Alchemy of spell craft and use of symbols

A brief outlook on the way I understand and use symbols. What they are, and how powerful the personal symbols we create in our lives can be in our magic and spell work.

What are symbols? They are a small-scale representation of something bigger. They can signify a concept, or stand-in for the intended object or person. Symbols can also be physical depictions of deeper ideas that words cannot express. Because of the function symbols have in our lives, we develop many that are unique to us. The more personal a symbol is to us, the more power it will have. That is to say, the better the symbol will work for you in a spell. All magic is symbolic, and symbols can be manipulated to do our will through magic.

For example, a nail has many meanings. It does more than fasten two pieces of wood together. A nail can symbolize permanence, nailing something down, making it final. It can also mean the end of something. Driving the nail into the coffin as they say. This is also an act of permanency but in a different direction. The difference comes in the way that nail is used within a spell. If I take a nail and a piece of paper, write down a goal, and drive the nail through the paper, as I say the spell I have just nailed down my goal thus guaranteeing its achievement. Yet if I put a bad habit inside of a box and I nail that box shut during a spell, I have shut something up for good. I have permanently enclosed it in a tomb where not even I can touch it again. This is how it works with every object and ingredient in magic.

What I call magic could also be labeled as alchemy. As the caster, you are not changing the alchemical signature but altering how energy works with that signature to affect the object or intention it represents. Alchemy is the process of turning one substance into another. While we are not making philosophers stones we are alchemizing our lives through magic. We are taking steps to influence the direct outcome of the events we live through. The difference in how symbols work for us is how we use them. Nothing is ever what it seems, and this is never more true than with magic. Depending on how you look at life, and the world around you, you can turn anything into a symbol of something else. The key to that is the personal link. Personal associations are what create symbols. Some symbols are adopted by the masses and used by more than just one person. It is more common however to develop personal symbols that have meaning only to you. For me, spiders are a symbol of my individuality. They are the first thing I bought for myself when I began to get to know myself inside. I fell in love with their darker nature and there was kinship there. Spiders are very poorly represented and misunderstood creatures, I have felt a similar way most of my life. So what are your personal symbols? What place do those symbols have in your practice and journey through energy work and magic?

There are man-made symbols such as the nail I mentioned as an example. The man-made object has a designated purpose, but we can change it based on what we want to do within its shape and functionality limits. A string is another man-man object. All things are connected in the great universe, the easiest way to describe those connections is to call them strings. Strings hold things together. We use string to bind people or things to us or from us. We use string to signify cords during cord-cutting rituals. The string doesn’t change shape but its purpose does. The string still fastens, connects, and binds, but it does so in a way we choose. Man-made symbols are useful but have limitations.

There are natural symbols too—natural symbols such as a tree. A tree grows, it breathes, it shelters, it filters, and it transforms. We can turn all those qualities into symbols that are useful in spellwork. Natural symbols are organic and typically have many functions instead of a limited number. The possibilities we can achieve with natural symbols are greater. A tree can be a symbol of personal growth or family growth. A tree can symbolize the “as above, so below” concept. The roots of a tree normally mirror its branches. It is a symbol of longevity and strength. A tree can also be a symbol of shelter and respite. A seed is also a symbol that is found in nature. We plant seeds all the time, in the forms of ideas and actions. A seed in spellwork can be symbolic of new beginnings, a long-term project that you want to grow slowly, or the seed can be a symbol of fertility—planting a seed in fertile soil, hoping to reap the benefits of the endeavor. Animals are also common symbols. Wolves are very symbolic in magic, they symbolize the darker nature of ourselves, and they stand for strength. Wolves also stand for fierce action and ruthless defense. The power a wolf is capable of is a good attribute to tap into. As a symbol, the wolf can project those qualities onto us. Magic allows us to tap into them and harness that power when needed.

There are also symbolic gestures and movements. Actions that we use to communicate something bigger or something that is otherwise ineffable. Penguins, to demonstrate their affection for their mate will gift pebbles for the nest that will hold the eggs. The pebble can’t do anything besides sit with the other rocks in the nest but the birds understand what it means. We as humans do this too. The lighting of candles on an altar symbolizes the guiding light. Offerings of wine and bread, the symbol of Christ’s blood and body. Men give their wives rings as a symbol of their love. The ring represents eternity, as one. The incense that is lit before a ritual, is symbolic. The smoke is a representation of air for some and for Catholics and Orthodox religions, the smoke is a symbol of prayers reaching heaven. The herbs we set out for offerings, the symbolic representation of the earth, the candles represent fire, and the water we use to cleanse ourselves symbolize the vast oceans that cradle the world. Ritual is about symbolic acts. Much of what is done during a ritual is a smaller version of the larger forces we call on and tap into. That forms the link during the moment, that is how we pull those forces inside our space and use the minute amounts we can harness to help achieve our goals.

Magic can teach lessons and change behavior and is capable of doing so without causing harm. Magic is here to help teach creative lessons through symbolic spell work that is beneficial. To both the spell caster and the target. Lessons that leave both individuals better people in the end. I suppose I am saying love thy enemy but with a modern twist. You can prevent your enemy from doing further harm to you without harming them. This is why binding spells exist. You can get someone to stop spreading lies or gossip about you without setting off events you can’t take back or truly control. Freezing their tongue is simple and modern freezers make this much easier to achieve. A simple piece of paper, a name, and the desire to make them stop spreading lies will do the trick after being placed inside the freezer. It really can be that simple. Magic isn’t here to help us sink into our basic urges or pain. Magic is here to help us rise above them and elevate the lives we touch as we rise. It is here to inspire us and assist in our evolution. Like attracts like in magic and we become better people as we learn. The more knowledge we have the better our magic is and the more it will do for us.

I acknowledge many wonderful things can be achieved with magic. The power we can tap into and connect with is incredible. It is not meant to deal out vengeance or be our weapon of revenge. If you are to weaponize magic, let it be to protect, heal, and uphold a better society. This power was never meant to be used for bad intentions. This is why baneful magic is better left alone. Why it should not be a first choice. There is more potential for baneful magic such as curses and hexes, to go wrong and come back against you. I have always viewed the behavior of baneful magic as nature’s built-in safety measure. Magic works through emotional attachments and emotions like anger, spite, and jealousy are unstable. The frequency they exist on is also unstable. It is corrosive, and every time an individual chooses to reach out, touch it, and work with it, they sacrifice a piece of who they were to do so. Turning the power we possess on one another is very easy, but this is why we shouldn’t. There is no inner strength in such actions.

As practitioners of magic, most of us are encouraged to use magic to improve ourselves. Our knowledge of the world both inside and outside ourselves empowers us to do just that. This is as it should be even though life will show us the difficulty in walking a higher path. The higher path asks you for a deeper level of commitment that is defined and deepened through choice after difficult choice. But that is the alchemical journey of the soul. The whole point of learning how to use magic. To discover your higher self. To constantly evolve into the best possible version of yourself. Throwing a curse or hex out into the aether is equivalent to telling karma who, when, where, and how to strike. We, do not tell karma how to act. Karma governs us, and we are at her mercy. Our only job is to accept the karmic flow of life and observe her glorious justice. To accept that sometimes hard lessons are necessary and we do not need to seek revenge for wrongs that are done. There are so many wonderful lessons magic can teach every one of us, I hope to encourage self-improvement and growth through the information I share. I hope to inspire everyone who reads this to reach deeper within yourself and discover what lies there. What talents, desires, dreams, and power are hiding there, waiting to be discovered? Waiting for you to shine a light on it. I want to set the guidelines so you are free to explore without feeling blind.