Hello everyone. I hope you’re all having a nice October this year, and preparing to enjoy Samhain if you celebrate it. Today, I’d like to talk a bit about verbal magick and incantations. Many of the charms and spells I post on this blog involve such techniques, and I figured it would be interesting to explore them a bit in-depth, as well as pointing out what I’ve particularly found to be helpful about various sorts of verbal magick in my own workings and spells. The information and ideas I’ll be presenting are largely my own, though, so your mileage may vary, but hopefully you’ll find this interesting and informative.
The word “incantation” stems from the very-Latin word “Incantatio,” which meant simply a spoken spell, chant, or other audible technique of bewitchment. The word has since been used differently in many different contexts up to the present day, but here, I’m merely using the term to refer to any verbal mechanism for the exercise of magical force. The use of spoken words in magic probably dates back to the origins of human language, and most classical grimoires and many earlier texts will recommend specific utterances be used for a given magical purpose. Agrippa writes, in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy,
“They say that the power of enchantments and verses is, so great, that it is believed they are able to subvert almost all Nature. Apuleius saith that with a magical whispering, swift rivers are turned back, the slow sea is bound, the winds are breathed out with one accord, the Sun is stopped, the Moon is clarified, the Stars are pulled out, the day is kept back, the night is prolonged…” - Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, “Of the Wonderful Power of Enchantments,” The Philosophy of Natural Magic
Some grimoires, spellbooks, and other texts go into detail regarding the origins of the words themselves, but some do not, leaving us to piece together why the ancients saw certain words as powerful, or if they did at all,. One has to wonder whether they believed the words to be inherently imbued with force, or merely vehicles for the Will of a particular witch or magician.
I, of course, am of the opinion that it is a function of the two working in conjunction. The word or words used do have inherent power insofar as all things touched by the spark of human consciousness and gifted with meaning do, but it is the intention of the witch or magician that makes harnessing this power a possibility. The word acts upon the witch or magician’s psyche, penetrating it to that ill-defined level, beyond doubt and self-castigation, where magick is a possibility, and from there is loosed upon the collective unconscious of which all beings partake.
I would argue that most traditions that feature words of power use them mostly as shortcuts to both focus the intent of the witch, and bypass the self-censoring faculty of the mind that commonly interferes with our intentions manifesting in normal settings. The words really operate like shortcuts designed to throw us into a liminal state while also solidifying our intent and radiating it through the universe. This description is, of course, a metaphor for something not well understood, just as talk of “energies” and “vibrations” are metaphors. Not everyone will agree with this particular theory regarding verbal magick, and many others exist, but mine informs my approach to the subject, so I felt it necessary to explain it a bit.
While all incantations serve a similar purpose at base, there’s quite an extreme variety in the execution of the concept. In my practice, the incantations I create and use tend to fall into one of the following loose categories, though some employ the elements of several at once.
This is the most common form of incantation that one sees in popular magical literature these days, and usually involves a small rhyming couplet designed to easily sink into your memory for quick recall during spellcraft. In the image below, you can see an example of such an incantation, in this case, for a truth-seeking spell.
The language in this one, as in many, is meant to be poetic, and even mildly archaic, and while it would probably not win any awards for great verse, it gets the point across. The rhyme aspect, as noted, helps the witch to remember it. It also, though, helps to induce liminality by calling to mind situations where the unexpected or otherworldly can easily occur (such as in poems, plays, and other works of fiction). The latter, though definitely just a matter of aesthetics, can be highly effective at bypassing the everyday faculties of the mind to reach, as I’ve said, a liminal state where anything seems possible.
Long, intricate rhymes, verses, or statements (used as incantation in spellcraft) do not seem terribly popular these days. I rarely use them, myself, though, and gravitate towards sources without them, so perhaps they’re used more widely than my reading lets on. The last time I used an incantation in magick that was longer than a few lines would probably have been during my work with my local Temple of the Ordo Templi Orientis back in Ohio before I moved, and that was during a series of elemental weapon consecration rituals.
Really more ceremonial, rather than what is commonly called witchcraft. Indeed, the longer incantations seem most popular amongst ceremonialists of various sorts, rather than witches. Still, many witches have a bit of ceremonialism in them, and do use long poems or other writings as incantations. A good, mid-length example of this can be found in Valerie Worth’s The Crone’s Book of Magical Words, which is entirely comprised of poems detailing various spells, as well as incantations to go with them. Worth recommends reciting the following incantation over some candles and a red cloth as part of a love spell:
“Fire, spirit of the Sun,
Wax, thou melting flesh of Earth,
Prove this work that I have done,
Bring me love, and beggar death:
Let me be myself consumed
Not by darkness but by light
Warmth, not cold, until I spend
My final flame against the night”
This is not terribly long, but much longer than what I usually work with personally. For me, long incantations can be difficult to memorize, and nothing trips up my focus during spellcraft more than having to read aloud from a paper or book. Still, some people do thrive using this kind of incantation.
If you’ve a good memory, or you find reading aloud doesn’t feel too awkward, you might find a lengthy incantation helpful. For some witches, reading aloud from a book or memorizing and reciting something very long actually helps to induce a magical state, possibly because many of us are accustomed to the idea that magick involves such lengthy incantations.
Furthermore, a long incantation, rhyming or not, allows a witch to fully express their intent, and also leaves room for more nuance and specificity. Also, speaking from my own paradigm and perspective having worked with Goetics and other similar creatures, some spirits respond quite well to longer or more detailed incantations, perhaps out of habit (who knows?), but still, I rarely use such things in my current work.
I made the above image to express the concept of verbal sigils. They are essentially the sigilization techniques commonly practiced applied to verbal expression. Rather than creating a symbol expressing intent, a word or series of sounds are used instead. This method is good for spells that one performs over and over, or which must be cast quickly in a specific situation.
Preparatory work is required, more so than simply stating your intent, because, just like a normal sigil, a verbal sigil must go through the process of being created and charged before it can be cast. Just like normal visual sigils, verbal sigils easily bypass the parts of the mind that inhibit magical exercises, particularly if one practices this technique often.
Another thing: when creating a verbal sigil, you needn’t be limited to the above method. Many people have preexisting connotations for various sounds when they’re annunciated, thus you can create seemingly nonsensical words that actually evoke strong emotions in you, solidify your intent, and put you in a magical mindset from just stringing together syllables that you associate with your desire. In The Goodly Spellbook, Dixie Deerman writes about how certain sounds made by us humans can actually be mapped onto existing correspondence systems such as the elements or the seven celestial spheres. It’s worth looking into, I’d say.
Foreign Words and Phrases
I want to, here, address the potential for using incantations in a language that is foreign to the witch. Many witches do this, cribbing Latin or Enochian incantations from old grimoires, and some will even just translate their intent into Latin (or any other language they have some, but not much, familiarity with), using that as an incantation. I don’t regularly do any of this, but it can be effective for several reasons. Since the language is not that of the witch’s everyday life, nor, usually, one that he or she thinks in, it can help to invoke the magical mindset and bypass the so-called psychic censor.
I don’t consider myself one to work with popular culture often, but in The Dresden Files, the titular wizard, Harry Dresden, speaks in a weird sort of self-constructed Latin-inspired language when casting spells, and the point is made that the foreignness of the words helps in the process. For some witches, this portrayal may be slightly close to the truth. I wouldn’t recommend trying it with a language you’ve no familiarity with, though - ideally, you want to use a language you know slightly, but which you’re not fluent in.
This technique is not without pitfalls, though. One reason I rarely use it (despite having passing familiarity with a couple other languages) is that I am a perfectionist when it comes to pronunciation, and if I feel that I’m pronouncing something even slightly wrong, it makes me feel self-conscious and breaks my focus. Similarly, I am not a fan of just reading a pre-written incantation in a foreign language from a book, especially if the book itself doesn’t provide a proper translation.
Call me silly, but without a vague idea of what’s being said or what it means, how can the words act as a vehicle for your intent in a magical context? Furthermore, and while this may sound superstitious, just because you don’t know what the words mean doesn’t mean other entities don’t, and you wouldn’t want to say something you don’t intend, would you? Still, as I’ve said, foreign words and phrases can be useful in magick, if put in a proper context.
The Content of the Incantation
Well, here, I’ve written a lot about different styles of incantation, but now, it’s time to discuss the actual content of the incantation and the meaning the words convey, whether they’re in a foreign language, thrown into a verbal sigil, stated plainly or arranged into poetry. For me, there are several basic ways of expressing intent in an incantation, and I’m going to talk about each in turn, their benefits and drawbacks
Sometimes, an incantation needn’t directly express a desire. Instead, it might work by invoking certain emotions and sentiments in the witch. Many authors call these “trigger words,” as they’re words that trigger a particular emotion or sensation. Rarely does an incantation use this technique alone, but plenty use it. Look above at the incantation I quoted from Worth’s book - much of it isn’t an expression of intent, but is rather a poetic invocation of the imagery and emotions of passionate love.
The request (more about requests later) is still present, but the bulk of it plays to the witch’s emotions. This can be highly effective because strong emotions tend to strengthen your intent, provided they aren’t directly at cross-purposes with it. Used alone, a trigger word or phrase can easily be sigilized, translated, or toyed with in another way to create an incantation. I never just use a single word in plain language alone, though. Some authors do recommend it, though, and I recall Arin Murphy-Hiscock suggesting that a witch chant the word “Money” to raise power for a prosperity spell. Your mileage will vary, but I personally just feel awkward repeating a plain word over and over, so I almost always sigilize or manipulate the word a bit before using it.
Often, an incantation is framed as a request to a specific power, entity, or force of nature. Again, using Worth’s love spell (above), we have an example; the witch addresses the candles themselves and asks them to use their powers of Earth and the Sun to grant the request. I use this technique a lot, particularly in my herbal work. As an animist, I tend to recognize a force behind each plant or compound, and of these, I’ll request help in my aims. I may, for example, ask or command the mugwort I’m using to help increase my second sight.
This method meshes poorly with certain paradigms, as it presupposes intelligence (in other words, something resembling consciousness or a spirit) that is addressed in the incantation. A larger problem is that you’ve got to at least have a good conception of just what you’re addressing. I wouldn’t merely stand around saying “Let it rain, please!” if I wanted to call up a storm - instead, I’d have to formulate who I’d be addressing (spirits of the clouds, a storm godform, etc…) before making the request. Magick involving requests can get pretty complicated, and another issue, of course, is that certain entities have a habit of asking for something in return, thus requiring a little negotiation and an extended exchange.
Many relegate the concept of affirmations to the general New Age milieu or the realm of self-care/self-help. Indeed, they can be helpful for changing negative thought patterns, but they’re also quite useful in magick, and just because they’ve a New Age association doesn’t make them bunk. They function a bit like trigger words, but do contain a direct assertion of what you will to happen. Normally, in an affirmation, the statement is phrased as if it is already reality (more about this later). You might use “I am healthy mentally and physically” as an affirmation in a healing spell, and, as usual, this can be done in any of the flavors (and then some) that I mentioned above: verse, sigilization, whatever you want. It’s really important to phrase these correctly if you intend to use them, though, but that’s true of most incantations.
So, I’ve discussed different methods for effective incantations. Now, I’ll be talking a bit about making them more powerful. Here are just a few tips I’ve picked up over the years.
Most books will tell you that specificity is important - instead of a general incantation for prosperity, ask for money specifically if it’s money you’re after. Avoid vagueness, and especially avoid words that have double meanings for you or which might inspire emotions at cross-purposes with your goal.
Avoid “I want” or “I desire” language. Everyone wants things, but as a witch, you want to go beyond just wanting. As an example, don’t form your incantation around a statement like “I want a new car;” a better way of putting it would be “I shall have a new car,” or even “I have a new car.” Either ask for what you want (formulated as a request to someone specific) or declare that it is or shall be so.
Phrase whatever you write in a positive fashion. I mean avoiding words like “won’t” “isn’t,” or “cannot” as much as possible. Phrasing your goal as something like, “I will no longer suffer from back pain” might not work as well a a simple, “I am healthy.” While the first is more specific, notice that the bulk of the sentence is “suffer from back pain,” thus it calls to mind the suffering rather than the act of it being lifted. There’s exceptions to this rule for me, though - I will occasionally use such phrasing if I can find no other way of putting it.
The Act of Incantation Itself
I’ve been asked a couple times if it’s necessary to always speak an incantation out loud. It’s particularly an issue for witches who live with unsympathetic roommates. I have in the past, and I can say that whispering, murmuring, or even the act of subvocalization (read more about that here!) is effective as well. The relative volume (or lack thereof) of what you’re saying is less important, of course, than your intent and the force with which you say (or subvocalize, in some cases) it. Some witches feel that they need to shout their incantations, and that works well for them, but many instead.
For me, the ideal way to speak or put forward an incantation is often termed “vibration” by ceremonial magicians, and can take many forms. I wrote about it in my enchantment essay, and, to quote the relevant part:
Many spells and rituals require spoken incantations, but if you’re good at imagining your own voice, you can project the words outwards without moving your lips.
Some ceremonial magicians call this “vibrating,” and many older rituals call for it specifically. Speaking aloud can be part of it, and feel free to do this while actually speaking, but it’s possible to do it without physically making a sound. We all have an inner monologue, and, to properly, yet silently, “vibrate” a word or phrase, you need only make that monologue as loud as possible within your mind. In his text, The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical Ceremonial Magick, the famous mage Israel Regardie recommends visualizing the words in a written form when doing this, as well. In The Essential Golden Dawn, the later author, Chic Cicero, describes the “formula of vibration” thusly:
“A method by which divine names and words are intoned forcefully and with authority in a ‘vibration.’ Properly performed, the vibration should be felt throughout the entire body and imagined to be vibrated throughout the universe.”
For actual initiates of the Hermetic Order of Golden Dawn, it is probably assumed that the magician would “vibrate” aloud, because, quite simply, in a proper public Temple setting, there is no reason not to do so, but you can easily adapt the concept to practicing silently if need be, and whether you speak aloud or not, the requirements for “vibration” should be met. It’s quite a difficult to describe phenomenon, and really, I can only term it “thinking very loudly.” Do that, and you’re off to a good start as far as “vibrating” goes, though, really, it’s much more than that. In the tradition of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it’s (for the most part) the names of Godforms that are vibrated. Having taken part in group rituals that involved this, it’s quite an effective way of calling on an unseen force.
That said, there’s something to be said for taking a conversational tone when speaking to a spirit and making a request. Even when doing so, though, I still feel that I am “vibrating” the words - my tone is just more friendly, and, in any case I’ll create in my mind the sensation that the words are coming from every direction at once. It takes practice and some people have other methods, but if you can get that effect (sound coming from everywhere at once, inside your mind), it’ll work well for you.
I hope this article was helpful and gave you a good look at what incantation can entail, as well as ideas for future practice. Realize that none of it’s absolutely going to be true for everyone, though, and you’ll need to experiment and search yourself a bit to discover what works best for you. Happy magick-making, everyone. Stay safe and have a good evening. If you enjoy my work, consider donating or purchasing a reading from me to help fund future endeavors. And, of course, if you’ve any question on this or any other topic that you’d like me to answer, don’t hesitate to send me an ask, but do please read the FAQ first.