Spells: Original or Prewritten?

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A frequent question and point of debate concerns which type of spell is better: an original one written by the caster, or a prewritten one. To be honest, there are good points to both. Here is my opinion and view on the matter.

Prewritten spells. You see them nearly everywhere in the pagan community at large. It seems like any pagan related book you pick up or web site you visit which is not of a scholarly, historical, cultural, or mythological nature is chock full of them. You know the ones......the "how-to" books. These are typically the first stop for those just beginning to search out their path in paganism. Naturally, some are better than others in their explanation of what is being done, and why. The "why" is the main potential problem with prewritten spells, because it seems to be frequently glossed over at best. Because of this, beginners seem to sometimes get the idea that a spell is just a laundry list of components, words, and gestures. As a consequence they may simply "follow the directions" without giving any real thought to them, and then wonder why they get mixed results at best. Prewritten spells are a shortcut. They save you the time and trouble of some of the research and trial and error. Someone has already done the grunt work of piecing together components of such nature as to be complimentary to the work to be done, and probably written out a cute little rhyming chant to accompany the work. They've given you the framework, and filler to complete it. However, for the best results, I would highly recommend spending some time researching the components to be used to understand what their purpose is in the working.....why they are being used. This starts getting into ground already covered in my article "On the Importance of Tools," because, when you get right down to it, components are tools, if only one use, disposable ones.

Beginners are frequently admonished to write their own spells. The reasoning behind this is twofold: it promotes the learning process, and it avoids "Laundry List Syndrome." It also grants more freedom in the style and content of the spell. Whereas with a prewritten spell you tend to be more or less "stuck" with the basic framework form in which it was written, writing your own allows you to make it as simple or complex as you desire. It also allows you to custom tailor it to a specific situation. The main point, however, comes back again to "why." With the possible exception of a fully spontaneous working, you will tend to be intimately familiar with the reasons why you incorporate the things you do into a spell of your own devising. I say possible exception simply because with enough time, study, and practice you will tend to build up a working knowledge of components and their attributes; you will have gained enough familiarity with given components to use them in a given situation at a moment's notice toward a specific purpose, not just randomly throwing them in. The exception here would be an intuitive use of a component. I tend to trust my intuition a great deal, but I would highly recommend looking into that component's attributes at your first opportunity to determine the reasons why you felt it should be used, contemplate them, and make note of them.

Original or prewritten? Both are valid approaches to spellcasting. The key overall factor comes back to that persistent little three letter word: "why." The greater your understanding of the steps and components used, and why they are used, the more efficiently they will operate as a focus for your Will in the working.

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All contents of this site are © 2000-2005 except where otherwise noted, such as in the case of graphics or other content not created by Smiling Panther. Original author/creator retains all rights in those instances. All rights reserved.


	Smiling Panther's Den \| home Spells: Original or Prewritten? © by Smiling Panther Nov. 19th, 2000 A frequent question and point of debate concerns which type of spell is better: an original one written by the caster, or a prewritten one. To be honest, there are good points to both. Here is my opinion and view on the matter. Prewritten spells. You see them nearly everywhere in the pagan community at large. It seems like any pagan related book you pick up or web site you visit which is not of a scholarly, historical, cultural, or mythological nature is chock full of them. You know the ones......the "how-to" books. These are typically the first stop for those just beginning to search out their path in paganism. Naturally, some are better than others in their explanation of what is being done, and why. The "why" is the main potential problem with prewritten spells, because it seems to be frequently glossed over at best. Because of this, beginners seem to sometimes get the idea that a spell is just a laundry list of components, words, and gestures. As a consequence they may simply "follow the directions" without giving any real thought to them, and then wonder why they get mixed results at best. Prewritten spells are a shortcut. They save you the time and trouble of some of the research and trial and error. Someone has already done the grunt work of piecing together components of such nature as to be complimentary to the work to be done, and probably written out a cute little rhyming chant to accompany the work. They've given you the framework, and filler to complete it. However, for the best results, I would highly recommend spending some time researching the components to be used to understand what their purpose is in the working.....why they are being used. This starts getting into ground already covered in my article "On the Importance of Tools," because, when you get right down to it, components are tools, if only one use, disposable ones. Beginners are frequently admonished to write their own spells. The reasoning behind this is twofold: it promotes the learning process, and it avoids "Laundry List Syndrome." It also grants more freedom in the style and content of the spell. Whereas with a prewritten spell you tend to be more or less "stuck" with the basic framework form in which it was written, writing your own allows you to make it as simple or complex as you desire. It also allows you to custom tailor it to a specific situation. The main point, however, comes back again to "why." With the possible exception of a fully spontaneous working, you will tend to be intimately familiar with the reasons why you incorporate the things you do into a spell of your own devising. I say possible exception simply because with enough time, study, and practice you will tend to build up a working knowledge of components and their attributes; you will have gained enough familiarity with given components to use them in a given situation at a moment's notice toward a specific purpose, not just randomly throwing them in. The exception here would be an intuitive use of a component. I tend to trust my intuition a great deal, but I would highly recommend looking into that component's attributes at your first opportunity to determine the reasons why you felt it should be used, contemplate them, and make note of them. Original or prewritten? Both are valid approaches to spellcasting. The key overall factor comes back to that persistent little three letter word: "why." The greater your understanding of the steps and components used, and why they are used, the more efficiently they will operate as a focus for your Will in the working. Background for this page provided by: All contents of this site are © 2000-2005 except where otherwise noted, such as in the case of graphics or other content not created by Smiling Panther. Original author/creator retains all rights in those instances. All rights reserved.