In Witchcraft, magick is the practice of using your own focus, along with help from the spirit world (and the Universe at large), to manifest a desired outcome. Performing magickal spells is one of the most fulfilling and important aspects of being a witch. There is truly nothing quite as satisfying as experiencing your life changing in miraculous ways through Magickal Practice.
However, the use of Magick brings with it questions of morals and ethics. In witchcraft, it is generally believed that you can perform any spell, as long as it does no harm. This definition of “harm” includes the belief that you should not interfere with another person’s free will.
Most witches abide by this “rule”, but others do not.
This is where Magick becomes divided into two categories: White Magick and Black Magick.
White Magick
White Magick is a general term used to describe the loving, positive, healing, and spiritual use of magick. Most witches throughout history have practiced what we now call White Magick. Witches have always been healers—who work with the elements of nature and the higher spiritual realms—to bring about positive change for the highest good of all.
In White Magick, no spell would ever be performed that would attempt to interfere with another’s free will, as this would be considered doing harm to a fellow human being. In White Magick, a witch performs a spell, and then releases the outcome to the loving Universe, or the God/Goddess, to produce the outcome that is truly for the highest good of all involved.
White Magick can produce miracles because it uses not only the witch’s powerful focus and intent but leverages the energy of the higher realms of Spirit and Universe to manifest a desired outcome.
Black Magick
Black Magick, on the other hand, is magick done without the intent to manifest only that which in the highest good of all. Black Magick instead seeks to produce a specific result, for a selfish intent, without regard to the highest good for all.
Black Magick is the term used when a witch casts a spell over another without their consent. Even a seemingly harmless love spell, when used on a specific person without their consent, is considered Black Magick.
A spell used to manipulate another is considered harmful, because the Spirit realm has broader understanding of the highest good for all, whereas the limited human perspective simply can not know what the highest good for all consists of. So, when a witch casts a spell with the intent to manipulate a person’s free will, they are effectively shutting the higher spiritual realm out. This Magick is considered “dark” because it doesn’t co-create with “the light” of Spirit when manifesting.
From the darkness to the light
In general, Black Magick doesn’t work with the energy of higher spiritual love. In my experience, Black Magick uses the energy of fear to manipulate others.
I once worked briefly (one day) as an assistant to a world-famous witch. I observed her telling people that only she could provide the spell they needed to solve their problems. In one afternoon, I saw several people pay her exorbitant amounts of money to perform a variety of spells on them. Some were to find love, some for better health, others to take away a curse she told them they had.
After a few hours of witnessing this manipulation, I walked out. I told this woman how I honestly felt. I told her that she should be ashamed of herself to use the sacred practice of witchcraft in such a harmful way on others. To make other people feel powerless for profit is truly not what witchcraft is about at all. I told her she practiced self-serving Black Magick, and I wanted no part of it.
I walked out that day with more clarity than ever before about what it really means to be a witch, and what true Magick is. About a week later, I found a job that helped me teach other people how to perform their own spells, how to be their own powerful witch, and how to create their own miracles with the help of Divine love and light!
Magick and the Pentagram
Another difference between White Magick and Black Magick is the symbol of the pentagram used to represent each one. In White Magick, the pentagram is facing up, like a five-pointed star. The four corner points symbolize air, water, fire, and earth, with the top point symbolizing the higher Spirit realm of love and light.
In Black Magick, the star of the pentagram is reversed. The four corners still symbolize air, water, earth, and fire, but the fifth point is pointed down, away from the Spirit realm and back towards the earthly realm.
Some say the upside-down pentagram symbolizes connection to dark, evil forces, but there are various ways of interpreting this symbol of Black Magick. Some interpret it more positively to be a symbol of connection to the earth, and to the shadow side of self within us all. To many witches, it represents the mysterious, feminine, nighttime energy of magick. Many find the upside-down pentacle to be a symbol of reverence for the Magick of nature.
Finding your own Magickal path
There are many different ways to interpret Black and White Magick, and none of them is truly right or wrong. It is up to each witch to decide what interpretation he or she believes in, resonates with, and practices.
I find some comfort in regarding an upside-down pentacle not as an evil symbol, but as more of a symbol of reverence for nature and its mysterious Magick. It is true that there is beauty in the darkness within each and every one of us. In nature, there is both the day and the night, the Sun and the Moon, the light and the dark. It is important to embrace all aspects of who we are, both as individuals and as part of the natural world.
That being said, I personally resonate with, and exclusively practice, White Magick. Don’t get me wrong, I still wear mostly black, and paint my nails dark green, but I just feel so much more joyous when I intentionally connect to the loving Spirit world on a daily basis. This is because “The Light”, as I sometimes call the higher realm of the spirit world, is truly all-powerful.
In my experience, when you combine your focus with the energy of “The Light”, magick happens fast! This is because Spirit wants the highest good of all on the planet. Spirit is love, so when your own intention is made of love, and for the highest good of all, you have the entire universe working on your behalf to help you manifest!! Co-creating with the loving Spirit world is true magick and there is nothing sweeter!
Why not try a little White Magick Spell yourself? Below is a love spell, but if you prefer, you can substitute any desire (desire for new meaningful work, or a new best friend) for romantic love. Give it a try, it feels really uplifting and powerful to perform!
White Magick Spell for Romantic Love
What you will need:
- A red or pink candle
- flower petals
- A small bowl or dish
- A piece of paper and a pen
Steps
- Place the flower petals in a circle in front of you. You can do this on a table or on the floor, whatever feels most sacred to you.
- Place your bowl in the middle of your flower pedal circle.
- Set your candle and your piece of paper and pen to the side of the circle.
- Take a moment to imagine the romantic love you want to draw into your life. If it is a specific person, think about the qualities you love about that person. Instead of wishing for the love of that person, trust that Spirit has the perfect person in mind for you, and try to release your need for that person, wanting only for your highest good, and the highest good of all involved.
- Once you have the list of the qualities you most would love in a romantic partner, take your piece of paper and write out all of the qualities you are ready and wanting to manifest in a loving partner.
- Set the paper to the side and place your candle inside the circle of flowers.
- Light your candle, and as you do say: “Truest of love now comes to me. By air, by land, by stars, by sea. By light Divine, and with perfect timing, the One truly mine, together we’ll be!”
- Fold your paper in half and seal it with a drop of wax from your candle. This symbolizes the sealing of your intentions to bring in the partner of your dreams. It also reflects Spirit’s intentions to bring you the partner for the highest good of all.
- Place your paper in your bowl.
- Place each individual flower pedal in the bowl, covering your paper. With each pedal, imagine your lover making his or her way closer to you. Feel how with each move of the pedal from the outer circle, to the bowl, you are bringing your love closer and closer into your experience.
- When the circle is gone, and the flowers full in your bowl, say “So Mote it Be!” and blow out your candle.
The spell is now complete!
You can now rest easy knowing that Spirit is on the job, moving your perfect mate (or whichever desire you chose to focus on) closer to you with every day! Now, you don’t even have to think about it anymore! True love is making its way to you, in perfect timing! Isn’t that Magickal?
With love,
Sirena Moon
