Adapting some popular spells and workings
… if you cannot do them otherwise
photo: Elena Mozhvilo, Unsplash
Over the last years, I have read dozens of witchcraft and magic books, most of them with spells and rituals included. Some of the spells’ main topics are quite popular, so I’ve seen them in more than one book, in different variations. They come in all shapes and sizes, so to speak. However, what if a spell or ritual has specific items or requirements which you cannot fulfil? Here are some suggestions for that.
Visualisations
A lot of exercises for witches and pagans focus on visualisations. However, everyone is different and there is neurodivergence. Not everyone is able to visualise, even with practice. So if that is the case, what can you do? Maybe you can instead hear sounds in your mind. Or you feel something instead of hearing or seeing it. Or you have an idea of images in your mind, instead of actually seeing them with your inner eye. For some people it is also helpful when they talk themselves through a visualisation, meditation, astral travel or similar methods – it’s a bit like telling yourself a story. Experiment and try what works best for you.
Magical baths spells or rituals
If you do not own a bath tub and cannot use someone else’s, or if you do not want to use so much water, here are two alternatives.
You can use a shower especially for spells with which you want to get rid of something. Think of banishing, cleansing or purifying spells. You can also prepare water and other ingredients in a bucket and let the water pour over your head in the shower.
However, if a spell requires you to soak yourself in water, instead of a full bath, consider a foot bath in a bowl which is large enough for your feet. You can add magical oils or sea salt or herbs to this bath, or even crystals (make sure they do not get damaged by water).
And sometimes, depending on the situation, a cleansing ritual can be as simple as washing your hands thoroughly. You could combine this with singing or chanting.
By the way, I have written a blog about magical baths and showers:
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/ritual-baths-and-showers
Graveyard dirt as an ingredient for a spell
While I have no doubt that this kind of dirt can be especially powerful, it’s often just not practical to start digging in a grave yard – unless you actually are a grave digger who works there. Maybe the next graveyard is far away from where you live. Maybe your neighbourhood cemetery is crowded by day and really spooky (or even dangerous) at night. So what’s the alternative? Maybe just take a really small amount of graveyard dirt with you. Or consider using soil from your garden or somewhere in nature. After all, life and growth, death and decay can be found in any kind of dirt, in all those many microorganism which live and die in it.
Workings at crossroads
I read a book or two about Hekate and Hekatean Witchcraft/Magic. Many of these books put an emphasis on Hekate’s association with crossroads. So it’s no surprise that there are plenty of spells and rituals which you are supposed to do at a crossroads, or offerings to the goddess should be left there. But what to do, if you do not live anywhere near a crossroads? Or if the only crossroads in your neighbourhood or beyond is busy with people and cars day and night?
Instead of going to an actual crossroads, you could also draw one on a floor in your house, flat or your terrace (for instance with chalk, so the drawing can be removed easily) or on a large piece of paper or cardboard, so that you have a symbolic crossroads right in your home or your garden.
Another idea is from the book »Keeping her Keys« by Cyndi Brannen:
»If you can’t easily get to such a place [a crossroads], you can use the end of your driveway as a three-way crossroads and do your workings there.« (p. 213, Kindle version, John Hunt Publishing)
Body fluid as ingredients for spells
Body fluids (urine, blood, saliva … ) have a disadvantage: Wenn left in jars or other containers which are meant for magical workings, they start to rot, stink and/or get mouldy. Unless that is exactly the intention for the spell, this can be inconvenient. If you still want to work with parts of your own body, instead consider using a bit of hair and/or nail clippings because these don’t start to smell or get mouldy.
If you do not like the idea at all to use parts of your body, here is another idea: Craft a sigil which symbolises you personally, as an individual (and only you, nobody else). There are different ways of crafting sigils. Down below in the further reading section, you can find more about this. Add this personal sigil to the spell or ritual. You can for instance draw it on a candle, a poppet or a simple piece of paper.
Incense and other cleansing methods with smoke
If you cannot use smoke as a spiritual cleansing method for any reason, don’t worry. There are lots of other methods, like singing, chanting, using a drum, rattle or bell. You can also use salt water or a fragrance lamp with essential oils, or another method. In the further reading section, I have linked a blog by Sidney Eileen which I keep recommending for this topic.
Divination with cards
I mentioned this in a former blog: If you do not own a Tarot deck or an Oracle deck and do not want to buy any, you can also use simple playing cards for divination. Here is a tutorial how to do this:
Blessing your first cup of coffee or tea in the morning (or any other beverage)
I keep reading about a this simple every day magic. Well, I don't know about you, but I am mostly too tired in the morning for any magic before drinking some coffee or tea. So, here is another idea: Instead of blessing the hot beverage, you could bless the cup, for instance your favourite one - not necessarily early in the morning, but when you feel like it.
Offerings to deities, ancestors or other spiritual entities
Some books, blog etc. about paganism, Heathenry and ancestral veneration list a lot of specific things which you should give as offerings. Quite often, this includes food or even prepared meals. However, this can be quite impractical for several reasons. Got kids or pets, or both? Having fun explaining to them why the food offering is not for them? It’s the middle of summer and quite hot in your home? Well, hello mould or flies or other nasty things which will soon cover your offerings. Same applys for liquids, for instance fruit juice, wine, coffee or other beverages. Sooner or later, these will be covered with mould.
So, what’s the alternative? Here are some suggestions.
Put food or beverages just for a few hours or until the next day on your offering place. Some people also prefer to pour a liquid onto the ground outside, instead of filling a cup or bowl.
Use dried herbs, nuts or seeds as an offering. These won’t get mouldy for a while.
Some spiritual entities also like chocolate or other candy as offerings, and you do not have to take of the wrappings.The easiest offering is a cup of water. If that seems inappropiate for you, instead of food and beverages, there are plenty of other things you can offer: fresh flowers, incense, lighting candles, singing and chanting, dancing, reciting poetry …
Visible charms and spells on your front door
I have read about several charms and spells which are supposed to be put on the front door of a home or near the doorstep. This is especially popular for protection in some folk magic and also other witchcraft traditions. However, if you are in the broom closet, have nosy non-witchy/pagan neighbours or you often have guests (again, who are not witches or pagans), what can you do instead?
Here are three ideas:
Use a wreath. Wreaths are beautiful, yet unremarkable decorations for doors, which are quite popular. You can find the base for a wreath in arts and crafts stores and then dress them in a way that supports your magical intentions.
Instead of openly witchy or magical objects, hang an inconspicuous picture on your door, with or without a frame. Before you hang it up, write a protective spell on the backside, draw a sigil or a magical symbol on it which matches your intention.
You can also draw magical symbols, sigil, runes etc. on your door in an invisible way, for instance with salt water or a protective oil. You can also use this method on windows. By the way, if you cover your walls with new paint, you can also draw symbols on them and then spread the paint over that, so the symbols will be invisible in the end.
Further reading
About crafting sigils
Blog: »Petitions and Sigil Magic« by Rachel Patterson https://www.rachelpatterson.co.uk/single-post/petitions-and-sigil-magic
Book: »Sigil Witchery: A Witch's Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols« by Laura Tempest Zakroff
Alternatives to smoke cleansing
This blog by Sidney Eileen starts with alternatives to white sage for smoke cleansing, but also lists methods without smoke. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thebalancingpath/2020/07/easy-alternatives-to-white-sage-for-smoke-cleansing/
Some blogs of mine with related topics:
Chronic Illness and Witchcraft
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/chronic-illness-and-witchcraftmagic
Easy Everyday Magic and Witchcraft
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/easy-everyday-magic-and-witchcraft
Adapting the Wheel of the Year
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/adapting-the-wheel-of-the-year
© Andrea Grünbaum