The Anatomy of a Great Spell

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Last Updated on October 21, 2019

Do you want to learn how to write spells? Do you have a specific need that no spell has ever been written to address?

Whether you’re trying to learn how to make a spell for love or how to write magick spells to make an original book of shadows, there are some easy templates you can follow.

Do you know what ingredients should go into a spell? What phase of the moon to do a love spell in? You can improve your magickal practice with spells that fit your needs, desires, and your unique symbolic library.

Learning magick is all about doing magick, so let’s figure out how to write a great spell.

Decide your purpose

When you’re writing a magick spell, you need to know what your ultimate intention is. You’ll want to decide how detailed your spell should be as well as what your goal is.

You should think about the different ways a spell affects the material world, the magical and mundane.

• What does the spell do to the world?
• How does it work?
• What is the spell’s impact on yourself?

This last question may seem silly; however, it’s one of the key ingredients of magick. If you get right down to it, magick is about how things work.

Magick is the art of controlling our actions and perception in a powerful way.

Magic works best when you apply that control in a subtle way to your everyday life and to the world around us.

So, if you want a simple magick spell for beginners, you probably only want two or three ingredients and maybe a simple rhyme to set your intention. You can even go as simple as reciting your incantation over the flame of a candle.

If you want something more elaborate, you may be mixing oils and herbs, finding the right candle color, deciding the right phase of the moon and time of day for your spell, and setting up a specific choreography of movements and incantations.

Spell components

Spells are made up of many components that hold intentions, release energy, give your spell power, or hold power. What you choose to include in your spell will ultimately change how that spell behaves.

The basic spell components are these:

• An intention
• Moon phase
• Time of year
• Day of the week
• Time of day
• Herbs
• Crystals
• Essential oils
• Carrier oils
• Candles
• Color themes
• Deities to call
• Symbols to use
• Something to create power
• Something to hold power

You can use as many of those components as you like in your spell, based on your intention and how elaborate you want your ritual to be.

An intention

This is the purpose of your spell. Intentions can be anything from finding love to manifesting money. You want to be as specific as you can, because magickal energy can tend to spread too thin to be of any use if you go for something general.

For instance, it’s better to ask for a raise at your job than just to ask for more money.

Asking to heal your liver is better than asking to feel better.

Boil your intention down until it’s as strong as specific as you can manage.

Moon phase

The phase of the moon directly effects how powerful your spell will be. Here are the general meanings:

• New moon: This is the time for new beginnings. Magick to take advantage of the clean slate is best now. Start new projects, start a new exercise program, gather your thoughts, execute plans.
• Waxing crescent moon: Set your intentions now. Send out your hopes and desires. This is a good time to start law of attraction magick.
• First quarter moon: Kick down obstacles. Now is the time to take action and push forward.
• Waxing gibbous moon: This is a time to reexamine the intentions you’ve set and realign them with the universe. This is also when you want to work to bring in money and prosperity.
• Full moon: This is the time to reap the rewards of the spells you did in the previous cycle or previous months. This is also the time to do charging spells, and to enhance your psychic energy.
• Waning gibbous moon: This is a time of introspection and giving thanks. It’s also the right time to expel negative energy and banish curses.
• Third quarter moon: Release and let go of bad habits. Clear out junk and focus on self care spells.
• Waning crescent: The time for cleansing. Cleanse the house with holy water or sage. Recuperate and rest. Feel and enjoy the coming emptiness. Release things in your life that aren’t helpful.

Time of year

Each month has its own energy, and that energy can empower or dampen the power of your magick.

• January: This is the month to work on the root chakra, sexuality, basic physical needs. It’s also a time for new beginnings and fertility.
• February: This is the month to cast spells for divination, ambition, aspirations, and balancing communication with emotion. Reveal the truth with clarity spells. Work on the crown chakra.
• March: This is the month for spells of reconciliation, anger management, and unresolved issues. It’s also a good time for spells that make you more aggressive in the right areas, such as if you’re angling for a promotion. Protection spells, dark magick, and retribution are also more powerful in March. Focus on the throat chakra.
• April: This is a time of transformation, a time to take passion and turn it into manifestation. Cast spells to banish stubbornness or to strengthen your backbone as you deal with difficult people.
• May: May is the time for personal growth, illumination and wisdom. You may be at risk for some neuroticism in May, so cast magick to unite logic with your emotions. Magick to banish bad habits and strengthen your self esteem are called for. Focus on the heart chakra.
• June: Fairy magick is powerful now. Work on magick that improves communication and movement, transformation, and spells that increase or decrease things in your life. Focus on the solar plexus chakra.
• July: Now is the time to find balance between your ego and your perseverence and organization. Manifest leadership, banish indecisiveness. Cast spells for long term goals.
• August: Reap the harvest of the magick you cast earlier this summer. Powerful, assertive magick should be cast now. Cleanse yourself and your home before the coming winter. Clear out unwanted emotions and habits.
• September: this is a time of feminine energy. Cast magick that draws inward, and magick to draw things to you. Magick that benefits women and female issues are very strong now. Fertility and protection magick especially so. Cast spells to find lovers and soul mates. Focus on the third eye chakra.
• October: This is the time for ancestral and spirit magick. Communicate with your ancestors, or the ancestors of the land that you are living on. Cast spells for justice, balance, and political issues now. Cast spells to increase and strengthen your ambition.
• November: Destroy all things that bind and hinder you at this time. Find freedom with your magick. Cast spells for release, relief, emanicipation, individuality, and protection.
• December: Cast magick to seek knowledge from spirits. This is also the time to reveal true feelings and shed light on dark situations. As we transition to the new year, work magick that transitions you into your new, and improved, self.

Day of the week

The correspondences of the day of the week can change the outcome of your spell. Choosing to do your spell on the right day could make it even more powerful!

• Sunday
  Color: yellow, gold
  Element: Fire
  Planet: Sun
  Stones: citrine, amber, tiger eye
  Astrological Sign: Leo
  Energies: Healing, spirituality, male issues, work/employment, power, strength
• Monday
  Color: blue, white
  Element: water
  Planet: Moon
  Stones: moonstone
  Astrological Sign: Cancer
  Energies: Emotions, dreams, clairvoyance, the goddess, feminine issues
• Tuesday
  Color: red, orange
  Element: Fire
  Planet: Mars
  Stones: carnelian
  Astrological Sign: Scorpio
  Energies: Aggression, marriage, courage, dominance, power
• Wednesday
  Color: silver, shades of blue
  Element: Air
  Planet: Mercury
  Stones: clear quartz crystal, malachite
  Astrological Sign: Gemini, Virgo
  Energies: Communication, writing, art, creativity, mental activities
• Thursday
  Color: purple, indigo
  Element: Fire
  Planet: Jupiter
  Stones: aventurine, moss agate
  Astrological Sign: Sagittarius, Pisces
  Energies: Expansion, money, legal issues
• Friday
  Color: pink, red
  Element: Air, Water
  Planet: Venus
  Stones: pink rose quartz, jade
  Astrological Sign: Libra, Taurus
  Energies: Love, friendship, emotions, beauty, sex
• Saturday
  Color: black, gray
  Element: Earth
  Planet: Saturn
  Stones: black onyx, apache tears, obsidian
  Astrological Sign: Capricorn
  Energies: Retribution, banishment, protection

Time of day

• Morning: Matters of the conscious mind, leadership, intelligence, cognitive functions.
• Dawn: Beginnings, refreshing situations, warmth, renewing hope.
• Dusk: Closings, endings, finishing projects, self reflection, and death rites.
• Night: Intuitiveness, emotions, maternal tasks, healing, fertility, moon magick, wishing on stars, dream magick, spirit magick, and peacefulness.
• Midnight and noon: The in-between hours. Communicate with elemental creatures like fairies. Spells for positive changes in life, endings and beginnings.

Herbs

Herbs and plants have elemental and magickal correspondences that help direct your energy and manifest desires. If you’d like to learn more about these correspondences, see my blog posts on them here: Elemental correspondences for herbs and plants

Crystals

Crystals hold vibrational properties and the history of our world. They are not just beautiful, but can be useful for manifestation, cleansing, blessing, healing, and dreams.

You can find out more about crystal magick, or shop our healing crystals.

Essential oils

The scents of essential oils and the magickal meaning of the plants they come from can enhance your spells.

• Abundance: Allspice, Bergamot, Birch, Chamomile, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Lime, Litsea, Mandarin, nutmeg, opopanax, orange, Pepper, Pine, Star Anise, Yarrow.
• Aphrodisiac: Cardamom, Ginger, Jasmine, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang.
• Astral Realm: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Geranium, Ginger, Mugwort, Sandalwood.
• Attraction: Allspice, Angelica, Basil, Catnip, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Frankincense, Geranium, Helichrysum, Hops, Hyssop, Jasmine, Lavender, Marjoram, Mugwort, Neroli, Oregano, Patchouli, Rose, Rosemary, Spearmint, Spikenard, Yarrow, Ylang Ylang.
• Banishing: Angelica, Anise, Basil, Bay, Camphor, Cedarwood, Clove, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Juniper, Mugwort, Myrrh, Opopanax, Palo Santo, Patchouli, Pepper, Pine, Rose, Sandalwood, Star Anise, Yarrow.
• Beginnings: Angelica, Anise, Birch, Cardamom, Carrot, Clove, Coriander, Fennel, Fir, Geranium, Juniper, Mugwort, Nutmeg, Pine, Rose, Yarrow.
• Binding: Angelica, Clove, Cypress, Frankincense(breaks binds), Jasmine, Pepper, Pine, Rose, Rosemary.
• Blessing / Consecrate: Allspice, Angelica, Anise, Basil, Bay, Benzoin, Birch, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cistus, Coriander, Cypress, Fennel, Frankincense, Geranium, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lavender, Lime, Mugwort, Myrrh, Myrtle, Oponanax, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Pepper, Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Star Anise, Thyme, Valerian, Yarrow.
• Clairvoyance: Anise, Basil, Bay, Cedarwoo, Cinnamon, Clary Sage, Clove, Coriander, Frankincense, Lavender, Lemongrass, Mugwort, Nutmeg, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Rose, Sage, Sandalwood, Star Anise, Thyme, Yarrow.
• Clarity: Basil, Birch, Camphor, Cardamom, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Nutmeg, Orange, Oregano, Palmarosa, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Spruce.
• Communication: Allspice, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Citronella, Fennel, Fir, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Myrtle, Rosemary, Spikenard, Valerian.
• Confidence: Basil, Bergamot, Cardamom, Cedarwood, Geranium, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin, Neroli, Orange, ine, Rose, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Thyme, Turmeric, Yarrow.
• Courage: Black Pepper, Clove, Fennel, Ginger, Thyme, Yarrow.
• Creativity: Bay, Birch, Cajeput, Cardamom, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Fennel, Fir, Geranium, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lavender, Myrtle, Neroli, Nutmeg, Orange, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Tea Tree, Valerian, Ylang Ylang.
• Depression: Basil, Clary Sage, Jasmine, Lemon, Ylang Ylang
• Fertility: Anise, Basil, Birch, Carrot, Catnip, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Clove, Coriander, Fennel, Geranium, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mugwort, Neroli, Orange, Oregano, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Yarrow, Ylang Ylang.
• Grounding: Angelica, Chamomile, Cistus, Citronella, Cypress, Fir, Ginger, Helichrysum, Juniper, Lavender, Lemongrass, Litsea, Myrrh, Oakmoss, Opopanax, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Pine, Sage, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Spruce, Turmeric, Valerian, Vetiver, Yarrow.
• Happiness / Joy: Basil, Bergamot, Orange, Neroli
• Healing: Allspice, Angelica, Basil, Bay, Birch, Cajeput, Camphor, Cardamom, Carrot, Catnip, Cedarwoo, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Fir, Frankincense, Lavender, Lime, Marjoram, Mugwort, Myrrh, Opopanax, Oregano, Palmarosa, Pepper, Peppermint, Pine, Rose, Sage, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Turmeric, Valerian, Yarrow, Ylang Ylang.
• Longevity: Fennel, Rosemary
• Love: Allspice, Anise, Basil, Bergamot, Birch, Cardamom, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Frankincense, Ginger, Honey, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon Verbena, Neroli, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Tuberose, Vanilla, Vetiver, Yarrow, Ylang Ylang.
• Luck: Allspice, Anise, Basil, Bergamot, Catnip, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Spikenard, Star Anise, Thyme, Vetiver, Yarrow.
• Magical Energy: Bay, Ginger, Nutmeg, Orange, Pine, Vanilla
• Meditation: Chamomile, Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood
• Memory: Clove, Coriander, Peppermint, Rosemary, Spearmint, Sage
• Money: Basil, Ginger, Lemon Balm, Nutmeg, Patchouli, Sage, Tonka, Vetiver
• Negativity: Angelica, Anise, Basil, Bay, Birch, Camphor, Carrot, Cedarwoo, Cinnamon, Citronella, Clove, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Juniper, Lavender, Lime, Mandarin, Marjoram, Myrrh, Opopanax, Palo Santo, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Sage, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Star Anise, Thyme, Yarrow.
• Passion: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Coriander, Ginger, Lemongrass, Myrtle, Patchouli, Rose, Turmeric.
• Peace: Bergamot, Chamomile, Ginger, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Rose, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang
• Physical Energy: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Camphor, Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon, Lime, Nutmeg, Orange
• Prosperity: Allspice, Basil, Bay, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Fir, Ginger, Jasmine, Juniper, Lavender, Mandarin, Marjoram, Myrrh, Myrtle, Nutmeg, Opopanax, Oregano, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Sage, Spearmint, Vetiver.
• Protection (Spiritual & Psychic): Angelica, Basil, Bay, Black Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Fir, Geranium, Juniper, Lavender, Lime, Mugwort, Nutmeg, Opopanax, Peppermint, Pennyroyal, Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Rue, Sandalwood, Spruce, Tea Tree, Thyme, Turmeric, Valerian, Vetiver, Western Red Cedar, Yarrow
• Psychic Awareness: Bay, Cinnamon, Lemongrass, Mugwort, Nutmeg, Star Anise, Yarrow
• Purification: Angelica, Bay, Camphor, Copal, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Hyssop, Juniper, Lemon, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Neroli, Orange, Palo Santo, Pine, Western Red Cedar
• Success: Allspice, Angelica, Basil, Bay, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Frankincense, Geranium, Ginger, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Lime, Litsea, Mandarin, Myrrh, Opopanax, Orange, Patchouli, Pepper, Sandalwood, Star Anise, Yarrow.
• Vitality: Cedarwood, Cistus, Citronella, Fir, Frankincense, Ginger, Lemongrass, Lime, Myrrh, Opopanax, Rosemary, Valerian, Basil, Catnip, Clary Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Patchouli, Peppermint, Sage, Spearmint.

Carrier oils

Carrier oils are used with essential oils and sometimes herbs so that they are safe to get on your skin. They also spread out the essential oil so that you can cover a whole candle without wasting your expensive essential oils. An ancient carrier oil that was used in magick was olive oil, and it is still one of the best options around.

Candles

Colors play a really important role in our lives and our magick. The colors lend a distinctive vibration and focus that can aid our intentions as we burn the candles.

I already have a blog post on the candle color meanings. I hope they will work positively within your witchcraft.

Color themes

Color correspondences don’t only have to be used through candles. You can choose to mark your protective circle in a specific color, use specifically colored herbs, wrap your tools in a specific color cloth. They can give an immensely powerful boost to your spells.

Here are a few different colors and their correspondences:

• Red: Love, physical energy, health, power, anger
• Pink: Romance, spiritual awakening, partnerships, children’s magic
• Orange: Adaptability to sudden changes, encouragement, power
• Yellow: Communication, confidence, divination, study, friendship
• Green: Prosperity, employment, fertility, health, good luck, creativity
• Blue: Healing, psychic ability, harmony in the home, understanding
• Indigo: Meditation, clarity of purpose, spiritual healing, self-mastery
• Purple: Divination, enhancing nurturing qualities, balancing sensitivity
• White: Cleansing, clarity, establishing order, spiritual growth, understanding
• Black: Banishing and releasing negative energies, transformation, enlightenment
• Silver: Spiritual development, psychic development, meditation, warding off negativity
• Gold: Success, health, ambition, finances, good fortune, divination
• Brown: Balance, concentration, material gain, home, companion animals
• Gray: Complex decisions, binding negative influences, reaching compromise

Deities to call

The different gods and goddesses one might interact with all have different areas of life and magick that they rule over. Ares rules over power, anger, and war. Aphrodite rules over love and lust. Eris rules over chaos.

Appealing to a specific deity during a spell could lend you their favor, putting their power behind your intention as well. It’s worth it to find a deity you like to work with for spells that matter a lot to you.

Symbols to use

When you’re doing a protection spell, a pentacle can increase the protective properties of your magick. A dollar sign symbolizes wealth and is great to use in abundance spells.

Finding symbols that universally represent a concept is a great start, but what is even more powerful is discovering and utilizing what those symbols represent to you. When you see a triangle, what emotions or thoughts does that bring up? When you see a simply drawn bird, what concept does that make you think of?

The most powerful symbol is the one that represents a powerful emotion or memory for you.

Something to create power

Often, this is fire or an incantation. This is something that helps to bring out and use the energy within you to enact your will on the universe. It’s not technically creating power but digging deep within you and harnessing the power you have within yourself.

Something to hold power

This one isn’t always necessary, but this is where amulets, knots for knot magick, and things like potions come in. These are the things that hold onto the spell you’ve created until you’re ready to use that magick. If you’re creating a long term or timed release spell, you’ll want something to hold that power until you’re ready to release it, or indefinitely.

What spell will you be making?

I hope this information has helped you on your path to being a master spell crafter. Spells that you made yourself tend to be more powerful than those found in books or online, so this is a worthy endeavor for any intermediate to advanced witch looking for a new challenge.

I hope this has also helped you to gain an understanding and appreciation of various spell categories and the different types of spells.

If you use this information to make a spell, I hope you’ll share what you made and the results down below! I’d love to know how it all worked out.

And if you want to learn more about witchcraft and spell crafting, I have a long blog post about the best and most cost-effective way to read books about the occult. You don’t have to break your budget to become a more learned witch!