Q: I think something is wrong. I can’t get any of my spells to work right. Every time I try to cast a spell nothing happens or it takes forever or I get weird results. I try to follow the directions and I use the right candles and ingredients but nothing goes right! What am I doing wrong?
A: The simple answer is no, there’s nothing wrong with you. Unfortunately from there we have to get a little more complicated, because your question is actually a multi-layered issue that I think a lot of people tend to run into. And magical results are rarely simple.
Since I don’t know all of your background or experience, I have to make a few assumptions and generalizations to fill in the blanks. You mention spells–plural. So I am going assume you have been studying and practicing for at least a little while.
First, following directions is great when starting out. Teachers and authors have spent years learning and practicing and through trial and error they’ve perfected their skills and made mistakes so that you, the student/reader don’t have to. That’s a good thing!
I highly recommend finding a reputable author or teacher to learn from and study under, especially when learning the basics. But as you learn and your skills grow, you’ll start to outgrow the step by step instructions and there comes a time to start writing your own spells.
Books are still good for ideas and starting points, and for checking correspondences and building recipes, but the strongest spell you could ever cast comes from within YOU! So get creative and let your inspiration flow and see how that changes the results.
Another thing to keep in mind is that magic rarely works the way T.V. and movies would have you believe. Results are rarely instantaneous or flashy. Good magic takes time to build and grow to make lasting changes. Good magic is subtle. Sometimes it requires patience. And magic tends to follow the path of least resistance, so you want to be specific, but not TOO specific, otherwise you may back your work into a corner and cut off possibilities and opportunities you hadn’t even considered!
One final point I want to add is that all magic takes focus, determination, and confidence. You have to believe in yourself and in your magic!
Work your work, visualize the outcome until you can see it–FEEL IT–and trust that you will get the results that you working to manifest. You are the spark that makes your magic GO! If you don’t believe in your magic then you’ve already doomed your results.
You can’t cast a spell while expecting it to fail. Everyone– witch, rootworker, and practitioner– out there has had their spells fizzle out. Sometimes it just happens. The successful ones learn from it and they don’t let it defeat them. They don’t let past failures or misfires determine their future success, and neither should you!
Originally published on Ask Polaris March 7, 2017 – Updated March 2022
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