"Imagination is the fuel of magic." -Joshua Khan, Dream Magic.
Magic works by setting a powerful intention and projecting it out into the universe with enough force that it manifests. I know that's a lot to comprehend, but I'll try to break it down — intention + willpower + [divine power] = manifested result.
You want to know a big secret? You don't actually need any tools to do magic. You don't need wands or cauldrons or stones. You don't need chalices or statues or magic bags. You definitely don't need incantations. It's fun to have all those things, and they certainly make magic easier, but you don't really need them. Magic is based on intention. It's not the words and gestures that make the magic happen, it's you and your desire. Your tools just help set the intention more strongly. This is true in most fiction, too, which is why magical powers in fiction typically get stronger if they have an emotional drive behind it. To do magic, you need to pour your intent and desire into whatever your target is. If you start treating spells like following a recipe, or read incantations like you're reciting lines, you're not going to do very much. This is also why spells won't work if you expect them not to. That sends a conflicting message-- do you want it to work, or not to? The less you doubt yourself and the more confident you become, the better! (Easier said than done. Still working on it myself.)
You want to be luckier? Hold a good-luck charm of your choice to your chest and say, Everything goes well for me. (I tend to phrase spells in future tense out of habit, but it's better to use present tense because it's even more effective if you act like you already have what you want.) Say it like you mean it. Attach your intention to be luckier to the charm that you hold. You don't technically need the luck charm, but it's much easier to attach the intention to something physical then to leave it floating out in the Astral world somewhere. Then, put the charm someplace safe where you can forget about it until the spell does its work. You can put it under your pillow, in a magic box, or carry it around with you for a few days. You have to eventually forget about the spell, so you can let it do its work without continuing to influence it. (Note that spells still work within parameters. If you wish for money, you probably won't win the lottery or have a million dollars show up at your doorstep. However, you might get a job offer, or some other opportunity that can provide you with the money you need, and when you see the opportunity, take it!)
Why does this work? To use a simple analogy, imagine that you go into a test at school and you are convinced that you will fail it. You don't understand the material, you haven't done well with it previously, and you definitely don't expect it to turn out too well. One response to that might be, "Not with that attitude." If you go into something with the assumption that you will fail, then you've essentially doomed yourself. You create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If, however, you go into the test with the expectation that you will succeed, you may find that you at least do better than you thought you were going to. If you go into most of your endeavors in life with the expectation that you will succeed, you may find success around every corner, just from having changed your mindset. That's a well-known mental trick. It's right up there with "if you smile more, you'll be happier" or the "growth mindset" philosophy. Making subtle changes to our psychological outlook can change a lot about our lives.
My first rule of magic: See what's there, not what you think is there. This is a simple way of explaining a kind of complicated idea. The truth is, most of reality is based on our perceptions of the world around us, and our perceptions are based around our preconceived notions about ourselves and about what the world is "supposed" to be like. Magic is this same kind of idea, but on a much grander scale. If you perceive that your life is going well, it will! By molding your perceptions, we will be able to mold your reality. That's easier said than done, of course, but I'm constantly learning more and more about how to do that. The first thing to do (and possibly the hardest) is to recognize the difference between perception and reality. If you tell yourself, this test will go horribly, then you're setting yourself up for failure because you went into the test believing you would do poorly. I'm not a naturally optimistic person, so I really struggle with this. The next step, and the magical part, is to actively decide that the test will go well and set the intention to do well. Just shifting your perception does a lot. Actively deciding to get the outcome you desire is the magic part.
It is, however, more complicated than that. Magic requires more than just a desire and an intent, it also requires a lot of power. It's very, very difficult to simply change your mental state without years of practice and psychological self-analysis. The self-analysis is a tool to help break down your preconceived notions and methodically change them, which requires an insane amount of self-awareness. It's effectively doing therapy on yourself. That's a topic of its own to cover. Rituals, and the other practices associated with magic, are ways of putting you in the proper mental state and giving you the power you need.
Similarly, when you call on gods and spirits to help you, you actually have to demand their assistance. They're busy. They have more important things to do if their presence is not requested. Sometimes, especially when I'm desperate, I find myself slipping into prayer instead of actual spellcasting. Prayer is much more passive, because it's begging for what you want from the gods instead of requesting that they help you get what you want. I find that, when I ask for what I want from the universe, I tend to get it! I just have to actively send my desire out into the world, with enough willpower to compel it to manifest. You'll know a spell is working if you feel energy moving. Imagine that fire is really shooting out of your hands, or that a light is expanding from your heart. If you feel powerful, you will be!
(Before moving on, I feel like I should mention love spells. Love spells are ethically tricky because they may involve other people. Don't cast a spell so that a specific person will fall in love with you. That's interfering with their free will. Instead, cast a spell to bring a romantic relationship into your life, and let the gods push you towards the right person instead of meddling in other people's lives.)
The other big piece of "see what's there" is to accept the possibility of things not making sense. You think you just saw a ghost? Don't dismiss it as a trick of the light. You think that a spirit spoke to you during your meditation? Well, maybe it did. You think you might pass into another world if you go behind the standing stone? Walk around it a few times until you see something weird. Let yourself see the world as a child does. Believe that anything is possible, and then make it possible. Also keep in mind that the physical world is not the entirety of existence (as Dumbledore reminds us).
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"People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see." -Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus.
"Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry, but why should that mean it isn't real?" -J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
"First sight is when you see what's really there, not what your head tells you ought to be there. [...] You think this is the whole world? ...there are more worlds than stars in the sky. Understand? They are everywhere, big and small, close as your skin. They are everywhere. Some you can see and some you can't, but there are doors, Tiffan." -Terry Pratchett, The Wee-Free Men.
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Practitioners of magic tend to believe that magical power comes from four main sources:
Correspondences: The concept of correspondences is very old, and still is a foundational element of modern magic. In the Middle Ages it was believed that plants, stones, and other natural materials had inherent "virtues," i.e. magical powers. A very important concept in magic is "Like attracts like." If you group together enough "like" things that match the nature of your intention, then you can impress your desire upon the world and cause it to manifest. Planetary correspondences are especially popular in Western occultism — each planet rules a different part of life, and if you group together enough things that the planet rules, then you can harness its influence to make the desired changes in your life. So, if you wanted to do a spell to do well on a test, you'd need the influence of Mercury, which rules the intellect. You would perform the spell on a Wednesday, during the appropriate hour, ideally when the moon is in Gemini. You would wear yellow, and wear the symbol for Mercury. You would use a hazel wand, burn sandalwood incense and a yellow candle, and make a talisman out of aluminum or platinum with Mercury's sigil on it. The materials themselves do two things: they harness the influence of Mercury, and they also act as physical objects to focus your intention on. You're actually trying to boost your intellect, which is a non-physical thing, but it's always easier to interact with physical things than non-physical things. Planetary influences are also related to an important occult maxim, the Hermetic Principle of Correspondence, usually summed up by saying "As above, so below." This means that the macrocosm (the universe at large) affects the microcosm (human life on earth), and vice-versa. That means that if you affect one, you affect the other. This is the idea behind astrology — the positions of the stars and planets reflect or affect life on Earth. So, if you gather together things that represent Mercury (microcosm), then you harness the energy of Mercury (macrocosm), which will give you the desired result that falls under its influence (microcosm).Related to this is the concept of sympathetic magic. You may have heard of "voodoo dolls." This is something of an offensive stereotype because Voodoo is a religion, but poppets (the dolls) and the idea behind them are a real thing. A "sympathetic link" is a magical connection between a symbol and the thing it's supposed to represent. You use the symbol to represent your desire, and then interact with the symbol, which will cause the same effect on the thing it represents. Poppets are the most famous example, so I'll use that. You would get a bit of hair or dry skin or saliva from a person and put it in the doll, to establish the sympathetic link between the person and the doll, and then you stuff the doll will herbs so that the person's illness will heal. It doesn't have to be dolls, though. You could write a person's name on a piece of paper and then burn it or tear it up to banish that person's influence in your life (i.e. getting over an ex, or getting rid of a toxic friendship). Or, you could have a candle of the appropriate color represent your desire, anoint it with appropriate oil, and as the candle burns down, you get what you desire. Carrying beans in your purse will attract wealth to you because you're treating the beans like coins. Burying moss agate in your garden will make your plants grow because you're treating the stone like a seed. Whatever you do to the symbol, you do to the target.Gods and divine powers: If you haven't noticed, there's a lot of overlap between occultism and paganism. A lot of modern occultists are some kind of pagan, and call upon the influence of gods and goddesses to help them with their spells. Evocation and invocation of gods and goddesses is really a whole separate topic, but with regards to spellcraft, calling upon a god's influence can give an extra boost to your magic. To use the intellect spell example from above, if you wanted help from a god, you would evoke Hermes. You've already filled the room with things that Hermes likes, but you could add an offering or a hymn to Hermes to ensure he shows up. If he's willing to help you, you could ask him to lend his power to the ritual, or turn responsibility for the spell over to him so that he will help it to manifest. Or you could invoke him (with permission), and perform the spell as Hermes, which is very powerful but also advanced. Gods can be an excellent and powerful source of magical power, but do not treat them as pools of free energy that you can pull from whenever it's convenient for you. They hate that. Treat them as people — if not as kings and queens, then at least as colleagues.The Astral realm, the Earth, or the Universe at large: A third source of magical power is natural forces that aren't necessarily deities. Some spiritual people use "The Universe" as a stand-in for God without all the baggage that comes with God, like a cosmic "worldsoul." That works for some. Others treat the earth as a source of power, either as a deity or just as the planet itself, that gives life to everything that lives on it. So for example, you could imagine drawing energy up from the earth's core and pushing it out through your hands or your wand. The sun and the moon are often treated this way, too. Even more common are the Four (or five) Elements — Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and spirit/anima/azoth/etc. — all of which have different correspondences and different alchemical properties. Physical representations of the elements will appear on the altar, but the Elements themselves don't refer to literal (or "vulgar") air, water, fire, earth, but to spiritual ("subtle" or "philosophical") qualities or ideas. If you practice elemental magic, then you use the energy of these four forces to power your spells. Finally, you have the "Astral realm." This is a general term for planes of reality that are not physical — the Otherworld, the Dreamtime, Faeryland... or "Aion" as I've begun calling it. Many occultists believe that this realm exists on some level and that it is separated from this world by a "veil." Magic is easier there because everything there is made of ideas and thoughtforms, which can be more directly manipulated. You enter it when you dream, when you meditate, and when you astral project. Adept magicians will have ritual spaces or even entire homes in the Astral world that they built with their minds. It becomes another "macrocosm" — whatever workings you do there, manifest in the physical world. And vice-versa. fYou, and your emotions: In my opinion, this is the fundamental source of all magical power. Everything listed above is just there to make it easier. In magic, like attracts like, so whenever you cast any kind of spell you have to put yourself in an emotional state that aligns with your desire. This means acting like you already have what you want. You have to project the emotion of the thing you want out into the universe. Think of a Patronus Charm — to repel the soul-sucking depression of the Dementors, you have to project extreme happiness out at them. But, emotions are one of the hardest things to get control of. This is why rituals are helpful; they put you in the right emotional state through trance, meditation, and concentration techniques. Magic that is designed to bypass ritual, like sigil magic, requires you to have very fine-tuned control over your own emotions. This means that if you want a spell to, say, enhance your lover's libido, you would have to pour your own lust into the sigil. Or, if you wanted a talisman that will make you happy when you carry it, you have to charge it at a time when you are overwhelmingly, ecstatically happy, so you can have that happiness energy in the sigil when you need it. I personally find this difficult, but your mileage may vary.
It's not enough just to throw some herbs in a bowl or burn a candle down, but it's also not enough just to want something. This is the problem I have with the "law of attraction" philosophy — it has the intent part down, but not the power part.
In order to be able to harness these powers, you need three things:
Belief: If you don't believe your magic will work, it won't. This is because you'll be sending out mixed messages. You want it to work, but you don't actually think it will? Well, do you want it to work or don't you? Without the sheer conviction that your magick will work, your intention is going to be garbled and you'll lack the sufficient willpower.Confidence: A lack of confidence in yourself and in your own abilities can be really damaging if you're attempting magick. If you don't trust your own skills or knowledge, you won't be able to accomplish anything with it. Similarly, you should be humble before the gods, but if you're completely meek and don't feel as if you're worthy to be in their presence, they won't take you seriously.Authority: Combine the above, and this is what you get. Whether you ascribe the credit to yourself, to the gods, or or to your materials, you are still the one wielding the power. That wand is a conductor's baton with which you can orchestrate the universe. Why should gods and spirits even bother to listen to you if you don't have the authority to speak with them, make requests of them, or even to command them? You are putting your studies into practice to get results like a trained scientist, or you are ordering the forces of the Universe to submit to your whims. Act like it!
All that's much easier said than done, obviously, and I'm still working towards it myself. It's why you can't become an expert at casting spells overnight. But, this is an example of the kind of mental shifts that I mentioned above. So, let it take its time!
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If you're a total beginner, all of that was probably a little overwhelming. You're probably wondering what you should actually do first. I'll cover all of this more in-depth later on:
Research. Research like hell. A lot of studying magic and occultism is scholarly work, and although it may be daunting, it can also be exciting and fascinating. If you use "witchcraft" as a keyword, you'll be getting a lot about Wicca (or pseudo-Wicca), so branch out and use different keywords. Study folk magic from different cultures, traditional (Abrahamic) ceremonial magic, Hermeticism and alchemy, Kabbalah, neopagan theurgy (i.e. deity work), Chaos Magic, and everything in between. See what you feel attracted to and what makes sense to you. If deity work is your thing, research gods from around the world and learn about their native religions, to see if there are any you feel particularly drawn to. Buy books, read articles, and make sure to check your sources and cross-reference. There's a lot of BS out there.Pay attention to the natural world. Witches are people who are very in-tune with the cycles of nature, and because they so often use natural sources (the earth, moon, sun, four elements) as power sources, observing nature becomes crucial for many. Pay attention to lunar phases. See how you feel when the moon is full vs. when it's dark, and when it's in each astrological sign. Get to know your local wildlife, and learn how to use common and local herbs in your magic. When you're ready, do some ritual work on full and dark moons. See how those make you feel. Pay attention to the seasons and how energized or powerful you feel during each one.Practice meditation, visualization, and trance techniques. There's a lot of different ways to meditate. You do not have to sit in a lotus pose. I meditate primarily by pacing back and forth. Find a way of going inside your head, and then get comfortable there. Explore your mindscape. A lot of magic is visualizing energy moving and then feeling it. Try visualizing fire — how it moves, how its heat feels on your skin, how bright it is, how it smells, how it crackles. Try visualizing water — how it moves, its coolness, how it feels to be submerged in it or to feel raindrops, surface tension, the sound of water moving. Try out different kinds of trance techniques until you find one you like (that's also safe).Practice energy work. Learn to sense subtle "energies" or "vibrations" from things. Can you feel "vibes" coming off of people? Can you feel how they're different depending on the person's emotions? Can you feel the vibrations of trees and plants, of animals, of spirits? Try to manipulate this invisible "energy." Rub your hands together until they feel hot, and then try to separate your hands and hold that "heat" between them in the shape of a ball. Can you throw the ball up and catch it again? Can you pass it to another person? Try "charging" it with the feeling of fire, then the feeling of water... does it feel different? Does it behave differently?Practice divination. If you're a witch, you're going to need to be proficient at some kind of divination technique. You have a lot of options. Many people start out with simple yes/no devices like pendulums, but tarot and oracle cards are really popular, rune stones are also popular, and scrying or automatic writing are very useful techniques to know if you want to do spirit work.Practice spellcraft. Study different kinds of spellcraft until you find one that works for you. Maybe you'll want to perform a whole ritual with a formal invocation or evocation of a deity. Maybe you'd rather just anoint a candle and let it burn down. Maybe you like the idea of making charm bags or herbal sachets, maybe you really like traditional folk magic, or maybe you'd prefer the quick-and-dirty methods of sigil magic. Research different kinds of spells and try out a few low-stakes ones so you can get used to them.Build an altar: It's helpful to have a ritual space where you can do whatever work related to magic. The basic altar tools in Wicca are the four tarot suits — a wand, a dagger, a cup, and a pentacle — with an incense burner and candles. Different kinds of occultists will have different things in their ritual spaces. You can technically put anything you want on your altar, or anything you value. (I've got a zillion statues and idols all over mine.)
Here's a final quote about names, that I think is also important to remember:
"What others call you, you become. It's a terrible magic everyone can do, so do it. Call yourself what you wish to become." -Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two.