Energy in magic

Energy in magic

I think one of the first things that anyone needs to learn about if they are starting to walk the path of a Witch is to learn how to work with energy.

Energy is used when we send healing, when we cast a spell, when we are in ritual and when we charge candles and herbs with intent.

Every living thing has its own energy, whether it is a flower, a crystal, a person or a pebble. All of the ingredients you might gather together for a spell will have their own individual energies and characteristics, if you use a wand, that has its own energy too, but the real energy comes from YOU.

Working with energy is really a combination, you can draw energy up from the Earth or from an item such as a crystal and you channel it through yourself but you also add a bit of energy from your inner self as you do so. When you are in ritual you might also call upon the God and Goddess to lend their energy to your workings too, you can raise energy from other sources as well. The elements can provide us with energy too – earth, air, fire and water all provide sources of energy that we can tap into.

But generally you are also the conduit, you summon the energy, you gather it, you add to it and you direct it.

Everyone has energy within, everyone has the power to access it, to tap into it and use it. Unfortunately most people have no idea how to do so, and boy are they missing out!

The energy created by our bodies and by the spirit within our bodies is generally referred to as the aura. The energy that flows around and through our bodies is usually referred to as chi.

Part of being a witch is to be connected to the Earth, her plants and her creatures, to be aware of the energies around us so that we can connect and interact with them.

My favourite way of explaining energy is to ask people to rub their hands together briskly for a few seconds, then slowly pull them apart – you should be able to ‘feel’ the energy between them. Sometimes it takes a bit of practice but when you do feel it – this is the energy we need to be working with. Once you can feel the energy try to make it into energy ‘balls’, stretch it, squash it, experiment with it! (No throwing energy balls at people though, because that’s not nice…)

Energy can be raised in many ways, it can be drawn up from the earth, it can be taken from the universe, and it can be raised by drumming, singing, chanting or dancing.

The energy can then be directed, this can be done by sending it to the person you are healing, sending it out to the universe to be used where necessary, or when in ritual it is usually shaped into a cone of power. In a cone of power the energy is raised by those present and forms a spiralling cone in the centre of the circle to be released by the High Priestess and directed to its target.

On a smaller scale we raise and direct energy when we work a spell, for instance a candle spell. We would take the energy from the earth, channel it through our body and out through our hands and into a candle, this will charge the candle with energy. We add our intent and any other ‘ingredients’ such as herbs and oils. Once the candle is burning it releases the energy we filled it with, that energy then goes on its merry way to fulfil the intent that it was meant for.

Taken from Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch by Rachel Patterson