Tag Archives: witchcraft

Crystal Pendulums

Posted by Sephira in Divination, Misc, Reader Question, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , ,

I have a question about the use of a crystal pendulum. I have recently started to the use a crystal pendulum, a friend gave me one and I was very intrigued by the accuracy of it’s answers of yes and no. Yesterday I decided to switch hands from holding the pendulum in my right hand to my left hand. When I hold the crystal with my right hand it swings in a clockwise circle for yes and counter clockwise circle for no. When I asked it to “show me yes” “show me no” using my left hand to suspend the pendulum, yes and no are reversed. Yes is counter clockwise no is clockwise. I asked my friend if she ever used her non dominant hand to suspend the pendulum from and she told me yes. I asked if it swings the same in both hands and she told me it does. I’m curious as to what the significance is then that every time I try it using one hand then the other, I have a mirror image effect on how the crystal shows it’s answers. is this common?

The thing about pendulums is that they work differently for everyone. If yours is different from your friend’s, it really doesn’t have any particular significance because we are all different in our own ways, as are our energies.

So while some people find that the movements stay the same each time (even if they switch hands) for others they don’t. And still others may find that the movements were exactly the same the first hundred (or more) times they used their pendulum, but then randomly one day those directions changed. This is one of the reasons why I feel that it’s important to calibrate which movement equals “yes” and which one is “no” before starting a session (even if it’s always been the same in the past). That way you know exactly what your baseline is.

Orbs and Glimmers: Possible Entity

Posted by Sephira in Entities, Misc, Reader Question, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , ,

I have recently been experiencing orbs and glimmers in my house. I am planning to save my house after waking up with scratches today. Do you have any advice on this?

What exactly do you mean by “save” your house? Or, more specifically, what do you think your house needs saving from? If you are concerned about possible entities, have you tried politely (but firmly) asking them to leave? Other than that, a simple cleansing will probably help.

But having said that—and I know I repeat this fairly often but I feel it’s very important advice that everyone should follow—never assume magical/supernatural reasons for something before ruling out the mundane possibilities.

Particularly when it comes to our vision, there are many medical conditions that can cause us to see things that might look like orbs, flashes of light and/or moving shadows (such as eye floaters for example). Not only eye-specific dysfunctions, but various types of migraines can also cause vision issues (even if you aren’t having the stereotypical pain that is often associated with them). Other possibilities are changes in your blood pressure and/or diabetes related symptoms. In any case, it’s a good idea to get a check-up (including a vision exam) if you haven’t done so recently, just to make sure there isn’t something else going on.

Once you’ve ruled out everything else, then you can look to possible supernatural causes, and consider more in-depth cleansing or banishing work if needed. Keep in mind too that waking up with scratches, especially if it’s only happened once or twice, doesn’t necessarily mean anything either. We do all sorts of weird stuff in our sleep (seriously, hubby once sprained his ankle while sleeping—don’t ask; we have no idea how) and this includes scratching ourselves without realizing it. Not saying that there couldn’t be other things going on, but it’s always good to examine these incidents critically first before jumping straight to the idea of entities being the cause.

Closure After the Death of a Pet

Posted by Sephira in Ceremonies, Misc, Paganism, Reader Question, Spellwork and tagged with , , , , , ,

I am in need of some guidance. My family friends mini horse died of old age last night, in our care. Is there a ritual I can perform for her? I feel responsible for her, even after her passing, and I would like to give everyone including her, some closure. I just have a feeling that it’s something that I have to do, but I would like to do it properly.

Sorry to hear about your friend’s mini horse.

Are your friends Pagan as well? If not, you should probably ask them first if they are ok with you performing a Pagan ritual for their horse. Actually, even if they are Pagan, it’s still better to ask first. Other than that, there are plenty of funeral/passing rituals that can be found online that you can adapt to use for your friend’s mini horse, but there really isn’t any sort of “proper” way, as everyone tends to grieve differently. Individual groups may have their own ways of honoring such passages, but without knowing which groups might be of interest, it’s hard to point you in any particular direction.

In looking online, if you can’t find any that suit you, consider creating something on your own, that comes from your heart. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated or have lots of bells and whistles. Even just a simple – “we are gathered here today to honor…” is absolutely fine. Especially when someone is grieving, simple is better. Anything else (especially full-on rituals) can easily become too overwhelming for the very people you are trying to comfort.

Personally, sitting around sharing food and drink, and telling stories about our favorite memories of the one who has passed (human or pet) has always been one of my favorite ways of honoring the dead. It’s also something that anyone can do, regardless of their religion. You could also have everyone bring pictures and/or other small objects that remind them of their pet, and create a collage/piece of art as a keepsake. This can be magical as well (if you want it to be) as you can charge the picture/art with energy, with the intention that it keep their pet’s memories alive. Example: hold the picture/object and visualize a particular moment that you always want to remember and allow the energy of how you are feeling to flow into the picture/object. As you add other pieces to the collage, you are storing that energy to help cheer you up for whenever you feel sad because you miss them.

Losing a pet, especially one that you’ve helped care for his always hard. Just being there for those who are grieving, is sometimes one of the best things we can do, even if it doesn’t seem like enough. But if you feel called to do more, and the family is open to it, then you do what feels right.

Cleansing: Without Displacing Wanted Spirits

Posted by Sephira in Misc, Paganism, Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

I have recently moved into a new house. We’ve just had family and friends in our home for our Harvest Festival. I would like to cleanse my home, but something happened the other day. (Bear in mind, I have a strong tendency toward skepticism.) I feel fairly certain that I encountered a spirit in my house a few days ago. Shortly after our guests had left, I happened to be walking past the foyer when I caught something out of the corner of my eye that appeared to be a young girl, teenage, probably. I got this strong sense of someone perfectly safe and benevolent, just looking for a place to belong. We had gone to great lengths to make our house feel welcoming and comfortable for our guests, and it had a very strong feeling of family love, so I guess it wouldn’t be surprising that a wayward spirit might find it an attractive place to settle. I want to cleanse the place, but I don’t want to drive this spirit out into the cold. How might I protect them? I felt her presence again last night, and although I felt a little crazy doing so, I just addressed the room in general, saying that I know they’re present, I can’t see them, but I can feel them, and that they’re welcome to stay here.

My suggestion would be to the cleansing in multiple parts so that you don’t inadvertently banish her as well. Start by designating one room of the house as a safe space (so to speak) for the spirit. Let her know that you are going to be cleansing the rest of the house, but that she is welcome to stay in that particular room during the ritual. Once you’ve cleansed the rest of the house, you can then let her know that she is welcome to move into the other areas, and let her know that you will be cleansing that room next so that she knows to avoid it temporarily. Then after that part is complete, you can let her know that she is welcome freely in all areas of the house.

Unfortunately though, there’s no guarantee that she won’t be affected, even if you take precautions. At best, just make it as clear as possible that she is welcome in your home, and that you aren’t doing this to send her away – only to clear out negative energies/entities. Additionally, you could add an intention statement to your cleansing ritual to the effect of “I banish the negative energies/spirits and welcome the positive.” (or similar) But I would also be careful that you don’t end up leaving an open invitation for other random spirits (unless you are ok with that). Otherwise your home could get a bit more crowded than you were expecting.

Guidance on my Journey into Paganism

Posted by Sephira in Misc, Paganism, Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In hopes that I am able to receive proper and overdue guidance in my sudden journey into paganism I would like to tell you a short summary of how I became the overwhelmed yet blindly dedicated being I am today….

First things first, no religion, deity, path, etc… should ever ask for BLIND devotion. Anyone that tells you differently – you need to run – far and fast in the opposite direction.

I’m going to go through somewhat point by point, but the TL;DR answer is – you need to slow down. You didn’t say how long you’ve been at this, but the impression I get is that most of this has been fairly recent and that you are expecting things to instantly happen for you. “Faith is a journey, not a destination.” It’s a favorite quote and one that is very apt for almost any Pagan path. The point being, it’s not how fast you get there (or even necessarily about getting to whatever your ultimate goal is), but rather taking the time along the way to fully experience all the things that bring you closer to it.   

Honestly, in disregard of all warning and religious or non- religious beliefs, I chose to very avidly work with a Ouija board. The board as I was told, was not yet used by anyone, nor the people who I ended up having a very odd and short roommate situation with at my home… so therefore, me being the one person that has always been in on the conversation with the board from the beginning, I assume rights are basically mine on it and it is most bonded to me. I do feel and have from the beginning, felt a very intrapersonal and protective Vibe about the board.

Worth noting here – ouija boards are just tools that help us focus (similar to other objects we might use during ritual or for casting). There is nothing inherently dangerous about them. Just make sure you are grounding yourself. If you feel it’s necessary you can always cast a circle for added protection, but that’s up to you. 

Regardless, once very deep into my spiritual “Adventure” with it.. I guess I would call it… I started receiving what seemed to be very important, and to this day I 100%believe to be more than subconscious (due to the knowledge both I and the other board member had/have on this subject), messages about being a naturally born pagan of some variation. It began religiously speaking of the potential Within Me of “strong” Magick and many times about spells the importance that I follow this path on the multiverse itself.

Being Pagan simply means that you follow a non-Abrahamic religion. There’s nothing about practicing Paganism that requires “natural born talent.” Witchcraft can be incorporated into one’s Pagan path, but again, it’s more a matter of practice makes perfect, rather than needing any sort of inherent talent. Magic happens because we will it. There are other factors that have influence, but “as I will, so mote it be” – that is the core. So while we all (or most of us, anyway) have innate potential, it’s how much we work on honing that potential that matters.

As unsure and skeptical as I was… I had always found interest in the craft and such. The instant I decided to begin converting myself, (or at least begin hardcore research and experiment the best I could on my budget, with it being so sudden)… Was the moment that my Patron Goddess Hekate visited me (through one of my MANY candle powered, Jade and frankincense incense fueled, board sessions) that she wanted me to “open myself” to her and create some form of spiritual connection, Bond or Pact. Since then, I have been mostly blind other than Google and my best friend’s mother who, coincidentally also has a very strong Pact with the same goddess. I have so far, chosen to try my best on walking this path and understanding it on my own… But I fear the mistakes and overconfidence that I may have mistakenly made along the way.

Again, why choose to be “blind” to all other things? This doesn’t make any sense. Even if your Goddess asked that you not serve anyone else (which is pretty uncommon, but not totally unheard of), you should still be looking into ways to properly work with her and serve her, which involves researching and talking to others who do the same. I’ll reiterate, no one asks for blind obeisance. If they do, there is something very, very wrong.  

At one point, I was very strongly attracted to Alchemy. However, while it seems to correlate with things in my life (such as the phrase “Full Circle”, which has been a very strongly charged and repetitive saying in my life)by random and seems to pique my interest… I feel this strong calling inside of me saying that it’s not my “correct” form of magick or that maybe this just isn’t all or I’m not processing it properly. Every simple spell, incantation, or enchantment , Etc seems to either backfire or not work plain and simple. I’ve tried creating them 100% of My Own, 100% by the book and also casting somewhere in the middle. I have crafted my own pendulum, my own candles and my own oil . I even crafted my own Ouija board . I’m not sure if NOTHING exactly work, but nothing that I’m aware of has… and it just seems that there should be a hint by now of something. Am I just completely lost?

Alchemy is more of a science, mostly involving chemical processes, rather than a form of magic. Keep in mind as well, that magic can’t defy the laws of physics/nature. So if you are trying to transform physical things with your spells, that’s probably why it’s not working. Additionally, if you are casting spell after spell and can’t get any of them to work, it’s likely because your focus is too scattered. You can’t manifest your will if your will is divided between multiple goals.

Start small. I know I’m repeating myself, but slow down. Magic takes time, it is rare that something happens instantly. So if you are expecting to say a spell and see immediate results, that’s unlikely to happen. Also, make sure that you are very specific with your goals (as much as you can be). Because if you are vague, magic will happen in ways that you didn’t expect. Example: You do prosperity spell (maybe you are hoping to win the lottery or some other larger sum of money), but when you are casting you just say something like “money come to me.” A week later you find a penny on the ground. Did your spell work – sure. Was it what you wanted – obviously not. But that’s not the magic’s fault, it’s on us to cover all the loopholes.

Also, even if we are super specific, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen either. You don’t just say a few words and “poof.” Magic is not easy. It’s a lot of work and still often requires physical action on our part. Another example: You are sitting in a dark room and want to turn on the light. You can cast all the spells you want, but unless someone physically flicks the light switch, that light is never going to turn on. A key take away from that is to word your spells in a way that makes it easier for them to manifest. Using the example – instead of simply willing the light to turn on, which is unlikely to ever happen by itself, instead, focus your spell toward getting someone to turn it on. Of course, if you are the only person in the room, then obviously, the easiest method would just be to get up and turn the light on yourself. Magic is not always the right answer. In most cases we should always look to mundane solutions before turning to magical ones.

Am I not meant to do any of this? Is there any way to find out what my magical branch is meant to be, if so? And any other possible guidance that could be given in regards to my path… I would greatly appreciate…

I don’t necessarily think you are doing anything wrong, just that you need to take a few steps back and take a bit of a breather. I know it’s exciting when we embark on a new journey. Especially when we feel called to something that feels important, we want to do as much as we can as fast as we can – but that is not the proper way. So slow down, research, study, and practice. If something isn’t working – examine what it is that you are trying to do. Are you attempting something that is utterly impossible? If so, you need to make adjustments.

Also, there is nothing that says you have to have a particular “branch” of magic. Witchcraft is just witchcraft. There may be some things that you feel called to work with more specifically, but that is just personal choice. There’s no reason not to study and use whatever interests you (assuming it’s not something that belongs to a closed culture/religion – in which case you need to make sure you are not appropriating something you don’t have a right to)

In any case, take the time you need to really enjoy the journey. Don’t be in such a rush to get where you think you are supposed to be going, that you miss the meaningful insights that can be gained along the way. The point too, and if you ask any number of Pagans, I think it’s safe to say many will agree – the direction you are pulled towards when you start isn’t always the direction you keep going in or necessarily the direction that ends up being the right one. Sometimes too, there will be side paths that seem interesting, and it’s worth exploring them, even if we end up abandoning them at a later time. Or maybe it’s the old path that needs to be abandoned, or you’ll travel multiple paths simultaneously.

The point is that we are always learning and growing and changing. Change is scary, but not always a bad thing. Without it, we’d stagnate and that isn’t good for anyone.

Amulets: Using Non-Traditional Symbols

Posted by Sephira in Paganism, Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello I am a dabbling pagan and for years I have always worn a Pentagram amulet for protection. However my old amulet that I have worn for years was recently destroyed in an accident so I am looking for a new one. And I found a very beautiful one online however it is not a classic pentagram and I was wondering if it would be as effective for protection as my old classic pentagram amulet.

I have included and image of the amulet in question below.

Thank you For you Help in the matter.

First a general note about symbols and then I’ll say a few things about the necklace you’ve chosen in particular. The great thing about symbols is that while there are always generally accepted meanings and correspondences, what something means to us personally can also be just as important (especially if we have a good reason why we feel that way about it). So for the most part, even if it’s not a traditional pentagram, as long as you have charged it with protective energies and wear it with the belief that it will help keep you from harm, then it should work just as well as any more traditional designs.

Having said that however, there are a few things about this particular necklace that bother me. The first is rather minor and, not sure if it’s something that matters to you or not (and if it doesn’t then I wouldn’t worry about it), but whatever that particular necklace is made of it’s not “titanium steel” – there is no such thing. Titanium is a metal, but it’s not usually mixed with anything, so odds are it’s just titanium colored stainless steel. That doesn’t mean it’s not a perfectly fine necklace, I just don’t like sellers who misrepresent the items they have for sale. The more major issues that I have, and why I personally wouldn’t buy this, are the cross symbol at the top (though to be fair, crosses are not exclusively Christian), and the fact that it’s listed as a “Star of David” which is Jewish and not really Pagan or Witchcraft related. If you are into Kabbalah or Ceremonial Magic (and have incorporated aspects of either into your practices) then it might make more sense, but if that’s what the seller was looking to market to then they should have called it a “hexagram” rather than a “Star of David.”

But again, that’s just my two cents, and in the end, if it’s something that you are really drawn to and feel like it would suit your purposes then you do you. Most of my issues are more with the way the seller has it listed rather than there being actual problems with the necklace being useful as a protection amulet.

Getting Rid of an Abusive Ex

Posted by Sephira in Paganism, Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , ,

My daughter just got out of an abusive relationship and the guy won’t leave her alone how can i get rid of him

Call the police so that she can press charges against him and file a restraining order. Especially if you think she is in any sort of immediate danger, the behavior needs to be reported so that they can take steps to head it off before it escalates further. In general, magic should never be used in place of taking the necessary mundane actions first.

If you’ve gone the legal route and need to boost your efforts, you can look into protection spells/charms, spells that might work towards a peaceful resolution of the relationship, or ones that would simply encourage him to move on. In more extreme circumstances, you could also look into something that would bind him from doing any harm to her.

Writing Fictional Witchcraft

Posted by Sephira in Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , ,

*trigger warning* – mentions of rape

 

Hello, I am attempting to write my first book about a family of witches who are primarily healers and practice white magic. There will be two evil characters who affect the family and need to be stopped. Out of respect for pagans, wiccans, and the like, I want to ensure my means of stopping the evil characters do not offend anyone in these communities. I have been researching quite a bit though I feel I’ve only scratched the tip of the iceberg. My question is, can the evil characters own dark energy be used to prevent them from doing harm, rather than using dark magic to call upon spirits? For instance, one character is a rapist, and I want him to develop a skin rash so severe his, um, organ is rendered useless. Couldn’t his own darkness be turned onto himself, with the assist of the witches and a potent potion, rather than calling on dark magic? My second evil character is cruel to animals, couldn’t the animal world be called upon to handle this character with a little push from the witches using a few strands of his hair ? My book is a work of fiction, but I still would like it to feel somewhat authentic. Thank you for your time and any feedback you may have.

 

While I appreciate that you are trying to be respectful of real life Pagans and Witches, and of course absolutely applaud doing research when writing things that one isn’t well-versed in, my advice here is to not worry about it too much. You are writing fiction and, particularly when it comes to the topic of witchcraft and paganism, the ways of doing something are so varied that no matter how hard you try, you’ll probably end up offending someone. I mean, I often read fictional witchy books and spent plenty of time mentally yelling at the author for their choices, but I recognize that it’s simply an “I don’t do it that way” thing, rather than the fact that there aren’t some that totally do. So, at least on that front, I wouldn’t stress too much about it. If anything, I would try really hard not to use a lot of buzzwords or make it too overly cutesy/magical (where they look to solve everything through magic). Within fiction (or even IRL) magic can be useful, but if there are mundane ways of doing things that make more sense, going out of the way to do something magically can be frustrating to readers. But again – it’s your book, so you need to write it how you see it. And honestly, that’s what editing is for, if something really doesn’t work, you can always change it later.   

As to your scenarios, they sound fine, really (at least in terms of the witchcraft aspect). I would suggesting reading the following two posts: Magical Energy and Cursing/Hexing and Do Spells Work? just for some extra food for thought. The only other suggestion that I have (as a writer myself), is that you research skin rashes to see if there is something relevant that would actually cause the symptoms you describe. Obviously a rashy organ isn’t going to look (or feel) appealing, but if it’s just a surface rash, then it may not have any sort of effect on the actual functioning. Additionally, someone who is going to coerce another person, might not care about a rash, unless it’s super painful (or in some other way debilitating). Even then, it’s important to keep in mind that rape isn’t about getting off, it’s about dominance and control, so even if they were impotent, there are still other ways they could commit the crime. So something that only affects their dangly bits may not be enough to stop them.

But anyway, as I mentioned, this is your book. Especially in the first draft, write it how you see it. Get everything down, as much as you can, without worrying too much about being super-detailed. You will edit this thing any number of times before you send it out for public consumption, and in those edits (especially if you can find some beta-readers who are knowledgeable that can offer detailed feedback) you can work on changing the things that don’t work or that you want to make more authentic.  

Happy writing!!

Love Spells for the Inexperienced

Posted by Sephira in Reader Question, Spellwork, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , ,

I’m just starting and have a issues with my love life can I do a easy spell without any idea or experience to help stop us from arguing so much over stupid things or how can I get help.

The short answer: No. It’s really not a good idea to A) mess around with love spells, and B) mess around with magic when you don’t have any sort of idea of what you are doing.

The longer answer still involves avoiding “love” spells. Experienced or not, they aren’t for the faint of heart and the potential negatives far outweigh any positives of doing them. In general though, you should look to mundane ways of fixing relationship issues, and in truth, “mundane before magical” applies to pretty much any issue. Magic should be, if not a last resort, at least a “well I’ve tried other ways and they aren’t working” resort. But keep in mind, no one wants to be magically forced to stay in a relationship they aren’t happy in. 

If you are having communication issues, then you need to sit down with your partner and calmly try to figure out why. What are you arguing about? Why do those things cause you to argue and what are some ways that you can better talk about them, without those conversations devolving into arguments? A few articles that might help give you some insight on how to stop arguing (or at least not argue as frequently, as no couple goes through life without some arguing – it’s human nature) – Stop Arguing Your Relationships to Death and How to Stop Arguing and Actually Solve Your Relationship Problems.

If you are having trouble even sitting down to talk about the root cause of the arguing, then it might be appropriate to look into spells that help to facilitate communication. Though again, if you don’t normally practice magic (or haven’t studied anything about it), it’s still not a great idea to just randomly do a spell. Magic is not a quick/easy fix and any solution (magical or mundane) will still require effort on both your parts. And, honestly, if the two of you can’t sit down and talk without getting into an argument, then it may be that the relationship isn’t meant to last. Constant arguing, particularly over stupid or unimportant things, often means that one (or both) parties are unhappy with something. You need to work together to figure out what that is and then take steps to try fixing it.  

Orlando and Healing With Wicca

Posted by Sephira in Reader Question, Wicca, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

I have been interested in Wicca and witchcraft for as long as I can remember. You can thank Angela Lansbury for the initial interest, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of my favorite movies, but my interest has remained even though I know Wicca does not grant you the ability to turn someone into a rabbit.

I’m not sure why I haven’t studied in earnest. I’m 37, I’ve known about Wicca (as opposed to Hollywood witches like The Sanders Sisters) for two decades.

The reason for not starting sooner is not important though. The reason I’m reaching out to you is. Today I was deeply saddened when I learned that lives of 50 people were snuffed out by one man in one night. My first reaction was how could another mass shooting happen? Why is no one doing anything to prevent this? I argued with a couple of people on Twitter and then I saw other people saying “we should all come together for the victims.” At first I scoffed thinking, “OK right winger let’s not address the problem let’s just send our thoughts and prayers.” and I replied, “I don’t mean to sound ignorant, I honestly want to know, how do we come together for the victims?” And I thought and thought and realized that the problems with our country and the world are partisan based and it isn’t just the politicians, we the people are partisan politics incarnate. I thought hard about this and decided a softer approach was necessary. I discussed it with a likeminded friend who said something that sent me on this path, “At the core of all of this is in my opinion is the denial of love to others and ourselves.”

That made me realize that my request for self love isn’t only for myself. It’s for everyone. I believe that something happening across the world can impact me even if I don’t know about it so inversely I believe that me truly loving myself may spread self-love to others.

While I was thinking and typing I thought of Wicca because it was a wise witch who first really explained the “we are all one” idea to me and I thought, if I were a Wiccan would I be able to send healing to others? Would I be able to share tolerance with others? Could Wiccans heal our country? If so, let’s get together, I’ll buy a plane ticket. If not I will still begin my study of Wicca and learn to heal and love myself and wish for a better world.

Thank you so much for providing this service and for reading this novel.

Traditionally, Wicca is the priesthood of the Lord and Lady, so the things that one learns when joining a coven (both before and after initiation) are typically more focused on what is needed to properly serve them. Also, though all Wiccans are witches (one’s first degree initiation is as a priest/priestess and witch), not all witches are Wiccan. So, in and of itself, if one is simply looking to learn techniques for sending healing energy towards others, Wicca (specifically) is probably not what they are looking for. Using witchcraft, or even going non-magical routes and learning something like Reiki (which incorporates distance healing at level II), would be a better choice.  

In terms of witchcraft, gathering with others who are like minded and creating a large group magical working together can be effective, but individual spellwork can be helpful as well. It’s all a matter of how the spells are constructed and the focus/intent of those involved.

In this particular case, I do think sending healing energy is a good idea, but I also think that in the long term, given the variety of hot button issues that are part and parcel of this tragedy (LGTB issues, hate crimes, gun control, anti-Muslim sentiment, etc…) that we all should consider mundane (non-magical) ways to involve ourselves in making things better, in addition to any magical things that we do. Healing energy for the victims and their families is well appreciated, but taking action (even if it’s just getting yourself and others to write to their legislators) to help ensure that these things are less likely to happen in the future would be even better. Because if we don’t address the actual problem, then things are only going to get worse. 

A few resources that may be helpful…

  • Witchcraft: not sure where you are located, but you may want to see if there is a Reclaiming group near you. Given the things that you are looking to do, they would probably be a good choice. If solitary witchcraft is more your thing, there are a number of books listed here that may be helpful as well.
  • Contacting Members of Congress: you can find your Senators here and Congress reps here.

And finally, we previously wrote a bit on Social Justice and Witchcraft, which may be good to read over before taking any sort of magical action. Also, if we are looking to share love and tolerance with others, the best way to do that is by being loving and tolerant ourselves. Though we want to help those who are currently suffering and in need (and we should), if we each spend some time also working in our own communities, think about how much more we can accomplish.