The Art of Creative Magick

By S. Connolly

DB Publishing: Kindle Edition

August 2010

Copyright 2010 by S. Connolly

All Rights Reserved
 Introduction
Dreams have the ability to inspire the creative magician in all of us.

Magick is all around us. It is within us. We are born with it. This natural
magick combined with creativity can empower your life, balance the spiritual
and intellectual with the creative mind, and enhance your magickal workings.
Everyone can practice creative magick regardless the tradition they choose
to follow. Because it comes from you, it will naturally fall into the tradition or
path you have chosen for yourself.

What is creative magick?

Creative magick is the essence of the self and comes from within your
self. It is the creative expression of desire for change. The late Aleister
Crowley defined magick as the art of creating change in conformity with
one’s will. From a creative standpoint, your will is best expressed when it
comes directly from you. This means that when you write the words of a
spell or ritual yourself it has more meaning, more power. If you create your
own ritual tools, amulets, and sigils as opposed to buying them off the store
shelf – they hold more symbolism and meaning. The tools themselves
become powerful to you. While understandably many pagan paths have set
rituals and practices that are traditional, creative magick works on the
premise that those rituals and practices belong in a group setting when you
are observing holidays or practicing magick with your coven, sect, grove,
grotto, or circle.

Creative magick, because it is specific to you, is best suited for solitary

magickal workings. It can, however, be applied in a group setting wherein
each participant presides over the group working for their own part in the
creative magickal process. Some groups may be open to this. Others may
not. You will find tips for group workings later in this book under the creative
ritual section.

For the most part this book assumes you are exploring creative magick
on your own.
 Why can’t I just buy a book of spells or rituals and follow it? Isn’t it
better that way?

Sure you can, and I’m a firm believer that you should own at least one
spell book and one ritual book if for no other reason than to have examples
to draw from. More important are books that explain the symbolism of color,
animals, plants, and symbols, and books that list planetary correspondence
tables for the tradition within which you are working. These things will help
you create the rituals, spells, tools, amulets, sigils, etc… specific to your
path and yourself.

However, I do not believe that prepared magick is the better way to

work. A wise friend once told me, “There are many ways to work one
magickal operation successfully, but it is highly unlikely that the same
magickal operation will work for everyone successfully.”

After my own experiments with creative magick, I am inclined to agree.

In creative magick, all aspects of the magickal working must feel

comfortable and right for you. Who do you think wrote these ritual, spell and
magick books? Exactly. Other creative magicians, witches, and occult
practitioners just like you. Their books are filled with what worked for them.
Likewise, your book of shadows, grimoires, and journals should be filled with
what has worked for you.
 Okay. So how do I start?

There are many ways to interject your own creativity into your magickal
practice. Even if this is the very first book about magick you’ve ever picked
up, I almost guarantee you will be inspired to sit down tonight (or tomorrow)
and apply some of the suggestions in this book to your existing practice.

I have broken down magick into three basic aspects that, when
combined, make for effective magick. Each part of each aspect can be
combined with other aspects as well. Nothing is ever separate. All of these
things work together as parts of the whole.

First we’ll start by looking at the symbolic aspects of magickal practice.

· Ritual Space
· Ritual Tools
· Amulets, Talismans, and Sigils

Then we’ll take a look at the spiritual and belief aspects of magickal
practice.

· Personal Pantheons/Deities
· Prayer and Invocation
· Basic Belief
 Lastly, we’ll explore the purposeful aspects of magickal practice.

· Spells
· Rituals

Once we’ve covered all of these areas I have no doubt you will
understand why I have broken each of these things down into more
palatable bits. It is my hope that you come away from this book feeling
inspired and creative and with a renewed understanding of magick and
creative magick as a whole.
Symbolic Aspects
Choosing and Creating

Your Ritual Space

Choosing a Space

Let’s start out with the most basic question regarding magick. Where?
Where do you practice magick? Do you have a room dedicated to your
practice, or do you use your living room or bedroom? This may seem like a
silly question. You may not even believe it matters. But it does. The energy
of your space can be affected by the most prominent use of that space.

For example, you might find you are tired after working magick in a
bedroom because the bedroom is predominantly used for resting. You might
find yourself restless working magick in your living room if it is a space
predominantly used by multiple people for multiple purposes. There is a way
to modify the energies in a space to make them more conducive to
practicing magick. That way is to make the space your own. It doesn’t need
to be the whole room. Just a corner or one specific spot, preferably out of
the way where few people will be inclined to intrude.

You can also cut off this space from the rest of the room by using room
dividers or curtains. The most effective way to mark this space is to place an
altar in it with just enough room in front of it for you to kneel, stand, or sit.
The space should have adequate ventilation if you are going to burn incense
(especially strong incenses).

You might also want to consider which direction you want your altar to
face and make sure you have room for the altar at that particular point in the
space. Sometimes we don’t have a choice and an altar has to fit where it fits.
Consider re-arranging the room or choosing another space if the direction
your altar will face feels uncomfortable to you.

Clearing the Space

Once you have chosen this space you may wish to bless it or clear it as
you see fit according to your traditions. By clearing I don’t just mean clutter. I
also mean clearing the air of funky or stale energies. Be creative in the
clearing. Feel free to put in your favorite CD, burn some clearing incense,
and dance in your ritual space if you want to. Sound crazy? If you are
expressing yourself in a way that brings you joy and energy, does it matter
what anyone thinks? The point is to get rid of the energy you don’t want, and
to infuse the space with the energy you do want. That’s all.

The next step is to decorate the space.

 Decorating Your Space

We’ll start with a bare space and work our way through it.
Obviously there is no set method to creating the ritual space, so feel free to
do each step as you can or as you see fit.
The Walls

Perhaps you want to paint the walls a soothing or energetic color.

Maybe you’d like to paint symbols on the walls or hang tapestries or posters
magick related. Or, less drastic, hang a scrying mirror. Whatever your style,
choose your more permanent decorations carefully. You should pay
particular attention to colors. Certain colors can cause agitation, while others
could be too soothing. As always, do what you feel is right for you.
The Floor

Now that you have the walls taken care of, take a look at your floor. You
may not be able to change the flooring or carpet if you are renting. However,
if you own your home, you may have a choice in flooring. If creating a
physical circle on the floor is important you may be able to paint or chalk the
circle onto concrete or wood floors. If you will use your space for meditation
you might prefer a thick carpet, or throw pillows to sit on. Only you know how
you will use your space. Therefore you should feel free to decorate
accordingly as you are able.
Choosing the Altar

Once the flooring is out of the way you can move on to furniture.
Obviously we’ll start with the most important piece of furniture for your
space. The altar. There are three types of altars as I see it. The movable,
the permanent, and the hidden. Each has its own purpose.

Movable Altars – can be hidden. This is the perfect altar to have when
your space won’t allow for a permanent altar. An example of this would be a
dorm room shared with a roommate. A square, flat piece of wood will suffice
if need be. That way it can be slipped beneath a bed, moved into a closet or
put away on a shelf when not in use. It can also be hidden if necessary.

Permanent Altars – The permanent altar is best for a dedicated

magickal space. Ritual tools can be left on top of it. In the permanent ritual
space, you may choose to have more than one altar.

Hidden Altars – are basically altars that either don’t look like altars
when most of the tools are put away, or they are pieces of furniture used as
altars then cleared when the magickal operation is complete. This type of
altar, or the movable altar, may be your best bet if you have yet to come out
of the closet with your magickal practice. I have found that dressers or desks
make great hidden altars because the drawers can be used to store your
ritual tools.

The first step to choosing an altar is to decide which altar is right for
you. Choose a piece of wood or furniture that you feel comfortable with and
that fits your magickal space. Something you like, or better yet – love. The
more you like it, the more positive, strong energy you will associate with it. In
the case of movable altars you have a lot of freedom. You may choose to
decorate your altar with paintings or carvings of pentacles or other magickal
symbols.

Be creative and enjoy yourself. By painting or carving (or even gluing

sand, feathers, shells to it) you are putting the essence and energies of you
into the altar. For more permanent altars and hidden altars, the investment
of money, or the simple fact that you don’t want to deface your favorite
furniture, may prove a discouragement from adorning it with paintings or
carvings let alone glue. Don’t worry, you can still anoint your altar with a
scented oil, or ritual oil you enjoy. You can also be especially creative with
altar cloths that not only serve the purpose of decorating your ritual space,
but also to protect your altar from ash, wax and oil stains. After all, we all
know that magick isn’t always clean.
Other Furniture

· Small Tables – Some people like small tables on which to set

candles to mark the elemental points of the ritual space. This could be
impossible if your space is small. Other people may choose to simply
use painted squares of wood or decorated tiles to take place of small
tables. There are reasons for tables and tiles. Hot wax tends to get
everywhere. You may choose to tile your own tables or set
independent decorated tiles on top of your tables.
· Shelves – for herbs, books, and other implements.
· Locking Cabinets – to keep swords, athames (daggers), and toxic
concoctions away from children and pets.

All of these pieces of furniture can be painted, carved, or covered in the

décor of your choice. You can also anoint them in your favorite magickal
oils. Once the furniture in your space is taken care of, you can begin to
equip your ritual space with the tools you want or need to perform your
magical operations.

On that note there are some people who believe that all space is magickal
and a dedicated space is not necessary. Others have turned their entire
living space into a magickal space. This is okay, too. Magickal space best
serves those of us who share our space with others who do not practice,
and/or those of us who find focusing on a magickal task easier within a
dedicated space. Once again, only you can decide if you want or need a
dedicated space.
 Your Ritual Tools

One of my friends once reminded her students that there is no rush

to acquire your magickal tools because they come to you in their own time.
That is basically to say that you may have temporary ritual tools in your
magickal space that will be replaced with a tool more powerful and more
loved.

A perfect example of this is my first ritual blade. It was a pocket knife. It

meant nothing to me and I was happy to replace it. The dagger that replaced
it, which I loved, was later replaced with another that I loved more. Not that I
loved the item for the item it was (because my first real dagger was certainly
prettier than the one I replaced it with), but I loved the way the tool worked
for my purposes. The blade was more practical, broader, not as pointy at the
tip and the second blade had a serpent hilt. The serpent is a favored symbol
of mine. The grip wasn’t the smooth, polished wood like the first, but scaled
and smaller. It fit my hand better and I could grip and maneuver it more
readily. It is still my preferred athame after all these years and I have many
athames in my collection.

There is a point behind this story. The tool that looks prettiest is not
always the most functional. If a steak knife fits your purpose and it’s
functional – use it.
Chalices, Athames, Swords, Bowls, Incense Burners, Etc…

I started out shopping for my ritual tools at the local thrift shops and
discount shops. There I found offering bowls, chalices, and candle holders
all of which served their time on my altars over the years. I often think this is
the best way to start out shopping for ritual tools because you can clean
them up and decorate them as you wish without feeling guilty for spending a
hefty sum buying shiny new items that may be shiny, but not practical. Plus,
you might feel you can’t carve or paint sigils or symbols on your shiny new
things. This way if the tool turns out to be impractical you spent less money.
And it also gives you the option to buy tools you need quickly and
inexpensively, that you can use while you shop and search for the tools you
really want.

My favorite tools, however, have always been those gifted to me by

fellow practitioners and close friends who knew my needs, understood
practicality and my tastes and obviously put a lot of thought into the gift. This
way the tool’s energy starts out with positive energy from the start. Even
though you’ll clean and bless the tool to balance it with your own energies,
you will always look upon that tool fondly for as long as you have fond
memories of the person who gave it to you.

Now I’m not saying to never buy anything shiny and new. Just
remember that silver tarnishes and must be polished, ritual tools should be
easy to clean, they have to be practical and the tool has to be something
you like. That’s a tall order and probably the reason so many of us who have
been practicing magick for some time have acquired an abundance of
candle holders, chalices, bowls, incense burners, altar cloths, swords and
athames that clutter our homes. The perfect way to get rid of that clutter is to
gift these items to a fellow practitioner who is short on cash. What wasn’t
right for us may be perfect for someone else and it will give them something
to work with until they find the tools they want.

Of course there are times where the neat silver chalice sets and
impractical but beautiful altar cloths are practical, as in if you’re buying tools
for group work and you want to create atmosphere by using formal attire that
you might not feel as comfortable with.
Candles

An item we magicians and witches tend to buy in bulk are candles.

Show me the home of someone who practices magick and I guarantee you
they’re the only ones on their block with enough candles to keep the whole
house lit every night during a two-week blackout. When it comes to candles
as tools you might be asking yourself, “What does creative magick have to
candles? They’re just candles!” Sure they are. If you practice a tradition
where candles are just candles then this won’t apply to you. But to the
creative magician, even candles can be a creative expression of magick and
tools that should be infused with purpose and will.

As I was saying, there is good reason to buy candles in bulk. The first
reason is that candles are tools that are used up quickly. This can get
expensive if you’re paying more than you should. You can get candles with
solid color through and through from discount or hobby stores if you look
hard enough. The second reason is that for general ritual lighting you don’t
need the best candles out there. It’s the altar candles and candles with
specific purpose that tend to be important. The important candles (large
pillars or purpose candles) can be expensive if you buy them from your local
metaphysical supplier.

In my opinion, the best way to acquire these special candles is to make

your own. That way you can add the oils and herbs you want as necessary
to infuse the candle with its purpose. Plus, because it was made by you, it is
also infused with your energies and has more meaning to you. We’ll go more
into intent, purpose, and will in the creative ritual section. You can buy
candle-making supplies for about $25 at a hobby shop.

The cheapest way, of course, is to buy the candles in bulk and carve
and anoint them for your purpose. I tend to do a little of all three. If I’m
feeling especially lazy I’ll use bulk candles carved and anointed. If it’s not too
far out of the way and I’m not feeling ambitious, or it’s for a group working,
I’ll drive to the occult supplier and buy a special purpose candle. But if the
ritual I’m doing is particularly important I’ll make my own. The latter have
always given me the best results.
Altar Cloths

I think a lot of people have misconceptions of the altar cloth. Its

purpose is not to look pretty. There is actually a practical reason for them -
to protect the altar from spills, stains, wax, burning stuff, etc… Of course you
want it to look decent to match your ritual space. So a lot of people run out
and buy the prettiest altar cloth they can find only to discover that in a year,
it looks terrible. Wax, oil, wine, ash, etc… tend to render altar cloths
unworthy after time.

Here is a creative idea for altar cloths from my years of experience. For
the front of the altar (the side you’ll see) go to your local fabric store and buy
a nice piece of fabric. This will be the first layer and will lie over the altar.
You can sew it up so it fits your altar perfectly, or you can just drape it. You
can embroider it with sigils or symbols if you wish. Alternatively you can buy
a pre-made altar cloth you’re fond of. Then buy or find a piece of dark
cheap fabric (think bargain bin and old sheets) to spread out over the top of
the altar (not covering the front piece that you want to be seen). The top
piece can be replaced every year or as needed, and it will protect the top of
the altar and your altar cloth. Just make sure the altar cloths are spread out
flat so nothing on the altar tips. Also consider using tiles as coasters to set
candles, water, wine, and incense on.

Wands and Staves

Wands and staves are two items I believe the magician should
make him or herself. You can affix crystals to them with leather strapping,
decorate them with stones or beads as you desire, leave them plain and
natural - and most importantly if you choose the materials yourself, you get
the wand or staff you want each and every time. As I’m an old school
magician, I don’t understand the tiny crystal wands people spend big money
on and I don’t see their point as a practical ritual tool.

I like my wands made of branches from trees I’ve known. I want to

make it my own. Of course this is just my opinion. If the $100 small crystal
wand is what you like and want, that is what you should use. I just don’t see
that it allows for a lot of creativity. Staves are the same way. Many people
buy pre-made staves from a tall box sitting next to the cashier at the curio
shop. One of my staves was made by a friend who made it to my
specifications. With a serpent head and crystal eyes, it turned out beautifully
and only cost me a fraction of what I would have paid buying one from a
store. The other is a tall oak branch I found while hiking one day. It looks
gnarled and scary, but it serves its purpose well. Always remember that with
wood staves and wands you will need to replace them now and again
because they eventually start to fall apart, unless you treat the wood with a
sealant.
This and That

Here are a few ideas for tools that you can make inexpensively
yourself. Every ritual tool you create yourself, or modify creatively adds to a
magickal space and ultimately adds to your magick. That is the point of this
entire chapter.

· Elemental Point Indicators – buy (or find) small squares of wood

(4x9 or thereabouts) from your local hobby store. Buy black paint and
silver or gold paint. Acrylic is fine. First paint each square of wood
solid black. You can choose a different color if you want. This is just
my illustration. Paint the elemental or deity symbols/sigils of your
choice in gold or silver in the center of the square. Let them dry. Place
each one at its appropriate point in your ritual space.
· Robes – Making your own robe is easy if you have a little extra
time and access to a sewing machine. With a few hours and about
$30 you could save yourself some money and you can make the robe
you want (via pattern). Plus, you will, once again, be infusing the robe
with your own internal magick.

I have no doubt I have missed a lot of great ideas. It would be

impossible for me to mention every possible idea. Feel free to explore on
your own. Just remember to follow your intuition and go with what feels right
for you. This applies to all aspects of creative magick.
 Creating Amulets, Talismans,

and Sigils

There are two parts to creating Amulets, Talismans, and Sigils.

· The first is to define the purpose and goal of the item.

· The second is to actually create the symbol of that purpose and
goal and put it into a physical pictorial or herbal (or both)
representation.

This means that if your urge is to draw a red X on a blue disk for fertility –
then that is what you should do. If you feel like painting nonsensical
squiggles on a piece of white copy paper – and that represents success to
you – do it.
 That symbol, because it’s what you feel represents your purpose,
becomes your personal interpretation of the purpose. Thereby giving you
focus on the intended goal. That symbol can change from spell to spell or
ritual to ritual depending on your mood at the time.

It is by this method that a personal sigil is created also.

For herbal representations of purpose (i.e. sachets and incenses) using

herbs whose colors and scents represent your interpretation of your purpose
can be just as useful and more powerful than prepared mixtures.

More Permanent Representations

What does modeling clay, some paint, a key ring, and a strap of leather
have to do with anything? You can make your own amulets bearing your
own personal sigils. The method is as follows:

Use modeling clay. Choose a color (or mixture of colors) of your

choice. Press the clay into the metal key ring, making sure it overflows and
covers the metal. The key ring’s only purpose is to give the amulet its round
shape, and to keep the clay from falling apart. Using a knife or other tool,
carve your sigil into the disk. Using a toothpick, make a hole large enough
for a small metal O-ring (the kind used to hold charms to bracelets) to go
through at the top of the disk, underneath the top part of key ring. Bake the
disk in your oven as directed so it hardens.

Once it has baked and cooled the clay should be hard, and the
impression of the sigil is left. With a small brush paint the impression of the
sigil. Now get a small metal ring and put it through the top of the disk – use a
plier to close it. Cut a piece of leather strapping long enough to fit over your
head. Run your leather strapping through the ring and knot the ends
together. You have just made a personal sigil amulet.

You can also use modeling clay and similar methods as illustrated
above to create tablets, squares, and other symbolic magickal
representations. Wood carvings are another option depending on how crafty
you are.
Sachets

Sachets that you wear or hang are a simple way of creating

another physical representation of your intended purpose. Using scrap cloth
the color of your choice, cut squares. Fold the square in half. Using a needle
and thread, sew up the two sides vertical to the fold. Turn the sewed sides
in. Fill the sachet with herbs and items that represent your purpose. You
can either sew up the opening or simply tie it shut. By attaching some heavy
thread, rope, or leather strapping you can either wear the sachet or hang it.

Amulets, Talismans, and Sigils in Practical Use

When I was growing up my father used to have terrible fits of anger. He

had a rough job running his own business and often brought his anger home
with him. He wasn’t abusive, but he yelled a lot, which, in retrospect, is
probably why I was so high strung as a child. When I began practicing
magick as a teenager I started to look for ways that magick could help
create a less chaotic atmosphere in our home. One day, when my father
was in a particularly bad mood, I went to my room and instinctively created a
calming sachet of my own devise.

For whatever reason I hung it on my bedroom door knowing that my

father would soon bring his tirade to my room – my sanctuary - even though
it was not customary for him to come to that side of the house. Sounds like a
silly teenager's wishful thinking, right? Well, sure enough my father came
ranting down the hallway that night toward my room. He came into the room
and fell suddenly silent. After looking around, he left the room without word.
He was calm the remainder of the night. That was my first experience with a
successful working of creative magick.

It probably helped that my focus on the sachet’s purpose, during its

creation, calmed me as well so that I did not react to his negative outburst.
Afterwards that particular part of the house permeated with a calming energy
that is still there today, seventeen years later, even though the sachet and I
are both gone.

This is only one example of how effective a creative physical

representation of magick can be. If you create it with focus and you believe
in its purpose, the object can help to affect change in conformity with your
will.

This brings up the next section, the spiritual and belief aspects of
magick.
Spiritual & Belief Aspects
 The Belief Aspects of Magick

In order for magick to be effective, you have to believe. While belief in

the tools, mixtures, amulets, and symbols you create for your magick is
probably important, belief in yourself and all that is (deity) is even more
important. All of the tools, mixtures, words, amulets and symbols have no
power by themselves until you give them that power. That power comes
from within.

On that note, most magick involves working with some element of

supernatural force. Most often that force is deity or the elements or some
other source of energy outside of us. Even then, the powers we attribute to
these sources of external energy are defined by us so that we can better
relate to them.

To illustrate this: To some people water is just water. To others, water is

one of the elements by which we survive. To others still, water in all its form
and symbolism is embodied in a deity such as Neptune or Leviathan. If you
are of the belief that water is just water and water has no spiritual
significance to your belief, chances are you won’t be calling on a deity or
symbol of water to assist you in a magickal working to help you with an
emotional (in many traditions water is the element of emotion) issue.

On the other hand, a traditional ceremonial magician of the Goetic

variety, perhaps, might have a hard time seeing a demon as a neutral
source of energy. Rather he might see it as a part of himself or his psyche
that must be controlled, confronted, and forced to submit. Hence the reason
Goetic magicians often use evocation to conjure these “spirits”.

The point being that the external force, or deity, is often called on to
help the magician focus and manifest the change in accordance to his will.
Magick. In this respect, even external sources of energy become tools. The
magician draws inner strength from the belief in and the connection to, the
symbolism of the deity or external force.

Let me put it another way. The relationship between the individual and
the external source is one of give and take. Deity gains strength the more
the magician believes, and the more the magician believes the more
emotional and mental strength he is granted by deity. There is transference
of positive energy between the magician and the deity when the magician
looks upon deity fondly.

This brings us to creating the personal pantheon. We might also refer to

this as how each individual chooses an external source or sources of
energies to work with.
Creating Personal Pantheons
 A personal pantheon, for all intents and purposes in this book, will
be the phrase I use to describe a set of energies, deities, or singular deity
that the magician chooses to work with in her magickal practice.

Before you panic, please realize that it is not my intention to offend

any individual’s religious beliefs with regards to his or her personal deity of
choice. Nor is it my intention to get you to abandon or question your deity of
choice. Your relationship with external energies and deities is entirely your
own. If your current choice is working for you – don’t change it unless you
feel a need to.

This chapter is included for those people who want to use energy
sources or deities from different belief systems and incorporate them into
their personal magickal practice. Or for those people who would like to give
new (personalized) names to existing energy sources, or to create their own
pantheon of gods to work with.

In creative magick this is a perfectly acceptable practice. After all,

water is still water. It’s your personal interpretation of, belief in, and
connection to water that matters. It’s that personal connection/belief aspect
of the energy source and what you choose to label it that will affect your
magick.

Where to start.

For some people simple labels for member energies/supernatural

beings of a pantheon work just fine. Others, however, prefer their external
energy sources to be named. For the Satanist, Satan, Lucifer, Set, Belial or
a whole host of demon names may point to the same source of energy. For
a Wiccan, the maiden, the mother, and the crone in the triple aspects of the
goddess might be all that is necessary. On the other hand, for some, Diana,
Hera, and Hecate might work better.

The point being that you should choose the labels or names of
deities that you feel you have a personal relationship with. Your next
question might be, “How does one go about finding out which god-forms one
has a personal relationship with?”
 I always like to suggest that people meditate on specific energy
sources first to get a feel for them. Meditate on the names and any
corresponding representations you can find. You will quickly find that there
are some deities you do not feel connected to while others you feel a deep
bond with. Once you’ve chosen those deities or energy sources you are
most comfortable with – work with them. Nothing will be more telling than
how you and this external energy source work together. Keep a journal of
these exercises then go back through your notes. Which deities/energies
were most effective? Which of them seemed to be a strong part of yourself?
Most importantly, was there a connection? Like with a good friend, you will
immediately click with an energy source or deity compatible with you.

For those people who wish to create a personal pantheon, make a

list of the deities you feel most drawn to and connected with. Once you have
done the mediations and workings like the ones mentioned above, choose
those that you felt the strongest connections with. I’ve been told by many
people that the deity they at one time felt most connected to change as life
situations and experiences changed the individual.

Organizing Your Pantheon

If your pantheon is simple such as earth, air, fire, water, spirit –

then organization may not be important. However, if you find yourself with an
ever growing list of compatible energy sources/deities, you may choose to
organize them for your own personal use.

Organizing the pantheon can be tackled in one of several ways.

You can list them by time of year you feel most connected, you can sort
them by day and night, you can sort them by color, element, emotion,
purpose, or even alphabetically. These are just a few ideas for those
magicians and witches who like to list and categorize because they enjoy
being organized.

Working With Your Pantheon

The more you work with your personal pantheon, the more
acquainted you will become with each individual energy source/deity. You
may discover you have given them a form and appearance unique to your
vision. You may discover their strengths and flaws. You will undoubtedly
realize that each one has its own personality. This is perfectly normal (you’re
not nuts) and it's okay. Oftentimes our deities take on the role of altar ego –
things we wish we were. Allow this to happen because it is through these
sources that we can discover ourselves, and the hidden potential we have. A
deity who takes on the role of altar ego can help us be less shy, or to stand
up for ourselves.

There is only one way you can work with your own pantheon. And
that’s by following your own gut and working with them in a manner that
feels right and comfortable for you. If that means you give offerings of
pumpkins and gourds to the earth element every autumn – so be it!

Far too often in the neo-pagan and pagan world we judge what is
the right and wrong way to work with our pantheons based on grimoires and
guides written by other creative magicians who made up the rules. If you are
comfortable with their rules (and there will be others’ rules you’ll like) then
make them your own. Otherwise, create your own rules.

For me, Belial doesn’t care for food as an offering. He (he’s a he to me)
prefers mulch and dirt. For others, fresh produce is the only offering fit for an
earth god. In reality, who’s to say if he cares for either? Or perhaps the earth
gods like it all. All I can know for certain is what feels right to me. All you can
know for certain is what feels right for you.
Invoking/Evoking Deity
 To invoke or to evoke, that is the question. The answer is simple. Do
you respect the energies you work with and wish them to have their own free
will? Do you believe they won’t harm you? If yes, invocation is right for you.
Do you view these energies as a part of you to be controlled and harnessed
by you? Or do you fear their power and believe they should be bound so
they cannot harm you? If so, evocation is right for you.

Sometimes it’s a combination of both. You may believe evocation is

right for some energies and invocation is a better choice for others.

Regardless your method – you should create the words, or use words
that have meaning for you to invoke or evoke the personal pantheon you
work with.

For example – in order to work with the Goetic Hierarchy traditionally

you would have to believe in God and the power of God to protect you in
order to effectively use the evocations provided in books like The Goetia and
The Grimoirium Verum. It would also depend on your definition of God. Is
God the Judeo-Christian God? Or is God simply a broad term meaning the
universe or any God?

To do a spell wherein you invoke the Goddess, if the book refers to her
as Diana, you would have to have a connection to Diana for that invocation
to be powerful for you.

The easiest way to deal with invocation and evocation dilemmas is to

modify what already exists. It doesn’t take as much time and with a little
work (switching names and changing parts you don’t care for) you create an
invocation or evocation that has more personal meaning to you and
becomes more effective as a result because you are calling on a power from
deep within the self rather than reading words on the page that have no
personal connection or meaning.

For those of you more comfortable with your personal pantheon, you
can write your own evocations and invocations from scratch. These
invocations and evocations will be most powerful because they are heartfelt
and come completely from you. They are intertwined with your own personal
beliefs and bring into them your strong connections to your personal
pantheon.

Once you’ve mastered the art of creating your own invocations and/or
evocations you can put them in the context of ritual – the act of magick,
which places you in control of the manifestation of your will.
Purposeful Aspects
Creating Ritual
 Ritual is the act by which you ceremoniously manifest the change and
bring about your desired goal (the will). It’s basically elaborate spell work
combined with paying spiritual homage to deity in order to enlist and harness
the external energies to give your magickal working more power. The
extended length of ritual (as opposed to spell work) is perfect for those who
wish to learn to more acutely focus their energy toward a desired goal.

I have included the following because it explains the point of this

chapter in a far more eloquent way than I ever could. This excerpt is from
Ellen Purswell’s book Goetic Demonolatry and has been reprinted here with
her permission.

I am admittedly not into prepared ceremonial magick as much as I once was. It

used to be that I'd spend weeks preparing for a rite. The phase of the moon had to be
perfect; the hour spot on, and each ritual component had to be exact. I felt I was
cheating if I used substitutions.

In many cases this pageantry of preparation took the meaning out of the rite. Each
rite became nothing more than a list of well-rehearsed steps to a final goal that never
quite materialized in the way I had hoped. With scrutiny comes wisdom and I realized
that the rites had no meaning because I had not created the steps myself, and had not
put meaning behind them. Sure carrying a loadstone in your pocket for three weeks
prior to the new moon may infuse it with your personal essence, but many ceremonial
magick texts don't always give such exact explanations as to why a step is essential
thus leaving the practitioner to guess. I also found that stock rituals weren't always
effective.

I have become more creative in my rites. Twenty-four years ago I decided to paint
my yearly rite of devotion to Purson within the construct of a ritual circle after having
invoked the rulers of the elements. The rite had words, certainly, but they were
undocumented. There was no step-by-step script for me to follow. Instead, I painted and
sang my prayers to Purson. When I was finished, I had an oil painting depicting a face
hiding in the smoke, looking over at a strange symbol rising from the sacred flames.
Never before had I tapped into such power. The power itself did not lye with an external
influence. It hid inside myself as raw creativity.

In her book, Ellen explains the steps to creating ritual. I’d like to
elaborate on her steps by adding some of my own in order to walk you
through the process of creating effective personal rituals.
 Let’s break down the ritual magickal working into seven parts –

· Define the ritual’s purpose and desired outcome.

· Create the invocations or evocations.
· Outline the steps of the ritual:
o Beginning - invocations
o Middle – the work
o End - closing
· Assemble the proper sigils, herbal mixtures, and magickal items.
· Prepare the ritual chamber and yourself.
· Perform the ritual.
· Post-ritual follow-up.

Defining the Purpose and Desired Outcome:

The first step to creating any effective magickal working is to define

your purpose. Be as specific as you can be. “I need some extra cash” is
pretty vague but sometimes a necessary way of putting it. “I want my boss to
give me a raise” is more specific. “I want to get a better job” is pretty vague,
too. Try adding the field you’d like to work in (be realistic) to that sentence.
“I’d like to get a better engineering job” is more specific.

Sometimes being specific is impractical. In cases like that, feel free

to define your rituals’ purpose and desired goal in broad, sweeping
statements. However, being specific has its advantages. First, it helps you
focus more clearly on the desired outcome. Second, it gives you a clearer
picture of what it is that you really want. Do you really want a raise, or a new
job? Don’t heehaw around.

Create the Invocations or Evocations

Next, decide which member(s) of your personal pantheon is/are

appropriate to the magickal working and create the invocations or
evocations necessary. For this particular working (to get a raise) I would
choose Belphegore. An example (continuing along the lines of wanting a
raise) of a created invocation might go something like this:
 “Belphegore, of earth, please attend this rite. I call upon you with
an offering. Hear me; be present at this rite to bring good fortune to me.

You can then add another invocation during the body of the ritual
(where the work is performed) that better defines the purpose and goal of
your working to the external sources you are calling upon. That might go
something like this:

“Belphegore, of earth, I ask that you grant me the strength to find

stability at my job, and the earthly skills to excel there, so that I might get a
raise in pay.”

While these examples may not be as eloquent as you might

choose to write your own invocations, they illustrate how specific the
invocations should be. The more specific the invocation, the more you
understand what you really want, and the external powers that be are better
able to help you. Asking the external forces to simply get you a raise
probably isn’t going to be as effective. Keep in mind any colors, symbols, or
correspondences you will need to follow to make your guests comfortable.

Outline the Steps of the Ritual

Next you will want to outline the steps of the ritual. This can be as
simple as writing down your invocations for the beginning and middle, and
writing down your “thank you, please depart and drive safely” for the closing.
This means that anything during the body of the ritual (the middle) is fair
game. If you would like to perform spells or symbolic action during the work,
pray, sing, dance, paint, cook, eat – or whatever it is you do during the body
of your rituals – you can note it if you are worried about forgetting a specific
part.

Otherwise, during the middle of the ritual you can do whatever you feel
like doing in the present moment. With rites like this, make sure you have
everything you could possibly want within your circle including parchment,
candles, ink, oils, incenses, paints, canvas, music, cooking utensils etc…

I know it may sound strange to have some of these items within a ritual
circle, but you must always remember that whatever you are doing during
the body of the rite it must have personal meaning to you, it must connect
you to your personal pantheon, and it must be done with the purpose and
the desired outcome of the ritual in mind.

If you feel like writing a script, do it. If prepared scripts seem to hamper
the flow of the ritual, don’t use them. As you are planning the working part of
your ritual, be sure to note any colors, sigils, or correspondence you want to
use during the ritual. You might also want to plan a time for the ritual based
on moon phase, hour, etc…

Keep in mind that sigils and talismans can be made during the body of
the ritual if you prefer to construct them within a ritual circle.

The closing of the ritual can be elaborate or as simple as you wish. In

the case of Belphegore I might say something like,

“Belphegore, of earth, thank you for attending this rite. Go in peace.”

Basically you are telling your assembled guests (your personal

pantheon) that you appreciate them coming over to help, and you are seeing
them to the door like you might a house guest.

In the case of evocation, you would evoke the pantheon by command,

and excuse them likewise.

Assemble the proper sigils, herbal mixtures, and magickals items.

Nothing is more frustrating than to have constructed a ritual circle only to

find you’ve forgotten something. Make yourself a list of all the things you
want and take them to the ritual chamber or space beforehand. That way
nothing is left behind.

Prepare the Ritual Chamber and Yourself

Think of this as set up. Some people, during the planning stage,
like to draw diagrams of the ritual’s layout. Use this technique if it helps you.
Having the ritual space set up ahead of time will free you up to prepare
yourself.

Some people may wish to bathe in ritual salts or oils. Others may
choose to fast before the ritual. Others still may choose to take their time
putting on their robes and mentally preparing themselves for a ritual.
Perhaps you want to do all three. Those choices are entirely up to you.

Perform the Ritual

I don’t think I need to go further into this. But make sure you’ve set
enough time aside to perform the ritual. Especially if you are on borrowed
private time and your roommate will be home in an hour.

Post Ritual Follow-Up

After doing a ritual working of magick, you can’t just sit idly by and
wait for a raise or new job to fall in your lap. Nor should you go to work and
cuss your boss, or sit at home expecting the phone to ring with a better job
offer. Instead, you have to actively participate in magick. That participation
means getting to work on time and showing your boss you are competent
and deserving of a raise. It means you have to go out and fill out
applications.
 Then Why Do Magick At All?

Magick, in itself, is a tool to help you focus your energy and to help
you draw needed strength from a spiritual or outside source. It is a tool that
you use to influence yourself (the way you are thinking and acting) which
consequently changes the world around you. It is by this influence that
changes and desires manifest. Think about it. All magick is spurred by the
desire for change. The external situation can only change if you will it to
change.

Creative Ritual in Groups

Creative ritual in groups can work if everyone involved is open to the

experience. In rituals of this nature, each person must work together and
separately. Personal expression can be more difficult or stilted in a group
setting. All members of the group must be accepting of one another and hold
back any urges to correct someone's magickal impulse. It is also important
that each member of the group should be involved in the initial ritual creation
process so that everyone understands his/her role in the ritual. Take this
advice as you will.
Creating Spells
 Creating spells works in much the same way. The difference is it
does not have to be a communion between the self and deity. You can use
kitchen witchery and still get the same powerful results of ritual. Spells often
rely more on symbols and action rather than external forces in order to help
the practitioner manifest his/her will. At the same time, deity and external
energies can sometimes play a large part in a spell’s symbolism.

The handy thing about spells is their ease of use. With simple
candle magick you can focus your will for fifteen minutes to get positive
results. With spells, the power you draw from is primarily internal. You will
use symbolism (colors, correspondences, words of power, sigils, and herbal
mixtures) and you may create (candle magick, herbal mixtures, sachets, and
sigils) during the construction of a spell. These actions and symbols draw
from your belief in them, thus pulling their strength directly from the self.

If you believe that writing someone’s name on a piece of paper,

wrapping it around a piece of High John the Conqueror root, and binding it
with a red thread will remove the strife you have with the person whose
name you’ve written – it will happen. By performing this simple symbolic
action you have already changed the way you think about that other person.

Let’s break down the spell into five parts –

· Define the spell’s purpose and desired outcome.

· Create the words of power to charge the spell (being specific in
your purpose and desired outcome).
· Assemble the proper sigils, herbal mixtures, and magickal items.
· Perform the spell.
· Post-spell follow-up.

As with ritual, spells must be followed up on. Carrying around a sachet

for good health isn’t going to make you eat better and take better care of
yourself. But it can remind you to choose a salad over a burger – it can
remind you of its purpose and your desired outcome. If you believe in the
spell you can draw personal strength from it.
 In Closing

The more personalized and symbolic (to you) your ritual space,
magickal tools, rituals, and spells are, the more successful your magickal
operations will be.

I will leave you with this: Always remember that magick is not a quick fix
to anything. It’s not a way to get stuff. It is a tool for self-transformation and
external change. The action of practicing magick is merely the catalyst by
which change is manifested in conformity to the individual’s will.

Perhaps one of the most practical books I can recommend every

creative magician own, regardless of personal path, is The Magician’s
Companion: A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious
Symbolism by Bill Whitcomb. It is published in Llewellyn's High Magick
Series. It is a wonderful guide by which to experiment and find practical
usage of various traditional symbols.

May all of your magick be creative, and may all your creative endeavors
be magickal.

Warmest Blessings –

S. Connolly
2005