn't psychic anymore, and went on with mylife once again.

Choosing the kind of spell you want to do and knowing what you're doing when you perform it make a big difference. And like Dark Raven said: start small; it needn't be elaborate. I personally think the small, basic spells can be a lot more effective if intentioned properly than a big, long, ceremonial-type ritual. I've always quoted the cliche, "It's the littlest things that mean a lot."

Just a simple candle spell focused on your intent is good to start off with. A gentle prayer. It's all up to YOU. Good luck my friend! ~CSgirl :-)

[Witch Daughter of Aradia]

This was sited from The Mystic Raven on the web, and it is a book blessing for your Book Of Shadows if you have one. I've read this before someplace else, too, so I thought it'd be nice to share with you all. Blessed Be.
Morrigan Book Blessing

Hearken as the Witch's Word
calls the Lady and the Lord
Moon above and Earth below
Sky's cool blue and sun's hot glow,
in this right and ready hour,
fill these pages with thy power.
May no unprepared eye see
the secrets which intrusted be
to I who walk this hidden road
to find the Hearthstone's calm abode
Fuardians from the Four Directions,
hear me and lend Thy protection:
may these truths of Earth and Skies
shielded be from prying eyes.
But to the Witches whose map this be
may the way be plain to see;
and, through all the coming Ages,
may we find home in these pages.
So mote it be!

~Jack Veasey

[Vesper Soleste]

I think for the most part, they've pretty much covered it. It doesn't have to rhyme, you dont necessarily even need to say anything aloud if that isn't comfortable for you. You can write or say a few simple words, or just use stones, or just herbs or incense or bath salts or candles or whatever you feel comfortable using. I have found it best to start by creating my spell using one item like a stone, then creating a seperate spell of the same intent for each item as time goes on, then I sort of blend them together, to make a nice well put-together ritual or spell.
Also, what was said about modifying the spells of others, I find that to be equally successful in coming up with spells as my prior suggestion. It doesn't really matter if you are just beginning and a bit nervous, or you are really feeling comfortable in your spell creations, I think these suggestions are equally helpful no matter where you are in your abilities.

[Hawkeye Greywolf]

just straight up intent. yeah poetry is nice. but it is just out right intent. i usually dont vocalize any of my spells. a spell is just simply putting energy into the universe with a specific intent. thats all you have to do... everything else just makes the casting of the spell "pretty"

[Dark Raven]

I agree with you 100%! I normally don't vocalize either - just focus your will on what you want to see happen. I feel a lot of the times that too much "ritual" gets in the way of my spell =)