Casting Spells
When trying to perform a ritual or cast a spell, how important are the correct words and ritual equipment?
When trying to perform a ritual or cast a spell, how important are the correct words and ritual equipment?
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In my opinion, its all down
In my opinion, its all down to how much you believe that the spell being cast or ritual performed is going to work rarther than burning candles, chanting and waving wands around, this view is one shared by quite a few "solo" practitioners. Marian Green is a good source of craft "solo" info.
However, the use of ritual items/clothing/words for some people will help them focus and reinforce their belief that what they are doing is going to work, especially if you are in a group as it will help all the members focus their intent on the ritual/spell.
In a lot of religious traditions the use of magical implements and correct wording of the incantations are very important as they are used to keep the practitioner safe from nasty outside sources such as deamons and the like.
At the end of the day it’s whatever works for you on a personal level.
Re: Casting Spells
I pretty much agree with Lee.
I would say there’s a "knack" to getting spells to work, you find what works best for you.
On a related issue, if you deal with spirits of various types and from several pantheons, you’ll gradually find those of some types will seem to like and be more willing to co-operate with your magic than others. It’s a bit like mixing with people sometimes, some willl like you and others you won’t really get on with. Divination is often a good idea to help establish if something’s likely to work for you or not.
One of the best books ever put into the public domain for new practitioners is "Magic, an occult Primer" by David [or Deanna] Conway, depending which reprint you come across. I think a later reprint was retitled "A complete magic primer"
I’m not sure if it’s currently in print, but a search of secondhand book agencies should turn one up for you.
Re: Casting Spells
If a spell doesn’t work, people will sometimes use the excuse that they didn’t have every detail just right. Incidentally, I have that Conway book – interesting read!
Re: Casting Spells
It’s not quite the same thing but does anyone have any ideas on how to cleanse a house? I know someone who needs help.
Re: Casting Spells
Hi Carol, welcome to the forum. What seems to be the trouble at your friends house?
Re: Casting Spells
Yes, can you tell us more?
Re: Casting Spells
Depends on what is happening, do you mean a full exorcism of serious spirit activity or just a general cleanse?
There’s a book for the lesser stuff called Spiritual Cleansing by Draja Mickaharic.
Contains such remedies as these:
Put a large glass or jug of water on the floor by the bed at night, collects negative energies from the person and room. Rinse it out 3 times in the morning afler flushing it away.
Burn garlic skins as incense throughout the house.
Wash the houseinternally with a solution of ammonia.
If you need to lay a ghost you might need a local witch or willing clergyman, some are good some are useless, just depends! A good witch or honest occultist is possibly the best idea unless you are a strict Christian etc, as they tend to be more experienced and know more of the mechanics of what’s going on psychically, plus their exorcisms are often considerably more gentle. Question is finding a good one locally, or someone willing to travel. I can’t travel far, too many commitments at home.
Re: Casting Spells
I did post a comment but it hasn’t appeared.
It’s a michevious thing, takes things and puts them back in the same place later, bangs and other noises. It’s not scary but can be annoying. They’ve got a smudge stick they can use if they get too fed up, but don’t know what to say. Will “go away” three times in each room work?
Re: Casting Spells
Well… not in my experiance… though they may get a few weeks of quiet. A cleansing probably would not work, as a ghost, (as opposed to ‘other’ entities) tends to be part of the place. It’s sort of like trying to excorsize your house of bathtubs.
In all honesty, if it’s not a threat to thier well being, I’d reccomend just working around it. Right now it sounds like it’s just having fun with them. Eventually it will get bored and do something else. I highly reccomend that you only break out the big guns when there’s good reason, IE there is a threat to the residents.
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Casting Spells
Why thank you Sir…I see that you are paying close attention…
Re: Casting Spells
I’ll chuck in another perspective here.
If there is a spirit unwelcome in a home then it has no business being there, whether or not it’s intent is good, bad etc. It is true some ghosts are mindless, perhaps even just echoes of what was but it isn’t always the case. If it is making anyone uncomfortable, then it needs to go.
I’ll put it this way, if you can’t be firm on a resident then what about an unwelcome guest? Some things can’t be left to be the ‘elephant in the room’ especially if they cause disruption.
Re: Casting Spells
Ironically, from the spirits perspective, it might be the person who’s the unwanted guest in the spirit’s house…
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Casting Spells
True but they’ve had their time and it is unfair and very unfitting for the dead to disturb the living when it is unnecessary. Plus, most of these spirits who disrupt things in a negative way care very little for the living residents and thus must be ‘removed’ to restore balance.
Re: Casting Spells
… as someone who’s been (clinically) dead three times now, let me assure you, there is no such thing as ‘having your time’.
However, it’s largly moot as even excorcisms do not seem to have a long lasting effect beyond a certain point. And, ironically, it’s typically the most disruptive spirits that are the least effected.
As I said, at times it’s like trying to excorcize your house of bathtubs or windows. They’re attached to the place in ways you are not, to the point that in very real sense they’re a part of the structure.
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Casting Spells
Since this spirit is discribed as mischievious or annoying, but not outright nasty, why not try talking to it? It may be trying to call attention to itself for some reason.
Re: Casting Spells
[quote=BaronIveagh]
However, it’s largly moot as even excorcisms do not seem to have a long lasting effect beyond a certain point. And, ironically, it’s typically the most disruptive spirits that are the least effected.
As I said, at times it’s like trying to excorcize your house of bathtubs or windows. They’re attached to the place in ways you are not, to the point that in very real sense they’re a part of the structure.
[/quote]
Exorcisms have always worked for me and I believe the only exorcisms that haven’t gone successfully have been linked to that of demons or parasitic spirits who have a firm grasp on their victim. Most spirits get flushed out and very irritably move on.
As for ghosts being like furniture- what if they have no links to the house? Spirits can be picked up anywhere, pop up anywhere and have no known logical reason for ‘why’ at times. Whilst a ghost who treads the boards at night and is fondly known as ‘Betty’ by the last generation might be accepted, if something completely out of the blue starts happening and is causing disruption, why should it be accepted? It’s like keeping a stray cat when you have no want of it.
Now unless you are a ghost I can’t see why you would take offence to people putting their foots down in their own homes and saying ‘enough is enough’ and asking the spirit to move on. My perspective is low tolerance and ‘nipping it in the bud’. Isn’t to say my relationship with the spirit world is at all negative but I believe things should only be in my house if welcome.
Re: Casting Spells
[quote=Ecardina]
Exorcisms have always worked for me and I believe the only exorcisms that haven’t gone successfully have been linked to that of demons or parasitic spirits who have a firm grasp on their victim. Most spirits get flushed out and very irritably move on.
As for ghosts being like furniture- what if they have no links to the house? Spirits can be picked up anywhere, pop up anywhere and have no known logical reason for ‘why’ at times. Whilst a ghost who treads the boards at night and is fondly known as ‘Betty’ by the last generation might be accepted, if something completely out of the blue starts happening and is causing disruption, why should it be accepted? It’s like keeping a stray cat when you have no want of it.
Now unless you are a ghost I can’t see why you would take offence to people putting their foots down in their own homes and saying ‘enough is enough’ and asking the spirit to move on. My perspective is low tolerance and ‘nipping it in the bud’. Isn’t to say my relationship with the spirit world is at all negative but I believe things should only be in my house if welcome.
[/quote]
… the only case I can think of that I’ve worked where a ‘new’ house (where neither the house nor the property had any sort of ‘history’) was suddenly haunted was that the family of the deceased previous owner was forced to sell it to someone the deceased had hated with a burning passion in life. The bathroom where the previous owner had died became something of an epicenter of a haunting, which cumulated with the new owners being driven out and selling the house after the toilet and sink ‘exploded’.
The next owners had no problems.
The two locations I’ve been on hand for an excorcism resulted in a brief repreive at best. The first lasted two weeks, the second for a little over a year. Of course, mind you, the first was a field hospital on the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the second was a house where the entire family was murdered, with the three childern ritually sacrificed in the master bedroom.
(and surprisingly, I looked it up and it was a matter of record. The Pennsylvania State Police have it as an unsolved Cold Case)
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima
Re: Casting Spells
I don’t think my friends house is in that league, thank goodness. They’re just going to wait it out
Re: Casting Spells
Interestingly the spirit is said to be mischeivious, and from the description it sounds more like Poltergeist activity, which is normally linked to the spirits of children.
If you cannot find a local occultist to perform a cleansing, then try your local CAtholic Priest. The Catholic Church have full time ‘Ghost Busters’ and most priests are happy to come and do a simple house blessing, which they find very often moves on the problem if it’s just ‘a shout for help’.
Having experienced one of these blessings for the very same reason, long before I became involved with the Craft or with house clearances, I was shocked to find that the C of E Church wouldn’t touch the clearing with a barge pole. They did however, pass me over to the Catholic Church in Westminster, who sent a blind priest round instantly I told them my address.
The rather humourous ending to this story, was that the blind priest, performed the blessing, but whilst doing so had to throw holy water into each room in the flat. Being blind he couldn’t see the rooms, and at one point was throwing it across the living room and down the back of the TV. I watched in horror and had to make the decision.
1. Did I yell stop, and risk being stuck with George as I now called him for evermore?
2. Try and explain to my insurance company that my colour TV blew up after a blind priest threw holy water down the back of it, whilst exorcising my poltergeist?
I went for the later, but just lied about the reasoning… I couldn’t face the screams of hysterical laughter down the phone.
But the blessing did work and we never heard from George again.
BB
Sian
Re: In my opinion, its all down
[quote=Lee Waterhouse]In my opinion, its all down to how much you believe that the spell being cast or ritual performed is going to work rarther than burning candles, chanting and waving wands around, this view is one shared by quite a few "solo" practitioners. Marian Green is a good source of craft "solo" info.
However, the use of ritual items/clothing/words for some people will help them focus and reinforce their belief that what they are doing is going to work, especially if you are in a group as it will help all the members focus their intent on the ritual/spell.
In a lot of religious traditions the use of magical implements and correct wording of the incantations are very important as they are used to keep the practitioner safe from nasty outside sources such as deamons and the like.
At the end of the day it’s whatever works for you on a personal level.[/quote]
I don’t think it’s so much as words keep you safe from Demons, it’s more a case of being careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
By carefully working on the wording, you are ensuring you don’t leave room for misinterpretation, but the preparation maynot be needed in the final spell once you’ve worked out in your own head what you want, and what pitfalls to avoid.
For instance: If you do a love spell to attract love (corney I know, but people do), and don’t make it specific in that you are looking for someone you can have a long, meaningful and heppy relationship with, a partner of which ever sex….. you might find you get followed by every stray puppy in town for months….
or
A healing spell: if you don’t take the request into the future for the person, then they could get a little better for one day, worsten and even die- but the spell still worked, you got what you asked for, they got better (for one day)…. so you need to be specific in your intent.
That is where the preparation comes in
BB
Sian
Re: Casting Spells
[quote=Sian]
The rather humourous ending to this story, was that the blind priest, performed the blessing, but whilst doing so had to throw holy water into each room in the flat. Being blind he couldn’t see the rooms, and at one point was throwing it across the living room and down the back of the TV. I watched in horror and had to make the decision.
1. Did I yell stop, and risk being stuck with George as I now called him for evermore?
2. Try and explain to my insurance company that my colour TV blew up after a blind priest threw holy water down the back of it, whilst exorcising my poltergeist?
I went for the later, but just lied about the reasoning… I couldn’t face the screams of hysterical laughter down the phone.
[/quote]
It’s a lot easier then explaining to the insurance adjuster (or worse, your family doctor) that you were injured by an angry ghost. I still remember poor Chris trying to explain how he fell and broke his shoulder, leg, arm, and several, lesser, though no less painful, injuries when he got tossed off the top of a building.
Summum Nec Metuam Diem Nec Optima