Simple Magick: Magickal Practice

“An important point about witchcraft is that it is a craft, in the old sense of the word, the Anglo-Saxon ‘craeft’, implying art, skill, knowledge. The word ‘witch’ means ‘wise one’; and a person cannot be made wise, they have to become wise. There are arts and skills and traditional knowledge which, used in the right way, will help you to become a ‘wise one.’ This is the real meaning of witchcraft.”

~ An ABC of Witchcraft, Past and Present - Doreen Valiente

Valiente explains that people can only change their lives by changing themselves, and to do that it involves learning, and becoming experienced at something.

I get messages from those who want to know if magick is real, and from others who are worried they have done a spell or a ritual wrong, and are anxious that the consequences are going to be disastrous. Both questions can be answered in the following Valiente quote:

“Rituals are not always successful, of course. The technique employed may be wrong. The operators may have misjudged the situation. The conditions prevailing at the time of the ritual may be adverse. However, I have seen a sufficient number of successes scored, to believe in the power of witchcraft.”

As a practitioner, this means you should keep trying. It is only by trying, and failing, that you work out what will succeed, and indeed, one should apply this to all areas of life.

I have seen an unsuccessful spell compared to a failed cake cooking session. In getting the spell “wrong” it can be likened to omitting the sugar. The cake won’t taste particularly nice, and it might not rise because the texture will be all wrong, but you are not suddenly going to be changed into a person who never wants to eat again!

Yes, you need to be sure of your goal, and be clear before any action is taken, but if you knock over a candle, or miss out one of the steps of the spell, it is unlikely that anything drastic will happen. More likely nothing will happen.

When did you come to believe in magick? How long have you been practising? Have your spells always worked? Have you had any go disastrously wrong? What about funny spell/ritual stories, do you have any of those?

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