Spells for everyday life, according to a witch

Cauldron optional.

Magick and spellwork have long been associated with witchcraft, a practice that has seen women historically vilified, persecuted and – at worst – publically executed. Puritanical attacks, along with Hollywood depictions of ‘wicked witches’, have portrayed witchcraft as something to be feared.

But as with many previously ‘niche’ interests, the internet has given rise to this century-old practice. The hashtag #witchesoftiktok has over 5.6 billion views on the app. Despite the surge in popularity, practising magick still evokes the stereotype of ominous rituals, sacrifices and supernatural abilities like levitation and mind reading. While some forms of magick may fall into these categories, there are various other types that you may unknowingly practice every day. 

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If you’ve ever made a wish while blowing out your birthday candles, throwing a coin into a fountain or setting a fallen eyelash free, you’ve already dipped your toe into casting spells. Our all-too-common interest in astrology also has roots in what’s known as celestial magick. Additionally, natural magick involves spellwork through the use of herbs and crystals.

If you’re among the many wanting to deepen your understanding of spellwork, you might have some queries. For me, the idea of casting spells prompts questions like, ‘Do I need to be a witch to perform spells?’, ‘How do you become a witch?’ and ‘What will I need?’. To deliver the answers and give me some guidance in casting spells, I spoke with Naarm-based witch Kimberley Jones from Magic Cauldron. 

Kimberley tells me to cast spells, you don’t need to be a practising witch – but it’s important to do your research and understand their power. For those who are wanting to become a witch, it comes down to your desire. Start by identifying the type of magick you’d like to practice – whether it’s moon, seasonal, astrology, tarot or elemental magick. There are hundreds of different forms and with the abundance of online material available, it’s never been easier to awaken your inner witch. 

Natural magick utilises spellwork, which is the art of “identifying energy, directing it and using it to your benefit,” Kimberley tells me. An essential part of spellwork is respecting the energy you’re tapping into and using it with good intentions. Before you begin, there are a few things to remember.

“You have to be in the right frame of mind to cast [spells]. If you’re not in the right frame of mind your spell can end erratically. You probably will not get what you’re looking for. And mistakes can happen and some mistakes are not good ones,” Kimberley tells me. Casting spells from a calm mindset, knowing exactly what you want and writing out your intentions clearly will avoid your spells from ending badly. To do this, Kimberley recommends meditation to calm and ground yourself.

Before starting spellwork, it’s important to come up with an incantation that’s personal and meaningful to you. Kimberley tells me most witches won’t share their spells, as it is a sacred aspect of practising that should be kept private. But as we’re beginners, she’s provided us with some examples as a guideline. 

Love spell

“I would start my preparation for a love spell with a candle. Usually, a red candle is for romantic love but white can also be used as it is universal. Then you use your herbs and your oils to dress your candle,” Kimberley says.

The herbs you use depend on what sort of love spell you are casting. Rose can be used to help find and bring love into your life. Rosemary, while a universal herb that can be used in any spell, is useful to enhance love. Cloves can help to reconnect with an old love. 

“Start in the middle of your candle and rub from the inside out. You can use plain olive oil. Don’t touch the oil on the wick obviously. Have your herbs ready and you can either roll your candle in them, drop them on top or you can even stand the candle on a plate and put the herbs around the candle. Have your spell ready, light the candle and say your spell out loud,” Kimberley tells me. A simple incantation could be, “Let my love come to me as this candle burns”.

As with all spells, you must envision the energy you are calling from the universe coming into your life to bring you what you want. However, when it comes to casting, Kimberley tells me it’s important not to interfere with someone’s free will. “I go by the rule of hurt none. So, if that person is already in a relationship, leave them alone. Don’t interfere with somebody else’s free will by trying to pull them from that relationship.”

Prosperity

“Casting a spell for prosperity is virtually the same. Obviously, you’d use a different spell with different wording and different herbs,” Kimberley explains. Start with a green candle for prosperity and dress the candle using your chosen herbs. Kimberley suggests using mint for luck and thyme to attract wealth.

Ginger root can also be incorporated to help speed up the magick of your spell. I personally would include chamomile which is used for joy, prosperity and happiness. A suggested spell could be, “Universe hear my urgent plea, bring to me prosperity”.

Safety

To cast a safety spell, Kimberley recommends the use of crystals and sacred altar space. “I would go to my black tourmaline which is one of the best for protection and have that on your altar or sacred space. Everybody should have that one space that’s theirs for the work that they do,” she tells me.

Once you’ve gathered your crystals, place them on your altar around a burning black candle and cast your spell. An example of a safety spell is, “By the powers that be, I ask for the gift of protection and safety”. Another avenue for a safety spell is the use of a protection jar.

“For like a safety spell jar, I would use rose petals, bay leaf, sage, rosemary, cinnamon, black salt and tourmaline. If you don’t have tourmaline you can put in black obsidian, say your incantation and then seal it with black wax from a candle. Once the wax is set, you can carry that wherever you want,” Kimberley explains. 

For every spell, unfortunately, there is no set timeline for how long it takes to work. “Some [spells] can be done instantly. Some can take a week. Some can take months. It’s all up to the universe,” says Kimberley. 

Another important thing to remember about casting spells is it is not going to fix every aspect of your life. “You’re going to have to put in the work yourself in your self-development. It’s not just, ‘Something went wrong today. Let me cast a spell to make it right’. That’s not how it works,” Kimberley advises. 

However, spells can be a wonderful way to focus and harness the energy of the universe. As long as you’re casting with a clear mind and good intentions you can enjoy the powerful benefits of magick.

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