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Purpose, Intention & Target

This is the first and foremost aspect of any spell - this is your “why”. While I believe that intention isn’t everything, it is the foundation of the working - because how are you going to craft an effective spell working if you don’t know why you’re working it? So, when you are crafting a spell, this is the first thing that you want to get crystal clear on. Your intention will also carry a certain kind of energy that will set the tone for the spell, and you will want to include other aspects that are coded with a similar energy, or an energy that supports that intention. Part of the intention also may be your target - that is who or what the spell is intended for.

Spellwork is a significant part of the craft for many witches and it’s something that I personally love to do in my own practice. I’ve crafted and casted many spells throughout my years as a witch, and I’ve learned a lot. From ingredients & correspondences to timing & location and lots more in between, there are many aspects of spellwork. Spells can be quite simple or incredibly complex, depending on the practitioner and the situation, but for the sake of knowledge I am going to do a fairly comprehensive overview of the aspects of spellwork. Let’s explore what goes into spellwork and how to craft your own spells effectively.

February 4, 2026 • by Emily Munroe

Framework & Tradition

After clarifying your intention and target for your spell, I would say the next thing to establish is the framework or tradition you will be working in for your spell. This will vary depending on your culture and your style as a practitioner, and this will also inform the ingredients you choose, the spirits you work with, etc. I must include a very important note here and that is please do not engage in cultural appropriation and take closed practices from other cultures, or engage in harmful practices with very real environmental and cultural impact. If you desire to work within a modern witches style of spellwork, that is wonderful and there is nothing wrong with that style of practice, so long as you are not engaging in appropriative or harmful practices. You can also choose to work within traditions that are culturally relevant to you, based in your ancestry and your own culture of the land you live on, or you can choose respectfully explore other open practices. Each tradition has their own sense of spirituality and magical practice, so the tradition you choose to work within will affect how you carry out your spellwork.

Energy Sources, Channelling & Amplification

When you are doing spellwork it is important that you know where the energy is coming from that is fueling your spell, how that energy is being channelled, and how you will raise the energy. There are many energy sources that you can choose for a spell, and it doesn’t have to be limited to one, you can draw from multiple sources. Examples of energy sources are: yourself, the herbs you use, the spirits you work with, the stones you use, the elements you work with, the planets you work with, the location you are working in, etc. Energy can be channelled and raised through many means - postures, movements, breath, visualization and sound are some examples. This energetic component is especially crucial because you can have the clearest intention, best ingredients, and perfect timing, but if you don’t know how to channel or raise the energy to fuel and carry out your spell, or if there are blockages, your spell may fall flat and fizzle out without fulfilling its purpose.

Ingredients

When it comes to choosing ingredients, pick ones that work together cohesively and serve your overall goal. Ingredients can be herbs, stones, oils, candles, symbols, personal artifacts, animal artifacts, pretty much anything really! Also, you do not need fancy, expensive, specialty ingredients or tools either, you can use what you have available to you.

Spirits & Deities

In spellwork you can choose to call in spirits and deities to support and aid in the fruition of your spell. Though not all spirits and deities are the same, so which ones you choose to call into your working and how you work with them in doing so will require discernment. Depending on the type of working, you could call in spirit guides, ancestors, local land spirits, plant spirits, gods or goddesses, etc. However, I would say that having a basic understanding and experience in working with spirits is going to be a great benefit when calling in spirits in spellwork, and I would not recommend recklessly calling in just any spirits randomly or calling in deities you have no relationship with as if they exist simply to serve you and your working. When working with spirits in your spellwork, consider your current relationships with spirits, how you will evoke the spirits and how you will work with them.

The Spell's End

Strategically timing your spells and performing them in specific locations can be of great benefit to your spell working. When you consider the energies that various times and locations hold, you can align your spell in such a way that maximizes the energy of the spell and how it is carried out. For example, if you are doing a spell for new beginnings, then sunrise may be a good time to do that, when the energy of the day is new and reborn. Or if you are doing a spell for cleansing, you could cast it near the ocean side to draw upon the ocean’s cleansing energy. Specific times and locations can also be considered energy sources to draw upon for your spell, as mentioned above.

When all of the magical work is completed, now is the time to consider what every day mundane actions you can take that will support the fruition of your spell. This is quite a crucial aspect, and I feel like many witches may tend to overlook this - but don’t! Magic works when you do, and the magic doesn’t end immediately after casting the spell. The actions you take in your mundane life that tend to your magic do matter, and you may find you have greater success when you don’t skip this step. Let’s say you cast a spell to get a new job or career opportunity; don’t expect it to just fall into your lap out of nowhere - you should still be out there doing whatever it is you need to do to make that a reality, in this case it could look like filling out applications, doing interviews, etc. And trust that the magic is working in the unseen levels of reality to manifest the opportunity that is best for you, or that you intended to have.

Timing & Location

Supportive Mundane Actions

At last, the final consideration in working a spell is the spell’s end. When you are crafting your spell, it’s up to you to define what constitutes the spell’s end. Is the spell complete when you have received your desired manifestation? Is the spell an ongoing, long term thing? Is the spell immediate, worked and done in the moment you have cast it? Another consideration when your spell has been cast is how you will dispose of any materials that are left over. Certain biodegradable things you can leave on the land or bury them (salt is not one of them, please do not put salt on the ground, it will kill the soil!), but you can also just toss it in the trash bin, there is nothing wrong with that either.

About the Author

Emily is an artist, author, creator, and witch sharing her passion for witchcraft, paganism, spirituality and the occult through her creativity; whether it's writing, design, videos, art or craft, she loves to create and share pieces of her journey through the arts.

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