ARE SPELLS REAL ?

By Sophia
 

 What are spells, really? Are they the forces that we use to create a new reality to fit desires? Do they really work? Are spells something that only some of us can conjure up, or do they come from a power that is deep and strong within us all?
 These are a few of the questions I thought about a lot while I was finishing my new books (The Little Book of Hexes for Women and The Little Book of Love Spells) I believe in spells and I thingk people should be more open to their use. Some say that magic is dangerous and that we should leave things as they are, and then some of us are different. Take my grandmother, who called spells "wishing,"  much like making a birthday wish. She thought spells were just that, wishing for fate to change and good fortune to be yours.  Some use spells to bring up a dark side to make dark desires true. If you are malevolent, then the dark side can harm a foe. If  you decide to use a hex to  conquer a hardship then, the dark side turns to light.
 Some folks will say that they tried a spell once and it did not work for them. My grandfather would have told them that some have talent and can manifest what they need without doing a spell, he' of said that this is true "Wishing" . Others say that you should not mess with destiny and just accept your lot in life. I say that it is good to play with fate as long as you follow the rules of magick.
 Spells are the subconscious desire and the mixing of elements with incantations, like following age old formulas much like your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, in order to have a desired effect come into being. Spells tap into spirits and helpers from beyond to aid in a desire, or at least some think so, they also tap into your psyche. Casting spells is an age old skill and talent used by many, but known to few. In casting a spell you frequently need to have the support of a god or goddess to give you the 'oomph' you need. Picking the right deity is for some the first step. For myself, If I am to do a money spell, I might ask for help from the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of plenty in the Hindu system.  Lakshmi  does not have much of a wrathful side so she is a natural also I would not want to pick  a goddess that might not approve of what I wanted and would teach me a lesson. I also would not tell my students that they should pick her to worship. For prayer and devotion to a goddess is a personal choice. I worship her every full moon, even if  I do not ask for dollars or material wealth. She is important because she is kind and loving to those who accepts this goddess; she makes it clear to me what it is important for me to develop in myself. A loving patient side is worth more then finances and wealth. This will occur naturally if I am respectful and devoted, for Lakshmi is real and a archetype that is one of motherly love and giving. Worshipping her for the past ten years, I t was another who turned me on to her. I was encouraged by a male friend who thought that I did not have enough Lakshmi in my life and too much Lalita Shakti. He noted that I even resembled Lakshmi and that I was attracted to what she represented, only I did not have her temperament, her sweet and kindhearted nature often enough. He gave me her mantra to invoke her, and I still do so. The aspects of what you want to encourage in your life is what you pick or what picks you. This is the first step in invoking the magical way of life.
 Intent is the beginning of all Spells-  the consciousness of what it is that you want or need help with, even how ato get rid of something. It is the intent that helps with the focus and the desire to create the true magick and the start of what you want. Having too many desires or intents only clouds the ideas of what is it that you truly want. Is the spell that you consider casting realistic? To spend your magickal energy on casting a spell or to get a job that you are unqualified to perform is not the best way to have a spell become real. Be pragmatic and be methodical.
 It is the same with any spell; you cannot cast a spell on someone to love you with whom you have had little contact. It just is not a strong enough connection, especially if you do not have something from that person to bind you two in a spell.
I just got a phone call from a client who said "My love spell did not work,but I did everything right!" My client told me that after a couple of days she realized that she did not really want the Man, and that she was over him. I told her that her spell did work after all; she had come to realize that casting a spell did not make it into true love if it wasn't there to begin with, yet it could have binded them. This is the way of spells be careful what you ask for you just might get it. My client realized what she asked for was not what she Willed. Spells help put  in perceptive what is it that you really want.
 What are you willing to do to really do a "Wishing" was what my grandmother said. If you want to improve, sitting back and making magick will help, but so does action. You need to make a step forward and be brave if you want true magick to happen.
 The next step in magick is to banish-  you cannot create new unless the old is taken care of. Clean the area where you will perform the spell. Look at it as performance art and you need a clear stage get rid of all that clutters your mind, heart and soul. Make your banishing internal, do not perform magic with a full stomach, heart, or a stuffed soul. You need to be rested and tranquil your feet planted firmly in the astral plane where magic takes place. This is where you need to clean the space where you do your meditation or your holy spot in your home or garden. I've found that Feng Shui is great to incorporate in banishind. I use cedar bark to burn in my home to purify it and to get rid of any negative influences. One of the key elements in casting a spell is to get a feeling of centeredness. Its is not to your advantage to be thinking of your grocery list or your pile of things to do when you are ready to cast a spell for something like 'health and well being.' Keeping focused and in tune is the first step in the art of casting a spell.
 Remember when you cast a spell there are a few simple rules, what goes around comes around, and;  do no harm. It is best to be simple and excited, meaning if you are going to cast a spell pick one subject not many. If is harder to focus one one thing, if you want general prosperity, that is fine, but if you want a better job, more friends, to improve health for a family member, and/or get a great vacation, it tends to get confusing and it is hard to focus  on what you want in a way that will manifest it. Pick one desire, not twenty.
 It is best to check the phases of the moon. Don't do spells just any old day that you feel like. Here's a simple rule; waxing-to- full moon, new beginnings, on the darkening and dark of the moon - endings.
 The main art of casting a spell has to do with confidence in your self and what you are asking for. If you do not think that you deserve a lasting love, I mean really will it,  then you probably do not deserve one. If you desire one so much that is all that you think about, then you will have gone to far the other way, you'll be pushing it away, your ego steps in and makes it difficult for a spell to work. Ever notice in life that if you really want want want something that no matter what it never seems to come true? When you start to let go, things flow. You simply cant be so demanding and keep asking why something that you desire is not coming your way.  If you don't,  it works out, everything seems to go your way when you forget what it is that you 'desire.' You fit with nature and your place in the world flows smoothly and all starts to work out.
 If you are casting a spell correctly, it will gently come into being as the natural unfolding of you life, in a more positive version. That is because in a spell you have made an affirmation come it to being, one that tou hope for. Then, like a birthday wish, if you let go of what you asked for and keep your fingers crossed (or your candle lit) your will will come true, but never exacrtly as you think it will be; that is the cosmic humor of spells. Once a spell is cast it is difficult to remove it, you must just let it go and continue on your way. This is true magick knowing what you want, asking for it, then letting your desire go, for those who understand spells there is a time and place for everything; so just wait.  Contemplate carefully. Banish. Light a candle, make a few incantations and watch the world open before you. We are all the creators of our own reality and spells are the paints we use to alter it to our liking!