EnchantedOak Introduction: The Difference Between Spells and Rituals On the surface the terms spell and ritual seem interchangeable meaning more or less the same thing. In grimoires, books of shadows, and other sources of esoteric study, these two words are commonly confused. In truth, these words have very different definitions with the word spell (also defined as a state of awareness, state of being or state of mind) implying an action that is short and capable of manifesting some kind of change. The word ritual in a magickal sense implies an action that is repeated to create or regain a certain state of mind. This sounds like the same thing, but rituals are often performed before and after spells to achieve the appropriate atmosphere in either the mind of the witch, the witch’s natural environment (physical plane) or in the astral plane where spirits dwell. Subsequently, the most significant difference between spells and rituals is that rituals have been historically designed for purposes of maintenance and preparation . Spells, on the other hand, are most often intended for the manifestation of some immediate or unique change (or the prevention of change). Typically, the time it takes to perform a spell is short and sharply goal-oriented. A ritual, however, can last anywhere from a few seconds to several years. In fact a single ritual, can have several spells for several different aims included within it. A spell should have a single purpose while a ritual may have many. Subsequently, many spells are preceded by and followed by rituals for summoning, banishing, purifying and cleansing. Rituals are also used to keep individuals in touch with the changing of the seasons and are often performed to welcome and celebrate the Sabbats of the pagan calendar. Likewise rituals as dedications to deities and celebrations of life stages (maturity, croning, handfasting, birth, death, etc.) are quite common in pagan culture and need not involve the change of anything. Communing with spirits through invocation or evocation is another common use of ritual work. Witches and magicians can grow with ritual work and become more highly evolved without ever effecting change in their environments. Ritual work is necessary for performing acts of High Magick (the act of causing the soul to unite with or rise to meet the universal deity, god, goddess, higher self or universe, however you see it). Some of the similarities between spells and rituals include that fact that both types of workings can involve all three kinds of magick: Natural, Spiritual, and Mental Magick. A spell however, must include at least ONE of the three types to be considered a working of spellcraft, because at the end of a spell, something is expected to manifest. We expect the world to be somewhat different than it would have been had we not performed the spell. A ritual, on the other hand, does not necessarily require one of the three forms of magick because the ritual itself can simply be done to honor or celebrate an individual or time period. Rituals workings are common for initiations as well as greeting newly born children and bidding farewell to those who have passed on. Rituals are repeated. We come to expect them through out our lives as they help us mark important occasions and connect with nature. Spells, on the other hand, are performed more by necessity than habit. We may cast a spell to heal an illness in a loved one whereas we might perform a ritual once a year to ensure stronger health throughout the coming seasons. Both spells and rituals can both be considered workings of witchcraft or magick, though rituals are common even in mainstream religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.). Conversely, the practice of casting spells is not shared by mainstream religions and many devoted members of these faiths fear the three forms of magick (even though they perform Spiritual Magick regularly in their own religions though with a different deity than most witches). As you can see the line separating spells and rituals is very thin, and there are often times when the two categories will overlap. And, while it is not necessary to label each working you perform, having a general understanding of the differences will greatly assist in the understanding of the three forms of magick and how they can best assist you in everyday life. All information, code and graphics contained in this site are filed with the Library of Congress © 2009 Enchanted Oak Publishing. No part may be used elsewhere without written permission. Spells are both complicated and marvelously simplistic. No one way of performing a spell is either wrong or right. The success or failure of a chosen method being the sole determinant of appropriateness. The witch or magician is limited only by his or her imagination and the various cultures around the world offer a wide variety of choices in method and tradition to potential casters. Points to Remember: When casting for yourself, be specific, but not too specific. Nature needs to be able to find the easiest path (without causing harm). So try to allow for a certain leeway. If you need money, resist the urge to direct all your spellwork towards specific areas such as the lottery. Magick is a part of nature and must be free to work in its own way. To prevent your magick from moving in a destructive path, you can perform a simple ritual, that of Pathway Narrowing... PATHWAY NARROWING: State that no harm will come from your spell. Advanced practitioners perform elaborate rituals during spell work to limit the direction energy can come from and what paths are blocked off to prevent harm from taking place. However if you are new to ritual work, then simply stating out loud that no harm can come from your spell if it is to succeed is usually more than sufficient. This not only prevents your energy from choosing an unbeneficial route to reaching its goal, but it also helps eliviate any question in your mind later if you performed a spell for some end, and coincidentally you achieved that same end at some separate, but tragic, consequence. For example, if you performed a money spell because you were in serious debt, you probably wouldnt care exactly where the money came from as long as nobody (including YOU) was harmed as a result of it. (Ex. Lotto or a raise at your job.) We might all say that we would give our right arm to be wealthy, but a car accident that takes your arm and leaves you with a million dollars is pitiful compansation and rarely what a witch has in mind when she works a spell. Narrowing your energy paths can eliminate the possibility of tragedy and preserve your piece of mind. The actual physics of magick can be mind-boggling. There are almost an unlimited source of doorways your energy could use to complete the goal you set for it. Like water running downhill, magick uses the forces of nature to complete its cycle. When you narrow your energys path, you effectively close doors that could potentially lead to disaster. Since there are so many possibilities for trouble, it seems that this should be a never-ending task. However, there is an easy and highly effective way to close all doorways to negative outcomes all with a single sentence: No harm can come from my spell. If you want to use an older phrase, the following is also useful: Haud Harum.. This is Latin for No Harm. This prevents your energy from choosing a path that will cause harm to you or anyone else. You can also make up your own phrase as long as you stay general: No harm to me or anyone else as a result of this spell. That way, you can sleep easy that your magick will not go awry. Just remember that you are the master of your magick. You are its creator, its keeper and its protector. Set the proper parameters for it, and it will serve you well. Protection Spells To Protect From Theft Combine the following dried ingredients in a mortar and pestle: 1 part Heather 1 part Basil 1 part Angelica 2 parts Garlic Spread the combined mixture on an altar facing the east and draw the following symbol with the index finger of your right (projective) hand. Place a gray taper candle anointed with Dragons Blood Oil in the center of the symbol and recite the following: Laissé rien a prisé la chute de mes mains. ENGLISH: Let nothing treasured fall from my hands. To Keep From Being Intimidated Carve the following symbol into a piece of wood and anoint it with Dragon’s Blood Oil. Place it in the sun for eight days during the waxing phase of the moon. On the eighth day recite the following: Aucun mot, aucunes volontés, aucunes mains peut ne pas casser monesprit. ENGLISH: No words, No wills, No hands may break my spirit. Carry the totem with you always. Should you ever feel yourself becoming intimidated, rub the stone with the index finger of your left (receptive) hand and recite the following under your breath: Aucun mot, aucunes volontés, aucunes mains. To Stop Someone From Being Abusive Wear a totem of an elephant on a black string around your neck. Anoint the figure with primrose oil while it rests over your heart. Whenever you are confronted with this person, rub the totem and recite the following under your breath three times: Stoppez votre fièvre avec des froids de votre propre dispositif. ENGLISH: Stop your fever with chills of your own device. Protection During Sleep (from a Person Whose Name You Know): If you fear that someone is wishing you ill or working against you, write his/her name or alias, in red ink, on a verbena leaf or leaf-shaped piece of paper. Burn the leaf with some old oak leaves and sprinkle the ashes at the southwestern most corner of the room you sleep in. The person will not be able to harm you during sleep or when you are most vulnerable. To Protect A Pet (Domestic--Dog or Cat) (This spell protects from mundane influences as well as magickal and supernatural influences if your pet also acts as a familiar.) Acquire a chain collar for your pet. Anoint a black ribbon (lightly) with patchouli oil and weave it between the links of the chain collar. Place the collar in a white silk cloth with a piece each of: tiger’s eye, lapis lazuli obsidian and moonstone for seven days and seven nights. At the end of the seventh night (the eighth morning) remove the collar from the silk cloth and place it around your pet’s neck while whispering the following in its ear: Aucuns web tordus darmure funeste. ENGLISH:No twisted webs of baneful weave. Lock Protection Spell: On the night of the Full Moon, anoint a gray candle with rosemary oil and roll it in crushed basil leaf. Light the candle and recite the following four times: Portal fair Beneath my hands I cast a charm To stay the sands May no one near Defeat my words Nor cross this gate Of triple-thirds. Snuff out the candle with your fingertips and place the candle somewhere near the door, but hidden. Repeat the process once a month on the Full Moon to re-charge the spell. To Turn An Enemy Into A Friend During the waxing phase of the moon, anoint a brown taper candle with rose oil and carve the following along the base: Light the candle and allow it to burn until it is halfway down. Pinch out the wick with your fingers and turn it over and dig out the wick from the base. Return it to its candle holder. Recite the following five times and light the new wick: Bonbons au bonbon. ENGLISH: Sweets to the Sweet. Allow the candle to burn itself out.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:22:30 +0000
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