I see a lot of blog posts about tips for incorporating witchcraft into your daily life, and honestly, a lot of it is fluff and garbage. Here’s some actual tips that can honestly and actually improve your practice.
Meditate daily. It doesn’t have to be for long, 10 minutes is great. I find doing it right before bed really helps me get to sleep easier.
Read. If you read regularly, every once in a while instead of reading for pleasure read an occult text. In addition, I find even pleasure reading can help you improve visualization abilities.
Observe. Take a moment out of your day to just observe everything going on around you. Focus each of your senses and observe that moment in full clarity.
Daydream. Honestly. It helps with visualization. If you get really into it, let your brain go to autopilot and observe where it goes.
Make a sigil. You don’t even have to cast it right yet, save it for later. The process is easy and it takes a few minutes out of your day tops. When you forget what it means, cast it on some other day by your preferred method.
Automistic writing. It can be fun. Keep a journal of whatever you write down and see if you can pick out any symbolism or themes within it.
Divination. It’s easy as hell to do a simple divination daily. If you don’t have time to interpret it, record your results and go back later.
Take a moment when you wake up to dwell on your dreams. If you’re feeling particularly saucy, keep a dream journal.
Bathe. It’s not related to magick, but it’s relaxing and nobody likes a stinky occultist. No it won’t magically cleanse you, but it certainly will physically.
Keep track of the planetary days and hours. If the moment strikes you, do a little something in the hour and day of a planet you want to have more influence on you.
Do a daily banishing ritual. Either design one yourself, or choose one that resonates with you. Once practiced, a banishing ritual takes 10 minutes tops. Do it before bed or when you wake up.
These are all easy things, they don’t take much time or energy, and they go a long way towards helping improve your practice. Instead of taking your regular routine and pretending it’s already inherently magical, take the miniscule time and energy to fit a few of these into your day. It’s honestly not hard at all.
These are a couple theories on how magick works from different practitioners understandings. By understanding these theories you will be able to get a better grasp on magick as a whole through the understandings that people have found magick to react, and/or be initiated by. None of these theories are wrong, or right, and may just be parts of the same understanding, so getting to know them in their ins, and outs will not only allow you to help understand the paradigms that use them, it may also help you better your own practice by allowing you to look at things you might have missed. These are in no shape, or form all of the theories, but they are at least the more popular ones.
Theories on how magick works:
Energetic Theory:
Energetic theory has the understanding that magick works by raising specific universal spiritual energy through the act of using tools, the practitioner’s inner power, or even the energies from other entities, and that the practitioner will be able to gather it, and use their intention in order to give it instructions on what it should do, or manifest. Just by taking this energy, and intending, and directing it towards our goal will allow that gold to manifest. This theory is also very connected to the understanding of a spiritual energy that permeates throughout all of existence in every single construct, and entity, and that this energy can be manipulated, or worked with through intention. In this theory any entity that has intention can harness, and control energy to do magick.
Consciousness Theory:
Consciousness theory has the understanding that magick works by focusing the will of our consciousness upon what we desire, then reality will move in that direction, and will allow it to manifest, because of our connection to consciousness as a whole. All consciousness is seen as connected, and by setting forth are will in that consciousness we will be able to manifest our realities. Whatever thoughts that the practitioner holds in their mind will affect not only the practitioner, but the world around the practitioner. By focusing and mastering the mind one can tap into their consciousness, and subconsciousness to imprint focus upon certain desires, so that they will manifest in the world around them. This understanding is also very connected to the understanding of the universal mind, collective consciousness, and the idea that everything is consciousness. In this theory any entity that has consciousness can focus it to do magick.
Entity Theory:
Entity theory has the understanding that magick works by gaining favor with, or appeasing certain entity, or entities in existence, one will be able to manifest their will, if the entity, or entities, so choose to help the practitioner. These can be any form of entity, or entities that can be communicated with such as deities, angels, demons, spirits, ancestors, animistic spirits, source, and/or the universe. Once these entities are appeased, or that the practitioner have favor with them they are said to go through the act of acting out their will. In this understanding there may be a hierarchy of entities where the top would send entities from the bottom to actually manifest the desires. In this theory any entity that can communicate with higher powers, or other entities will have the potential to do magick.
Psychological Theory:
Psychological theory has the understanding that magick works through the act of deceiving, or redirecting how the practitioner thinks, or believes about something in order to push the practitioner towards there desire. This is based on the premise in which once reality is changed completely based off what they think, and/or believe. By thinking, or believing certain things their reality changes allowing their will to be achieved through a different train of thought. One would use spells and rituals in order to create new mental thought patterns which would allow the practitioner to bring forth, or push themselves towards their desire. One may use magickal items to remind them of what their will is, and to imprinted in their conscious, and subconscious mind. Some may even see this as a form of self hypnosis, or as a way to trigger the placebo effect in themselves. Tools are seen as a way of focusing their will upon their intention, and will be things that will draw the practitioner to thinking, or acting in a way in order to align themselves with their goal. In this theory any entity that has a mind, and can change how that mind thinks, or believes can do magick.
Biological Theory:
Through the act of controlling our emotions, thoughts, and physical factors one will initiate chemical reactions that will allow the practitioner to trigger the release of specific physical energies which will then be able to go forth, and manifest one’s goal. This would be like wanting to be able to go to sleep easier, so the practitioner would focus on sleep allowing the melatonin in their body to be triggered, and activated allowing the practitioner to go to sleep easier. This understanding sees magick is all biological, and created by controlling biological forces in the body from different chemicals to the bioelectromagnetic field around the practitioner. In this theory any biological entity has the potential to do magick.
Quantum Explanation Theory:
Quantum explanation theory has the understanding that magick works by using the will to interact with the mechanics of the universe in order to manifest the desire of the practitioner. The mind of the practitioner is used in order to interact with, and change the behavior of subatomic particles, and energy fields within space/time. Through interacting with the fundamental quantum mechanics one will make changes on the very basic level of being which will in turn react with the greater whole of existence in order to manifest one’s desires, and will. In this theory any practitioner who can access, and interact with quantum mechanics of the universe through their will has the potential to perform magick.
Faith Theory:
Faith theory has the understanding that magick works by having faith, and by believing that something will manifest, if the practitioner thinks about it positively. This theory is based around the premise that all the practitioner needs to do is believe in order to manifest anything. In this theory any entity that can have faith in what they are doing will be able to manifest their magick.
Eclectic, and Syncretic Theory:
Eclectic, and syncretic theory has the understanding that magick works through a combination of multiple, or all other theories, whether it is through bringing them all together to form an amalgamation of the theories, or if it is done through paradigm shiftings. This theory encompasses all, or some theories of how magick works, and uses them together or separately to explain its mechanics.
1) by casting flint stones behind your back towards the west – I’ve never used this method but I have seen others use this method of clicking stones together to bring rain.
2) by flinging a little sand into the air – I’ve actually used this method at one of the local beaches in the area. You can feel the sea breeze pick up the sand and carry it. Then you feel the wind shift and you can smell the briny salt of the ocean as the wind whips up the waves. Dark storm clouds form in the distance and you can watch as it rolls towards shore.
3) by striking a river with a broom – this is meant to send the water from the river into the sky thus bringing rain. Splashing river water works just as well. Swinging a broom in circles above your head in the air is also said to bring great winds and even storms.
4) bystirring water with the finger in a hole in the ground – my family’s method of bringing rain and storms uses an adapted version of this method however we tend to use water in a bowl instead of water in the ground though both methods work.
5) by burning rain bringing incense – My aunt uses this method when Melbourne really needs some rain. She buys an incense called ‘rain drops’ made of herbs known for bringing rain and then burns it while standing out in her yard while looking to the sky. Burning ‘rain bringing’ herbs also works.
6) by dancing, singing and playing musical instruments – while this may not seem very ‘witchy’ this method has been used by multiple cultures around the world to bring rain. Stomping your feet on the ground represents raindrops falling. Singing and the music of instruments represent the wind and the sound of rain.
7. Striking a wet rag against the steps of your home.
8. Burning fern and henbane outside.
9. Pointing a dagger at a certain magical square.
Draw the sixth pentacle of the Moon in silver ink (pencil is fine) and submerge it in water. As long as it’s underwater it will rain
The famous knotting of the wind spell from Cornwall, where witches “sold the wind” to sailors. I took a piece of hemp rope, tied the first knot focusing on a light breeze. After I tied the knot, I breathed into it, visualising a breeze. The second knot, a gail. The third knot a tempest. The words I used: “Knot number one, a breeze sealed. Knot number two, a gail concealed. Knot number three, a tempest unrevealed. One knot undone will release a breeze. Two knots undone, a gail. Three knots, the tempest untamed.” Make sure to put a charm on one end to know where the first know was done. I worked upwards from the charm. You don’t want to release a tempest by accident. Keep the rope/cord/string in a box, unseen and protected. Leave the cord out when you’ve unknotted it, so the wind can be “free.” Make sure you focus and visualise as you knot the cord. You could even craft it outdoors facing the direction of the wind.
For rain-making, Compendium Maleficarum mentions throwing crucifixes into water, for the more Satanically inclined witches out there.
Also, lots of pissing in holes and beating the resulting pee-pond with sticks. May well work. May also get pee everywhere. Haven’t tried and don’t necessarily recommend. XD
Church of the Morningstar 