Tag: spells

Best Face Forward Glamour Spell

Sometimes, you just need to present a very specific aspect of yourself (your face) and let the other parts of yourself slip into shadow for a little while. This works well making excellent first impressions, especially during presentations, job interviews, etc. 

This isn’t a confidence spell, although it may seem like one. It’s a bit of a mood boosting or uplifting spell. It could even be used for self-love and to support mental health. It was originally intended, however, to be more of a “you don’t see the things you would think of as flaws” spell. It’s not a deception, because you’re not hiding aspects of yourself. They’re just not paying as much attention to what they consider a flaw or undesireable trait. 

Here’s how you do it:

Pick a moment that’s as close to the start of the event you’re doing the glamour for. You should be ready to go or nearly ready. 

Take a deep breath and even your breathing so you’re taking slow, deep breaths that are comfortable for you. This helps focus and boosts concentration while casting the glamour.

Now, think of a time limit. This should be something like, “For the duration of this meeting, I am…”, Until work today is done”, or “Until sunset, I am…” This time limit is intended to let you control when this glamour ends. This means you end up using your work persona when you’re trying to help your kids with your homework, getting cozy with your significant other, or trying to relax with your pets.

Think of what you want to display. For a job interview, you might have your best “customer face” or display confidence, intelligence, and success. For a presentation, you might want to appear competent and as an expert. You need to have a clear idea on what you want to happen, but try and make it as simple as possible. The more complicated a glamour is, the more likely it is to find cracks in it.

I tend to use verbal phrases to really nail the glamour. For example, if I was going to do a major presentation, I’d use “Until I return home, I am eloquent, competent, successful, and skilled. I am an expert and you see me as someone to learn from and listen to.” I’d repeat what I considered the most important aspects, probably “I am a expert you want to listen to.” I’d repeat it several times, usually seven or more.

Now take a few moments to gather your energy around you. If you’re skilled at energy manipulation, you’ll want to surround yourself and flare out your aura. If that isn’t your jam, then imagine yourself surrounded entirely by the glamour. If neither of these work for you, you can just repeat the glamour description over and over again as a chant in your head or under your breath.

Isn’t this just affirmations? Not really. Yes, it’s intended to shift the mindset. It works that way when you’re casting the glamour on yourself for yourself. But glamours are intended to nudge other people into seeing you how you wish to be seen.

Can this spell fail? Sure. If someone’s got a good resistance to this sort of magic, yes. Animals don’t tend to fall for glamours too easily, so it’s my belief that people with heightened senses will instinctually fight against a glamour. (Similarly, there are some people who are particularly susceptible to glamours.) Of course, spirits, fae, and magical practitioners are all perfectly capable of sensing or seeing through glamours.

Not everyone sees glamours the same way. A trained observer will be able to spot you faster than someone who isn’t if you’re trying to be invisible. Someone that’s always looking at fashion might pick about your glamour subconsciously because they’re use to critiquing clothing. It varies.

Still, glamours are a very handy spell to have in your pocket and can be done at the drop of a hat, especially once you’ve practiced with them.

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How to Identify a Glamour

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A glamour is a type of illusion spell, meant to manipulate, disguise, or otherwise mask something or someone.

That being said, just because they’re manipulation doesn’t mean they’re harmful, negative, or baneful magic.

There are many reasons why someone might use a glamour. They can be used to keep someone safe, to be identified the right way, to boost their self-esteem or confidence, or even to be seen as harmless or helpful to others.

There are a few ways to help determine when a glamour is in use.

1) Aura reading / Energy reading

Most often, energy manipulation is used to create glamours. If you’re skilled at reading aura or energy, then you’ll be able to pick up on an altered aura or energy around the person. This is especially true if you already know what that person’s energy or aura is like. The change in aura or energy might feel bright, expanded, stretched, or wrapped around the subject. You may even be able to detect what kind of glamour is being cast depending on how “loud” it is.

2) Herbal assistance

Oak leaves, eyebright, ash leaves, sandalwood, cinnamon, rose, wormwood, yarrow, mugwort, nutmeg, and rowan can all be used to help see through glamours. Oak leaves are especially traditional for this purpose.

Carry any of these herbs with you to help see beyond what’s presented to you.

3) Hag stone

A traditional hag stone (a stone with a natural hole through the center of it) can often see past glamours. I’ve used seashells with natural holes in them for the same purpose, although sometimes the energy gets “wishy”.

4) Counterspell

You can cast a spell on yourself to see past glamours. I find this is sometimes hit or miss. I think it depends on the type of glamour, who’s casting the glamour, and the power and intention behind each.

5) Declaration

Sometimes, if you know a glamour has been cast, you can simply ignore the glamour. It’s like in any form of media where a character repeats that something isn’t real to beat an illusion or trauma. Same thing. Denying the glamour doesn’t erase the glamour, but it doesn’t work as well if know it’s there. Essentially, by denying it, you’re confirming it’s active.

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What is a Glamour Spell?

A glamour spell is a type of illusion, usually one to help boost some aspect of yourself, like your confidence or beauty. It’s also often used to camouflage or hide something, like an object or even yourself so you aren’t as noticeable. Essentially, they’re either spotlight or invisibility spells. 

I like glamour spells and I use them often. I find them great practice for more subtle spells and can be used in any everyday situation. They are often utilitarian. They can be cast at the drop of a hat without any tools. And they are great for when you want to cast a spell but you don’t know what to cast.

How it’s done is simple.

1) Decide what kind of illusion magic you want to cast. Be specific. Do you want to enhance the shine of your hair or the color of your lips? Do you want people to gender you properly? Do you want extra confidence? Do you want people to not notice you or see you as harmless?

2) Do you want to attach it to an object? If you want your lips to look a particular shade of pink and you achieve that look with lipstick or something similar, you can place a glamour on the lipstick itself to enhance that color and perhaps ignore any imperfections in today’s makeup or ignore a part of yourself that you don’t want to draw attention to. Putting a “I’m harmless and you don’t see me” glamour on a hoodie before going for a run is a great idea against muggings and other violence.

3) To cast the glamour, whether on an object or yourself is requires a clear picture of what you want to happen. You must be absolutely unwavering with the goal. You can be scared, angry, or any other emotion at the time, but you must be solid in what you want to happen.

I find that a specific repeatable phrase helps. “I am beautiful”. “I am seen as harmless to others”. “You do not see me.” “I am not worth your attention.” “You respect me for my confidence and skills.” Affirmation phrases work wonderfully for this, but even a simple phrase can help really hone what the goal is of the glamour. If it’s a simple phrase, then you can repeat it over and over again. You can also repeat it to re-enchant an object with a glamour placed on it.

Once you’ve got your idea down, gather your energy around you. If you’re into aura manipulation or energy manipulation, this is the exact same thing. If energy manipulation isn’t your thing, clear your thoughts and concentrate on making your willpower behind the phrase nice and strong.

If you’re enchanting an object, push the energy into it. Have the energy and your willpower weave into the threads, along the facets of the crystal, along the curve or straight lines of the glass.

If you’re casting it on yourself, pull the energy or your intent around you, like you’re pulling a blanket around your chest and shoulders.

4) To dismiss the glamour, you can let it fade naturally or simply cleanse yourself or the object.

I do find that certain glamours work better with certain techniques, so practice with different kinds and methods of spellcasting to see what works best for you.

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Confidence Mirror Spell

This spell is to boost confidence. It’s good for events and situations where you need to be a little more confident, such as job interviews, dates, and so on. 

What you’ll need:

  • Mirror
  • Water, divided
  • Sea salt
  • Rosemary
  • Roses
  • Hydrangea
  • Nasturtium
  • Two bowls
  • Dahlia
  • Paper towel or rag 

In one bowl, mix half of the water with sea salt until the salt dissolves. Wash the mirror with the salt water to cleanse the mirror.

In another bowl, steep rosemary, hydrangea, roses, nasturtium, and dahlia petals in the other half of the water. Wash the mirror again with this water to enchant the mirror with confidence boosting. You can say the following chant or similar affirmations.

"I am confident 
I am strong 
I am blooming 
I am powerful 
I am unshakeable 
I am confident."

When you’re ready to activate the spell, flick some water at the mirror and repeat the above chant or similar affirmations.

Notes:

  • Any “showy” flowers would work for this spell. Pick your favorites.

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Magnetic Charisma

A spell to boost your charisma. It’s ideal for people that are making speeches or presentations, but it could also be excellent if you’re going for a job interview or something similar.

What you’ll need:

  • A magnetic piece of jewelry 

Hold the magnetic jewelry in your hand and imagine anyone who looks at it will be drawn to you and your words like a magnet. Once you have that image cemented down, say the following,

"My words are heard 
You follow my lead 
You're drawn to me as if I am the sun 
My charm is endless 
I'm filled with cheer, charm, and grace, 
Do as I suggest and say 
My charisma holds you in sway."

Simply wear the jewelry when you need to be extra charismatic. 

Notes:

  • Magnetic jewelry can take any form, such as a bracelet, necklace, rings, anklets, earrings, cufflinks, shoelaces, sunglasses, tie clips or tacks, etc. Magnetic ties, shoes, or other pieces of clothing would also be fine.
  • You can alternatively use magnetic therapy sport wraps or anything else magnetic that would be visible to the audience.
  • A simple refrigerator magic would work, but it should be visible to your audience. 

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Lightning Protection Sigil

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What you’ll need:

  • Mugwort
  • Thunder water
  • Paper

Steep mugwort in thunder water overnight.

The next day, use the steeped water to write a lightning protection sigil on the paper. It’s okay if it isn’t very visible or clear. 

You can make your own sigil or use the one I’ve provided below:

Place the paper at the highest point in your house that you can access. 

Notes:

  • Thunder water is water collected during a thunderstorm. You may know it by other names such as lightning water or storm water.

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How to Make a Good Dream Jar

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Ever have dreams keep waking you up at night? Not just nightmares, but dreams that were stressful or so hectic that you feel exhausted in the morning? Or have you had such poor sleep and you think it might be dreams or nightmares causing it, even if you don’t remember the dreams in your waking hours?

When dreams, especially unwanted dreams, cause problems, it can be a difficult battle. This jar can help mitigate that. It can also be used to bring about good dreams even if you aren’t struggling against bad dreams. It’s an excellent way of just having a peaceful night’s sleep.

What you’ll need:

  • Mugwort
  • Lavender
  • Jasmine
  • Rose
  • Rosemary
  • Glass jar with lid or cork
  • Candle or sealing wax in blue or light purple

Cleanse your glass jar. Begin to heat your candle or sealing wax.

Layer your herbs in the jar in any pattern you find pleasing. As you add each in, think of the good, peaceful dreams you wish to have. You may speak aloud or simply think it.

Put the jar’s lid on top. The candle or sealing wax should be ready now. Pour it over your jar lid and say,

"Good dreams fill this jar 
Nightmares are barred 
I will sleep peacefully all night long."

Let the wax harden. Place the jar beside or under your bed.

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Gold Leaf Money Spell

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This is one of my most favorite money spells I’ve ever written. It draws from one of my favorite bits of mostly universal folklore – exchanging leaves for money.

It’s a “set it and forget it” style spell meaning so long as the object isn’t damaged, it’ll keep working.

What you’ll need:

  • A leaf that fits nice in your purse or wallet.
  • Gold leaf or gold paint

Paint the leaf with gold leaf or gold paint. You can paint then entire leaf or just gild the edges of the leaf. Let it dry completely.

Take the leaf into your hand and say,

"You are painted with gold 
And are a treasure worth having, 
Now my wallet is never be empty 
It is always filled with coin, bill, and currency 
All thanks to you, my leaf gilded in gold."

Keep it in your wallet where you keep your money.

Replace the leaf when it’s broken down or when the gold leaf or paint has completely flaked off.

Notes:

  • Leaves  from almond trees, basil plants, mint, cinquefoil, sage, or apple are good choices. But any plant that feels like a “money plant” that has a large-ish leaf will suffice.
  • Gold leaf is ideal, but gold paint is cheaper and easier to apply.

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Protection from Blades Spell

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This is protection from metal blades. Inspired by a spell from The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes, found on page 881 under the title “Blade Proof Spell”.

What you’ll need:

  • Edelweiss
  • Borage
  • Nettle
  • Rowan wood
  • Ash wood
  • Ash from a fire (especially a fire used to forge a blade)
  • Black charm bag or bottle with stopper and black sealing wax

Gather together your plants and fire ash. Stir them together and say, 

"Protect me from fire 
Protect me from blades 
Protect me from the forge 
Protect me from malicious intent 
Protect me from sharp edges 
Protect me from dull brands 
Protect me from all harm."

Pour the mixture either in a black charm bag or a bottle with a stopper. If using the bottle, you should seal it with black wax over the stopper. 

As you tie the charm bag or seal the bottle, say,

"Fire made you, blades 
But you cannot harm me 
I am safe from all harm."

Note:

  • You could easily add a horseshoe charm, shavings from sharpening a blade, or a piece of forged metal in with the fire ash for extra protection. 

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Should You Adapt Spells or Use Spells Word-For-Word?

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So you found a spell you like, but it’s not perfect. Maybe it uses an ingredient that’s rare or expensive in your neck of the woods. Maybe it asks you to go out and stand in the moonlight and there’s been nothing but snow and rain for weeks. Or, maybe, it’s just not fully clicking for you.

There’s lots of reasons why a person might adapt a spell or ritual. It’s usually for ingredient based reasons, but just as often it could be due to timing or personal practice choices.

But adapting a spell is a fine line. If you adapt something too much, it’s not the same spell. If you swap out an ingredient, you may change the way the spell works. Analyzing spells is something you figure out how to do as you gain experience and knowledge with spell casting. It’s hard to adapt a spell when you might not have the basic knowledge to do that. An experienced witch probably will make changes on the fly, using what’s in their cupboards and their knowledge from research and experience. Others might have to pause to double check something or they might even skip a few ingredients by double up the purpose of an ingredient.

In short, adapting spells can be really easy – but it can be a challenge too. It’s okay if it’s a challenging or daunting task for you! It really is. Because spell casting is a lot like cooking and baking.

If you think of a spell like a recipe, then it may take some of the pressure away from having to “get it right”. Cooking and baking is relatively subjective – things need to turn out a certain way to be properly edible and taste good, but not everything is going to taste great to the same people. Spells are a lot like that. You may learn that you just don’t click with herb based spells or anything that asks you to start a fire is a no-go. And that’s okay! Know your strengths and boundaries. It’s a good idea to push those boundaries and strengths sometimes, but you don’t need to do it all the time.

It’s okay to hold back from adapting a spell or even doing a spell, because you’re not sure of the changes that need to be made. I’m in the camp that says try your adaptations anyway. Take notes on what you changed.

Of course, there’s always some folks out there that say a spell should be used exactly as written. There’s certainly a reason for that. Spells are written with specific intentions in mind and omitting an ingredient or altering a process may change the entire intention of the original spell – even if the person adapting it doesn’t know that. The more complicated the spell – or the more often it deals with spirits – the more likely it is that the process and ingredients are very intentionally chosen. Adaptations and substitutions may cause the spell to fail or not work as intended.

I’ve written spells that have very clear instructions to them because the process, while simple on the surface, was written very intentionally as part of the ritual. The steps aren’t there for the end goal, they are part of the end goal. It’s like a recipe – you need to prep the vegetables properly to really get the flavor you want out of the dish in the end.

I’m still, by far, in the camp of adapting your spells. If a verse in a spell doesn’t seem natural or comfortable, I’ll change it. If I’m doing a complicated ritual, I’ll either take it apart to see exactly how it works or I’ll try it as written and make adaptations for future usages.

It depends on how much experimentation you do with your magic. If you’re looking for a simple grab-and-go spell (and absolutely no judgements here, if that’s your jam), then use what’s written or adapt on the fly. It’s your magic, your practice, and your results. Do what works best for you.

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