BoS Prompt 20: Breaking the fear of practicing & writing your own workings.

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Prompt 20. Sunday 14th April 2018 - The 20th prompt will be..  Breaking the fear of practicing & writing your own workings.

Following up from last weeks blog post about ‘starting to learn Herbs and stones’ I decided to make this weeks post about writing your own spells and next weeks post about breaking the fear of practicing.  The more I thought about this the more I felt it was really one in the same blog as the two go hand in hand along with obviously practicing other people’s workings.

PLEASE NOTE EVEN IF YOU’RE THE WISEST OF CRONES AND EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED YOU MIGHT STILL LEARN OR AT LEAST ENJOY SOMETHINGS WITHIN THIS BLOG.

For the sake of this blog post when I say “working” or “workings” I am referring to any spell, ritual, prayer, meditation, enchantment, psychic ability, magickal act etc etc any act of magick or craft etc..

How I got started and broke my fear.. So let us start with breaking the fear of practicing or indeed where to start!  For me when people ask how long I’ve been a Witch/Pagan usually I answer with something like 14-16 years (I’m 29 now).  The reason for this is that I’ve actually been practicing some form of Witchcraft / Pagan Practice / Spiritual Life all of my life but it wasn’t until I was 13 that I discovered the things I did actually have a name, I belong to a group of people and that witchcraft is actually a real thing..!  But I only found my confidence and came out of myself (not out of the broom closet until I was 25) and I was able to practice..

So I started studying, learning about witch history..  Learning about what real life witches do, the occult, how it’s not Satanism, how you can even still be a Christian in this day and age.  This was a happy accident I discovered while researching about paranormal so of course those studies continued too and then developed and went on Paganism or more specifically Wicca.  

For the first 2-3 years from 13 - 15/16 I became scared to practice, now armed with my new knowledge I worried too much that something bad would happen, something would go wrong, I was doing these acts for more selfish reason and such forth.  I had purchased a few tools and items.. (I was very lucky at that time as I lived in a town that had more Antique Shops, Thrift Stores, Junk Yards and Flea Markets than regular shops!!)  My Grandmother bought me my first Tarot deck and while I’d never been allowed to light candles I certainly had a large collection along with other trinkets, knickknacks and things.  Eventually circumstances saw that just before my 16th Birthday I ended up leaving my Dads house and that town and moving to live with my Grandparents.  I was back with my old friends at my old hang outs and indeed met new friends too.  One particular new friend was very much into the practice himself, or some much darker and twisted version of it, and he took it upon himself to get me out of my comfort zone and start practicing..  (While our friendship wasn’t long lasting for other reasons, mostly that I became busy with college, voluntary job and an actual job..  Plus my best friend broke up with him and it was just awkward - it’s definitely part of my foundation getting over my fear to be able to be so open about it all now!)

Some believe that you need to be initiated by another into the craft whereas others say if you follow X you can initiate yourself; which is more or less what I did..  During my 2nd-4th year I did some initiation online courses and then much later on in I believe 2014/15 initiated myself following my officially coming out the broom closet  announcement by following and practicing Timothy Roderick's book - 'Wicca: A Year and a Day: 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise' ..which I'll mention more about further down this blog post..  But YouTuber DragonFeather369 has some amazing videos on that book.

Yes when I practice (even now) sometimes I feel really stupid, self-conscious, nervous, shy, weirded out, worried people can hear/see me etc..  But that's the same with almost anything I know I'm like that when making YouTube videos regardless of if the content is planners, magickal, arts and crafts or something else entirely. Same with gaming around guys I like or people I want to impress (I like to think I'm good but worry they'll judge me if I mess up!) But don't worry..  It's ok a lot of people talk to themselves and even more talk to their pets and some even talk to their plants.  You can always pretend you were on the phone and/or work in a more secretive place ie late at night or when you're home alone.  Work in whispers or not aloud!  Next week I will talk about Magickal Housekeeping and Everyday Practical Magick which is more aimed for those who want to practice but are still in the broom closet because of family, friends, religion, society or some other reason.  But for those of us out and proud and shouting from the mountain tops it's still good practices to keep. Keep going and you'll get there..  I promise.

My recommendations will always be study / research first then practice; practice may never be perfect but you’ll definitely learn and grow.  So I figured within this series by now we have learnt a lot about ourselves, about how to cleanse,consecrate and charge and indeed why that is something we would do with newly bought items first or second hand.  We have learnt about The Pentacle / Pentagram meaning & The 4 Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water (plus the firth Spirit).  About The Tree of Life, Grounding, Meditation And Prayer.  We learnt about The Sabbats & Wheel of The Year.  Plus some stuff about The Moon including planting by the moon, moon gardens and Esbats.  We learnt a little bit about Enlightenment & Deity (Gods and Goddesses).  We learnt about Zodiac signs (birth signs) and their properties.  We learnt a little bit about using Herbs, Oils and Stones plus tinctures and more.. Using Colours in our workings and coloured candles (with a mention about an old blog post on Candles I wrote last year which can be found: HERE).  We looked at Intuitive, Empath & Clair's Psychic abilities.  We looked a little more closely at some types of Runes, Symbols, Sigils & Cyphers and the use of Alphabet within them.  We studied about Spirit guides, Spirit animals & Totem animals & Familiars and also their differences.  We started looking a little more at hands on practice with Protection, Repel and Banish Workings.  Furthermore we looked at Amulets, Talismans & Charms.  We looked at gratitude and respect with Deity Offerings & Fae Offerings which really could be lent to any aspect of Nature Offerings & Elemental Offerings etc.  We took things back to basics with a little knowledge on types of Witches / About Witches blog post and followed that up with exploring types of Divination.  We continued our in-depth learning last week with starting to learn Stones & Herbs etc.. blog and so really we’ve been on one crazy ride this last 22 weeks or so, not forgetting my prior 5 part mini-series that inspired it all on how to literally create a Book of Shadows. Part 1. Finding your Book of Shadows / Grimoire etc.  Part 2. Breaking in your Book of Shadows / Grimoire etc.  Part 3. What to write in your Book of Shadows/ Grimoire etc.  Part 4. What to add(visually) to your Book of Shadows / Grimoire etc.  Part 5. When should we be adding to our Book of Shadows / Grimoire etc..

So after all of that we are definitely ready to start practicing and writing our own workings.  Starting is always scary breaking that fear of ‘what if’ and the glass is half empty.  Take the leap of faith and always do what feels right to you.  Never fear asking for help.  Another thing I’ve learnt is that this is a never ending pool of knowledge.  There’s so many religions and faiths and spiritualities – Which is why now I feel me saying I’m Eclectic Wiccan is more just Eclectic or Eclectic Pagan perhaps since while I do keep the Wiccan Religious side mostly but lean towards my own kind of craft with elements from all walks of life.  Plus I absolutely love to read / hear different people’s opinions and takes on the same subjects. – geek!

..But you’re not here to listen to me babble on about myself..  So lets us break into the next phase for anyone who isn’t there and for anyone who is, you may even learn something or just refresh some of them baby steps.

So shake off the fear..  First of all fearing something, doubting something, disbelief in something..  Nothing’s going to work for you!!  If you enter into a magickal working thinking this is a load of old codswallop, it’s clearly fake and this is a load of cow dung.  Guess what..  It’s not going to work!!  You’re right!!  Congratulations!!   But it’s as Roald Dahl said “Those who don’t believe in Magic will never find it!”  You have to at least believe in the idea or want to believe!  As Jack Skeleton said “Just because I cannot see it doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!”  and so enjoy this amazing unique and wonderful journey and remember as Tolkien said "Not all who wander are lost!" So go in with an open heart and an open mind and see what comes to you..

Ok let's say you believe..  But how does this work?  Right..  I’m going to be honest with you and tell you how I feel it works (other people will have various opinions).  For me I feel that you have a hope, a wish, a dream, a desire..  Something you’re longing for (not destined as that’s a whole other thing) but something you want.  For you..  For others..  Be mindful of being careful what you wish for, the Wiccan Rede Rule of “Harm none, do as ye will” (do what you like as long as you don’t hurt anyone, that includes yourself).  Or other rules like three fold law, karma and such forth.  Just do good things with good intentions and then read about the rest later.  So for me I feel that setting your intention for what you want and spending time creating that working, setting up that working, doing the working itself opens our hearts and opens our minds, even our subconscious mind, to look for those opportunities to find good even in the very bad, to use ourselves to aid, heal and help others.  I don’t believe we can just light a candle, wish for a million and wake up the next morning with a big bag of cash posted through our door.  What I do believe is we can light a candle, wish for a million and over the next few weeks be presented with opportunities in career / job, living / accommodation, relationships and much more a wealth of opportunities that could lead to that abundance of money if you work hard and take every opportunity created by you making that decision.  The act of lighting the candle is simply symbolic that you did this thing to mark your intentions for what it is you want in order for you to actively look for the results and other things to happen but ultimately it’s your decision and your choices to take the bull by the horns and go for it.  That’s not to say that you won’t wake up with a million shoved through your letterbox..  I suppose in some weird twist of fate it could happen.  But another point to consider here is also greed in that!  Wish for money, wish for abundance, wish for a better financial situation but do you really need a million?  Will a few thousand not buy you your house, get you out of debt and put you and your family in a comfortably living situation?  People say to me if magick is real and I believe in it and I practice it then why am I still disabled unable to work coping with multiple illnesses/disabilities?  To which I don’t have an answer but I can tell you that through magick I’m still alive, it’s given me faith and something to believe in, work with/for, have, teach, do..  And my practice is rewarded when I'm offered medical opportunities and medication to improve my situation the best we can right now.  It’s taught me things and that alone to me is magick.  It’s given me the strength to keep fighting and keep trying.

So we believe..  We have some tools and ingredients (or not).  Where do we start to practice?

For me I won’t say jump into casting a circle, summon some ancient being and have a tea party while cursing your enemies.  Seems a bit of a leap..  and not something you should ever do!!  But each to their own.  Perhaps start with simple things.  Next week, as said, I plan to do a blog on everyday magick looking at some of the more basic and mundane things that everyone can do.  I mentioned this in my last few blogs that practicing doesn’t need all these tools and items, an altar.. etc.  My practice may look elaborate with all this stuff as seen on my instagram @ instagram.com/missimoinsane but believe me deep down I know I just need the very basics and myself.  So start with simple things like stirring your morning tea/coffee clockwise while wishing for positive influences all day or anticlockwise while wishing your tiredness away so you can focus on the day ahead.  While bathing at night hold your hands over the water and ask that this water washes away all the negativity you’ve accumulated throughout the day, even add salt to purify if you wish (Epsom salt is especially good and has additional relaxation and health benefits!) – this could be a sink of water, bowl of water or bath etc..  Prayer is such a simple and easy one pray for the health and safety of others, light a candle in respect of that.  Practice some of those protection workings.  Grab yourself a book (Elemental Encyclopedia of 2000 Spells is a good place to start.. huge heavy hardback, hard to hide!  But they do have a 500 paperback version that’s smaller) there’s a few spells there..  Or you could get a book that’s more of an initiation into a craft/practice such as Wicca.  One book particular is the big orange Wicca A Year And A Day 366 book by Timothy Roderick.  (BE WARNED the book requires you to purchase items for the practice which comes with quite a hefty priced shopping list!!  Yes you can substitute some of those candles for smaller ones or white if you can’t find the colour you need but still pricey!!  I took it upon myself to write a blog with the shopping list contents: HERE!!)  Which is a great book for beginners (even if you want to be a witch and not wiccan it’s still a good book for you!) there’s a new page or two for each day giving you tasks and teaching various workings including giving you more details on various things such as grounding and meditation.

So you’re practicing?  Good!

How do you write your own workings?  It’s actually a lot easier than people think and can be done in multiple ways. 

Words:
First note that if you’re adding words, like a speech you don’t have to make it rhyme it doesn’t have to be a poem.  But if that’s what you like then there are many books and even phone apps and online websites that can help you with rhyming words and/or poetry.  Words don’t have to be complicated they just have to be accurate and heart felt; say what you mean and what you want.  Does it need to be spoken aloud?  No!  Sometimes people feel very self-conscious as is without talking to themselves too.  So saying the words aloud in your head to yourself is still putting those words out there just not literally aloud.  Equally you can whisper, I know a girl who finds whispering magickal and says her words are carried in a whisper by the winds.  Others feel the need to stand on top of hills, cliffs, mountains and scream and shout their words to the world.

Tools:
Tools are not needed; but they’re sure fun to have!!  Your index finger of your more dominant hand can be the best wand.   Or for me I use my whole hand, I have a wand I just prefer to use my hand.  Tools can be sourced from things you have around the house.. cups, knives, sticks, bowls etc..  But can also be sourced and/or made from various places and various materials.

Ingredients:

Use what you have, what you can find, what you can swap, etc..  Don't spend silly money if a working requires X which will cost you silly money to import a tiny bit that might not even make it through customs..  Don't risk it.  There's many alternatives for every ingredient you would need.  I will go on to explain changing ingredients..

Grounding, Casting Circles, Meditation etc:
Do you need to?  Well it depends who you ask but if you're asking me then no, at least not for everything!  Do what feels right to you!  Some people take a long blessed bath complete with some salts and essential oils to purify themselves.  They then smudge their spaces.  They call the quarters (elements, deity, spirits, guides etc etc) and cast a circle of protection making sure they have everything they will need so as not to break the circle and step outside of it.  Their practices are long drawn out events sometimes repeated daily, weekly, monthly, yearly etc..  Their practices are deep and well constructed ritualistic / sacred events.  Whereas other people just light a candle and say a few words.  Do what you feel is right, although when inviting spirits and such forth even benevolent ones I'd always cast a circle and exercise some cautions before and after.  Seek information on smudging, ringing of bells or chimes and similar.  Also some people prefer to not eat before a practice to increase their vibrations and eat after as part of a grounding and restoring your energy.  You'll figure out what works best for you.

Using a pre-existing spell or other workings:
Always do your research so lets start with you bought a book that has a spell in it, found one on the internet or your friend/family/coven passed one down to you.  First believe in it or it will never work; remember open heart and open mind.  Second just because it worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you.  Like how not all people gel well with all forms of divination, not all people have the same psychic abilities and/or intuitions and not all people are going to get on with all forms of workings and types of work.  One person who works primarily casts their spells with herbs could be terrible with candles magick, water etc etc.. and visa versa.  

But you have this recipe, let's say it’s a spell.  So option 1 use the spell as is and see what happens (making notes is always great to have a journal or a computer or notebook or phone or something where you can keep notes – what you did, what you changed, moon phase, day of the week, ingredients, how you did it, did it work, your thoughts and feelings).  Option 2 you see what the spell contains and see how you can change it to make it your own.  Does it call for a blue candle but you feel a green candle would work better, does it call for sage but you can’t get any where you live and can substitute it for frankincense resin or palo santo wood.  Option 3 completely rewrite the spell using your words, your ingredients, things you made, include other things, turn it from a big complex spell to a much simpler or visa versa.  Be creative.  It’s not difficult and as said in my last blog a basic knowledge of say 10 herbs and 10 stones will give you a little insight.  Revisit the blog I wrote about colours how can you use colours be it candles, stones, feathers, yarn, clay, beads or other objects.

Creating your own recipes:

How to write your own working from scratch?  This becomes a little harder than say altering one but works very much on the same principles.  First you have to decide what it is you wish to achieve.  (Having a working notebook is fantastic for this.)  Second write down some of the items you might like to include.  Third research those items and see if their properties work together with your intentions or clash, see if they work well with others – especially if you’re making say incense or an oil you want scents that work together.  If you’re making something a little more dangerous like tinctures maybe consult some professional information.  Remember what I said in my other blog post how some herbs, resins, bark, spices, flowers etc etc can be poisonous to humans, cats and/or other animals when inhaled or ingested or even when come in contact with the skin.  Fourth get to making.. do your working / practice and see what happens.  Making notes helps you to change things up for next time or know how to repeat.  Repeat and have enough repetitive successes?  Why not add those to your Book of Shadows as your personal recipes?  Have fun and explore!

Note.  Recipies are the ingredients used and how much but also when some days, dates, astrological events, moon phases etc have great effects on your workings.  Recipes may also refer to things being measured in "parts" please refer to my blog about herbs, stones, oils etc for information on what "parts" mean in recipes ie "one part X to two parts Z".  Recipes this can include anything from stones used, herbs, incense, objects, colour of candles, candle shapes etc..

Next week I’ll be looking more closely at Magickal Housekeeping and Everyday Practical Magick.

Finally I just wish to say that you're never too old or too young to learn / practice.  You're never too old or too young to have a mentor, teacher, join a coven etc.  Asking for help, assistance, advice is recommended even if you're the most introverted or solitary witches.  These days there's 100s if not 1000s of Facebook groups and Forum based apps like Amieno.  As well as the Instagram community and the YouTube community.

Activity..

• Read books.
• Read other peoples opinions.
• Practice.

Book Activity..

• (Optional) Copy down any information from above you think you will find useful.. and/or any further information you find out.
• (Optional) Once you have activly working recipies 

Interact with me Activity..

• (Optional) on the Fb Page https://www.facebook.com/BookOfShadowsPrompts/ feel free to add any information you deem worthy..  
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Imogen x

Sunday April 22nd's prompts No.21. Magickal Housekeeping and Everyday Practical Magick.