Enchanted Doorway--Ritual Basics and Tools of the Trade.

When most people think of magic what comes into their heads? Magicians at a child's party doing tricks? Something out of a fantasy novel or RPG? Wizards and sorcerers? Tool of the Devil? So many misnomers so little time! That's why you see throughout this site and others like it magic is spelled a little differently. It's spelled M-A-G-I-C-K. This way when we say magick you know we are not talking about any of the above things. We are talking about real, honest to Goddess, magick!

Now that you know what it's not, lets talk about what it IS. Magick is - simply put - psychic energy sent out towards a specific goal. What does that mean? Well, it means that when a person concentrates and focuses energy for something specific to happen they are practicing magick. Is that all? Well, not really.

Here's how it works. In the spiritual world like attracts like (the opposite of what happens with a magnet). People who do good things and surrounds themselves with positive energy will have good things and positive things happen to them. That is because by doing those things they are sending out energy which in turn attracts energy of a similar nature. Yes, this is like Karma. Actually, it's partially the way karma seems to work. After all, a person who does bad, evil, or negative things will have bad, evil, or negative things happen to them. They sent out negative energy and that energy attracted more and more negative energy back.

So, when a spell is done, energy for something specific is sent out. That energy attracts the goal of the spell and brings it back to the caster. Basically, that's what happens. It's also what happens when a person says a prayer to a deity for something to happen. The difference between a spell and a prayer though is that a spell uses symbols, chants, and colors to assist the focus of such energy. One can almost think of it as a strong prayer.

Magick is neither good nor evil. In it's own true form it's as neutral and it can get. The good or the evil comes from the person who wields it. If the person's intentions and heart are evil then the magick will be evil. If they are good then the magick will be good.

Now, there are a lot of mistakes that can be made when working magick and it's very important that you know what they are.

1. Know that it will work! Some spells don't work and even backfire because a person only had either faith or belief that the spell would work. The trick is that one has to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their spell will work for them in the way they want it to for it to be truly successful. A person with belief or faith can do amazing things and awesome spells. But, those spells and actions would be so much more powerful if the person knew that the spell was going to work and didn't just believe, or think it would.

2. Be careful of what you wish for. Magick is goal specific. If you ask for something you will get what you asked for...exactly! A person doing a money spell, for example, might ask for bills. This person was thinking the word "bill" as meaning a "dollar bill". But, what they get in return is a mailbox full of collection notices for bills that need to be paid! I simple but costly mistake.

3. Magick won't do all the work for you. You still have to do some of the work yourself. For instance, lets say a person wanted to do a spell to help them find a rewarding and successful career. The energy goes out and is all ready to bring the goal to this person. But, he/she is just sitting on his/her butt in front of the television and isn't even looking for work! Then they get pissed off because the spell didn't work. Actually, it did work. The magick was there, waiting for the person to go out, and actually look. In this kind of situation, the person would have applied to a job, got an interview, and hired. And chances are good that he/she would have loved it too! But, that energy had no way of getting the job to him/her because he/she wasn't looking for it and trying to get it himself/herself.

4. Magick doesn't replace good doctors and medicine. Although a healing spell can work wonders if done right, the person healed should still see a doctor for whatever the illness was. Mainly because the magick, in this case, will supplement the work the doctor was already doing.

5. Intent is sometimes more important than the purpose of the spell. You can do all the magick you want, but what your true intentions are can make a spell go good or bad. For example, my husband wants to become a Navy SEAL. I - being my selfish self - don't really want him to go. We both decided that I shouldn't assist him should he decide to do a spell to help him get in and make it. My not wanting him to go can actually do more harm than good because deep down I really don't want him to do it. My own feelings can negate or backfire the spell. And, although I don't want him to go, I do want him to be happy and to have a good chance at trying anyway. See how it can be a problem?

6. Don't think about it! Remember how like attracts like? Well, when you think about something you send energy out towards what you are thinking about. It's not much energy, but it's there just the same. If you worry and fret and think about a spell you did you can actually hold it back eventually causing it to negate itself. Best solution? When you do a spell just forget about it. Go on with life as usual. Obsessing over it will just snare it and cause you more frustration that you should have!

7. It is ok to do spells for your own betterment! I don't know who came up with the idea that a person who can do magick shouldn't do it for self-gain. That just isn't true! Think about it. How can you help other people if you yourself need help? How can you heal if you yourself need healing? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be prosperous and happy. Just don't cause any harm and you're ok! It's that simple. When you think about it, before TV shows like Charmed, no one ever said anything about "personal gain consequences" or whatnot. However, after the show became popular I started hearing that from friends. It just goes to show how something as simple as a show can alter how many percieve magick. Just remember to keep it in perspective.

8. Enjoy yourself! This is very important. Yes, there is a certain level of seriousness involved with working magick. However, all work and no play makes you a very sour little witch! If you don't enjoy the work you are doing, be it for yourself or others, then why are you doing it? Magick can be very self-gratifying. But, if you don't enjoy the craft then you're not going to get very far in it.

9. Be comfortable! If you are not comfortable with what you are doing then don't do it! Find out what it is that is making you uncomfortable ASAP! This is very important for various reasons. Firstly, it could be that some thing in the area (physical or metaphysical) may hinder your work or be working against you. Or, it could just "not be the right time" for such work to be done. Or� a host of other reasons. Bottom line is, trust your instincts. When working with the spiritual or mystical your instincts can act like an alarm. They will alert you when there is something "just not right" and can even lead you into fixing whatever 'it' is.

I'm not telling you any of this to frighten or worry you. The last thing I am trying to do is to make it all sound mysterious or dangerous. I just want you to know what to look out for and for you to see just how serious magick can be. There are many out there who do what is called "dabbling" or are what we call "trendies". These people usually unintentionally cause many problems for themselves or others because they aren't truly serious about working magick. They don't take responsibility for their actions. Usually these people read a book or two and then think they know all there is to know about magick and withcraft. They don't realize that there is a lot to learn just from basic experience which can't be taught through a book or a web page. There are excellent books and sites out there. I'm not saying there isn't. But, one of the great things about paganism and witchcraft is that you never stop learning.

It doesn't matter if you have been practicing for 60 years or 60 days. Nobody knows all there is to know. Anyone who claims to know it all is either deluding themselves or lying to you. Truth be told, the more you learn, the more experience you get under your belt, the better you will be. So, don't worry if you don't know it all. Neither do I. Neither do any of us. And, if you find that you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the Wiccan/Pagan/Witchcraft forum. In terms of spirituality and magick, there are no stupid questions. Chances are if you have one then it probably has been asked many times and we'll be more than happy to answer it for you! And if you ask a question which I myself don't know the answer to, then I'll be learning something new as well and I'm sure together we can find somebody who can help us out!