I have been wanting to do some rituals and spells, but I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have an altar (which I know I don’t need and many of you sent me the link to the online altar here!), but I also don’t have items all the time or I’m not sure how I should be doing it. I know people say to make a casting circle, do I have to make a circle before doing a spell? And if I don’t have ingredients or tools that are required to do a spell, do I just visualize it or what should I do?
Also, when doing a spell, do I HAVE to protect myself or is that just an optional safety tool, because I don’t know how to cast any protections on myself yet as I am just beginning to learn things
Any advice or help would be much appreciated! Thank you!
Whether you cast a circle or not is up to you. I don’t always do it. It depends on the spell or ritual as to whether I feel the need to do it. But short answer is no, you don’t have to do a circle before a spell. You could ground yourself first or mediate as alternative options. Or forgo it entirely.
If you don’t have the right ingredients, there are many items that can be substituted
You can also use pictures of items or drawings. There are lists of correspondences that can help you substitute one item for another.
As to protection, it depends on the spell and how much energy I’m putting into it. A heavy energy spell I would at the very least cast a circle. As I don’t do baneful work, I don’t have suggestions for how to protect you in that situation.
I do have protection sigils. items consecrated for protection, use protective runes in my home and wear on my person.
What do you want done? This is your intention. For example, let’s say I’m craving some cinnamon, but I don’t have any in the house.
Imagine the result. Use as many of your five senses as possible. I smell the cinnamon, hear the crunch of each bite, feel the biscuit or toast in my hand, taste how the sweet spiciness explodes in my mouth, and even see the color of the ground spice change as it soaks in the butter. I enjoy the pleasure of having the cinnamon.
Get busy with something else. The spell has been cast and can now be forgotten in the busyness of life. It will come true when it comes true.
This is an oversimplified spell, but it gives you a good idea how to do a spell. All tools are there to help focus attention and thus energy or to make it more fun.
@Artemisia and @georgia gave you excellent advice. A hundred years ago our ancestors couldn’t just go to an occult shop to pick up witchy goodies. You would be surprised at all the tools you have available to you in your house or your yard right now. Need a wand? Go outside and find a stick. Want to sweep away negativity? Use your broom. Need a chalice? Get a glass from your cupboard. Need a cauldron? It’s just a cooking pot. Do you have birthday candles in your junk drawer? Use them for a candle spell. You don’t have to use any tools, but if you want to, they are all around you.
Looks like @Artemisia@georgia and @Ostara have you covered pretty good. Just wanted to add I tend to lean towards the darker side, what some call baneful or black magick. I don’t use a circle for protection. If I have a deity helping me with my spell I will ask them for protection.
Thank you all so much! I’ve been writing notes in my grimoire and as I do I see it continuously say that I need to have an altar or tools or ingredients and so forth. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do my practices as I don’t have many tools and I have a very low budget for tools.
@Artemisia Thank you for sending me those links! I will definitely take a look at them. Before I saw the replies on here, I went to youtube and I found beautiful virtual altars as well. So I used an Imbolc altar on there to help celebrate and do my tarot spreads for the day and just listen and meditate for it. I really appreciate the helpful information!
@georgia Thank you for this example! I will try doing that and see if it works and not overthink it either.
@Ostara Oh my gosh I didn’t even think about that! How silly of me. I’ve always thought that I needed to buy things at a store for tools and not use anything around me. Thank you so much for this! Now I will be in search around me to see what I can find that I can use!
@Mystique I have been interested in learning about baneful/dark magic. I consider myself a grey witch as I have a balance between the darker things and lighter things. Thank you for telling me about the protection, I will keep that in mind when I do cast spells or anything else!
If you have basic things in your kitchen, you likely have everything you might think you need anyway.
I mentioned in a different post (I can’t remember which one right now but I broke down the different models of magic) that the foundation of most witchcraft practices is energetic anyway. The items and tools can help, especially if you’re directing energy or working with spirits, but they aren’t necessary. Learning to sense and work with energy is going to be a key skill for you if you don’t have access to other tools.
No, not really. I mean, if you’re doing a baneful spell or working with spirits then I’d say yes. But if you’re just learning how to work magic and aren’t doing anything huge then I say no. Honestly, you can learn two things at once by practicing your energy work and creating protective shields for yourself!
What is your practice? I think this helps to decide on what you’d like to do for protection. For example, I have several Wicca books and they call in Angels for protection, some cast circles, but alot don’t. Those who practice demonolatry would call in their favourite demon, and so on.
I practice Norse witchcraft, so don’t use circles, and since I’ve been working more with the runes, I don’t always call in Thor or Loki, mostly the runes automatically protect you if they’re included in the spell work, spirit communication, astral travel etc - so I think you’re personal practice and how you feel about the spell work should guide you in how you’d like to protect or not. If I’m working with the gods for example, if it’s someone I know I don’t protect, I don’t need to I trust them - however if I needed help from say Angrboda (a Norse deity who’s not known for liking humans) I’d be more careful
As for tools, I use what’s around me, twigs to make the runes, any candle or sometimes just light a fire in a fireproof pot. The simpler the better I find.