A few weeks ago, someone wrote a sigil in red on the door of my shop; It could have, of course, been a blessing, but I took it as a curse.
Also, red, for me, signifies aggression and war. We could not pinpoint which belief was the sigil was from. Still, we gathered it was a more primitive belief system because correct geometry was not required.
This spell, of course, would have worked on a lesser witch.
The fact that the caster didn't hide it, though, gave me enough ammunition to quickly cancel it before it could cause any more harm to me or my business.
Something about that also made me think about how ignorant some people are about magick.
That is dangerous for themselves and others.
So here are a few things that I want you all to consider before deciding to cast a spell, and I am sure I have skipped over lots of things, so be sure to add your knowledge in the comments.
1. Not knowing the type of magick you are doing
In the last article, I quickly go over the types of magick one can perform.
There are so many different types of magick, and they are all so unique and require complete immersion to start wielding and mastering them.
Make sure you find out which magick you would like to learn first and stick to only that until you decide it doesn't suit you or are ready to move on to the next.
I suggest moving from Natural to Ceremonial at first; when you have a basic understanding of both, you can begin to go back and forth between the two.
2. Forgetting discretion
Do you know why alchemy contains so many symbols that you have to learn by heart, why each demon has a seal instead of a name?
The more challenging something is to decipher, the harder it is to act on it or against it.
The same goes with finding it; nothing you do should be easy to find or decipher. This goes hand in hand with posting about all of your spells and rituals, which automatically cancels them, period! —writing a sigil right in the open is also a good way for someone to find what you are doing.
If you have learned nothing else in this article, keep in mind that secrecy is always your friend.
3. Using magick from a closed practice where you are not an initiate.
This will ruffle a couple of feathers. I don't care!
When a belief system is closed, it's closed. Please listen when people from said culture tell you to stop appropriating their cultures and gods. There is nothing left to argue about.
Voodoo is a closed practice, and unless you are an initiate, you cannot practice voodoo.
Hoodoo is not a closed religion, but it's a mix of predominantly African belief systems that enslaved people brought to the new world. They often used the belief systems to face the enslavement and abuse they had to endure.
Since it's not a closed religion, I guess anyone can participate.
HOWEVER, what I end up seeing are white hoodoo practitioners that erase the fact that hoodoo is African. They start calling on their ancestors.
Their ancestors were why the African diaspora's ancestors suffered, so what are we doing here? Even in our belief system, we are still oppressed?
Take this how you will.
I will not even speak about the West's hijacking of Eastern spiritual beliefs. i.e.: Kamasutra, Yoga, mindfulness.
4. Getting your magick from Instagram/TikTok posts instead of reading books.
I want to make Instagram reels, and 60 seconds TikTok's explaining all my knowledge of the occult. Still, I would be doing you all a disservice.
Proper knowledge requires an attention span of more than 60 seconds.
Don't get me wrong; I am aware that some of these short videos might push some people to go and look further into the subject matter. But at the end of the day, most people are content sticking to the easy 60 seconds tutorial of doing the same bottle protection spell that every influencer has done and re-done.
If everyone has the same protection spell, it does not protect anymore, trust me.
Seek actual knowledge, and proper knowledge is not easy to find because it's not for the weak-minded.
5. Not prepping your mind, body and soul before a spell.
Spell work takes a lot of work and requires full strength of mind, body and soul.
Sometimes super complex spells demand that you prepare for over a year with fasting, sexual abstinence, exercise, and meditation.
However, the first spells you will try probably do not require much. However, you still need a few days to prepare yourself mentally, clearing your mind by practising mindfulness and mind control. Clean your soul by doing shadow work, exposing all your profound dark truths, and working with them. Clean your body by working out and drinking water; sometimes, spells will require fasting. The goal here is to be completely clear of things that make you weak and distracted.
6. Working with entities you can't control.
Did you love American Horror Story Coven, and now you think you can call on Papa Legba for eternal life? You read a bit about goetic demons, and now you are drawing circles on the floor trying to command the demon of wealth.
Something more straightforward; you would like to work with your ancestors because that's how they do in some indigenous religion you read about on the internet.
Do you know which ancestors you are speaking with, or do you think all ancestors are benevolent?
By definition, ancestors used to be human. Yes, some reached enlightenment in the afterlife; however, some still have a lot to work through; others don't even want to. Imagine the Ancestor is your grandmother's sister. She is jealous to see her sister's grandchildren thrive while her grandchildren are not. That woman is not someone your want to attract when dealing with spirits.
Learn more about how to protect yourself from unwanted and malicious spirits before casting a spell that requires working with them.
7. Working with ancestors that were awful…
This is shade… and T.
Ancestors based religions often find themselves in indigenous or minority groups that have often been and are still oppressed by the ruling class.
Therefore, the oppressed turned to their ancestors for protection.
The people that sought shelter in the 1800s are now the same ancestors protecting their descendants from oppression.
When descendants of said oppressors want to practice hoodoo or other for indigenous traditions that are not part of their culture, I want to ask, "which ancestors are you working
with?
The ones my ancestors were running from? That's so triggering.
I will not tell people what to do; however, I can choose with whom I work, and I will not work with people who do not have common sense.
And seriously
FUCK YOUR ANCESTORS!
8. Forget to give back to the universe in gratitude.
We tend to live in an individualistic world. As much as it's pretty healthy to put oneself first, it's also essential for your light to be a blessing to others. You are not keeping balance when all you do is take. Even if you get all you want at first, the pendulum always swings, and the universe will demand payment and sometimes all at once.
For each spell you do for yourself, do something for others.
Practising gratitude also cultivates compassion, something we all need.
9. Forgetting that all magick has a price.
Whether the price is physical, mental, or energetic, you perform what we call transmutation when you do magick.
In alchemy, it's the process of changing basic metals into gold. Although it is always thought this was a metaphor to help us understand that energy can be transformed.
Ancient alchemists believed that everything is made up of the essential five elements; therefore, fire, earth, water and air could be rearranged to transform one thing into another. Metal into gold… of course, that'sc now how it works, but they were into something. We now know that there are way more elements in the periodic table and that everything is made of Atoms. With nuclear fissions, we have now learned that we can turn heavy elements into lighter Elements meaning gold into metal but not the way around… yet.
All that to say that what you're doing with magick is rearranging and moving energy around to serve your purpose. You need to make sure you restore the balance that the universe stays the same after your work.
This subject deserves a whole article, but you can't make something out of nothing; you can only transform and transfer energy.
A good example is love spells. You cannot create a love that isn't there, and all you will make is an imitation of love, like obsession and hate.
10. Forgetting to do magick every day.
Magick with a K is unquantifiable science; you cannot use the empirical system to show how it works. However, the more precise and intentional your spells get, the more they work; you can start recording your progress if you stay consistent. This is why you do need to practice every day. Start small, for example, by drinking an intentional tea and stirring in the direction you wish the spell to go.
You can turn everything you do every day into a ritual.
Journaling, making tea, stretching, showering, walking etc.
The more you do it, the more you can keep what works and toss what doesn't so that your work can become more precise and straightforward.
Well, that's it; I hope you enjoyed this New Entry.
Stay Blessed
Emma