Is Intention All That Matters? (Or: Maybe the Stuff Has a Point After All)
I know. I said multiple times in previous articles that intention is the penultimate and only real matter in witchcraft. I would like to issue an asterisk there, retroactively. Let’s call it a rhetorical device that I used in the context of what I was trying to hammer home: that getting caught up in all the trappings and items and aesthetics is getting in the way of the development of your intuition and working with said intentions. I am also someone who loves to chew over my thoughts and revisit them, sometimes even changing my viewpoint (wild, I know). So a little column A…
But the truth of the matter is: Words have meaning. Items have meaning. Those meanings matter. To ignore that is a gruesome error and does a major disservice to witchcraft as a whole. We live in a post-post-modern world that would like to convince us that nothing has any concrete meaning, that reality can be bent to our individual whims and shaped to shield us from challenge or critical thinking. So in this particular article, I would like to expand on these concepts of meaning and power, intentions, and the “why” of it all. And to remind you to think critically and challenge yourself to learn and grow.
First off, I like to think of intention as the engine in a spell or working. But that engine needs a lot of other parts to function. It’s the core, but hardly the only thing.
The ”why” is what I want to clarify and add to most from my previous articles (which, to be fair to myself, were written in a hyperfocused flurry of sudden inspiration that burned me out so hard, I am just now getting around to writing again). I have written before about how blindly following what you read or are told on the internet is a recipe for a big bag of nothing to happen, metaphysically speaking. It’s not that the ingredients were bad or pointless, or that magic doesn’t work (you will read in a minute how it absolutely does). It’s because not understanding the “why” behind everything is like trying to paint with only a brush and no paints. It’s going through the motions.
The “why” ultimately matters more than the specifics, and intention is the “why” in every spell and working. A “learn from my dreams” spell calls for mugwort but you’re fresh out? Substitute something else that holds a similar power and meaning to mugwort, such as clary sage. But you must know, for starters, that both herbs are used for enhancing dreams and insight. You are using them for a reason, not just because the recipe says so. Extrapolate this to any of the usual trappings of the craft: brooms and cauldrons and knives and stangs and cloaks; do they serve a purpose or are they just trappings?
And *why* are these herbs used for enhancing dreams and insight? Or why is the color red so evocative of lust, passion, and strength? There are a couple of viewpoints on this:
1. That they are inherently imbued with these magical properties. To some extent, their properties can even be proven in a more mundane sense (look at all the studies of the effect of a room’s paint color on people’s emotions, and aromatherapy is a whole thing).
2. That one of our ancestors gave clary sage a good whiff, took a nap, and woke up saying, “My mind feels open like the sky and I dreamed it’s going to rain tomorrow!” and ever since we have fed more belief and intention into clary sage, giving it a sort of cultural power of faith.
The real answer is somewhere between the two, I think. Both is good.
So what happens if, for example, you’re out of any nice witchy herbs and all you have around is some scraggly weedy grass for your dream enhancement spell? PERSONAL OPINION INCOMING: this is where Viewpoint #2 comes in for me: if you pour enough intention and will into that dang ugly grass, it’ll do the trick in a pinch. Might not pack the same punch as some mugwort though. Personally, I view all the typical witchy correspondences (the different colors, the herbs and crystals and whatnot) as choosing the best paints for the painting you want to create, and your intention and will are the brushes. A skilled and experienced artist can create a beautiful painting with those crappy tempera paints we used in kinder, but they’ll probably have a much more enjoyable and easy experience if they can work with the beautiful oils they prefer. There’s a richness and depth of meaning to the Good Stuff that has been passed down through generations of magical folks that lends itself to enhancing your workings. Just don’t think that magic is impossible if you don’t follow a recipe perfectly. Sometimes you just have to work with dollar store finger paints. We’ve been making do for centuries.
Ultimately, my point here is to encourage you to get as much experience working in your chosen path or craft as you can get. But do not go forth blindly, believing that nothing matters but your intentions and you can just intent all over the place willy nilly and things will happen just like think they should. Ignoring the power and meaning of things can lead to unexpected results. Allow me to be your cautionary tale.
PART 2: Magic Ruined My Life
And now, for the actual storytime. Many years ago, I was fresh out of my first round of graduate school for science and had not gotten a job in the field despite months of trying. This was after returning to graduate school after not having luck with a job following my bachelor’s degree. I was determined to keep learning this lesson, I suppose. I decided to become a teacher as there were not any other viable opportunities in my science field that didn’t involve cataloging deer scat in remote Wyoming for $30k a year. I had been through a LOT in the science field and had very little to show for it besides debt, and while I loved teaching students, the idea of being a teacher *for a job* rankled me greatly. I have massive gripes with our education system I will not get into here but long story short, I hated feeling complicit in that system. It was not working for me, and desperate, I turned to a working. I did a jar spell with a little ingredient called moldavite (and some blood and spit and herbs). First off, this damn moldavite had already shot a shard into my eye as I was breaking up my big chunk. This was before it blew up on “WitchTok” and prices went sky-high. There’s probably $200 in moldavite in some spit jar in an empty field somewhere. Should have known when it scratched my eye that the moldavite would be… difficult and intense. I poo-pooed the “hype” around moldavite thinking I might as well use this fancy rock I had and if there was anything extra or special to it, all the better. I did not heed the advice about how powerful moldavite could be.
I do my spell out of desperation, and just ask “for a change.” No specifics, no clarification that I want GOOD change or don’t want bad things to happen. And holy moly, did I get changes almost instantly. I admittedly did not believe moldavite to be “all that” but I have since changed my tune. I lost some relatives and friends to some very sudden and shattering deaths. I got and then melted down and quit a public-school science teacher job. I gained almost 100 pounds following a foot injury after being very athletic and trim (and honestly a little vain) my entire life. I struggled with long-term subbing and offers withdrawn or modified for almost two more years until I finally screamed “I GET IT, I SHOULD NOT BE A SCIENCE TEACHER ANYMORE. WHAT SHOULD I DO INSTEAD?” And then…
The positive changes also started happening. Almost immediately upon giving up teaching, I was looking through an old drawer for some transcripts, thinking I would go back to graduate school for yet more science but switching fields to something more viable. Again, I was not quite getting the lesson. I was already enrolled in some plant genetics classes and hated every second of it. In that drawer was an acceptance letter from the year 200-(hmmhmmmhmm) and offer of a full-ride scholarship from the specific department that housed my major choice. In that letter, I saw that my original major choice was communications. Somewhere along the way before I even started classes, I got convinced communications was a bad field and I should do science instead, and switched majors (many times, and dropped out for five years along the way). But I always loved things like photojournalism, writing, and the creative side of advertising. I had even continued to do freelance branding/related stuff for certain clients and friends this ENTIRE TIME, almost two decades! And still did not think it was a viable choice! Anyways, long story short, I got my second master’s in that program within a year and had a great job offer (in a decision-maker level position even, due to my freelance experience) two months before I even graduated.
I went into that spell with unclear intentions. It worked out in the end, but it was ROUGH to get through.. I think if I had been clearer, some of the bad things may have still happened because that is just life, but maybe I would have seen that my path was going nowhere years before I finally figured it out. What I needed for change to happen was insight, and I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t have a clear intention going into it. It would have made the bad parts more tolerable if I had at least been heading in the right direction and had asked for clarity and a path forward.
PART 3: Magic Is Healing My Life
So me being me, I decided to repeat a moldavite change spell recently. Despite some moves in a good direction, I have still held onto a lot of bad habits that have kept me trapped and unable to move forward into things I actually want: I want to get the weight off as it has very negatively impacted my health with constant joint injuries, sleep apnea, etc. I want to quit vaping nicotine as I’m tired of my dependence on it. I want to kick the doomscrolling social media habits and spend more time on hobbies and in “the real world.” I want to get over my OCD-fueled fear of traveling; I have not left my city in ten years because of it. And I want to grow more in my magical practices as well as spiritually (not always connected for me but that is a whole other article). In short: I need a wholesale transformation.
I branded this spell the “Metaphysical Kick in the Ass.” Here are the things I used in said spell:
- Moldavite candle (a white candle dipped in a thin layer of ground-up moldavite mixed into wax). Much easier to work with and cheaper than the actual stone (although still not cheap at about $8 a pop). This is the nitro booster for transformation in the engine of this spell.
- An orange candle for courage, energy, change, and positive thinking.
- Black candle stubbies for sealing and protecting, because we do not waste in my house
- Herbs and herby things:
o Borage for courage and inner strength
o Nettle: Courage, banishing negative energies
o Bee pollen: I love bees and their determination, hard work, and creativity.
o Mugwort for increased insight (I just really love Mugwort and try to shove it everywhere but also insight is an important component to the transformation I’m seeking.
o Hawthorne berries for strength and perseverance
o Lavender bundle for calming and centering since this is a high-energy spell and I did not want to get TOO energized without being anchored
o Rosemary bundle for mental focus; as an ADHDer too much energy with no focus is also bad
- My bells (I have a nice tinkly one for raising energy and a meaner-sounding cowbell for cleansing/banishing)
- Some crushed hematite (iron oxide) for strength and grounding
- Cauldron (a big cast iron cookpot full of sand that I light things on fire in)
- Mortar and pestle for the herbs
- Jars. I love a jar, I think 90% of my work is in jars. I had a big one and three tiny little necklace ones
- Black salt (gifted by a friend who was present for the working, made on a full moon) and extra salt to make more during the spell
- Two iron nails from an old church (gifted from same friend), for protection and binding
- Two paper sigils and red twine: one sigil to bind the bad, and another to invite the good. Written in ballpoint ink with the one working pen I had in my car console.
This is where I did something much wiser than the first time around: I very clearly stated the things that I wanted to get rid of or move away from and the things I wanted to invite into my life. I left no detail out, even explicitly saying I do not want to lose my job or any loved ones because of this spell, or to get anxiety from the changes and accidentally undo all the work. Performing this spell went thusly:
1. Grounding with the herb bundles and cleansing with the bell (I call it “brightening the corners”)
2. Binding the “bad” sigil paper with red twine, burning it using the moldavite candle (for transforming and ascending away from the bad) and collecting the ash in a ceramic cup that I made black salt with.
3. I then put the Bad Black Salt, some nettle, the church nails, and spit into one of the big jars. It got sealed with black wax as an extra protective measure. This is the Bad Jar and got buried elsewhere later.
4. I then put the incense blend on the coals and repeated the sigil burning and black salt process with the Good Sigil but used the orange candle for the burning to give the good some juice.
5. I then put little bits of the incense blend, black salt, and bits of hematite in the tiny little jars and sealed them with moldavite candle + orange candle wax. These I put in my car and my pockets to really juice them up via handling over time. My friend who was hanging out with me lending some energy and supplies also made themselves a little jar.
So what happened? I got COVID just a few days after this. Big deal right? YES. One, I had yet to ever get COVID after five years of pandemic. This was my first time. Two, I have OCD and am a massive germophobe and hypochondriac who is terrified of getting sick. So yeah, it was a big deal for me. I was in complete isolation in my bedroom/bathroom for 10 days due to living with immunocompromised people (the link between this and my germophobia should be explored in therapy) and didn’t even take care of my own dog to avoid spreading germs through the house. It was a very… strange 10 days. I had a lot of time to myself to really think and gain clarity. On day 8, realizing I was still vaping through this entire COVID experience and reading a scary article about it, I threw the vape out the window (It was safely disposed of later but I wanted it out of reach). 20+ years of nicotine habit gone like that. Well, kinda, quitting is a long and hard process, and this is unfortunately not my first rodeo at kicking something and getting sober, nicotine being my last remaining vice. But I haven’t touched it since, at least!
Once I was out of my long convalescence, I decided to never take being able to go places and do things for granted again, and that being sick isn’t that scary. Between wanting to touch grass more, cutting out social media to almost nothing, and quitting vaping, I suddenly have so much free time. I’m even bored sometimes. I also got tired of TV after 10 days straight of Roseanne (my sick show as a kid). I can literally feel my dopamine and serotonin receptors repairing themselves. My thinking is so much clearer and calmer now. My sleep schedule has normalized. I keep a dream journal and have been working towards lucid dreaming again. My tarot readings and magic workings have been SUPER JUICED lately, and even grounding and gathering/releasing energy are near-instant now, where before I always struggled to focus. I have a new creative hobby of doing fiber sculptures using yarn and felt and sticks and other found objects. I’ve been playing a lot more guitar and have started finally working on my fiction book I’ve talked about for years but never done anything with. I even drove an hour away last weekend on a random lark, the furthest I have gone in a decade.
I give a lot of credit to the spell. It very obviously worked (almost) exactly as intended (was not expecting COVID but I am weirdly grateful for it). It is still going; anything with moldavite ends up being what a friend calls a crockpot spell. I’m not done cooking yet. I put every ounce of my intention and will and energy into that working, and it paid off. But I am the one putting in the boots-on-the-ground effort to make the changes happen, and I think that’s where the real power is coming from. I like to say that you have to meet the universe halfway. Ok, I got that from the “Where The Red Fern Grows” movie, but it’s a great quote.
I look at my little pocket jar left over from the spell, and every single thing in it is a ”why,” chosen with intention and imbued with an outstanding amount of will. It reminds me of everything I put into that working, and it practically sings with the power of it whenever I touch it.
Always ask, and answer, “Why?” Remember when you are doing your workings that everything you use, do, and say has meaning and needs a purpose. Meaning is power. Intention is the engine, but that purpose and meaning is the gas. And you have to steer it all in the right direction.
