Introduction to magic masterpost
Spells can go wrong for many, many reasons. I only have the experience to list a few. Unfortunately this will be a long post because I really want to try and explain these concepts thoroughly.
Not enough energy was raised
The bigger your goal, the more energy you need. Everyone has a natural limit of how much energy they can safely channel. This limit increases as you gain magical experience.
If you are trying to achieve something really improbable, you will need to raise more energy. In order to raise more energy you can do magical exercises to strengthen your astral body, practice channeling, and practice properly directing energy (try exercises like shielding, purification, charging, and enchanting objects.)
By this I mean, your had some bad programming in your spell.
You could have misstated your intent. This happens when what we actually want, and what we command the spell to do, are two different things. Here is an example:
You want more money so you do a general prosperity spell. You begin to feel good about life, you produce a lot of art, you get all your work done, and you feel like you have a lot of free time to enjoy yourself – but no money! You became more “prosperous” in your life, but because you did not accurately state your intent (“I want money”) your spell was essentially miscast.
On the other hand, sometimes spells are miscast simply because they were not put together very well. Depending on the style of magic you use, this could mean a lot of things. Here are some examples of ways spells could be miscast in my own style of magic:
I did not correctly charge the ingredients I am using
I did not call on the correct powers for the job
I tried to do too many things inside of one spell (like, trying to send one spell to do five jobs)
I did not correctly seal the spell
I did not correctly program the powers I called on and I misdirected them
If you think this may be an issue for you, simplify your spells. Try using only one ingredient or only your intent. Write simple spell goals and keep your spells very direct and specific. Also, try out different spell formats which may suit you better.
The target was not properly targeted
When you send a letter, you need a proper address that the Postal Service can identify. If you are doing a jar spell or an enchantment, then targeting is not a problem. You simply tie the spell right to that physical item. But if you are sending a spell to a different destination, you must accurately identify your target.
This can be done by using a physical taglock, such as fingernail clippings or hair. If you wish to target a person and don’t have their hair clippings, use a card with their full name, home address, and personal descriptions. The spirits and powers you work with can use this information to correctly target the person.
If you are attempting to target a situation or a non-physical concept, try using clear focus and vividly imagining the situation you wish to affect.
You do not have the experience to identify when magic works
Magic can act in very subtle ways. You know how cool people in action movies are like, “there are CIA agents who have been following us for five blocks!”? That is sometimes what working with magic feels like. It can take an experienced eye to determine what is ‘natural’ and what is ‘magical’.
Sometimes, people who are new to working magic are expecting very grandiose, showy manifestations that knock their socks off. Often, magic manifests gently and slowly. In this case, the magic didn’t fizzle – it just hasn’t been recognized.
Your spell just hasn’t manifested yet
Manifestation is an important part of spellwork. I believe spells need a foothold in the physical world in order to correctly manifest, and if that foothold isn’t there, then the spell will just wait around endlessly in the astral waiting until it can come down and do your work.
Manifesting a spell can be done by tying the spell to a physical object, like jewelry or a rock. Or, you can create opportunities for manifestation by doing physical actions. One example is turning in applications to help a job spell manifest.
The target had protections or defenses which deflected your spell
These defenses do not have to be intentional. Many people and places have natural defenses, whether or not they are magically inclined.
If you wish to target something that seems to have natural defenses, try sending spells to erode or destroy their protections. Or, try scrying or remote viewing so you can understand the nature of their protections and get around them.
Sometimes, getting around protections is as simple as using a different kind of energy. A very fiery person is not likely to be brought down with a spell charged by the Sun, for example.
Interested spirits or a third party stopped your spell
If your target has spirits interested in their well-being, those spirits may stop incoming spells. Even if you believe a spell is well-intentioned and will be beneficial to your target, spirits may have other ideas.
In addition, some witches or other magical practitioners may consider certain people or locations under their protection. If I believed my friends were under magical attack, I would take steps to protect them.
I do not believe that “the universe” will stop spells for your own good. I think the universe likes to let us land on our ass now and then to learn a good lesson. I also think tutelary spirits will let us make our own mistakes if we insist on it. But intervention by spirits or other people can be a possibility.
Your previous spellwork or personal protections are stopping spells from getting through
Suppose I cast a really intense protection on my home that allowed no spell to pass. Well, that would also mean none of my spells could get out.
Like software being run on an incompatible operating system, sometimes the magical framework you have set up for yourself can block your attempts at manifesting spells.
If you are worried that this is your problem, make a list of the spells you have cast on yourself and on your life, and what kind of protections and spirits you have working for you.
Try casting an uncrossing with special intent to allow your spells to flow freely. Also ask any spirits you work with to help sort out your situation and find what is blocking your spells. Consider taking down old, defunct protections and other spells which no longer serve you well.
You used energies contrary to your goal
If I wanted to cast a spell to bring peace, I would not use energies of fire, the Sun, or Mars. Even if I asked the fire to bring peace, that’s not really what fire does, you know?
This can be one downside of choosing to working with limited energies or forces. It’s like having a well balanced pokemon team. You need the ability to call different powers to your defense and your benefit.
If your spells aren’t working, ask yourself if you are working with a limited range of forces. Ask if the powers you use match the goals you want to achieve, and if the energies you use support your spells.
