The Rise of 'Black Magic' Spells in the Modern Era and Why They Are Garbage or You Don't Need a Spell to Change Your Life

Lately, I have been tooling around in Facebook groups for witches. Some of these groups are utterly laughable to people who actually practice magic. What I have noticed is that people take to Facebook (of all places) to beg for spells. They often do this after admitting that they know nothing of magic. Others post images easily googled into these same groups with absolutely zero commentary. The image below is one such 'spell' that has crossed my screen as of late. Neither the poster nor one other commentator could tell me why, exactly, this spell was 'black'. Now, I am of the thought that if you can't look at a spell or incantation and surmise, at least, two possible outcomes for it, then you probably don't need to be trying it. These days, critical thinking is essential and no one seems to be able to do it!  

So, let's break down this spell and see what makes it 'black magic' and decide if it will do anything more than give you gas.

First, we have our ingredients:

Lighter

Pink Candle

Musk Oil

Carving Tool

Marjoram

Pink Cloth with 'dream of me, be with me' on one side and 'just a little nudge' on the other, preferably hand sewn by the spellcaster

Pink or Red Pouch (small)

Glass plate

The lighter, carving tool (or knife/pin/needle) and plate are, kind of, self-explanatory. Lighter to light the candle, carving tool to carve it and plate to not make a huge mess on the table.

So, now, let's look at correspondences:

Pink as quoted directly from here:

 "The color pink is gentle and feminine and evokes the scent of apple blossoms and the laughter of little girls. Pink is calming and energetic all at once. Wear the color pink to evoke youthful energy and childlike joy. Pink can be used in magic for emotional love, tenderness, conception, babies, pregnancy, romance, youth, peace, emotional healing, inner harmony, femininity, and friendship. The action of the color pink is similar to that of the color red but gentler and more muted.

Wear and decorate with the color pink, or burn pink candles to relax and energize, calm aggression and relieve stress. The color pink is also used to suppress the appetite.

In Japan, the color pink is associated with the spring blooming of the cherry blossoms (Sakura) which are associated with the souls of warriors fallen in battle."

Musk oil as quoted directly from here and here: 

"A love oil used to arouse one's passion and heighten sexual pleasure. Also used to draw new situations and prosperity."

"Musk is Earth associative. It’s a good incense for restoring balance and order, realigning one's energies, sealing portals, creating barriers and protections, and removing the influences of negative magick. It’s also a good incense to burn to Saturn. Musk is also associated with chthonic deities and the underworld. It’s more concerned with underworld energies and accessing the underworld than bringing forth the dead. It’s a good incense to burn for certain underworld entities."

Marjoram quoted directly from here, here, and here:

"In magickal practice, marjoram is chiefly a love herb. It is typically employed in the creation of love-potions or attraction charms. It plays a major role in fixing spells and enchantments. In more practical applications, marjoram is useful for deflecting bad luck and accidents, as well as for promoting harmony in households. Burnt as an incense, it is said to banish discord where its smoke is wafted. Marjoram may even be used to help improve relationships and marriages, especially when combined with basil and rose petals. Marjoram incense or an herbal sachet made with marjoram blossoms and balm of Gilead buds may even be used to help with depression, to counter psychic attacks, and to banish bad or negative thoughts."

"Magical attributes: protection, love, healing.

Uses: Add to all love charms or place a piece in rooms for protection. Give to a grieving person to bring them happiness."

" This perennial herb ... and was known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness and love due to its close association with the fierce and beautiful Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. Moreover, Marjoram is sacred to Isis, Egyptian Goddess of Love and all blessings.

This is why Marjoram is believed to be ESSENTIAL to any love spell (especially Love sachets). There are many ancient customs where a little sachet filled with Marjoram is woven into the bridal dress to ensure long-term happiness in marriage and to enhance fertility."

Ok, we have our correspondences and our ingredients. Now what? Let's look at the 'spell' and see if we can decipher what we are supposed to do. 

The first paragraph says: "Cast the circle, call the quarters. Dim the lights, leave a candle burning if you wish. Take the pink candle and anoint it with musk oil while thinking of the person who you want. Scratch the name of the person on one side of the pink candle and the word love on the other side."

(I will admit to paraphrasing here because I found it too wordy and poorly written.)

In the first half a dozen words, I see a problem for a new practitioner. If you can't cast a circle or call the quarters, you should stop right there and go learn to do that. If you can, let's move on. All prep, such as dimming the lights, lighting candles, etc. should have been done before the circle was cast.

The anointing of candles with oil can be done a multitude of ways, but it is easier to carve the candle and then anoint it so you don't have to try and get a blade or sharp object into a slippery candle. Also, there are specific ways to anoint candles to draw/attract and repel/banish that this spell does not address. Is the practitioner supposed to know this already? I sure hope so!

Now, we get to the 'grit' of this 'black magic spell'. Well, sort of. There are those who believe that because this spells focuses on a specific person, that it is an attempt to bend their will to the caster's own and is, therefore 'black magic'. I am inclined to agree, mostly due to my Wiccan training. That said, I do not judge those who would choose to do this spell because I can see multiple possible outcomes and, honestly, many of them include the phrases, "you got what you wanted" and "be careful what you ask for".

Place the pink cloth on the plate with "just a little nudge" facing down. Light the candle and affix the cloth to the plate by letting hot wax drip on the corners of the cloth. While visualizing your desire, use wax drippings to form the shape of a heart in the middle of the cloth. Drip some wax in the middle of the heart shape and place the candle there.

So, from what I gather with this paragraph is that this is a small piece of cloth with a lot of sewn writing on it. I'm still not sure why the corners need to be affixed with wax if there is going to be a wax heart in the center and more wax drippings to affix the candle. If this is a permeable cloth, such as a cotton blend, not all of this is necessary and adds complication to a rather simplistic candle spell.

Anyway, moving on. Visualizing ones desire. Do you know how to visualize? If not, guess what you should do. That's right, learn what that is and how to do it. If you do know, then you're good. Let's move on, shall we? Also, when are we going to compel the other person to "dream of me, be with me"? Why are we doing this at all? Is it for the 'dream walking'?

With the candle burning, empower a pinch of marjoram by pinching it tightly between your fingers and feeling the energy flowing into it. Sprinkle the marjoram in the place touching the heart and candle. Let the candle burn down.

And now we add the herb! I think we should be adding it to the melting wax, but again, the spell isn't very clear. However, the caster needs to know how to 'empower' things. Do you know how to move energy? If you don't, you aren't going to 'empower' anything. If you do, are you charging it with your own energy? Are you going to draw earth energy up or maybe draw down the moon? Let's get creative!! Obviously, though, a pinch is all we need.

Crinkle the hard pool of wax as much as you can while thinking of your desire. Take the remains of wax, marjoram, and cloth and put them in a small pink or red pouch. Sleep with the pouch under your pillow and by using dream direction, allow yourself to dream of the person you want.

Sleep like this for as long as needed until the day comes when you are going to see the person. Take the pouch with you. When you see the person, wait until the time is right.

Ok, so I have just added the last two paragraphs together. It's just as well to finish it up.

To complete the spell, you must, I think, break up the wax on the cloth while thinking of your desire. Now, remember, this cloth is affixed to a plate with the same, now hardened wax. Good luck getting that unstuck from the plate without a knife or other scraping tool not listed above.

Oh, have you been sitting in this circle for 12 hours waiting for this candle to burn down and the wax to harden? Did you leave circle while the magic was being completed? I sure hope you know how to cut a door to your circle. Did you leave the quarters called? They might be a bit unhappy as to have to wait around while you go on with life, don't you think?

Assuming that you know what you're doing and you finished the spell, released the quarters and circle, now you get to shove all of that stuff in a bag and sleep with it until you can find a way to orchestrate a meeting with said person you most desire where you take the pouch with you and wait until the time is right. 

Oh! You mean the spell is incomplete? What. The. Fuck! 

Yeah, this spell is incomplete, aside from being total trash, to begin with. However, I want to back up just a little bit and explore why one would even consider a spell like this. What draws us to the supposed taboo? What draws us to tempt the Fates and attempt to harness such god-like powers as bending the will of another to our own? 

Honestly? It's different for each person, but it comes down to control, power, and significance. Now, there are those who would argue that every choice we make influences those around us and bends their will to ours. Personally, I believe that if you are aware of how your words and deeds affect others, then you can be aware of when those words and deeds affect others negatively. 

It's all up to the practitioner, but the reality of the world we live in is thus: We are all always trying to do what is best for ourselves. We put our best face forward to get a job (and we could cast a glamour to do this). We tell people what they want to hear and show them what they want to see. 

This sudden rise in 'black magic' is a two-fold thing. It is people who feel powerless and want to have some kind of control (or feel like it) and it's those who would prey on those who feel powerless. What do I mean by this?  Someone is on eBay selling this particular spell for about $5 already printed on parchment for your BoS. 

If you do not know how to write your own spells, buying one won't make you powerful. This spell, literally, raised no energy toward the goal. Now, an adept practitioner will know when to raise energy and how to do it. In fact, they will be able to do it with a simple thought, but once again, one who is new will not have any idea.

This is the modern-day equivalent to the ancient grimoires. The ones published today have most of the magical sigils and words, but few of the practical things like correspondences that the neophyte would have discussed with the adept, the things that aren't written down. The powers of deduction and critical thinking are lost on most people today, which is why we have people selling 'powerful black magic spells'. 

If you aren't prepared to write your own spells, you probably aren't ready to try and perform anyone else's.

Please, don't blow yourself up.

River

(P.S. It's not lost on me that I didn't make any commentary on the actual correspondences. I did that on purpose. Maybe we could discuss why they are good or bad ingredients?)

Know Thyself

Being the weekend of the full moon, and the final one of the Witch's Year (the sun goes 15 degrees Scorpio Nov. 6, marking Samhain) I thought it would be a good time to do a bit of reflection and musing on what it means to be Witch.

I have recently ventured into the world of Facebook groups for pagans. It has been both enlightening and terrifying. Most people post asking for spells, mostly money and luck and, occasionally, love. Others post asking for help of some kind or asking for (some demanding) free tarot readings.  Still, others post stating they have done some spell or another and why didn't it work and can someone help them.

To the last one, they get all of these responses of 'you can't doubt yourself' and 'it won't work if you doubt your magic'. Both good points, but neither addressing more than one potential cause of the spell actually not working. Realistically, there is an infinite number of points in the timeline where the magic could have been scattered, absorbed, or otherwise used up to make the magic not work.

First, the practitioner may need to change their perception of the world. In this world of 'spells are like prayers on steroids' people honestly believe that they can simply speak their desires into existence. Except, most people can't due to lack of discipline, faith, or understanding. To put it simply, it was doomed before it was begun to do subconscious concepts that the practitioner may or may not even realize they have.

Second, the structure of the spell could have been faulty. Spell and ritual creation are like baking. You have ingredients that must be added at the right time and in the right proportion with the right amount of catalyst to create the change. If any of those things are off, the spell won't work. What do I mean? Well, too much flour and your cake is dry and crumbly. Too much liquid and it is sticky and not quite done in the center but almost burnt around the edges. Too much heat, your cake burns. Too little and it doesn't cook.

Third, and this may be the most important one, if you want to learn these things, no one can do it for you. The manufacture of coincidence isn't a practice that one sits down and simply does from the beginning, just as one does not simply bake a cake at 5 years old.  While, yes, talent helps, discipline and practice hone the talent and sharpens it like the edge of a razor.

In a world of instant gratification and 'The Secret' type of thinking. No one wants to believe that discipline and practice are what it takes to become a magician. They believe that they can read a book on the basics and cast a spell to be a millionaire or to make someone love them. If that were the case, a witch would win the lotto every week.

The magical axiom, Know Thyself, takes on a new meaning once you turn inward and stop blaming all of the outside sources for your spells not working. Do you fear failure? Maybe success? Do you fear being found out? Who are You? What makes You tick? Once you figure out your fears, you can get on with becoming an adept magician.

Brightest Blessings, All!!
River