We start truly fundamental, asking, “What is magic?” It is the flow of energy; working with it involves perceiving, harnessing, and utilizing the energy of the universe. Of course, on this path, every answer raises more questions. So what is energy? What has energy? It is often referred to as the life force (more so in living creatures like humans and plants), or a vibration (more associated with nonliving things such as crystals). Energy is an invisible force that moves and changes things; we, especially when trained, can sense it, even though we don’t have a way to quantify it. Any purveyor of a metaphysical shop will tell you about the different energies of crystals and herbs, but we too are beings of energy, so we can’t forget to consider our own energy and how we change or manipulate the energy of the universe through the marriage of all of those components.

So, now that we understand magic and energy (in that vague, “you’ll know it as you practice and feel it” kind of way that many of us know about magic and the metaphysical) let’s talk about how we actually use and combine energies to manifest perceptible change. The first step of any spell you cast or ritual you perform is to set your intentions. Another nebulous concept, intention-setting; it’s hard to dictate a “right” way to do it, but best practice often entails beginning with a cleansing and/or grounding of the self and the space. Take time to cleanse your body (as in a bath if you’re able), your mind (meditate by yourself, or listen to a guided meditation), and your space (smudge the room/area you’re in, cast a protection circle,
invoke protection runes, etc.).

“Prayer is speaking, meditation is listening.”

- Valentine Stormcrow, Serenity High Priest

Notice how the space smells - lingering scents of incense, this morning’s coffee, petrichor after rain - and listen for the ambient sounds of your environment - if you’re inside, this could be a rattling radiator; if you’re outside, this could be the wind around you, bugs and birds in cacophony, the hum of traffic. If you can, get your feet in some good dirt, and really acknowledge the earth beneath you. Reach out to sense the energy flowing all around you; visualize the desired effect of your spell, and harness your intention to manifest your vision.

Aleister Crowley, early 20th century occultist and well-known figure who helped shaped many ideas in and about modern Paganism, says this of manipulation of energy to manifest, “Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” Or, in the words of our high priestess Irena, “You guys are freaking wizards, and when you want something you find a way to make it happen.”

Now that we’ve cleansed, grounded, protected ourselves, and set our intentions, we can really begin the spell-casting! Traditionally, in a spell, we take plants, rocks, and intention, and together these components have a particular effect, whether it be prosperity for yourself or a loved one, good health, motivation, even something to bind or hex another person (the “ethics” of such a spell is a whole other blog post, but many practitioners such as myself and Lia Taylor, author of Sigil Craft, believe that a hex against one who would do you harm is ultimately a protection spell).

We’re taking another tangent (because we would hardly be proper Pagans if we could actually be direct about anything) to talk about more energy - this time though, we’re looking into the elements and how they shape the energies of people, places, and things. We’re all familiar with the basic elements - water, earth, fire, and air (shout out to Avatar: The Last Airbender for raising a whole generation of witches knowing the elements and the shapes, movements, and attitudes associated with them), and we’ve been using these elements to characterize the properties of materials since the Ancient Greeks, if not earlier. You may be familiar with the four humors in the most common model of Humorism, dating back to 540 BC Greece - phlegm, yellow bile, blood, and black bile. These humors were associated with the aspects of elements - hot, cold, wet, and dry. For example, metals are cold and dry (earth), or a place like Keene, NH (near where many of our members live) may be perceived and having cold and wet (water) energy. So, when we make a spell jar, we’re collecting specific energies into one place to formulate and carry out the desired spell.

The Norse creation myth is essentially a hot and cold place coming together to create the world - people all over the planet since time immemorial have been doing their utmost to figure out how we came to be and how we can manifest change to meet our wants and needs. There is the question many of us face - did we as humans invent the concepts of magic and religion from nothing but fear as a way to make sense of the chaos around us, or have we always been in tune with the reality of magic and how it presents itself in patterns and seemingly miraculous occurrences?

Well, if you’re here because you don’t know the answer to that question, I urge you to stick around, come to a ritual if you can, and talk to us. We are not monoliths with all the answers in black and white, but we can offer guidance and insight and set you down whatever path brings you the most fulfillment, and equips you with the tools to decide on that answer yourself. After all, a good witch must first be an excellent scientist.

If you’ve already made up your mind and it’s the former, I still entreat you to take this to heart - if for no other reason than academic curiosity - and if it’s the latter, I hope you find this to be enlightening and helpful as you hone your craft. But if you’ve found us, and are interested enough to have dug this deep and read this far, I have a feeling that it’s for a reason. Because something else you need to know about magic is that nothing is ever a coincidence. 

If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us! You can get in touch via our Contact Us page, via DM on Instagram (@serenitycircletemple), or in-person at a ritual or market event. Whether just a casual conversation or formal lessons; whether a seasoned pro or a newbie who only has a sage bundle and a jar of lavender to their altar; we will meet you where you are and guide you down that path!