Spells.

[Dark Raven]

How and when are the best time to do spells?Also,how do you know if the spell actually worked or not?

[Luna Moon]

The best time to do certain spells can relate to several things: the day of the week because each day is ruled by a different god or goddess; the phase of the sun if its during the day or the phase of the moon in that period of time; the direction the wind is blowing, etc. I have this book here that explains the best times to do spells, and the author even includes several spells. It is called Everyday Magic by Dorothy Morrison. What really matters is the energy and the rawness of your intent that makes the spell work-the energy you put into it. In that sense, during your spells you can use certain colors that help you envision the outcome of your spell so that it works better. Whatever feels right or is something that you can connect with.
You really just need to get a book, either from your local library or a book store, or just research online because there are a lot of factors to list and I am too lazy to type it all up. Just looking up what I listed as factors is a good thing to do. And I am not sure, but I think the only way to know if your spell worked is if it is something you can see happening or is within a distance you can see it taking its effects. Otherwise, like if it is in some other country and there isn't any news reports about the area or w/e, I don't think you will really ever know.

[Pagan]

Who cares ?

To become adept at spellcasting you don't need any 'book of spells' you need to know what you're doing. In over 30 years I've never felt the need to cast more than 3-4 spells. And yes, they all worked.

A spell is a form of energy manipulation. So if you cannot manipulate energy, casting a spell is useless.

Fire is the best form of energy to practice with, -a candle flame-. Use your hands and your mental intent to make the flame grow or shrink. When you can put out a candle flame just by concentrating on the flame you're 1/4 of the way to being ready to casting effective spells.

When you have built your knowledge of witchcraft, you will know how to create the spell you want and how to execute it. The ability to cast spells comes from being a Witch it is not what makes you a Witch.

[' NATASHA ']

MM,
My Darlings,

One must always remember to avoid spells when Mercury is in Retregrade,'
Mercury has a shorter year than the earth, so it appears to move backwards, or Retrograde, through the sky at at several points during the year.

Mercury retrograde can have an unexpected effect on any spell, even backfire, these periods are also rife with interpersonal tension, disrupted communications, disrupted travel, traffic jams, and electronic breakdowns. Mercury Retrograde usually lasts about 3 weeks and occurs 3-4 times a year.

this is realy important information to study and keep close by.

Venus Retrograde;
Slowing down of relationships, Less appreciation of Art and beauty, always avoid getting married around this time or ending a relationship during Venus Retrograde.

Jupiter Retrograde,
Increased Spirituality and phiosophical exploration. Avoid starting a new business, exept for non-profit or community service organizations.

Mars Retrograde,
Increases in Anger and War is Greater tendancy towards introspection, reassessment of major projects and contracts. Once again, avoid making a major relationship decision or engagement in a major business negotiation.

Saturn Retrograde,
Renegotiation and re
assessment of projects and agreements.
You might also reasses your own path through life. Avoid staring a new Business.


Uranus Retrograde,
New discoveries, inventivness, rebelliousness. Control inpulsive urges or you might have to undo your actions later.


Neptune Retrograde,
Tendancy towards delusion, but also an increase in perceptivness. Resolve issues that are revealed during this period to prevent them from intensifying later.

Pluto Retrograde,

Greater insight to willingness to increase old attachments and illusions. Now is the time to remove outmoded ideas or cleanse your body and spirit.

........................

Astrological Calendars can be purchased from Astronamy shops anywhere, I find it is amazing how planets do have an effect on people, our plants and animals.
Try this it does work wonders, trust me.

Blessings,

... NATASHA ...

[' NATASHA ']

MM,

Mercury retrograde is an excellent time to be very very creative though orrrrrrrrrrrrr to brainstorm.

During this time, you should write, create art or come up with new ideas that you will put into effect once the retrograde is over.

...................

See ,My darlingz, I knew there was a positive side to the Mercury Retrograde.'




Blessings,

... NATASHA ...

[Amberhawk]

Pagan, in defense for the beginners out there,,,

For many beginners it is difficult to know just how to feel and manipulate the energies.
How does one know how to feel and bend it without practice?
How does one know how to practice without some sort of 'recipe' or framework?
Is this not what spell books are supposed to be for, practice workbooks?

For those who are new to spellwork there are a few titles to help you learn how to construct your own spells.
Patricia Telesco has one out called An Enchanted Life that is geared towards crafting your own.
Murphy-Hiscock also has one called Power Spellcraft For Life written to teach how to craft and cast your own.

I hope those help someone, they helped me a great deal.

[Lizette]

hi Dark,

you will know. you will feel it in your bones (in a manner of speaking). this i know from experience. after i did my first spell i was hooked. i could actually feel the magic around me. it's like having someone wrapping you in a cloud. it really hard to explain what it feels like. but i found that it is the best drug available to our kind.

hope this answers your question.

[lollysnerks]

For many beginners it is difficult to know just how to feel and manipulate the energies.
How does one know how to feel and bend it without practice?
How does one know how to practice without some sort of 'recipe' or framework?
Is this not what spell books are supposed to be for, practice workbooks?

I'm with Pagan on this one--here's how I'd answer those questions.

1. How does one know how to feel and bend it without practice?

How does one know the next song on the radio is "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young? They don't know, but the song is playing, and they knew it would. How does one feel and bend the universe without practice? Take a long walk through the woods. Barefoot. Walk on the beach, travel to a new location of unfettered earth and feel the life flowing. Become aware of how intense and complex life is. As for bending it, is there really a need to? The universe was fine before we were fucking around with spells and whatnot! The student who earnestly listens to the universe knows that gathering research and life experience and information and applying that knowledge to the spiritual will tell them when the right time and place is to work as one with the eternal.

2. How does one know how to practice without some sort of 'recipe' or framework?

It really is difficult nowadays to sort the tosh from the educational. There are many names to watch out for--avoid people like Ravenwolf and Fiona Horne, and avoid key phrases like "the Burning Times" and the ridiculously exaggerated numbers of slain "witches" that follow the reference. But then again, there are several helpful websites that can aid a beginning pagan in finding material that is helpful and not harmful. In my opinion, harmful information is NOT a book with the words "black magic" in the title. Harmful information is "Lie to your parents if they won't let you practice witchcraft!" [paraphrased, Ravenwolf, Teen Witch ]. Harmful information is quoting the long-debunked Margaret Murray as historical fact [Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Witches' Bible--however, this was written at a time when Murray was considered the leading expert; it's up to the modern reader to make distinctions] The willful prolonging of ignorance is true evil.

And as an aside, mad science gave us Frankenstein and modern cooking! How can we as magicians further ourselves if we don't venture out into the wild of our own spirituality and learn to build our own roads, meet our own visions of the Divine? We can't call ourselves magicians if we don't learn to build our own framework, our own recipes.

3. Is this not what spell books are supposed to be for, practice workbooks?

Well, sure! But is there really a need to work fifteen different money spells, a protection spell, a love spell, or whatever? I agree with Pagan--I don't feel the need to work so much energy so needlessly. I've only felt the need to work a handful of rituals here and there. There's no reason to keep pushing. I've found I prefer writing ritual and rite more than I do performing it. I wrote a ritual to help center my thoughts on quitting cigarettes, but I haven't done it yet, for obvious reasons. Hah. Maybe I will check the almanac and plan to.

Here are my book suggestions:

Wild Witchcraft by Marian Green
A Witch Alone by Marian Green
Practical Magic by Marian Green
The Way of Four by Deborah Lipp
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
Work as a Spiritual Practice by Lewis Richmond

[bast1981]

You don't bend the energies. You don'T bend nature. spells are meant to go along with nature not against it. At worst it will create an imbalence and your spell will fail. It's like a average person trying to attract and seduce a young movie star.

I found myself that the days of the week,planetary time and especially which way the wind blow have no effect on the spell at all. If you believe in your mind that you spell will fail because you did not do a love spell on friday it will fail because of your mind.

What a spell really does is give you confidence. It makes you think positive instead of negative that you can reach your goal.

[Ailyn]

You don't bend the energies. You don'T bend nature. spells are meant to go along with nature not against it. At worst it will create an imbalence and your spell will fail. It's like a average person trying to attract and seduce a young movie star... What a spell really does is give you confidence. It makes you think positive instead of negative that you can reach your goal.

That is your POV on spells and magic, different people believe different things; for some, balance is an irrelevance. Please keep this in mind when posting that not everyone shares your POV on magic.