A Creative Discussion

As I’ve started to actively practice magic, a few things have become apparent immediately, the most surprising of which is that a ritual or an action of magic is a partnership: it’s a discussion between my spirit, my consciousness, and the spirit. My understanding, the supplies I have available, what I know of the symbolic language of magic (the things that the physical components mean, the things the songs or chants mean), and my capacity to hear the spirit and follow directions.

I honestly was expecting it to be a bit more formulaic. Blame it on books, but I fully expected there to be lots of recipes to memorize and loads of gestures and maybe a wand or something like that. Ancient tomes, arcane knowledge, possibly a D&D manual and definitely some robes with stars and moons on them.

I was expecting to be fancy, and it turns out you can do a fucking amazing number of things with $5 in the dollar store. Hell, a single candle will get you almost anywhere you need to go.

The most important part so far is the collaboration. It is by the capacity of the witch (you know, whatever you were born with), and by the nature of the conversation they can have with the spirit. If you’re bad at listening or taking direction, it does not tend to go well.

For me, it’s a bit tentative as of yet, but mostly because my mind is still expecting something completely different.

Honestly, as much as anything else, this reminds me of painting, a lifetime ago in studio art.