What Is a Spell?

A spell can be as simple as a prayer. It can be a food that is eaten with a wish or visualization for something special to manifest. It can be an elaborate ritual perfectly timed with chants and bells, dancing and libations.

Spells work on many levels. As prayers, they often involve offering petitions or gifts to gods or goddesses in exchange for the fulfillment of your request. For petition spells, it is important to know what the gods and goddesses prefer. The Ruler category under each ingredient will help you determine this preference.

The ingredients used in spells hold particular powers or properties, and by ingesting them, rubbing them on our skin, smelling them when they are burned, or surrounding ourselves with them, we will gain these qualities in our lives. Like vitamins, these ingredients will be absorbed into our spiritual and physical bodies and bring us benefit.

Ritual, or spellwork, also works beyond the physical level. Spells are also symbolic, and the ingredients act as keys to unlock unconscious potential. They serve as vehicles to focus and drive the will. Whether it is through prayer, properties, or potential, spells are known to work and bring manifestation of desires.

A spell can be worked as often as you would say a prayer. Repetition is very powerful in bringing about magickal manifestation, although you may not want to "bug" the gods and goddesses with too many requests. My suggestion is to focus on one magickal issue at a time for an entire waxing or waning moon phase. (See moon phases section in this introduction for an explanation.) You will find that this brings the best results.

Personalized Spells

Why is this encyclopedia of magickal ingredients better than a traditional spellbook? Because you can use it to create spells that are personalized to your own circumstance and need. For example, traditional money spells often call for roots, which are very powerful. But root ingredients are used to literally "root" finances. Roots are great if you are starting a business and want to make sure the foundation is strong. Roots also work quite well for saving money over a long period of time, but they're not going to manifest the rent money by next Tuesday! For that you need fiery fast-luck ingredients.

For drawing large sums in money magick, I recommend Jupiterian and solar ingredients. But be careful! Jupiter makes more of whatever is already there, and if you've got nothing—well, Jupiter magick will give you more of nothing, or even worse, double your debt. Ouch! Ingredients ruled by the Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus work quickly and are more likely to stir up finances from scratch. So with this guide you can personalize your spells and target exactly how you wish to succeed.

Most spellbooks do not explain why you should use the ingredients they recommend or what their magickal properties are. In 1996, with the publication of my book The Supermarket Sorceress, I began explaining the properties of the ingredients along with the directions for working the spells. Since that time, I have received thousands of inquiries for personalized spells. The idea for this book arose from those requests.

It is almost impossible to write one spell to cover each individual's needs. This book will help you customize your spells for your specific desires. It will provide you with the confidence you need to prepare your own spell blends.

Let's take a look at a generic love spell, for example. It might consist of red peppers for passion, tomatoes for nurturing, and basil for communication. The fourth ingredient is garlic, which brings fertility. But maybe you're not ready for kids just yet! With this book, you will be able to design your own love spell to attract only the qualities you want.

You will also find this book quite handy for understanding the ingredients listed in other spellbooks. In the same way that you read nutritional information about food, or the side effects of drugs, you will want to be familiar with all the properties of your magickal ingredients.

Locating the Ingredients

The number-one issue that comes up with my clients and readers is their inability to find ingredients called for in spells. The reality is that when the moon is full and the time is ripe for doing magick, you will not always have on hand the items you need.

Fear not. This book will enable you to find substitutes. A desperate woman in Iowa who couldn't find corn for her prosperity spell contacted me. If you can't find corn in the Corn Belt, I don't know where you can find it! But lucky for the lady in Des Moines, she had some oatmeal in her cupboard. It made a fine substitute.

And what about all those ingredients you do have handy, but have no idea what their purpose might be? This book will tell you how they can be used. And I cover quite a range of ingredients. This book describes food products as well as herbs, oils, flowers, common household items, and traditional witches' tools. Some are for internal use, others are not. I am often asked which type of spell is better—one that works with food (or kitchen witchery) or a spell that is more traditional (like burning incense and candles). This depends on the nature of the situation.

Again, let's take a money spell, for example. Internal magick, which involves ingesting something, will create inner drive. This is particularly good for people who have the external opportunities but don't have the motivation to respond and take advantage of them. So in this case, eating prosperity foods would be the best spell. Another person, however, may have plenty of drive but no external opportunity. In this case, a spell using something outside of oneself will create possibilities in the outer world to meet the individual's ambitions. In some cases, both types are beneficial. That's why I include all types of magickal ingredients in this book.

Too Many Choices

Another frequently asked question is why there are so many ingredients for love, or wealth, or success, for example. Which one should I use? The answer to this question is simple. Spell ingredients are much like pharmaceuticals. They are magickal prescriptions, if you will. Not everyone responds well to the same medicine. You will have to experiment until you find the one that works best for you. The best way to make the right choice is to use what you are attracted to. Trust your intuition.

At the end of this book you will find the Magickal Tables, a quick and easy reference guide to spell topics. Under each topic you will find a list of ingredients that correspond to that kind of magick. For example, under the Magickal Money Table you will find a list of all ingredients that can be used in money spells. You can then look up the related entries and learn about the properties of each individual item. These tables will make it easier for you to find the right ingredients when you know what kind of spell you want to perform.

Copyright © 2005 by Lexa Rosaan