City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

Tools of the Trade

OTHER WORLDLY ALLIES HAVE JOINED YOU. Your altar is set. You have learned some of the basics for this crazy little thing called magick. Now dim the lights and raise the curtain. It’s spell time.

A spell is a specific act of magick. Through intention, ritual, and visualization, you set magical forces in motion to fulfill your desire. Many times, spells may not seem magical at all. Through seemingly natural occurrences and coincidences, your desired goal manifests. When many people first get involved in magick, they imagine their spells will be something out of the next blockbuster movie, complete with lights and special effects. They hope for lightning bolts from the sky and mists rising out of nowhere. Although a theatrical element and mood can aid a ritual, the actual manifestation of a spell is much more down to earth. You do a spell for a new job, and you soon hear about a new job, from a friend, the newspaper, or the Internet. The position conforms to what was asked for in the spell. Your interview goes smoothly and you soon have a new job. No smoke or lightning bolts involved. The desire manifests through quite ordinary channels, seemingly through a series of coincidences. The only factor that makes people believe in magick is that, prior to the spell, they had been searching for this new job for two years. After the spell, it manifested in as little as a few days. For people apprehensive about doing their first spell, I compare it to a traditional prayer asking for help. Mages simply have a different way of asking.

Spells are simpler than most people think. They do not require elaborate rituals or exotic ingredients, but sometimes such things make them more powerful and more fun. The quest for these magical items is as interesting and informative as the actual results of your spell work. By discovering your own tools and designing your own rituals, as exotic or simple as you desire, you are adding your personal power, your own magical touch, to the spell. Do not feel compelled to follow something written hundreds of years ago, particularly if you don’t understand it. Never do magick you don’t completely understand. You never have to follow a program written by the latest New Age guru. A true teacher in any field will give you the basic understanding and skills, the tools of the trade, and encourage you to go off and create on your own magick. Pursuing spiritual practices is like giving bread to a person who is hungry. You satisfy the momentary craving, but the hunger remains. On the other hand, you teach someone how to plant grain and bake, you empower them for a lifetime. Magick works in the same way. You are your own guru. Others only help you realize it. We all have our own paths to follow and we learn more by following our own road than by following someone else’s.