Enchanting Objects

Enchanting! A word with such a strong magical connection to it. In its various usages in
our everyday language, “enchanting” can be a compliment about someone or something to a
more malignant usage of control and domination. Enchant comes from the Latin root -cantare
meaning “to sing” and just like music, there are so many different genres and ways in which one
can conduct their magic.
The very word itself may stir a mystical feeling in you: one of flight and fancy and
thrumming power coursing through your veins with the intent to change the world around you.
But really… what is enchanting? For my D&D friends out there enchanting is a school of magic
used to control others while for those that play Skyrim it’s charging objects with arcane power.
Within the scope of this lesson, we will be focusing on the latter. While both of these fictional
sources have roots in real life uses of enchanting, the first is an unethical magical practice that
takes away an individual’s free will.
Just like in video games and fantasy novels, enchanting an object is truly imbuing it with
magical energy for a certain goal. From jewelry, to brooms, to pencils, to even homes and cars,
one can enchant almost anything! But what does it actually do and how do I even do it? To
answer the first part of the question, the sky’s the limit! Many enchant small objects that they
carry around every day, often some form of jewelry or charm, for protection or luck. Some more
examples include, safe travel, a ‘notice-me-not’, prosperity, confidence, and calmness.
Enchanting is just like any other spellwork and can be created and changed to fit your needs!
Now that you know what enchantment is (imbuing an object with magical power for a
certain purpose) and what it can do (pretty much anything that any other spellwork can do) how
do you actually do it?! Everyone’s own practice and spell work differ based on their own
paradigm and experiences, but broadly speaking, you are telling the object to help you with a
specific goal. Some steep the object in herbs, oils, and/or water that have the correspondences in
what they’re seeking the enchantment to accomplish, other’s meditate on the object and imbue it
with their own energy, religious witches may even ask a spirit or deity for aid in enchanting an
object. I find that small stories or examples help one latch onto ideas and create their own mix
and mash of how they want their own spell work to take place; this is not the only form in which
enchanting can take place. It’s just a guide.
 A young witch sits outside crossed leg with a large, wax candle in front of her.
Surrounded by LED candles, she holds a golden necklace with a small flame pendant. Lighting a
match with a flick of her wrist against the box, the wick is set aflame as she hums to herself in a
steadily rising pitch. Carefully, as to not burn herself or warp the metal, she passes the necklace
over and over again in small bursts over the flame. Her humming comes to an end as she wraps
the necklace around a red garnet. She watches the candle as it continues to burn, finally snuffing
it out and gathering her things after a few minutes pass.
This young witch used the element of fire to enchant her necklace. While the exact
purpose may not be evident, fire has many connotations, she could very well have been
enchanting it for confidence. By wearing the necklace, she hopes to be more courageous and
outgoing in her daily life. Candles, literal flames, red garnets, singing, and gold all help focus her
energies and intentions into the spellcraft by drawing on the natural energies present within those
materials.
Some pros to enchanting is that, for the most part, once it’s done it lasts for quite some
time! More complex enchantments may need to be recharged more often or if there was a lack of
energy in its creation. Regardless, it’s a lot easier to recharge an object than to do an entire spell
from scratch. Enchanted objects are also very easy to take with you and give to others! It’s a
physical representation and aspect of your metaphysical magic. A simple enchantment doesn’t
even need anything complex either! Whatever you have laying around, some time, and your own
energy should be good enough.
On the other hand, enchanting can take a lot of forethought, research, and energy. Trying
to imbue a ton of instructions into one object isn’t quite going to work. How will your magic
know what to do after all? Enchanting is an inherently material act. Understanding the
correspondences of the items you are using can take time to make sure there aren’t conflicting
energies. Finally, setting the metaphysical into the physical can be extremely energy intensive
without proper preparation or aids. Be wary of creating large or complex enchantments without
the proper preparation. Preparation is key for enchanting and shouldn’t be done quickly!
“Enchanting” something can seem scary or advanced, but everything from basic wards to
macro-enchantments of houses can be under the “enchanting” umbrella. Don’t be afraid and keep
a look out for how you’ve been including enchanting in your craft and how you might do so
more in the future!