Magical spells can consist of only words, but most witches prefer to include an item or two that they can physically manipulate while casting a spell. Including something you can touch in a spell helps focus your intention and creates a powerful symbol of the thing you are trying to bring about. Physical symbols, when properly loaded during spell casting, can become a kind of stand-alone intention. I believe a properly put together spell can infuse mundane objects with power and that those objects can hold your intention long after you've moved on to other concerns. Such an object can help reinforce your spell's power every time you see it, or it can be put away out of sight and allowed to work its magic the way a planted seed does.

Each spell is a unique thing and each one requires it's own special combination of ingredients. For instance, if I felt the need to cast a spell of good luck for myself, the ingredients could vary depending on the situation or the type of spirits I felt needed to be contacted to enhance the spell. Creating a spell is a lot like an art form; you draw words and intent from your heart, combine them with a few specific objects, and create something that is more than a sum of it parts.

After you start to practice witchcraft regularly, you'll find gifts from the natural world presented to you all the time. They probably were being offered to you all along, but you just didn't realize what they were for. The feathers, stones, seeds, bits of fur, and other presents that you'll find are meant to be the ingredients of your magical spells. After a while, you'll need a place to keep them all and I suggest that you make and stock your own magical medicine cabinet with them.

Finding and Stocking Your Magical Medicine Cabinet

A spell could be centered on a pebble you found while walking on a beach or a seed from a particularly delicious apple you enjoyed one autumn and, if you're like me, you've probably collected dozens of these small treasures. It will benefit your spell crafting if these ingredients are kept together and any type of cabinet or chest will work, but I prefer one made of wood or other natural materials that can be hung on a wall.

You might be able to find something suitable at a store that sells house wares, a large spice or jewelry cabinet with drawers and doors for example. Because many of the items you'll be storing there will be small, you'll need some boxes and bags to help keep them all organized. If you know how to sew or crochet, small bags are easy to make and you can make them exactly the right size for your cabinet. Another way to keep things contained is to wrap them in a piece of cloth. Because they're made of one hundred percent cotton, I keep several big red bandanas around for that purpose.

Along with your natural or "found" ingredients, it's a good idea to stock your cabinet with a few "created" items, too. For instance, some cotton thread, cotton or wool yarn, small squares of paper, and beads make very nice additions to spells. Thread and yarn can be used for physical and magical binding, paper can be used to write names or intentions on, and a bead in just the right color can add a little extra spice to a spell.

Trusting Your Intuition

I believe that a witch is formed by nature and forms nature in return with her spells, and only when she opens completely to receiving what nature offers can she truly be shaped into the witch she is meant to be. Our spells are our medicine for the ills of the world, and nature lovingly provides us with all the ingredients we need for them. After a while, nature will provide you with all sorts of interesting things to tuck away in your cabinet. If you have been thankful for each one and carefully tucked it away in your magical medicine cabinet, when you need to create a spell the ingredients for it may instantly pop into your mind, making the process of forming a spell nearly as magical as the spell itself.

If the ingredients you need for your spell don't come into your mind right away, another good way to let your intuition guide you is to clear your mind, open your cabinet, run your hands over the boxes, open drawers, look inside bags, and let yourself hear, feel, or see what is needed. This is different from "thinking" about what you need and feels a little like discovering all your treasures again. Even though you really already know about everything that's there, some things will seem "different" or "new" or will seem to stand out is some way, and that's a hint from your intuition that that object will work for your spell.

Casting Your Spell

Traditions vary so much, and witches themselves vary so much, that I'm not going to be able to tell you how to put a spell together so that it works for you. I can, however, tell you what works for me in a general way.

I understand that casting a spell means that I do have to "cast" it or send it out into the world to do its work. The spell has my intention attached to it and I have to let go of it and trust it to work somehow. Letting go can be very hard. After all, if I feel the need for a spell, then something is concerning me and it's hard to let go of that concern. But spells are like butterflies, you can't keep them in a box, you have to let them go. You have to trust that your butterfly will flutter where it needs to go, so once I cast a spell I try not to think about it anymore.

When casting spells for healing, I'm very inclined to "tie knots." For spells meant to influence an outcome, I usually sing some part of them from my heart chakra. I discovered these working styles through practice, experimentation, and by listening to my intuition. You can do the same because as a witch, this is what you're meant to do.