Where Do You Work Your Magic, Spells And Charms?

You may not know, but I write books and have been lucky enough to have had them published. Although I am still amazed (and very humbled) that people actually want to read my waffle…but anyway…

I am currently starting work on a new manuscript for ‘Spells & Charms‘ which will hopefully be the first book in a Kitchen Witchcraft series. I always write a list of contents and plan a structure before I start working. One of my notes for this book caught my eye this morning. I had written ‘where do you work your magic?‘. It prompted this blog post…

where do you work your magic spell mandala — Spell mandala

Before…

In the days before we had teenagers the conservatory on our house was given over to me to use as my witchy room, referred to by my husband as ‘the bat cave’. Inside I had a large wooden table to work on and a huge dresser to use as an apothecary cupboard for all my herbs and magical supplies. There was also space for a large working altar to put my spells and charms once they were set up to ‘do their thing’. The doors open out to the garden and it was indeed a very magical place to work. I could create spells and charms on the table using items selected from my cupboards or direct from the garden. Often working out in the garden too using a big flat stone collected from Tintagel, Cornwall as my altar.

Altars

Altars also appeared all over the house and the garden, each one for a specific purpose. Certain spells would be laid to ‘prove’ at the feet of Ganesha on his altar. Others would be placed in front of The Cailleach on her altar. Whilst some were laid out in the garden or on the kitchen altar.

And now…

Now we have a teenager who is about to embark on a college course for fashion. This has meant me handing over my bat cave to be converted into a sewing room…alas alack…

Now my magical workings must be conducted in the dining room and my apothecary has been significantly scaled down. My altar size has also diminished and I am having to use the altar dedicated to The Cailleach as a working altar too. But do you know what? I am OK with it. There are priorities in life and this is how it needs to be for now. And let’s face it, I am a Kitchen Witch, I am adaptable and flexible and can work with the challenges!

House magic

I also work from home and have a small ‘office’ in the bay window upstairs in our house. I found myself working magic there last week. Sitting at my desk I needed a spell so I worked some sigil magic, right there sat in front of my laptop and keyboard I cleared some space. Grabbing a pen and some paper from the printer I drew sigils. On the spot, no preparation, no ritual bathing, no cleansing and purifying, no preparation. And it worked perfectly.

Magic for me is often also worked in my kitchen. Every meal I make has added sprinkles of positive energy. Each cake I bake is made with love included. When I vacuum and dust the house I work magic as I go.

where do you work your magic spells — Magical herb cupboard

Keep it simple

Whilst I have been known to set up elaborate altars and spells with several ingredients and a bit of preparation it is not something I do often. I am more of a practical, hands on, working mum that has to use what she has to hand and in the few precious moments of free time.

I like simple, I like practical, I like hassle free spell workings. If I see a spell that lists 57 different ingredients and takes four hours to set up I am very unlikely to even read past the first page let alone attempt it. (That’s not to say it won’t be a good spell or work for others, it just isn’t for me).

For me, keeping spell work simple and uncomplicated means there is less chance for it to go haywire.

Spells have an uncanny habit of working in very unexpected ways so I feel that the less there is within it the less there is to go wrong.

Does it?

Does the setting have to be grand though? Do you have to work magic on a gold encrusted, velvet draped altar? Will the spell work better if you are standing in a grove of ancient oaks? Is it important to create a mystical atmosphere and sacred space before working magic? I would say; no, no, no and no… Although to be fair my house is regularly smudged and cleansed and full of enough incense on a regular basis to choke a whole coven of witches. So the space that I work magic in is very well versed with magical energy.

In my very humble opinion and based on many years of working spells I firmly believe that the setting is not as important as the will and the intent. Not everyone has the luxury of space to set up grand magical workings and not everyone can do so or would want to in front of others in a shared house.