Spell Work Is Not Hocus Pocus – It Takes Intent And Effort

Spell work is not just waving your hands; rattle off some words and voila. This was one of many reasons I left Catholicism: I was just blindly going through the motions; no feelings involved.

Spell and work are two words that may look and sound easy. However, it’s the second word that is more important than the first. As they say, “nothing worth it comes easy.”

I will never forget the Pagan chat rooms on AOL. For a newbie, that place was great if you wanted to learn. It’s where I met my elders, the Rev. Foxxy (Sher) Pullen and her late husband Herm. I learned more there than from the books. Spell work, correspondences, rituals and sabbats were just some of the things the chat monitors taught us.

AOL needed monitors, they had to be there to keep troublemakers at bay, although they did receive free internet for doing so. They made use of their “hosting” time teaching, passing down what they learned while monitoring the content of the rooms.

So many times though, people would watch a movie like “the Craft” and believe it was real. Even after we explained to them that it was made up, they would not believe us. We called them “fluff bunnies,” who rarely lasted long.

Now I am not putting down “The Craft.” If watched to the end, that movie has important ethics that these wannabes somehow missed. A brief synopsis: four teenage girls formed a coven casting spells on those who wronged them, or thoughtlessly affecting nature. A psychic warned one of the girls that these spells could rebound three times stronger on them. In the end, three got back what some might call “a taste of their own medicine.” One fought to stay ethical and survived. Some of these questionable spells included loss of hair, love and glamor.

The latter two, love and glamor spells, were the most requested spells in the chat rooms. We would always be honest with them. Colored contacts and a bottle of hair dye to change your eyes and hair. Those on the hunt for love spells, we would ask if they were looking for real love or a stalker. We would offer the not welcomed suggestions of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and a pleasant disposition. Never content with our responses they would hop out just as quickly as they entered and asked.

Due to the misconceptions, I will do my best to explain spells and workings in the way I was taught. Someone once suggested thinking of it as enhanced prayer. An example given was a watering can compared to a garden hose: one delivers in a specific area, the other is far broader spectrum. Yes, that is one way to put it however; even prayers sometimes need more than a wish or hope to a deity.

There has to be work involved. Foxxy will often remind her Three Fires Grove, students about this. An example is the classic joke where the person prays every day to win the lottery. The person gets frustrated and asks God why he has yet to win. God finally responds that He did everything for them to win, but they never purchased a ticket. Which may be why she only refers to them as “workings.”

The wording of a spell is not as important as the intent. As long as deity can understand the request, that is all that matters. Fancy poetry is nice but is just a tool, not necessary for it to work. Additionally, rhyme schemes serve the purpose of making words easier to remember, which is important when not casting alone. On the flip side, simple silent, mental images work.

Once you cast the spell, the next step is to make sure it happens. Get off your bum and get to work. People seem to forget that keyword – working. Deity will not do it for you. You want that ideal job for example, start sending out resumes and filing applications. Make it happen.

In order for a spell to work intent has to be present from the start. Herm taught us Grove students to picture the result we wanted. He said to sit down before you start even a small project and see it complete in your mind. This applies to anything including job interviews, putting something together, and healing someone. Additionally, this helps alleviate the stress about completing the project.

Spells, however, may fail, and it may not be because the words were wrong. As Garth Brooks wrote in his song, “That just because He doesn’t answer doesn’t mean He don’t care. Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Sometimes the deities may have other plans for us or what we are asking for is counterproductive. Although the intent was good at the time, that path may change direction and something better might be on the new route.

“Desire Path – Caminito de deseo” by felixphs

This is a good lesson to learn. It’s probably one of the first ones Foxxy teaches us after grounding and centering. I hold discussions on this in Sacred Wheel CUUPs at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey. These occasionally off the cuff talks are helpful especially someone is inexperienced, even if they don’t request this topic. Sometimes people are afraid to ask. Remember, there are no dumb questions, only those unasked – as she puts it.

Results will show if you believe, put your intent behind it and do the work. Moreover, remember, if it does not go exactly your way something better may be in store. So get to work, whether it is spells or in the mundane world – put your intentions into it.