jadedarcana

[jadedarcana]

Gonna be very busy the next few weeks working as the studio assistant for a summer arts program, but even so, it feels like exactly what I need right now.

Also a good time to practice some charms for maintaining sociability. I’ll pay the piper when it’s over I’m sure, but I need to keep my social battery running until this is over.

[jadedarcana]

Fork in the Road Tarot Spread

For anyone who isn't sure which path to take of two options before them.

From @sheydmade's 'Tarot Spread for Making Decisions, Forging New Paths, & Pursuing New Endeavors'.

[jadedarcana]

Spirits are fluid, and move as such. The devil you met in the woods will not be the same as when you called him into your home, will not be the same as when he took your hand at the river banks. They are not wholly separate, just different.

[jadedarcana]

Libations went well enough, though I was unable to do yesterday’s. Unfortunate, considering Saturn is the planet I really need to do remediations for.

Think I’m gonna do some planetary libations this week, nothing massive. Just a little something to get re-accustomed now that I actually have space and time to work.

Offering of blessed waters was made to the Moon yesterday, so might as well continue.

[jadedarcana]

Practical Energy Work 01 🐔 Bedrock

This post is part of a masterpost. Click here to go to the masterpost. Please read the disclaimer in the masterpost if you notice our beliefs may be different. Next: Practical Energy Work 02 anticipated, not published

When I say "energy work" I mean the manipulation of metaphysical energies through direct application of willpower.

I think in order for us to navigate this terrain together we should be on the same page about what these energies are and how it's possible to work with them in the first place.

"But how can I do energy work? How is it possible?"

You do not need to integrate or internalize the following beliefs. But for the purposes of this series, let's just agree that the following things are true - even if you don't 'really' believe them.

If we can agree on these things while we do energy work together, we'll be able to build our understanding of energy work on the same bedrock, perhaps making it possible for us to raise sturdy creations using very similar architecture.

I'm using the term 'ethereal energy', which I will explain below, because I'm a bit worn out by the vagueness of 'metaphysical'.

1. Ethereal energy is some beautiful stuff about the web of life, basically

'Metaphysical' energy exists on what you might call astral, ethereal, or subtle planes. I call it ethereal energy, or at least I do for this series.

There's lots of kinds of this energy, categorized by its qualities. Ethereal energy can be rapid or slow-moving, invigorating or calming, enlivening or draining.

This energy is infused within and around the world, and it's a vital and natural aspect of experiencing our reality. Ethereal energy isn't far away or locked behind a veil: it's around us all the time. It's part of life and existence itself in our world.

This energy is a major part of how living beings sense and perceive the world around us. This energy has its own qualities, but it also carries a great deal of information - just like a warm humid breeze in late May carries a great deal of information to people who understand weather patterns.

This energy influences what is around it. Living beings, spirits, the dead, and even gods are impacted by ethereal energy. This is true because most beings exist on the same plane as ethereal energies: we're all joined together by the ethereal web of life. Yes, we're a part of the same web of life as both the gods and the tiniest amoeba in the primordial sea! Isn't that beautiful?

Because we're all joined together by the ethereal, these energies can be manipulated to directly impact experienced reality for everything bound together by the ethereal web of life, or anything that needs to interact with that web.

2. People are inherently energy-sensing

Everything alive (and many things not alive in the biological sense) is inherently energy sensing.

You can learn to sense, interact with, read, and interpret energies because this is just something that people can normally do.

We sense energies all the time and we're used to interacting with them as part of our normal way of being.

Some people are naturally more energy-sensing and more reliant on the information they gather from their inborn energy-sensing. Other people are more closed off, gaining little information from the energy around them or rarely relying on it.

You can learn to get more in touch with your natural energy sensing and actively work with it as an inherent sense. You can do this casually as a way of getting to know your entire being, or you can do this more formally as a focused hobby and skill.

3. People are inherently able to manipulate and control energies.

You can gather up, modify, deposit, or dissipate metaphysical energies. People do this all the time as part of being alive, just like we move water from the sink to the toilet by virtue of being living beings.

We can control and move energies because we naturally exist within the ethereal web of life. Each of us has an ethereal extension of our physical bodies, commonly referred to as the 'energy body'. But it just means that our natural selves extend beyond the physical, and we can affect and manipulate ethereal energies just like we can manipulate the cup of coffee on the counter.

Once we expand personal focus and awareness into energy sensing, then discerning and manipulating energies is just like any other skill. This is just like a beginner cook slowly expanding their palate and truly tasting new flavors inside of old foods, just because of careful practice and focus on their experiences.

Or, this is like a sculptor being able to make finer and more delicate sculptures. They've had their hands the whole time, but they can begin to do things they've never done before because they've chosen to focus on expanding a specific skill.

4. Ethereal energy is like water, not like the atmosphere: there's not an even coating of it everywhere

Ethereal energy can be densely packed into an area, within an object, or around a living being.

Or it can be stretched thin and patchy, or completely absent altogether.

Energy workers and Witches can tell you that powerful wellsprings of ethereal energy are not always available. In fact you may have to go through significant effort to find energies that are suitable to your needs (meaning that their qualities closely match the qualities of energy you need to get your job done).

This is why major tasks of the beginner energy worker (and Witch) are to learn how to discover free-flowing wellsprings of ethereal power which they can draw on in order to create energetic walls, objects, artificial spirits, and any other desired design.

This also means that it's more than possible for you to fuck up the energy balance within a place or especially within yourself, leading to potentially a great deal of discomfort until the place is rebalanced (which may happen automatically over time).

And this is why, if the first major task of the energy worker or Witch is to learn how to raise up energy, the second major task is to learn to put it down, or in other words dissipate, rebalance, diffuse, or send away energies. If this is not done, you can end up fucking up the ethereal plane around you so that your own spaces become flooded with dense energies of strange qualities, impacting you (and everyone else, including the spirits) in unexpected and unwanted ways.

(Or inversely, you can end up stripping ethereal energies out of a space, making it feel 'dead' and uncomfortable or even actively difficult to exist in).

5. Energy sensing and manipulation is going to be a lot easier if you accept that it's regularnatural and it's been around you this entire time

Once we're used to the idea that we innately exist beyond the physical, beginning to identify the energies around us becomes relatively trivial when we remember that we're already very familiar with those energies!

Ethereal energies are not exotic, they are ordinary. I believe that it's more difficult to find these energies by looking for something new or strange. It's easier to find them by seeking out the commonplace qualities of daily living.

Whether or not you want to be an energy worker, energy is a part of your life and it has an impact on you, just as the weather outside and the temperature and humidity in your house has an impact on you.

This is because it's around us all of the time! It's just a part of our life.

When trying to learn energy sensing, remember that you are a fish in the ocean looking for water. You're not going to be running into exotic energies with bizarre qualities - not at the beginning.

What are the qualities of elemental fire? Remember the last time you sat before a bonfire or a hearth fire. Remember how it felt to be near that fire - the experiences the fire gave you that you would not have experienced if not but for that fire. Those are some of the qualities of elemental fire. That was your energy sensing self, tasting the fire the way the chef tastes a strawberry.

When looking for elemental fire to raise up, look for something that feels the same way as the bonfire did. It's that easy. Do you want to drain elemental fire out of a situation? Keep working until every last trace of the bonfire experience is drained away, until you can't find any subtle reminder of a bonfire in that place.

[jadedarcana]

Think I’m gonna do some planetary libations this week, nothing massive. Just a little something to get re-accustomed now that I actually have space and time to work.

Offering of blessed waters was made to the Moon yesterday, so might as well continue.

[jadedarcana]

Sacred is the carnal and blessed is the profane.

The purpose of the living is to live. 

[jadedarcana]

Silly me, forgot that tapping into certain energy currents has consequences. Can’t believe I did that with no other goal than to practice doing it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[jadedarcana]

candle spells take too long to set up for things that I have to do more than once a year or so, so I have been charming up dedicated single-purpose votive holders with the bases full of materia and components and just run tealights in them with some oil and powders and stuff on em and its fine

[jadedarcana]

Reminder that if you're asking spirits to help you with something long-term (i.e. protecting your home, bringing in job opportunities etc) it can be good practice to have an agreement on "rest" and "finished" commands. I.e.

"When I tell you that it is time to sleep, return to your vessel and rest until I ask you to continue again."

"When I tell you that your work is done, I will thank you with an offering and our relationship is completed so you may leave my space."

Signed, someone who forgot to do this and had an unhappy spirit asking where their offerings where because I forgot to say that I now *had* job and didn't need them bringing me more!

[jadedarcana]

April, 1932 The diary of Anaïs Nin [Volume One: 1931-1934]

[jadedarcana]

Quick Planetary Correspondences: Money

Jupiter:

One of the most noted planets for money. Jupiter, however, follows Saturn's pattern of long-term investments, making him good for long-term saving planes, jobs, law, inheritance and other areas of money, especially in relation to the government and state. If you want to get a person in power on your side, Jupiter is there as well. He protects against poverty and this is noted in the Sixth Pentacle ascribed to him which prevents impact from Earthly Dangers. This can make him associated with the home and household, to protect the home or property against damage by law, by natural disasters and other figures.

Venus:

Venus is another planet suitable for money, especially in her form as Taurus and the Empress. She represents all the good things in life but also areas of indulgence, lust, sin and hedonism. Although she is good, she can represent an energy of spending too much. In my country, we use copper for some of our coins as well.

Remedies relating to Venus often bring about occult knowledge, beauty, attraction and luxury. If you want to enjoy your money, she is there.

Saturn:

Saturn, though considered a plane of decrease, is also suitable for financial growth - especially through inheritance, land, properties and investment alongside agriculture and being smart with your money. Though his energy can cause poverty, it can also work against it and this is noted with Aratron. If you feel that your money is stunted by spiritual blockages, then Saturn is also prominent.

Sol:

Sol is a good planet for people in positions of power and if you require a stronger voice for propositions. Likewise, Sol is good for money issues in general as Och is able to give a bouncing purse. Issues relating to persons in power can also be brought to Sol's attention. Since Sol is largely an auspicious planet, providing good health, beauty and prosperity, he's a notably good choice for these works.

Luna:

Luna is benefic for those working with children or for those who need to be seen as calm and integrated. She can help in disputes relating to women, or in relation to travel and work by water or dependent on water. Since she is a planet associated with both grow and decay, she can be invoked for generating and dismissing energy, as well as purification of roads, baptisms, water based rituals or baths and necromancy. Her dark moon phase is also exceptionally noted for purification and new beginnings, making it the perfect time for scapegoat rituals. Silver is also used to make some coins and so she would be well pleased by this.

Mercury:

Mercury is good for quick luck, cash, road opening, and rituals that aid persons involved with writing, communication, teaching, rhetoric, exams, surveys, and guidance. He is also associated with the dead, and so Wednesday is a good time for scapegoat rituals or for invoking the dead to aid the Magus. For example, Mercury may help the Magus by guiding them to work with the soul of a banker. Mercury can also be invoked to "whisper" in the ears of other people, influencing their decision in your favor.

Mars:

Mars is suitable for office dynamics, ensuring that you come out on top in competitions. Mars can also be invoked to instill discipline in spending as well as in the right delegation of resources. Mars is suitable for managers or for people in a political and competitive work environment. Like Sol, Mars is also able to bestow health and virility with his 2nd Pentacle noted to cure disease and infirmity.

[jadedarcana]

Elemental Dice Oracle

Heavily inspired by Stephen Ball's Elemental Divination: A Dice Oracle, I've developed my own system of a quick and versatile dice oracle. All you need is a set of 3 six-sided dice.

The d6 numbers are associated with 6 elements as per Elemental Divination. In brief, they are:

1 - Air 2 - Fire 3 - Water 4 - Earth 5 - Sun 6 - Moon

If you enjoy this divination method, Elemental Divination is excellent supplementary reading, but you do not need to read the book as I will detail my method in full.

Note: Unlike Stephen's method, I read all three dice and infer the answer based on elemental interactions, and the elemental nature of my question. This means a "Greater X over Y" and "Lesser X over Y" oracle can exist in the same reading.

A great read on a similar concept using tarot can be found eloquently written by @windvexer in this post 😊

The elemental nature of the question:

Depending on your approach to the subject of divination, you can associate yourself and your efforts with one of these elements should they appear in the reading, or treat the question's element as a secret 4th dice.

Air: matters of the mind, learning, logic, memory, intellect, communication, travel, work relationships (acquaintances, colleagues, customers/clients), persuasion and public speaking, matters where rapid action and quick thinking is needed.

Fire: matters of desire, motivation, passion, sexuality, willpower, inspiration, and health (in terms of innate constitution and vitality), situations where might and zealousness is needed.

Water: matters of subjectivity, emotion, connection, personal/intimate relationships (partner(s), family, close friends), overseas travel, opinions and perception, dreaming, intuition, charisma.

Earth: matters of objectivity, physical health and circumstances, money and savings, long-term projects, practical skills, practical relationships (business partners, teachers, neighbours).

Sun: activity, growth, visibility, reputation, self-expression, expansion, public life - outcome is inclined to be positive and have an observable change.

Moon: passivity, stillness, self-reflection, retreating inwards, invisibility, private life - outcome is inclined to be negative or have no outward effect.

Method

Very simply, throw 3 dice and read the interactions between them, whether the interactions are auspicious, or inclined towards a certain behaviour.

The most positive outcome is a balance of elements that interact well with each other. For instance, Water, Earth and Sun is a very auspicious omen as these elements are optimal for growth and life.

Alternatively, if you have a strong desire for a certain outcome, then the appearance of an element associated with your goals may indicate how things will play out.

3 of any element strongly indicates an outcome that is based on the nature of that element. This can be positive or negative, but is usually undesirable. This is because there is nothing to balance out the activity of that element, so its activities can spin out of control.

Sometimes an element in Excess is a great omen and exactly what you want, other times it shows something is in overdrive. It all depends on the circumstances and the question asked.

Elements on a 1:1 basis are Moderate and have unique interactions with each other.

When 2 dice are the same element, this element is Greater.

When 3 dice are the same element, this element is in Excess.

An element that is Greater can match or overcome another element it is weak to, or completely diminish a weaker element.

It is up to you how you interpret elements that are Moderate, Greater or in Excess, as they can represent different omens depending on your situation.

Elemental attributes & relationships

This is a general overview of each element and how they can be interpreted in an oracle.

Air

Air is active, fast-moving, multi-directional and erratic.

Moderate Air (that is, Air in balance) allows movement and progression, it brings novel ideas and fresh experiences, it facilitates communication and understanding, enables learning and critical thinking.

Excess Air is pure thought and fantasy, plans not grounded in reality, communication that lacks empathy, empty promises and unconfirmed speculation.

Air feeds Fire, but can also drive it out of control. Hence, Air is weak to Fire, benefits Fire, but Greater Air can influence Fire.

Air balances Water, as aerated water supports life. In symbolic terms it is a balance between heart and mind. Greater Air can stir up Water, as thoughts stir up emotions, symbolising persuasive speech shaping perspectives. Whereas Greater Water indicates the strength of emotion overpowering logic and reason.

Air is weak to Earth and moves around Earth, as Earth directs Air the way a fan or musical instrument does. Air and Earth are a positive combination in the creation of music, song and speech. Greater Air can move Earth, as a tornado does, but the effects are disastrous and short-lived.

Fire

Fire is active, expansive, transformative and destructive, and is greatly influenced by the other elements.

Moderate Fire (that is, Fire in balance) brings the spark of creativity and inspiration, invigorates the will, and grants the energy and vitality to overcome challenges.

Excess Fire is inflammation, unmitigated destruction, conflict, anger without reason, passion unrequited, and burnout.

Fire depends on a balance of Air and Earth to thrive; without these, it is short-lived and diminishes over time. Just as one's motivations can be limited by external factors and one's ability to plan and strategise.

Fire feeds on Air, symbolising passion and zeal that is balanced by a clear mind. But Greater Fire becomes violent and unreasonable, lacking the rationality of Air. Contrarily, Greater Air can manipulate Fire, it can spur Fire in a different direction, but cannot mitigate Fire's destructive nature. Greater Air can also extinguish Fire, as wind blows out a candle, but this depends on the strength of Fire.

Fire feeds on Earth, indicating a goal that is achievable, but Greater Fire is unsustainable and depletes Earth's resources. Contrarily, Greater Earth smothers and extinguishes Fire.

Fire is weak to Water, but Greater Fire can influence Water, as heat turns water into steam, as passion and charisma stirs the heart's emotions.

Water

Water is passive, slow-moving, fluid, soft and mutable.

Moderate Water (that is, Water in balance) inspires connection, empathy, shared identity, culture and experiences. It cools, enables, cradles and nourishes. It softens the rough, and brings relief and growth.

Excess Water is a treacherous ocean of emotions and subjectivity, opinions and perspectives unchecked by reason, obsession and infatuation, a lack of boundaries, unhappy outcomes, and improbable goals.

Water and Air are a harmonious pair, as heart and mind are in balance. However, Greater Air can stir up Water into a storm, as persuasion and propaganda shapes one's perspective.

Water diminishes Fire and keeps it in check, but Greater Fire transforms and diminishes Water, for good or ill. Either way, they are always in conflict.

Water and Earth create life. Water nourishes Earth, and follows the paths laid out by Earth. Greater Earth restricts Water and keeps it contained. Contrarily, Greater Water erodes Earth, and turns Earth to mud, creating stagnation and difficulty.

Earth

Earth is passive, inactive, stable, unmoving and persistent.

Moderate Earth (that is, Earth in balance) indicates favourable circumstances, available resources, and long-lasting results. It defines boundaries, lends form and structure, and creates strong foundations upon which other things can be built.

Excess Earth becomes rigidity, authoritarianism, stubbornness, unnecessary sternness, and leads to stagnation, repeated errors, and fruitless results.

Earth and Air are a harmonious pair, embodying plans that are feasible and bear fruit in the real world. Excess Air can mean overthinking, or that one's ideas are hit-or-miss, with only moderate chances of success. Excess Earth indicates physical constraints, but success is still possible.

Earth and Water are very auspicious together, enabling growth and life. Greater Earth symbolises ground water, i.e. some effort is needed before the benefits of Water can be obtained. For instance, rules and boundaries need to be established before people can work together. Contrarily, Greater Water symbolises muddy earth which slows progress and creates stagnation.

Sun & Moon

The 4 elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth do not affect the Sun and Moon. Rather, the 4 elements are impacted by the light of Sun or Moon.

Sun brings out the more positive, active, or extroverted qualities of the 4 elements.

Moon brings out the more negative, passive, or introverted qualities of each element. Moon can indicate a blind spot or unknown influence.

When appearing in a reading together, Sun and Moon can indicate a balance of their respective domains.

However, Moon is weak to Sun, and Greater Sun thoroughly defeats the influence of Moon.

Alternatively, Greater Moon can overcome Sun (an eclipse) and indicates inner qualities overcoming outer circumstances – this can be positive, as in the case of personal resilience overcoming external challenges. Or, it can be negative in terms of self-sabotage.

Excess Sun is where personal joy and self-expression turns into self-gratification and arrogance.

Excess Moon indicates unknown influence, delusion and deceit.

3 element oracles

We've covered 2:1 oracles and 3:0 where one element is Greater or in Excess. Here are some examples of interpretation where all three dice differ in the elements shown. As always, remember that every oracle can have multiple interpretations depending on how the question is phrased.

Water, Earth, Sun: As mentioned before, this is an excellent omen of fortune and growth. Success will come easily.

Water, Earth, Moon: Gestation. Growth is possible, but halted. Patience is advised. Wait until conditions ripen, it is a matter of time.

Air, Earth, Fire: Take action and pursue your goals ardently, you have all the resources you need for success.

Water, Earth, Fire: Success is possible, but be wary of possible conflict and difficulty.

Water, Air, Fire: Strong likelihood of conflict and disagreement. Create distance, or be prepared to be diplomatic and compromise.

Fire, Sun, Moon: You are going up against a stronger and more skilled opponent and have very low chances of success. Retreating is advised.

Fire, Sun, Air: Your opponent is stronger, but you can obtain some success if you re-think your plans and method of interaction. There is a good learning opportunity here.

Fire, Sun, Earth: Your opponent is strong, but conditions are favourable and you can hold out for now. However, plan for your current strategy to fail in the near future.

Sun, Moon, Earth: Neutral oracle, everything is as it seems. Patience is key, wait for the situation to unfold over time.

Air, Earth, Sun: Your plans are likely to bear fruit, so long as you stay focused and maintain your efforts.

Air, Earth, Moon: Your efforts and plans will have little effect, as the situation is not ripe for change. Turn inwards and work on yourself.

Air, Water, Moon: Expect a period of sadness and difficulty. Your perspective needs to adapt to the situation. More understanding and open-mindedness is needed.

Conclusion

I hope I have demonstrated just how versatile this oracle can be, and there are even more possibilities than what is written in this post. It has become my favourite method of divination, as the dice can be thrown and read quickly, while offering a precise and in-depth answer.

Please feel welcome to message me about the Elemental Dice Oracle for further discussion! Thanks for reading! 🌿

[jadedarcana]

From a purely sorcerous perspective (not veneration, worship etc) I think that there's maybe no actual connection between our perception of value and the sorcerous impact of an offering.

In my paradigm offerings serve to deliver energy or resources, basically taking up the niche of food and money in the human world.

Even offerings we perceive as being very cheap can readily deliver energy (like mass-produced pressed incense being prayed over so it's filled with power, and burned to send this power to the spirit).

Similarly, an offering can be cheap or easily obtained for us and still contain resources (like a glass of water devoted to the spirits, so they can directly nourish themselves from it).

I believe that as a Witch, the miracle comes from your ability to pluck things from the physical world and give them to the spirits.

It's not a miracle that the cheap pressed incense can deliver necessary nourishment and fine things to the spirits.

The miracle is that you can put things valuable to the spirits inside of incense, and through your power deliver it to them.

It's not the substance but you which are the fulcrum of power. Witches stand with one foot in each world, as they say - this can be taken quite literally; you can take magical power, condense it, and deliver it from this world to theirs, or from theirs to ours.

The pressed incense is nothing but the cardboard box it's all delivered in. You know?

Witches are so magical. I love it so much.

[jadedarcana]

The Gospel of Mary tr. Mark M. Mattison

[jadedarcana]

Avenues of exploration for sorcerous troubleshooting, i.e., why didn't the spell work?

Paths of investigation I'd take. Feel free to add your own if you like. As context my practice is basically Traditional Witchcraft; spirit-centric sorcery.

My general advice is to not solely focus on sorcerous techniques. Go wide and examine more things... look for patterns in your entire life, like the turning of a season, not merely the harvest of a single tree.

I think spellwork has so many variables that it can be very hard to narrow things down with few data points. Sometimes to resolve a problem, many spells and techniques must be attempted.

If you don't have time to troubleshoot, a solid first action is a general offering ritual to The Powers That Be. Request help and support in making your magic work. Invite lessons and teachings to help you overcome this particular obstacle. Ask for forgiveness if you've accidentally done something that has offended a god or spirit.

Domain

Is that entire area of your life/the situation blocked?

One prosperity spell failing is happenstance. The same spell fails three times, maybe it's a bad spell or not suitable for you. Five different prosperity spells using five techniques... maybe your prosperity is blocked.

Look at your entire life going back weeks or months: has progress in this area of your life been strangely blocked or limited?

Try different spells and techniques to make progress in the same area - does anything work?

Be creative. Broad categories like prosperity, relationships, work, and home may be insufficient. What about categories like transferring planning into action, raising boundaries, and harvesting? Again, looking at your day-to-day life may reveal fruitful insight.

Potential solutions:

Unblocking and way-clearing magic for this part of your life/the situation, to try and clear the way for magic to manifest correctly.

Curse-breaking spells, or any spell in the category of "break up and send away harmful, limiting energies."

Healing and protection magic to bolster the channels of your life/the situation that need to be uplifted and supported (e.g., instead of a more cash now spell, a heal my financial channels spell).

Wellspring

Do you not get along well with those powers?

Prosperity magic works, except when it's an aggressive competition spell. Wards work, as long as they're illusory - your aggressive protections fall flat. The iron knife feels dull and absent in ritual space; the obsidian one works fine. The possible connection? You and the planet Mars do not get along.

Planetary powers that work well for you out-of-the-box may be impacted by your natal chart or other factors.

Plant spirits may be miffed if you did one of their living relatives dirty; even if you did so years or decades ago.

Nature spirits may not know you or be interested in letting you work in their space, or with their power, until introductions are made and terms are agreed upon.

Elemental magic may be more or less effective for you depending on natural affinity and preference; some people have very strong affinities that can make it difficult to work with other elements.

Ancestors may be more or less pleased to assist depending on whether or not you've met cultural expectations of veneration, and whether your work suits their preferences.

Consider asking yourself things like:

In every spell that fails, am I trying to use fire as a driving force?

In all my money spells that fail, am I always trying to call on Mercury?

Does my personal energy work wonders for glamours and illusion magic, but fail to get things to materially manifest?

Potential solutions:

Engage in remediation - correcting relationships with powers so that you can work more easily with them. I count this as an aspect of spirit-working and it can be done both religiously and secularly.

If you don't have relationships with powers you're trying to call on, see if you can make them - you don't have to be besties, but it helps to know where you stand and formalize a working connection.

Ask yourself what powers in your life always work well. Just because something is on a correspondence list for 'emotions, psychism, feelings' doesn't mean you can't use it to cast wards, money spells, curses, and banishments. Use powers that work for you regardless of the domain of focus, and see what happens.

Look for energetic substitutes. See what other powers out there match your needs.

Look for different paths to success. Building a wall is not the only way to protect a castle; you can also dig a moat. And those are basically opposites.

Technique

Does that type of spell work for you?

Not every kind of spell, technique, or combination of techniques works for everyone. Someone can be out here moving mountains with jar spells but can't even use a candle to save on the electricity bill.

Did a failed spell use a new technique you've never used before?

If a new technique fails, do you understand why the technique is being used? Do you understand how it works? Would a greater understanding help plug it into power for you?

Does a technique rely on prerequisite skills? Do you know those skills?

Did focus on a new technique distract you from other parts of the spell that accidentally got left out? For example, focusing so much on an incantation's phrasing that you forget to actually raise power.

Potential solutions:

Try achieving the same goal using a different technique to see if the technique is the problem. (candle spell -> knot spell)

Break the technique down into its composite parts and build up competency with each aspect before putting it all together again.

Isolate the technique outside of the spell and find a way to practice it until you become more familiar with it.

Tradition

Does that school of magic teach that basic skills or techniques are required for their magic to work?

Traditional Witchcraft seems neat. But do you really need a compass, a stang, a witchparent, and a cauldron? Chaos magic works just fine and they're not using that stuff. So we can probably snip that compass right out. What does it even do, anyway? Seems superfluous if not everyone needs to do it to have success.

Not understanding something might not be a great reason to change it or leave it out.

This can mean that to be successful within a tradition requires not only reading spellbooks but also books that provide theory, context, and understanding into the system.

A surface-level understanding of a tradition doesn't mean there aren't complex structures of reasoning underneath that reinforce the need for certain ritual actions.

Potential solutions:

When working within a specific tradition, seek success with spells and rituals as they are written before attempting to modify them.

Research to see if this tradition prescribes steps of initiation, cultivation, or attainment before you're supposed to be able to access certain powers or resources.

Not every tradition is right for everyone - fish were not made to climb trees, etc. If one tradition holds no water for you, it might not be your home.

Strategy

Did you plot like a spider in the center of its web?

"I cast a spell to make someone ignore me, but they kept ignoring my boundaries. Why didn't it work?"

"Everyone in the house is so emotional, so I cast a warm fire blessing to bring verve and cheer. Now everyone is just super energetic and getting into emotional arguments. Why didn't my spell to calm everyone down work?"

The desired outcome and the function of a spell are two sides to a Venn diagram, and unless they overlap spells will always "fail" in the sense that they will not bring desired results.

The actions we want to take, and the actual outcome we desire, often fail to overlap. Many spells are cast out of reactionary impulsivity, reinforcing unhelpful actions that got us here in the first place.

Relying on correspondence lists to determine your strategy I think leads to a kind of brainrot... "this situation seems too watery, so adding fire will fix it." The correspondence list can perhaps launch a person past the critical thinking portion where it's determined that adding fire will not have the same effect as draining water.

I believe self-therapy can intersect with witchcraft when we become so emotionally tied to plans of action that we cannot, even behind closed and locked doors, secretly use magic to take other actions. If the actual solution to having your boundaries violated is to become seen and take up space, but you cannot bear to take that action so you repeatedly cast spells to become invisible, this is an issue of strategy that perhaps can only be resolved through inner work.

Potential solutions:

Reformat spellcrafting sessions to start with a period of reflection, critical thinking, and journaling to ask yourself what would need to happen in the world around you to obtain your desired goals. This should not be hedged by whether or not you can think of a magical solution to make those changes.

Ask yourself if you are seeing middle steps that would be required to occur before your final desired outcome can occur.

If you prefer to cast large, multi-faceted spells, see if you might have more utility breaking it up into multiple smaller spells with focused intents, cast one at a time to move your situation through stages until you reach the desired goal.

Instead of assuming your magical action will bring your desired goal, try a journaling exercise where you apply that magical action to hypothetical situations and see what you think would actually happen.

Spells to reveal correct steps of action can be deeply helpful, as is increased or refined divination sessions before spellwork.

Self-Sabotage

Do you already have a spell that's stopping this current spell from manifesting?

Heavy-handed protection spells can stagnate your life and stop a lot of things from happening. A social influence spell starts to have a weird impact when your department meetings start to include upper management. A spell designed to call faeries to live on your property accidentally blacklists a lot of random spirits.

When your spells aren't working, it's wise to double-check your prior spellwork.

Spells can have hidden side-effects that were never intended; see if you've cast anything that could potentially be related.

Energies or magical effects can build up over time, calcifying into barriers, bottlenecks, or rogue logic loops.

Potential solutions:

Undo old spell vessels that may or may not still be active, but that you no longer rely on.

Experiment with methods of divination to discover ongoing magical influence in your life.

Develop a system of magical hygiene in your life which includes not only breaking up old and unwanted energies around yourself, but also managing old spellwork that may no longer serve you.

Nuclear options are available for destroying a lot of magic happening around you; this is very inadvisable, but live your truth regardless.

Turn it Off and On Again

General steps to trying to wiggle free of a blockage.

Perform a relatively strong self-cleansing to remove unhelpful or deleterious energies.

Perform a general offering ritual to the Powers That Be in your path and around where you live, asking for any accidental offense to be resolved and for help in fixing your sorcery.

Cast an unblocking or way-clearing spell to facilitate your goals.

Perform divination to see why old attempts failed, and to obtain a new angle of attack.

[jadedarcana]

Not to be weird but I think fully submerging myself in a moving body of water would heal me rn.