Spell Craft and Wish Craft are inseparable from Witchcraft. For as long as there have been Witches, there has been spells and wish craft. Some people consider that a spell is just another way of making a wish and people make wish-spells every day without realising it. The blowing out of candles on a birthday cake... Snapping the ‘wish bone’ of a chicken... Tossing a coin into a wishing well and wishing upon a shooting star, (To name only a few.) all have their roots firmly in the history of Pagan wish and spell craft. However, for the skilled Witch the realities of spell craft are far more complex than this. Science has long established that energy cannot be uncreated or destroyed - but it can be changed. The Woodwitch tradition employs this natural law in the application of spell craft. The use of ritual, powerful visualisation and chant, are central to Woodwitch spell creation and serve to amplify and focus the ‘desire’ of a spell. Desire, being the central principal of any spell. It is a universal law of physics that energy cannot be destroyed - it can only be changed. Imagine then, the bio-electrical energies and alpha waves created by a Woodwitch gathering who by ritual, visualisation and chant, amplify and focus the central ‘desire’ of a spell with fixed intent and purpose of concentration and will. The results can be magical!
The use of elemental forces and energies are also central in many magical workings across many craft traditions . There are four principal elements, (Five if you count the spirit.) Earth, Air, Fire and Water. None of which we could live without. These are the principal elements of our world and the world as we know it would end if any of these elements were lost. Each of the elements has its own particular and unique properties - magically, and scientifically. Knowing these properties and the influences they have upon our world and everything in it, is a key to their use in spells and magic. Witches of all traditions have long known the importance of the elements. Experienced Witches will use the properties and energies of the elements for a variety of workings. Invoking and tapping into these energies are often central to creating a magical circle for example. Likewise, Spell craft often involves the use of elemental energies in accomplishing a desired action. Some craft traditions assign the elements to the points of the compass, giving each element a directional focus and recognising a guardian or lord who embodies that particular element. Other traditions regard the elements as natural earth energies which are available as a resource. If you consider that the elements remain the five major factors of the earths entire composition, you may then begin to appreciate the scale of influence they have upon everything in our world. The Gathering Of Sherwood regard the elements as natural resources of Earth energies and forces which are available to anyone and everyone who knows how to engage and direct their properties. We engage the elemental forces when raising a ‘Power Ball,’ (creating a magical circle) for example.
For all that may be said about ‘spells,’ and there is much that is said and written on this subject, we (in our belief and observance) consider there to be only five fundamental spell formulations. Our philosophy and belief in this area of five fundamental spells is quite detailed, (too detailed to expand upon here) but briefly we observe the following.
1) A POWER SPELL:
Used in raising, and forming a Power Ball or Magical Circle, to make safe and protect a defined area and its entire contents.
2) A PROTECTION SPELL:
Used to keep safe and protect a person(s) and / or object(s) and return / reflect all negative and adverse forces, energies and properties to their source and via their origins.
3) A BANISHING SPELL:
Used for banishing, dispelling, purging and eradicating all negative, adverse and unfavourable forces / influences / properties of or from a person,(s) object(s) and / or place.(s) And thereby, cleansing, purifying and metaphysically sterilising the same.
4) A INVOCATION SPELL:
(The opposite to a banishing spell.) Used for invoking, charging, instilling and imbuing all positive, favourable, beneficial and benign forces, energies and properties into or upon a person,(s) object(s) and or place.(s) And thereby, affording these attributes to, in or upon the same.
5) A DESIRE SPELL:
Used to effect influence upon the causality of a desired action or altered state. The desire spell is partially formed from an Invocation Spell which has a primary focus upon the accomplishment of a desire. However, it is our philosophy that ‘Higher Justice’ will not permit the engagement of positive energies for a negative or adverse action, one’s desire has to be distinctly greater than just a personal gain. If it is not so, the spell will have less effect than a whisper!
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