kira cyan rittgers
Space header. Natur. May 15, 1922.
Internet Archive.
i am so easily impressed by trees
There are lots of ways to create spells, from planning everything to the minutest detail ahead of time to absolutely flying by the seat of your pants in the moment. If you'd like to write your own spells, either for use in your craft or as a creative exercise, here are some suggested steps that I use in my own practice:
1) Determine the intent or goal of your spell. Decide, first and foremost, what you want the spell to do. Refine your goal if necessary and try not to be too nebulous. Your intent tells the spell what it's meant to do. A more focused goal may increase the chances of success.
2) Determine how you want the spell to manifest. Decide how the spell should work and what the result should look like. This is a good time to build in a sign of success, especially for spells that may not work in an obvious or visible way.
3) Determine what or whom the spell will affect. If the spell is to have a target, be it a person or a place or an animal or an object, decide what that should be and how they or it will be represented in the casting.
4) Determine how long the spell is meant to work. If your spell is timebound or has a deadline, decide what that will be. If the spell is meant to work long-term, you may want to check in and refresh it from time to time. (Not every spell will be timebound. Many spells will simply expire when they have fulfilled their purpose or if they are blocked or circumstances are not favorable.)
5) Determine the timing of the spell, if applicable. Not everyone uses celestial or astrological timing for their spells, but if you do, look into the prevailing conditions and decide on an advantageous time for your casting. (Please note that magical timing can only enhance your spell and casting something on the "wrong" day will not necessarily cause it to fail.)
6) Determine what methods and materials you want to use to cast the spell. Decide how you're going to go about performing the casting, whether you're doing a ritual or making a charm or just using energy. If you're going to need a ritual space or physical components, plan that out and make sure it fits with what you want to do.
7) Determine the words, if any, which will empower the spell. If you want to include a prayer or a petition or a song or an incantation with your spell, decide what that should be. This is not strictly necessary and the words need not be spoken aloud. (Rhyming incantations are not required, but if you prefer them that way, you can certainly do so.)
8) Prepare the materials for casting the spell. Get all your necessaries together ahead of time. Make sure you have everything you need, that tools and components are in good and useable condition, prepare your workspace, and make sure everything is within easy reach so you don't have to stop and search for things in the middle of your casting. (And for goodness sake, if you're working with open flame, observe fire safety and tie your hair and sleeves back.)
9) Finalize details and perform the casting. When you're ready to begin, try to eliminate as many possibilities for distraction or interruption as possible. Go over your spell and components one more time, then proceed with casting the spell.
10) Record the particulars for future reference and to determine how well the spell worked. Make a record of the spell, including your goal, how it should manifest, the words and components used, the date of the casting, the casting method and procedure, and how the casting went. If there are any additional details or observations that seem important, include those as well. This will serve as a useful learning tool in the future and will allow you to check your work if the results make themselves known.
It's useful to write spells from time to time if the inspiration strikes you, in order to better understand how they fit together and how they work. Plus it's a fun and creative journaling exercise and recording the spells you cast a great way to measure your progress later on.
For additional tips on writing your own spells and helpful tricks for using timing and available materials to your advantage, check out my podcast, Hex Positive, Eps. 006-007, "Come In For A Spell, pt 1 & 2."
(And if you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)
Happy Witching! 🔮✨
(x)
books you want to read
local folklore / mythology / legends
the wheel of the year
plants you have in your house or garden (their care, properties, uses, draw them etc)
theban alphabet
days of the week and their correspondences
write about a deity you worship / are drawn to
draw art for / of a deity you worship or are drawn to
colour magic
the elements
write about the crystals you own (draw them, write their properties, correspondences, uses, how it makes you feel etc)
how to make your own crystals
your birth chart
your sun, moon and rising sign
natural medicine (as a chronically ill witch I love natural medicine NOT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PRESCRIPTIONS! for example I take all my prescription meds and then if I'm having period pain I might drink some raspberry leaf tea)
positive affirmations / mantras that you connect with
how to manifest
history of witches
deities in a certain pantheon you're interested in or drawn to
write about a spell you've done (how you did it, why you did it, how you felt, the results of it, what you would change if you did the spell again etc)
chakras
write about a dream you've had
tarot reading tricks and tips
moon phases
sabbats
zodiac signs
family tree
poetry / songs / quotes you connect to (i like to find ones that make me feel powerful or witchy, or remind me of certain aspects of my practice. a song i like for this is rhiannon by fleetwood mac and i'm going to post more things like this regularly on my page)
feathers and their meanings
simple everyday magic
recipes
some ideas for the next sabbat you plan to celebrate
tarot spreads you like
write about a tarot reading you've done (any prep you did, the deck you used, the cards you pulled, your personal interpretation of the cards based on the art and how you feel, the meaning of the cards, how the cards relate to the questions you asked, final reflection on how you feel the reading went)
interesting mythology
tree of life
glamour magic
money bowls
crystal shapes and their meanings
grounding techniques
cleansing
protection
banishing
cord cutting spells
essential oils
types of divination
planets and their correspondences
angel numbers
witchy wishlist
go to supplies and ingredients (herbs and things that you use regularly)
favourite crystals
working with your inner child
if you've had a really good or particularly insightful meditation session it can be nice to either draw or write what happened and how you felt during it
witchy arts and crafts and diys you want to do
altar ideas
read a witchy book / watch a witchy video and take notes
write about your ancestors
witchy things to incorporate into your daily routine
what is a tower moment
witchy reset / self care days
the history of the area you live in
veiling
how to make your own incense sticks
shadow work
shadow work prompts
ok, that's all the ideas I have for now and I hope that helps someone! I'll be posting some pages from my grimoire and some more prompt / topic ideas in the near future which I'm really excited for.
P.S. please remember that everyone's practice is their own and you should do what feels right to you while respecting that other people have their own beliefs (as long as they're not hateful).
A zine about Lady Aphrodite and transsexualism as an offering for her :)!
Of course, only put in your book of shadows/grimoire what you want. If you don't want to put certain subjects in your book then that's fine. It's your book, utilize it how you want. This is just a masterlist of ideas that I've put together. Feel free to add anything else to the list that I may have missed, because there's absolutely no way I included everything.
And for the love of all the gods, if you come across a closed entity or practice, don't try to work with the entity or practice if you're not already part of that group or tradition. You can research it but don't practice it.
+ A blessing and/or protection
+ A table of contents
+ About you:
Your current path
Your personal beliefs
Your spiritual journey
Favorite crystals/herbs/animals
Natal chart
Craft name
How you got into the craft
Astrology signs
Birthday correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc)
Goals (if you have any)
Anything other relating to your personal practice
+ Safety
Fire safety
What NOT to burn
Plants and oils that can be toxic to your pets
What crystals shouldn't be in water, sunlight, etc
Things that shouldn't be put out in nature (salt, glass, etc)
Potion safety
How to incorporate blood safely
+ Core concepts:
Intention and how it works
Directing energy
Protection
Banishing
Cleansing
Charging
Shielding
Grounding and centering
Visualization
Consencration/Blessing
Warding
Enchanting
Manifestation
+ Correspondence
Personal correspondence
Crystals and rocks
Herbs and spices
Food and drink
Colors
Metals
Number
Tarot card
Elemental (fire, water, air, earth)
Trees and woods
Flowers
Days
Months
Moon phases
Zodiac
Planets
Incense
Teas
Essential oils
Directions (north, south, east, west)
Animals
Local plants, animals, etc
Dream symbology
+ Different practices
Practices that are closed to you (some examples below)
Voodoo and Hoodoo **Closed**
Santeria and Brujeria **Closed**
Shamanism and native american practices **Closed**
Wicca and wiccan paths
Satanism, both theistic and non-theistic paths
+ Different types/practices of magick
Pop culture magick
Technology magick
Chaos magick
Green witchcraft
Lunar magick
Sea witchcraft
Kitchen magick
Ceremonial magick
Hedge witchcraft
Death witchcraft
Grey witchcraft
Eclectic witchcraft
Norse witchcraft
Hellenic witchcraft
Animism
+ Deities
The deity/deities you worship
Different pantheons (the main five are Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Norse, all open)
Deities and pantheons that are closed to you
Common offerings
Their epithets
Their mythology
Their family
Deity worship vs deity work
Prayers and how to make your own
Deity communication guide
Devotional acts
Ways to get closer to them
+ Other spiritual entities
Angels
Ancestor work
Spirit guides
The fae
Demons
Familiars
House spirits, animal spirits and plant spirits
Other various folklore entities
Spirit etiquette
Cemetery etiquette
Setting boundaries with the spirits
Communication guide and etiquette
Grounding, banishing, protection and cleansing, aka: "Spirit work safety guide"
How they appear to you
Common offerings
Circle casting
+ Divination
Tarot cards
Oracle cards
Tarot and oracle spreads
Pendulum
Numerology
Scrying
Palmistry/palm reading
Tasseography (Tea leaf reading)
Rune stones
Shufflemancy (Shuffling of a playlist)
Dice divination
Bibliomancy (Randomly picking a phrase from a book)
Carromancy (Melted wax)
Pyromancy (Reading flames)
Psychic abilities
Astrology
Aura reading
Divination via playing cards
Lenormand
Sacred geometry
Angel numbers
+ Other types of magick
Candle magick
Crystal magick
Herbalism/herbal magick
Glamour magick
Hexing
Jinxing
Cursing
Weather magick
Astral work
Shadow work
Energy work
Sigils
Art magick
Knot magick
Crystal grids
Color grids
Music magick
Charms, talismans and amulets
+ Spellwork
What makes a spell work
Basic spell structure
What NOT to do
Disposing of spell ingredients
Revitalizing long term spells
How to cast spells
What to put in spells (See correspondence)
Spell mediums- Jar spells, spoken spells, candle spells, sigils, etc
Spell timing
Setting up a ritual
Taglocks: What they are and how to use them
+ Holidays and Esbats
Yule
Imbolc
Ostara
Beltane
Litha
Lughnasadh/Lammas
Mabon
Samhain
The 12 full moons (Esbats)
How to celebrate
Deity specific holidays
+ Altars and tools
What they are
The different types and their uses (travel altar, working altar, deity altar, ancestor altar, etc)
What you can put on your altar
What you use your altars for
Common tools in witchcraft
How to use the tools
Food and drink
Common herbs in recipes
Sabbat recipes
Moon water: What it is and how to use it
Potion bases
Tea magick
How to get your herbs
Foraging
+ Mental health and self care
Bath magick
Affirmations
Burnout prevention
Aromatherapy
Stress management
Mental health coping mechanisms
+ History of witchcraft
+ Dream records
+ How to differentiate between the magickal and the mundane
+ Calendar of celestial events (Esbats, retrogrades, etc)
+ How to dry herbs and flowers
+ What chakras actually are and how they work within Hinduism
+ History and traditional uses of reiki
+ The witches' alphabet
+ The runic alphabet
+ Common witchcraft terms
+ Common symbols in witchcraft
+ Your own witch tips
+ Good witchcraft books and authors to avoid
+ Any online resources you utilize often
people just look at me and become murderously infatuated with me to the point that they’ll do anything for me and i absolutely take advantage of that.
compared to my beauty no one’s even on the scale.
there’s no better pleasure than to live as a beauty.
i have everyone hypnotised into a loving trance with my beauty so that they will do anything for me.
my only real interest is myself.
i’m so used to people just being immediately in love with me and doing exactly what i want.
i’m frequently described as almost impossibly beautiful by those i meet.
my mere presence seems to drive people to become fixated on me, positively.
the more i look at myself, the more beautiful i look.
mark my words, you’ll never find another girl of my caliber.
i’m the prettiest girl everyone has ever seen.
my beauty captivate people utterly.
i’m the protagonist of the world.
people will never stumble on another girl as beautiful as me.
not even the highest quality camera can capture a tenth of my beauty.
when people see me all they can think about is “what a bewitching girl”.
i have the ability to seduce people to do my bidding.
through my perfect tactics of seduction i eventually draw any person to fall in love with me.
my beauty’s eternal.
poor thing, it’s a pity you weren’t born with my natural charms.
everywhere i go people can’t take their eyes off me, not even for a second.
everyone desperately confesses their immense love for me.
my beauty’s otherworldly and everyone agrees.
people worships the ground i walk on.
‘fae’ range from anything like goblins and imps to the little pixies with the wings that everyone associated with fairies to the seven-foot tall members of the royal courts. some even consider the banshee to be fae. (also trolls, gnomes, elves, djinn, dwarves, leprechauns, will-o-wisps, etc.)
some think the fae are evil, some think they are fallen angels, but most are considered to be a chaotic neutral force. some might call this ‘whimsically evil.’
honey makes them drunk.
iron poisons them, as it does many magical beings.
some were-creatures were probably just fae in disguise, since fae can assume any form.
they sometimes lure humans with music that makes them want to follow and dance. they have to dance for what feels like a year and a day but it actually only seconds.
true names of the fae have power over them. they often use aliases when dealing with non-fae.
some people are gifted with fae sight, which allows them to see the fae and also sometimes peeks into the future through their dreams.
cats hate the fae, and the fae hate them back.
iron horseshoes over the door can act as a fae deterrent.
they sometimes kidnap human children and leave their own children or elderly behind. these are called changelings.
fae are generous with gifts, especially for polite people, but prefer gifts in return.
that being said, better to avoid accepting gifts. you probably don’t have enough to pay them back. by saying ‘thank you,’ you acknowledge that a gift was given and that you now owe something in return. being indebted to the fae = bad time
fae can’t lie, but truth and honesty aren’t always the same.
asking for a favor will cause offense. make it seem like it’s their idea to help you.
most things offend them, actually.
some fae can smell a lie. there’s no way of knowing which ones unless they tell you.
fae use ‘glamour’ to hide their appearance or habitations around humans. ‘glamour’ can be gifted for use by humans.
it’s better for fae to have half-breed children than no children at all, so relationshops with humans are fine. it just rarely works out fine for the human.