Magical Theory (Pt 2): The Basics of Spellcraft
To start off, everything that I get into below is up for debate. Magic and its practice is as varied and unique as the people and spirits that practice it. Please note that I ADORE the debate.
For our use here I am going to narrowly define a spell as a single magical working with a single intended effect. Magical activities like meditation, astral work, spirit communion, etc, are not included in this definition. A spell is a specific act with a specific intent, a cause and an effect.
A spell in its most basic form (at least as far as I’ve been able to distill it) consists of four components or steps; Aim, Focus, Charge and Cast.
Spellcraft is incredibly flexible, and each of these steps can be modified in creative ways. This makes it hard to be concise when talking about the steps. I may need to expand on each of these components at a later time, but for now I will attempt to summarize them here.
Aim: I like to visualize a basic spell like firing a laser at the universe. The first step to firing that laser is to point it in the right direction. A spell is aimed toward the desired outcome through the use of intent. I find it best to create a specific, concise statement of intent to aim my spells. The more specific your aim, the more likely that you will hit your target. A shaky intent will make it more likely that your spell veers off course.
Focus: Now that our laser beam is pointed in the right direction it’s time to alter the beam itself to suit our needs. The focus step is where we tune the energies used and add in clarifying elements. We focus the spell using correspondences. I like to picture this step as using a series of lenses on our laser beam. Maybe a cinnamon lens will make the laser travel faster, maybe a seashell will turn the beam blue, allowing it to pass through certain obstacles. Using these lenses, we alter how the spell will behave as it works towards our Aim.
Charge: This is probably the simplest of the steps, until you stop to think on it. The big question for the charge step with be, how do you want your laser to fire? Do you want to shoot a continuous beam or maybe a short, concentrated sci-fi style blaster shot. The answer to this question is going to change how you plan to power your laser. For a quick shot, I simply gather energy to fill a basin or “battery” in order to discharge it all at once. If I need something more diligent, I plan out a collection system. Using the lenses from the previous step, a spell can be set up to collect energy from elsewhere and power itself for longer periods of time.
Cast: This is the actual simplest step of the four. After setting up your laser, placing and focusing your lenses, and charging the battery, it’s time to finally fire it. The Cast step does not need anything specific for it to work, but I find it best to create a clear boundary between BEFORE the spell is cast and AFTER. In ritual, the cast could be marked by a sharp exhale, the snuffing of a candle or a clap of the hands. The important part is the change, the crossing of the line from potential into action.
I’m pretty sure that it MIGHT be MAYYBE possible to remove one of the four and still potentially have a spell, I think. I am certain that the order of these steps can be modified, as long as all other steps come before Casting (a creative practitioner could probably break this rule too). It’s messy trying to condense the huge variety of spells into one working system, but this is the model that’s worked for me so far.
