"Steal This Book of Shadows" - Spellcasting Spelled-Out!

"Steal This Book of Shadows" ver 2.0
(What's Really Happening in the Mind of a Wizard)
An Occult Tutorial
by Azzerac
~PAGES~
Prev HOME Next

Page 34
Spellcasting #1
Spell-casting Spelled-Out

(Brought To You By,...)

"Do we expect these things to change,
By waking up, and suddenly, there they are?

And all I need is a Starting-Place,
And nothing ever seems so Hard."
~"Whatever I Fear", Toad the Wet Sprocket

Now that you have some idea of the basic mechanisms, and have even seen how certain mechanisms are combined to produce full-blown effects, we should start covering actual spell composition. Now, when we think spells, what are the aspects that come to mind? Though many a grimoire is still available, they do not fill the pop-media. Most of what we know of spellcraft, today, comes from fiction, as far too many historical representations have been lost, changed or (in the contemporary New Age Paradigm) Lied-About, Unabashedly!!! Throughout the last handful of years, more damage has been done to the image & idea of effective spellcasting, so that half the spellcasters today wouldn't know a real spell if it was humping their leg like a horny rottweiler!

A spell is any personal ritual that effects tangible change over the empirical world, or imparts information to the caster. It can be as simple as throwing bones & coins, or complex as casting a full Evocation in a dedicated Altar Room. They can be as Vulgar as lightening bolts, or as subtle as bouncing a pebble that starts an avalanche! It can be as isolated as controlling how dice roll, to as wide-spread as effecting the thoughts of heads of state.

The real thing to remember is that spells divide into internal workings & external enforcements. They aren't just about "Changes in Consciousness", as many an author demeans it. They aren't simply about "Healing ourselves & the Earth", as many a new-ager would hobble it. Most importantly, they aren't hypothetical little mental exercises that "Karma says you can't do"! They are about power, responsibility, and survival (but mostly Power!). It's about using all the tools at your disposal to get what you want out of life.

There are many who think that we work magic with "Enlightenment" as a goal. This is a construct of eastern mysticism that has invaded & pervaded European Mysticism for far too long. Once upon a time, it was all about power. As a man who has seen this world through eyes older than his years, I say "Let it be about power, again". As a natural philosopher, examining the world through many vantage points, I say "It's what you don't know that will kill you". Even the Dali Lama will tell you that you can't give unless you have (Otherwise it's called Theft). Charity starts with having, getting, & owning. The "Poverty is Piety" lie was instigated so that the peasants wouldn't burn the churches! Get what you want out of this life! There will be Karma, but that does not mean you're a cripple! Intent is Everything!

Does that offend you?

Examine your life as it stands. Look at everything you own. Look at your loved ones.

Now, look at your hands. Which one would you cut off that would it make you better able to protect and provide for your loved ones?

"Poverty=Piety" is a lie that has bound the hands you never knew you had!

This is how it breaks down:

All spells have several things in common. We will examine each, one at a time, and see what works for us, individually. We'll look at ourselves, when examining each, to start on the path to find the spell elements that work for each of us, as individuals. There are many different cultures, many different paths, and many different goals. We need to find yours, and we do this by seeing what they have in common, how they diverge, and how you look at each aspect & expression of those aspects.

When we examine a spell on the dissection table, it comes apart in the following pieces:

Words
Symbols (Written)
Gestures
Symbols (Objects)
Triggers

Words: From the Latin Chants, through the Hebrew Invocations, into Nordic Runes, and on through Tibetan Mantras, words have been at the core of every metaphysical operation since the dawn of the Art. Guttural Rumblings of shaman that go beyond words and into visceral expression, can be included. The Speaking-In-Tongues, in extreme expression of adoration for deity, is as well. We use words to state intent, and our word must be law.

Symbols: From the written word, to the carved rune-sign, to circles in the sand, stones standing in rings, spirals carved on stone, the list is endless! Be they the entreaties for the dead tied to fireworks rockets, the blood-scribed curses in hoodoo, the room-sized magic circles of summoning, it is the most simple & direct expression of intent into solid form.

Gestures: Point a finger, wave a decapitated black cockerel, place your palms together in prayer, or even "Flip The Bird" at a passing motorist, and you'll know what a great form of expression it is. Ecstatic Dance to Hatha Yoga, to Finger-Polarity; we may need several pages to cover the uses of this aspect of spellcraft.

Symbols/Objects: The wand, the sword, the chalice; The rattle, the fire, the buffalo headdress; The photo, the needles, the voodoo doll; The very means of "Doing" adds so greatly to our workings. The tools of any trade can be replaced, but the cost is great.

Triggers: Incense roils from the censures, filling the room with musky smoke. An ancient gong decries the ritual's inception. The flute-song roils & undulates, and the bodies keep time. We all have things that get us into any mood, and anything that adds to the mood, the ambiance, the setting, falls under this heading.

Each of these tools will be explored, but over a period of time. You need to be able to consider how the usage of each applies to you, uniquely.

"Finding Our Own Path"
Next Time!