[Help] Anyone make up their own recipes for spellcasting or do you go by the book?

[magick&psionics]

I've been wondering this for a while now. And this question kinda has become from a psychic heckler thats been saying my practice isn't real because I come up with mostly original stuff.

So Ive been wondering if anyone of you actually come up with your own original practice? Or if anyone of you create your own recipes/directions for ritual spellcasting? Or come up with ideas(so long as it correlates with the original intent) as one would go along their ritual(freestyling a ritual)? which is how I come up with some of my own rituals

 

[Robert Ramsay]

In my own case, I spent thirty plus years finding out a scientific explanation of magic, so, having some idea of how it works means I can make up my own stuff to my heart's content.

Plus, there's a big difference between going through an established ritual by rote because you're not connected with it, and getting deeply into something you created yourself, that you really relate to.

 

[querent k]

Oh, absolutely DIY here. And I would say even the most go-with-the-program follower got to make their system-fundamentalist rituals and spells part of themselves somehow. That´s how you learn stuff for real, make it yours... not like cramming for exams (forgotten everything the week after). Also I simply haven´t got the head for systems, never get it...probably scatterbrained

 

[magick&psionics]

Oh, absolutely DIY here. And I would say even the most go-with-the-program follower got to make their system-fundamentalist rituals and spells part of themselves somehow. That´s how you learn stuff for real, make it yours... not like cramming for exams (forgotten everything the week after). Also I simply haven´t got the head for systems, never get it...probably scatterbrained

That's hella real. Thank you for that.

Post automatically merged: Jun 1, 2026

In my own case, I spent thirty plus years finding out a scientific explanation of magic, so, having some idea of how it works means I can make up my own stuff to my heart's content.

Plus, there's a big difference between going through an established ritual by rote because you're not connected with it, and getting deeply into something you created yourself, that you really relate to.

Right! That's awesome. There has to be a personal connection to the practice of witchcraft and magick, otherwise It won't be authentic. Thank you for your response

 

[Clear]

Knowing the rules means you can spot where to break them. Alternatively, following imagination means you don't accept what another thinks is possible. The best thing is to do, observe, note and repeat until life speaks.

 

[Keldan]

I do. I’ve created my own system. One that isn’t based on any existing tradition, so my direction to spellwork is super different from what I see others do. That said, it’s very effective, and my workings manifest within a few days.

I also freestyle a lot of my rituals, depending on what ingredients I have on hand, and they’re just as effective.

Some people think of me and that my practice isn’t real because I built my own system. That doesn’t bother me, and you shouldn’t let it bother you either. What’s funny is that when I publicly share a few of my simpler rituals, those same people end up using them. When you thought someone didn’t know anything about magick, yet you still used their ritual, and it worked.

People can call it not real all they want, but results don’t care about opinions. If your magick works, it works, and you don’t have to audition your craft for anyone’s approval.

 

[magick&psionics]

I do. I’ve created my own system. One that isn’t based on any existing tradition, so my direction to spellwork is super different from what I see others do. That said, it’s very effective, and my workings manifest within a few days.

I also freestyle a lot of my rituals, depending on what ingredients I have on hand, and they’re just as effective.

Some people think of me and that my practice isn’t real because I built my own system. That doesn’t bother me, and you shouldn’t let it bother you either. What’s funny is that when I publicly share a few of my simpler rituals, those same people end up using them. When you thought someone didn’t know anything about magick, yet you still used their ritual, and it worked.

People can call it not real all they want, but results don’t care about opinions. If your magick works, it works, and you don’t have to audition your craft for anyone’s approval

its so good to hear that. thats how my practice is as well. i come up with everything. well most of everything i practice, from my own banishing ritual to my recipes and how toos and my own words of power. thats why i made this post because i also come up with everything i practice on my own and sometimes from the help of some deities. them damn psychic hecklers almost got to me

 

[Emperor Time]

I still go by the book or books since I am still learning but starting to modify them when necessary. And eventually planning to create spells from scratch, once I feel ready to take that particular leap. But until then I am going by the book or with a few modifications for the sake of making that spell more effective in my eyes.

 

[Grayhoss]

So long as you get a basic grounding in what you're about, there's little reason to abide strictly by rote formulaic practices, in my opinion.
I've always devised my own workings.

 

[Lunarscorpio]

I like to find out the use of specific herbs or waters (using the hot, cold, wet, dry formula) but have been finding some difficulty lately. I'm going to use tried and true formulas to start and document their effect on me/my circumstance.

 

[dcwilson]

I've been wondering this for a while now. And this question kinda has become from a psychic heckler thats been saying my practice isn't real because I come up with mostly original stuff.

So Ive been wondering if anyone of you actually come up with your own original practice? Or if anyone of you create your own recipes/directions for ritual spellcasting? Or come up with ideas (so long as it correlates with the original intent) as one would go along their ritual(freestyling a ritual)? which is how I come up with some of my own rituals

A quick reminder: Someone wrote the d*mn book(s)! There had to be a 1st time for everything unless they're blowing it out of their rear ends! Magick is an Art, it is meant to be experimented with. Yes, you can freestyle, but just studying isn't enough, eventually the books become limited. You can deviate from the books! I don't like the magick circle, so why not use the Earth itself as my Circle - there's literally no one to stop you! I don't appreciate the 3-fold Law - so I'm free to ignore it and set my own ethics. I'm told I need unobtaniums, tools, and a robe. What happens if I'm out and about and need magick NOW! (If not "yesterday") and they are not handy at the moment? Can you do it in your head, without tools with just your mind? The answer is Yes! What do I do when my crystal breaks? Can I do it without it? Yes! This doesn't mean you don't need books for study, it means you can create your own when you have enough knowledge to be confident that you are able to do it! Let the magick teach you. You decide!

 

[Freestarwins]

I almost never do it exactly as written in book but I like to use premade and tweak and sometimes make up most of it based on a set of foundations
Also your practice can’t be fake if it works

 

[Wild and free]

I've been wondering this for a while now. And this question kinda has become from a psychic heckler thats been saying my practice isn't real because I come up with mostly original stuff.

So Ive been wondering if anyone of you actually come up with your own original practice? Or if anyone of you create your own recipes/directions for ritual spellcasting? Or come up with ideas(so long as it correlates with the original intent) as one would go along their ritual(freestyling a ritual)? which is how I come up with some of my own rituals

It seems to me that there are many pathways, and intuition seems to lead many times.

 

[MinaAnd23as]

In my early years, I'd follow instructions, but after a while you learn the formulas and can DIY your own. I very rarely follow anything by the book these days.

 

[PatchworkPagan]

I've been wondering this for a while now. And this question kinda has become from a psychic heckler thats been saying my practice isn't real because I come up with mostly original stuff.

So Ive been wondering if anyone of you actually come up with your own original practice? Or if anyone of you create your own recipes/directions for ritual spellcasting? Or come up with ideas(so long as it correlates with the original intent) as one would go along their ritual(freestyling a ritual)? which is how I come up with some of my own rituals

I do both. Some recipes are tried and true and many others do not logically make sense if you've really studied correspondences in depth.

In a way I was a recipe collector for a long while, but specifically so I could deconstruct them to fully understand the reasoning that went into making them.

Final note: you will always get more out of ingredients that you connect with than ones that you do not. Just because something is rare and cool (don't get me wrong, I do love my rare ingredients) does not automatically make them better than a plant you've grown up around all of your life.

 

[BrackishBrew]

I armchair magician-ed myself into a long stall because I wanted to learn all the things and know all the systems and be an expert before I ever did any actual heavy lifting. It was exhausting and impossible. When I finally decided to just FAFO my whole practice things started clicking in amazing ways. Building a practice around who I am has worked much better than trying to find something that fit who I wanted to be.

 

[dcwilson]

I've been wondering this for a while now. And this question kinda has become from a psychic heckler thats been saying my practice isn't real because I come up with mostly original stuff.

So Ive been wondering if anyone of you actually come up with your own original practice? Or if anyone of you create your own recipes/directions for ritual spellcasting? Or come up with ideas(so long as it correlates with the original intent) as one would go along their ritual(freestyling a ritual)? which is how I come up with some of my own rituals

Magick is an Art, not a Science, though there are many who believe it is or should be. Once you know how to construct a spell (working, etc) you can do what you want. “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will.” Start with an outline of what you want, organize the steps that need to be done, the Intention, the Beginning, the Middle, the Release, and the Ending, etc. Then fill it in with the details. There is really only one real standard -- did it work? ~~ did it accomplish what you wanted? If not, then it's back to the drawing board! Don't give up! The more you know about magickal philosophy, the more latitude you have to work with; that's why magickians end up doing a whole lot of reading. Don't build it from scratch if you don't have to, but a DIY spell doesn't have to be a long and tedious 'sermon'. It can be a single word or phrase that represents the entire spell. That's what magick words, or words of power, actually are.

 

[Medea]

Once you have a good understanding of correspondences I actually think it’s better to DIY. As people above have said magic is an art. I personally love learning folklore and logic of different herbs; every plant almost has its own personality. Once you understand the sort of “formula” of spells I find you can be really expressive.

 

[Lucien6493]

Magick is like cooking. If I'm bored I might look at a recipe for inspiration, but I won't go by the book. Got eggs? Can you boil water? No recipe book will teach you heat, timing, proportion, which spices go together well, or anything else that actually matters, like intuition, play, creativity, a little sugar, a lot of spice and a shit-ton of improv. It is THAT which makes the master chef once you have the basics down. Same goes for the dreary grind of crafting the perfect spell. Don't have saffron? Toss it. Mix your spell with lettuce. Run out of sour cream? Fresh out of lambskin, the foam of a mad dog that died on a Tuesday? So what. You are the magick. You are the recipe. That is mastery.

The most amazing spell...I once taught a woman how to do an egg Limpia. She was convinced that the girlfriend of her philandering spouse was a witch and had cursed her (she had). I forgot to tell her what to do with the egg afterwards. To me this was so obvious it did not bear mentioning. She, being a Taurus and not wanting to waste it, fed it to her ex the next day in an omelette. I call that pure unadulterated accidental brilliance. The results surpassed all expectation. I was singularly delighted.

 

[Nembra]

While I don't really do many "spells" per se, one of the two systems of practice I use actually partly came to me in a dream, and many parts had to be invented or deduced later (in fact it's by no means complete even now). All the more objective components lie the unconscious of the humanity anyway, so they will shape your intuitions one way or another. It's really more a matter of the structure of meanings than the choice of symbols.