What method do you use to plan through rituals or spellwork? (such as a ritual outline, etc) Give a brief rundown of how a particular ritual for you goes.

The first step is to identify the most opportune phase of the Moon depending on the work I want to do. If I'm casting a spell to bring something to me or for help manifesting something, I pick a date during the Waxing Moon. For help removing something, I pick a date during a Waning Moon. The Full Moon provides the strongest power for spell work and I believe that the Dark Moon is best for banishing spells. It's important to know exactly when the phases of the Moon will occur for correct timing.

If I'm not using the Full Moon or the Dark Moon, which would limit me to whatever day on which they happen to fall, I pick a day of the week that corresponds to energy that will be the most beneficial for the success of my spell. Sunday=Sun; Monday=Moon; Tuesday=Mars; Wednesday=Mercury; Thursday=Jupiter; Friday=Venus; Saturday=Saturn. It's good to think about what it is that you really want your spell to achieve. For example, the first inclination might be to perform a love spell on a Friday, Venus' day. But if what you really need to do is to improve communication with a loved one, then the better day for your spell might actually be Wednesday.

I was taught that different hours of the day also have their own correspondences, and I have a table that tells me what they are, but using this method gets complicated. To do it correctly, you have to do mathematical calculations using the exact time of the sunrise and sunset and then divide the time in between by 12 to determine "hours" of the day. Magickal hours don't necessarily have 60 minutes each! This certainly lends another layer of accuracy, which adds another measure of power to the spell, but some witches don't think it's necessary to go quite this far. I've done it to practice but I don't do it every time I cast a spell.

Usually I choose a particular God or Goddess to invoke, especially if I want to communicate with deity to ask a question or for guidance. I have a great book that describes different Goddesses and lists correspondences and invoking rites for them: The Ultimate Guide to Goddess Empowerment. I admit that I work with Goddesses most of the time, so this book has been all I have needed. If I wanted information to invoke a God, I'm sure a Google search would lead me to plenty of resources. I use information the book provides about colors, stones, herbs, foods, etc. that the Goddesses like and I use the items I have or can get that correspond to decorate my altar for the ritual/spell.

Other than providing a pleasing environment for deities I plan to invoke, I also decorate my altar with any objects that will bring power to my spell or may simply create an atmosphere that I find pleasing or appropriate. This might include seasonal items, photographs, etc. I also like to use candles in all rituals and choose candles for scent and colors that correspond to the work I am doing or the energy I need to raise. I don't have a lot of experience making potions, but when I have a potion or oil that would add to my spell, I dress my candles with it.

The last step I take when planning for a spell is to write new quarter calls. Depending on the type of spell I'm casting, I write quarter calls I think will resonate most closely with my work. Sometimes, for simple things, I use a basic quarter call invoking elemental spirits of the four directions, but the quarter calls are one area of spell casting that I can get creative with and adds to the artistic quality of my work.

I write down all of my spells ahead of time. Perhaps in time I will feel confident enough to do the work from memory, but for now this helps me to stay as accurate in the performance of the spell as I've been with the planning. I add the spell to my Book of Shadows.

I try to follow all of the steps I was taught when casting a circle and creating a sacred space for ritual. This includes cleansing beforehand. Sometimes I will be so elaborate as to shower and put on clean clothes and then cleanse my space. Sometimes a simple smudge or salt-water circle feels appropriate.

I have learned the hard way that my apartment's smoke detector is very sensitive. From now on if I have to burn anything other than a candle or some incense, I'll try to find a way to perform my work outside. (Just one of the many challenges of being an urban witch!)

As I've said before, formal ritual sometimes has it's appeal but I'm drawn to the idea of simple, instinctive types of magick that come with practice and time. I hope to get to the point where magickal work becomes such an ingrained part of my day that I don't need to perform a ritual every time I want to work a spell or create some sacred space.

Thank you to Witches Weekly for the Q&A.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 6:55 PM