Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
The DruWitch Way: Spells and the Witch’s Power

The DruWitch Way: Spells and the Witch’s Power

Last updated on: January 29, 2020 at 8:12 pm by Tara Sanchez

The DruWitch Way: Spells and the Witch’s Power 2020-01-29T20:12:30+00:00 Tara Sanchez

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve never believed that science and magick are mutually exclusive. Far from it. Since I discovered the craft in my twenties my dearest hope has been that science and technology will finally catch up and prove that which we already know. That Magick works!

Problem is of course that science doesn’t want to prove magick, it wants to disprove it, and also people’s ideas of what magick really is can vary so wildly as to make it almost unquantifiable, a scientific red flag straight away. And then of course there are the sheer number of times that it appears that the spell or ritual doesn’t work or backfires in some way. Why is that? We know it can work so why are the results so difficult to reproduce? In my opinion it all comes down to “power” and the manner in which we direct it.

I’ve never believed that science and magick are mutually exclusive. Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay.

Let’s go back to science. Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When we make a decision to change the world either internally or externally, we are exerting a force upon the universe, we are pushing power and the Universe pushes back.

Now I hear what you are saying, if the forces are equal and opposite why do spells work at all then? Aha! Glad you asked. It’s because we don’t work in a vacuum, so we can encourage other external forces to also work on our desired goal giving us the combined strength to overcome, to push back from different angles harder than the universe cares to fight. It’s actually basic physics.

Let me explain, I want to get a job I’ve seen advertised, I want it badly. After much thought and consideration as to if the job I am applying for is the right job for me, I work a spell. I dance, chant, visualize, do all the things until I am a sweaty heap on the floor in the circle.

I felt the temperature rise both internally and externally, I felt the “giving” or “tearing” sensation that can happen when you’ve pushed your way through the initial resistance and sent the spell out. I’ve overcome the inertia, I have “pushed the power” and because I also wrote the job application in circle, (I’m clever like that) an interview is almost immediately forthcoming. Yet, in the end I didn’t get the job. What gives?

In the end I didn’t get the job. What gives? Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay.

Did I exert any other external force to ensure that my combined power was greater than the natural Universal resistance?

Did I do any mundane footwork allowing other influences to act on the opposing forces? Look up the company, read about its work, technologies, staff ethos, environmental policies? In short, did I give myself a practical upper hand?

Did I do a secondary spell to ensure the weather was great that day? People, including myself and the interviewers, are always in a better mood when it isn’t cold and miserable.

Did I take an extra hour that morning doing nothing but chanting and visualizing success before I left for the interview?

And finally, were my clothes, hair, and breath clean, fresh-smelling, and appropriate?

Chances are if the spell failed, I didn’t provide enough additional forces to the problem to allow my power push to overcome the obstacle.

Some witches I know who seem to use almost no “oomph” succeed in their spellwork over and over again like clockwork. It’s a skilled witch who can get things done with the slightest nudge in just one or two very well-placed directions. The true power of witchcraft isn’t how much energy they can raise, nor how hard they can shove it out. To be multi-modal rather than single minded is when spells work, and they never truly work how we wish if we perform them in isolation.

About Tara Sanchez

I am a Gardnerian Witch with heavy Druidic tendencies which I think my coven mates mostly tolerate, or at least they humour me when I come up with oddball rituals based on snippets of folklore or myth. I can often be found getting up to mayhem and magick on the wonderful Island of Anglesey, a place where Gin is a sacramental offering. My love of divination is unbridled and I currently own well over a hundred Tarot decks (but please no-one tell my husband! ) and I love to teach and give talks and workshops on Magick, Folklore, Oracular techniques and not surprisingly the Tarot. You can find a whole host of articles and information about my current research at http://tarasanchez.com/. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

January 29, 2020

Radical Pantheist: The Many Faces of the Unicorn - Angela Wix Interview

Next Post

February 5, 2020 Magick IRL: 100% That Witch

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian denomination emphasizes adult baptism over infant baptism?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Catholic Methodist Lutheran Baptist