Determine Your Magical Need

Magic is never done for fun or to fulfill wishes. It's a serious practice used to satisfy your most basic needs. Determine your most pressing need. This will become your magical goal.

Determine the Best Craft and Project to Fulfill this Need

The craft used and the project made may or may not be obviously and directly linked with the goal itself. However, it's certainly best if the created object can be utilized in some way. If you're a knitter, you could make a healing shawl or sweater. This would be an excellent use of this craft, for the sick person could wear the shawl, and thus directly absorb the healing energy. Use your imagination and craft experience.

If Possible, Use Only Natural Materials

Natural materials are the most potent, while synthetic materials contain no energy whatsoever. Synthetic cloth, nylon yarn, chemical glue, fake clay, plastic beads, and other artificial objects will harm the magical efficacy of any object in which they're used. Synthetics not only lack any power whatsoever, they're also quite ineffective in retaining power sent into them. They're simply not practical or effective magical tools and should be avoided at all costs. Nothing will hold power as efficiently as organic materials.

Design the project with its final magical use in mind. Though you could certainly sew a ritual toaster cover, it might be wiser to create something of more practical ritual use, such as a protective magic bag, a robe designed for ritual, love-drawing pajamas, or something a bit more useful. Of course, if you wished to bless your toast with specific energies each morning...

Gather Your Supplies with Your Goal in Mind

Once you've determined your magical goal, you're working to attain it. Gather the needed materials with visualization. See the completed project and its goal manifesting in your life.

Work on One Project at a Time

If you've been busily stitching a money rune on a green bag, don't suddenly switch to crafting a love potpourri. Concentrate your energies on a single project. Don't switch to another until yu've completed the previous one. (It is fine, of course, to work on other, nonmagical crafts simultaneously with your magical project.)

Create Your Project with Ritual Intent

You may wish to simply visualize. Or, compose a short chant and say this while you're working. Your mind should be trained on both the physical and the magical aspects of the craft as you're working it. If necessary, plan time each day when you'll be alone and can work on the project without interruptions.

Send Energy into the Project during its Creation

This happens automatically, but your concentration and visualization will increase it.

Use the Completed Project

When you've completed and empowered the spell craft, use it in some appropriate ritual way. Light a candle, say a few words, perform some ritual motions.

Any craft can indeed be magical. Perfumes can be mixed with power. Magic words can be chanted while weaving. Beer can be brewed at specific times, with specific materials, with special powers. Household protectants can be woodburned, knives forged, and incense burners turned on a wheel.

A carpenter might create a "magic table", with a round top and runes carved into its legs, or a cabinet specially designed to house herbs and oils used in magic. A lapidary may create ritual jewelry, utilizing the proper stones and metals to bring specific influences into her or his life. The type of craft itself isn't as important as the purpose for which the object will be used.

So, though we've limited ourselves to a small number of specific types of craft, all crafts can be practiced in ritual ways, and the fruits of these efforts can be utilized to create positive, needed changes in our lives.

Excerpt from~ "Spell Crafts", by Scott Cunningham and David Harrington, pgs. 27-30. © 1993 Llewellyn Publications.