One
of the best kept secrets of the Craft is spell casting and spell origins.
Spells
originated at the dawn of time as verbalizations of power. The power
is collected in the Circle and disbursed by use of physical actions
or verbal releases.
The
most common source for spells is old grimores. The problem with
these spells is that grimores were written, for the most part, during
the 14th - 17th centuries. The Gods they call upon are usually Judaic
in origin (from the Qaballa) or the Gods/Prophets/Angels from the Old Testament.
However,
these can be utilized if we modify them to our individual beliefs
and needs.
The
Egyptian Book of the Dead (The book of Going Forth by Day) contains
"Chapters" dedicated to Magic" as it was known then.
These are more easily utilized by modern wiccans as they are Gods and
Goddesses more closely associated with the Craft.
But
what is the Root of the Spell?
When
performing rituals to do spells, there are several steps we follow
to attain the desired effect. We follow Ritual, which is the steps
laid out for us. We clean the area of the Circle. We set the
Guardians, or Quarters, or Airts or Elements, step by step. We dance,
sing, chant to draw the power from us, to us, from above and below.
Each is laid out in ritual, which is basically a guide to follow, a
recipe, as it were, to attain a specific, controlled, finished product.
In
Egyptian, the word for magic is Heka. The deity for Magic is also
Heka. It is very closely associated with speech and the power of the
word. Certain spells in the Egyptian more are "as I speak the
name of ___ I call him that he/she may do this or that". To
speak the name is to invoke the deity or animal. One reason we have
Craft names is that no one can have power over us if they don't have
our name. But, back to the main idea. Words can control the power.
But how and why? Let's examine part of creating the Circle. In order
to build the power, we chant, dance around the fire or altar or
Circle, to gather the forces to us. It seems just merry making but
must be important as it is part of the ritual and ritual is a recipe.
We
have learned to meditate in a static position. When we mediate, we
are opening channels in us as well as discussing with ourselves what
we are. These channels are also called Chakra points, the points of
power in ourselves. These are also points of power origins. The
"Inner Eye" is the point we see power building and the
point of departure in the "Crown" of our minds is the
release valve for the power we stored within. We draw the power into
ourselves and store it in our chakra areas till it is time to use and release.
The
dancing and chanting are actually the meditations we do to draw the
energy to us and start to store it. The dancing is the draw, the
chants are concentration tools. We chant, a simple rhyme, over and
over; we are actually entering the state of mediation, concentrating
on collecting the power. The chant is a mantra, to close out the
world so we may concentrate.
We
store up the energy, we concentrate to release it. We have an
incantation, a rhyme, that spells out what we wish to accomplish with
this collected energy. We begin the incantation to focus, to control
all the chakra points to pull it all together, so we can release it.
We have a specific aim in mind, we visualize it, and in the last
line/verse of the incantation, we release it, full force. We can say
we have have set psycho kinetic power on a specific path by the use
of the rituals, tools, incantations. We have control. Note that
gestures are also used to add physical control to the situation. Hand
gestures, body gestures, power tools (staff, wand, etc.) in
combination. How does this relate to simple spells? We use the words
to concentrate our power into the spell. We use tools to collect and
control the power. We use gestures to direct the power to our chakra
points. And we cast the spell using words to concentrate these powers
to the specific purpose . We can also direct this power into spell
bags, or symbols woven into paper or cloth, or drawn with chalk, or
into herbs chosen for their specific healing properties, to be stored
and used later.
The
important thing about casting spells is to know your power point and
use it properly. Though you could probably store power in any symbol,
those that have come down to us through time are tried and true
conductors. We use certain woods for wands, because they are the best
conductors for power, others are not.
But
the words of spells are different, to an extent. We know certain
phrases, or singular words, that aid greater concentration. Or there
are words that mean more to us personally. Some prefer to see the
Goddess as Diana or Isis or Danann. Others prefer the God as Pan, or
Cernunnos. This creates personal power words. We create the Spells
then to personify and magnify our personal power.
The
best spells are ones we create ourselves, or modify to express our
own personal power. Simple. Magic is simple. Sometimes too simple.
This is the best kept secret in the Craft.
