First, a disclaimer: Wicca and witchcraft are not for everybody. Some people believe these types of practices to be rooted in ancient evil. I do not believe that to be a true understanding- I think it is a stereotype borne out of fear. If you are Christian or belong to a faith that forbids all witchcraft, use caution.

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Before we begin, here are the essential laws of Wicca.

What is Wicca? What is a spell?

Wiccan spiritual practice is diverse. There is no single, centralized authority or dogma. There is no dedicated religious text or overseeing organization.

Wicca can be defined as a modern-day religion with ancient roots, which focuses on harmony and balance in nature, working with energy and metaphysical principles to create and alter realities.

It is often created by and for women- but men and gender nonconforming people are welcome, too.

There are many ways to practice Wicca, as well as the more broad area of witchcraft.

Yet almost all traditions of Wicca share two ethical and metaphysical principles that are often considered the “essential laws” of the religion.

They are called the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law (also called the Rule of Three).

The Wiccan Rede

The full, common saying is: If it harms none, do what you will.

Meaning: This phrase emphasizes personal freedom while placing all the responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions squarely on the individual. It encourages practitioners to minimize any harm they cause and to reflect deeply on the potential impacts before acting. In essence, it grants you the autonomy to pursue your goals, provided you do so ethically.

The most critical part is the interpretation of “harm”. Because it is arguably impossible to live without causing any harm (e.g., eating plants, using resources), many Wiccans view the Rede not as an absolute prohibition but as a strong mandate to be consciously mindful and minimize harm, particularly intentional harm.

The other law is the karmic principle.

The Threefold Law (Rule of Three)

The Threefold Law is a metaphysical principle believed by many Wiccans that works alongside the Rede.

The principle states that whatever energy (positive or negative) a person puts out into the world, especially through magic, will be returned to them threefold. It is often compared to a “cosmic payback system”.

This acts as a strong motivation for ethical behavior and is a cautionary principle against destructive actions, encouraging practitioners to focus on positive intentions.

The term “threefold” is widely interpreted:

Literal Return: The positive or negative effects return exactly three times stronger, or in three distinct events.

Holistic Effect: The action impacts the practitioner on three levels: mind, body, and spirit. For instance, engaging in hateful magic harms one’s physical body (stress), mental state (anger), and spiritual well-being (disconnect from divinity).

Note on Adherence: While widely known and embraced, the Threefold Law is contested by some Wiccans who view it as an over-elaboration on the Rede or a later invention influenced by Christian morality.

If you plan to engage in cursing or hexing, you largely set your own rules, but proceed with caution of course.

Core Beliefs Reinforcing the Laws
These fundamental “laws” are rooted in Wicca’s core nature-based spirituality.

The Divine is viewed as manifesting through Nature, leading to a deep respect for the environment, all living things, and the cycles of life and death. Your own interest in exploring new places and finding their character mirrors this reverence for the natural world.

Divinity is typically honored as a complementary Duality of the Goddess and the God, representing the masculine and feminine polarity. This emphasis on balance informs the need for ethical conduct and a peaceful coexistence with others.

In Wicca, every practitioner is responsible for their own thoughts, feelings, and deeds, whether magical or mundane.

A spell is simply an attempt to adjust and alter reality using unseen energies and forces.

How to Cast Your First Spell According to the Lunar Cycle

Lunar magic combined with candle magic is a modern Wiccan practice that is all about goal setting.

It involves lighting carefully selected candles according to the moon cycle and our ambitions. What do you want to create? What do you want to attract into your life? Love? Vitality? Success?

We meditate on our goals and the symbolism of our tools as the candles burn. Then we welcome our desires over the next few weeks, tracking our progress.

Here is a guide for new practitioners to select the correct time of the lunar month and color of candle when performing magic.

This is a how-to guide on casting your first spell.

Select a Time of the Lunar Month

Check the time of the lunar month online with a quick online search.

Here is the kind of spell you should do, depending on the phase of the moon:

• New Moon: manifestation, creation, spells that involve drawing something towards you
• Waxing Moon: healing, luck, blessings, nurturing, goal manifestation, plant spells involving growing, finding lost items, drawing positive energy or strength
• Full Moon: boosting clairvoyant enegy and opening the third eye, connecting with divinity, divination practice such as runes, tarot, or scrying, checking in with the manifestation goal from the new moon, receiving messages from spirit guides, creating moonwater
• Waning Moon: banishing spirits, demons, or negative energy, driving away an entity or problem, neatly resolving a problem/dealing with tying up loose ends, bringing something to a close, curses and hexes, ending relationships such as with cord cuttings, clearing spaces of the effects of past events

The spell should be performed after the moon has risen for the day/while it is in the sky. You can search for this online, too, or simply go outside and observe.

Select a Colored Candle

Choose your candle based on the theme of your spell. Each color represents a different goal. I recommend these chime candles from Amazon.

• White: lunar and goddess energies, protection, new beginnings, purity, healing, truth, meditation, peace, gratitude, harmony, to call on spirit guides, to calm the mind. White candles can also be burned in the place of other colors if you cannot access the color you need.
• Black: protection spells, repelling/absorbing/banishing negative energy, to reverse curses and hexes, to unblock stuck energy, to stop bad habits, or to put an end to an unhealthy situation
• Red: fast acting, best color for lust or intentions tied to determination or survival, increases passion, potency, and stamina, attracts sex partners, helps with fresh starts, attracts good luck, and improves confidence, willpower, physical strength, courage and tapping into your inner fire/drive. Note: can be an intense and difficult energy for some people to manage.
• Pink: love, self-love, romance, reconciliation, intimacy, harmony, emotional healing, crushes
• Orange: quick action, joy, playfulness, confidence, help with career and legal affairs
• Yellow: optimism, happiness, charm, persuasion, overcoming mental blocks, new ideas, confidence, clarity, logical thinking, enhance learning process
• Green: sucess, abundance, money, good luck, health, plant magic
• Blue: truth, wisdom, justice, healing, loyalty, communication, inspiration
• Purple: psychic manifestations, astral travel, meditation, spirituality, wisdom, uncovering secrets and hidden knowledge, opening and healing the third eye
• Brown: grounding, recovering lost objects, concentration, building trust, bonding with animal guides and familiars
• Gold: wealth, bold manifesting, prosperity, yang/masculine energy, God
• Silver: goddess energy, yin/feminine energy, stability, intuition, telepathy, astral energy, clairvoyance
• Gray: balancing, neutralizing negativity, protection

Select Your Crystals

Select crystals to place out during the spell.

Here are some common crystals many people use:

• amethyst for psychic abilities, divination powers, spells involving dream work or lucid dreaming, opening the third eye
• moonstone for peace, love, harmony, and family
• rose quartz for peace, love, harmony, and romance
• citrine for happiness and positive energy
• carnelian for creativity, motivation, and inner fire
• sodalite for confident and assertive communication when you express yourself
• obsidian for grounding and protection from negativity
• black tourmaline for grounding and protection from negativity
• selenite for cleansing, purifying, and charging crystals

Bless Your Tools

To annoint your tools you can use holy water from your local church, or even olive oil which represents wisdom and strategy. You will also use salt. I recommenced black protection salt or sea salt, for an affordable option.

Mix the oil and sea salt together.

Dip your finger in the mixture and trace the length of the candle three times and bless it by praying to your God or Goddess, or by meditating on kindness and goodness. Do the same process with your selected crystals.

Recite the tenants of wicca (if you follow them) which are:

do as you will but harm none

& what you do will return to you threefold

But if you are not a light practitioner and you’re involved with cursing and hexing, then you make your own rules. Proceed with caution.

Bless Your Space

I recommend burning a bundle of rose petals and cedar, or flower petals and birch bark. You can also use sage and/or lavender. If you are unable to burn something where you love, you can buy a sage room spray.

Then place black salt or sea salt in a circle where you will practice, or across the doorways going into the room where you will practice. Envision white light coming out of your heart and crown chakras and filling the room. This is called casting a circle.

Acknowledge the North, South, East, and West directions. Then set out your candles and crystals and other tools for your spell. Placement may matter; for one example it will matter if you are using a crystal grid.

Subscribe to our blog to learn more about crystal grids! We’ll be posting about that next week.

Take a Ritual Cleansing Bath

A ritual bath can involve many different ingredients based on the condition of your chakras and your goals for the spell that day. I recommend using:

• Milk, oats, wildflower honey, dried rose petals, or a sugar scrub for any spell involving love, lust, healing, connection, spirit guides, or raising your self-worth in a wholesome and romantic way.
• Olive oil in the water and a sea salt scrub for any spell requiring wisdom or protection from danger- especially if your ancestry has ties to the Mediterranean ocean area.
• Speaking of heritage, you can add ingredients to your bath that are highly regarded in your own culture as having a spiritual purpose.

I also put my selected crystals in the bath water, when safe to do so.

Bathe and meditate in your intentions for the spell and let go of anything negative you’ve been holding on to in order to prevent resentment from getting in the way of your spellwork. Sink under the water and embrace yourself.

Cast the Spell

The final step is to step out of the bath, get comfy, and light the candles.

As the candles burn, journal about what your intention is, pray to any desired divinity, and meditate on your goals for the month. Write down exactly what you want to happen. Pray on it to your God or Goddess. And don’t be afraid to get creative- adding some poetry, a mantra, or visual art. Put on some music that inspires you and visualize your life going well.

Observe any sensations in your body, the weather that night, ideas that occur to you, and qualities of the candles as they burn. Observe any realizations you come to while reflecting.

Add those notes to your spellbook.

Aftercare

As the lunar month progresses, over the next 28 days, observe your progress and re-align with your intentions. Or realize when it’s time to adapt to something new.

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