How To Cast Your First Spell: The Beginner’s Guide

Because of this, I see so many new witches and magicians holding off and waiting to cast their first spell, because they feel like they don’t know enough. And while I certainly understand this, it is not necessary for you to know absolutely everything to start actually practicing magic.

Today, I’m going to walk you through why it’s so important for you to get started casting right away, how to choose your first spells, and actually start casting. I’ll give you three examples of excellent beginner spells that you can try out to start getting your feet wet and really make that transition from thinking about becoming a witch to actually casting spells and practicing magic. If you a beginner witch or even if you’ve already cast a few spells and want a little more guidance before trying again, this is for you.

The Importance Of Not Waiting

Now, before we get into the how of spellcasting, I really want to talk about why it is so important for you to start casting spells as soon as possible. I have worked with far too many students who have spent months or even years thinking about and reading about witchcraft, but who never felt like they were ready to cast that first spell. As a result, they have never done any magic, despite having had a truly genuine desire to practice for a long time!

This does not need to be the case.

Witchcraft can seem very intimidating, it can feel scary, especially with the way that the media and society at large portrays magic and witchcraft. There is a lot of fear mongering going on, giving you this idea that you’re going to attract spirits, or if you mess up your spellcasting even a little bit, that horrible consequences will result. 

The reality is, a catastrophe like that is extremely unlikely. In 99.9% of cases, the worst thing that is likely to happen as a result of a beginner casting a spell wrong is… nothing. That’s it. Your spell doesn’t work and nothing happens.

Magic is relatively complex, and the beginning stages of spellcasting are really just about feeling out your own magic and trying to figure out what works for you personally. There is a lot of variation from person to person in what type of magic and spellcasting actually works for them. So for the vast majority of people, when they first start using magic, I would say probably only 20-30% of their magic actually works. 

Some people get very lucky and are either uniquely talented and capable of utilizing a broad range of magic, or they happen to stumble on a type of magic that they just happen to be very good at.  So it is possible that you can start spellcasting and immediately be pretty good at it, but if that is not your experience, it’s okay! There is nothing wrong with you. Even witches with years of experience have spells flop at times.

Trial and error is a big part of making your magic practice work. And that is one of the reasons why starting hands-on spellcasting as early as possible is so important. The longer you wait to start using magic and actually casting spells, the longer it is going to take you to figure out what kind of magic really works best for you.

You are here wanting to cast spells and learn witchcraft because you want power over your life. You want the ability to change things, to draw in new love, to attract more money, to change circumstances, to overcome obstacles in your life using magic. That is the whole point of spellcasting! It’s to be able to change your life and take back personal sovereignty. My goal as a teacher is always to help you get the tools and the knowledge that you need to actually change your reality as quickly and as efficiently as possible. And to do that, you need to start casting spells. Not in a week, not in a month, not in a year, but today.

And the truth is, you are as ready as you will ever be! So many people wait for far too long because they feel like they’re not ready. But I don’t care how much reading you do, you will never feel ready to cast that first spell by reading books and blog posts alone. We build confidence in magic by doing magic. So even if you don’t feel ready, I promise you, it is time to cast that first spell.

You are not going to attract the attention of unwanted spirits. Your spell is not going to backfire and ruin your life. The only bad thing that is likely to happen as a result of you casting your first spell is your spell simply falling flat. And I can tell you right now, as someone who’s been practicing witchcraft for my entire life, I still experience spell failure. It is just a part of life. Magic is real and so it behaves just like everything else in the real world. And as in all things, there is a margin of error and nobody is perfect. So you do not need to wait until you feel like you can do everything perfectly to just get started!

Choosing Your First Spell

Choosing your first spell can seem complicated, but it does not need to be. There are only a few things that you need to consider before choosing your first spell.

The first is how achievable does the spell look to you? There is a wide range of complexity and experience baked into magic, and there are a wide variety of spells that run the gamut from extremely simple to so complex that you can barely even wrap your mind around it at this stage. 

Our goal at this point is simply to find your current sweet spot. If you need something extremely simple that feels really achievable because there are only one or two steps, that is perfectly fine. That is what I want you to focus on. If you think that you’re ready to handle something with a little bit more complexity, maybe something with an incantation, maybe with a few additional tools or materia, then that is perfectly fine.

Figure out where your comfort zone is right now, and just focus on spells that fall in that range. You want something that feels simple enough to be achievable, but not so simple that you almost feel like you’re not even doing magic. 

Next, you want to focus on what kinds of tools and materia you have access to and are willing to source. Again, spells have a huge range when it comes to the variety of tools and materia that you could use. Everything from a candle and a little bit of olive oil to a full ritual setup with knives and pentacles and hard-to-find herbs and oils that take months to make. Figure out what kinds of tools and materia you are capable of and willing to get at this stage in your practice, and focus on spells that use only those items. If you’d have to replace or leave out a bunch of items in the spell, find another spell.

Beginner tools and materia are things like the herbs and spices in your kitchen cabinet, candles, basic oils like olive oil or almond oil, paper and a pen to be able to write down petitions, etc. There is no need for you to go out and buy a bunch of fancy witchcraft tools or herbs in order to cast your first spell. Focus on what you have right now or what you have very easy access to.

And finally, we want to think about what it is that you actually need and want in your life right now. What is your magickal intention? There’s no point in casting a spell for something that isn’t going to be meaningful to you. You should be either casting a spell for something that you want or something that you need, whether it’s overcoming an obstacle or increasing your income or dealing with a problematic person in your life. Figure out what it is that you would like to be able to tackle with magic at this point.

I recommend finding something that is meaningful, but still aiming pretty small. You don’t want to go for the absolute biggest possible intention at this point, because if you’re putting a lot of your hopes and dreams into this spell without having a significant amount of experience actually using magic, you’re likely to be much more disappointed if the spell does not go as planned. Pick something small to start with. Small magic is almost always significantly more likely to work for beginners than large magic.

These three factors should help you to narrow down the types of spells that you are looking to cast and make it much, much easier for you to find your first spell. I’ve included three really excellent beginner spells below to make this process easier. If one of them interests you, just choose that and get casting. It’s way too easy to get stuck trying to find the perfect spell to cast when really you just need to start casting spells and worry about perfect later.

Manage Your Expectations

Finally, before we actually start casting any spells, I want to make sure that you are going into your spell casting with your expectations in the proper place. It is okay to be excited about your magic. It is okay to want the results of your magic! But as with pretty much everything else in life, the very first time you do something, you are not necessarily going to knock it out of the park.

It can take time to get good, consistent results with magic. If your first spell does not work, that doesn’t mean that magic doesn’t work. It simply means that you are new and you have a lot more to learn about what makes your magic work. Don’t expect to fail, but try to go into your spellcasting with an open mind. 

As an absolute beginner, there’s no way to know what your spellcasting is going to do. It could be very effective or it could do nothing at all. And neither result would be particularly surprising or worrisome. You are capable of magic and I know you want to get the best results possible. But in the exact same way that you wouldn’t expect to be able to do a cartwheel perfectly the first time you tried, you may not cast the most effective spell ever on your very first try. Go into your spellcasting with reasonable expectations and try not to worry too much about the results right at the start.

Get Casting!

Now that you’ve picked your first spell and tempered your expectations a little bit, it’s time to actually get casting.

The most important thing to keep in mind when casting your first spell is that you don’t overthink it too much. Worrying about doing everything exactly right, trying to make sure that you don’t stumble over your incantation, worrying about tiny little details that the spell doesn’t even mention, all of that will distract you from the actual spellcasting and create stress while you’re actually trying to do magic. We do not want that.

Find some simple spells and just do what the directions say. Don’t worry about trying to get the timing exactly right. Don’t worry about which spell will have greater power. Don’t worry about trying to say everything exactly right. It is okay if your first spell is a little bit flawed. I have seen people cast spells in entirely the wrong way and still get results. All you need to do is pick a good spell and sit down and perform it as written.

If the spell that you’ve chosen does not have very clear instructions, I would recommend picking another spell. Pick something that is clear enough that you understand every single step, what needs to be done, and when you need to do it. 

This is very much like cooking. People who have been cooking for many years can get away with using a recipe that is basically just a list of ingredients and a couple of short notes about what to do with them. But for someone who is brand new in the kitchen, a recipe like that is a disaster waiting to happen. You want spells that are designed with beginners in mind, with clear instructions that don’t leave you wondering halfway through about what you’re supposed to be doing or if you’ve done it right. You should be able to cast your first spell as if you were following a well-written recipe. Simply going step by step, performing each action, and moving on from there.

You also do not need to worry about adding a bunch of extra stuff right now. The best thing is just to keep it simple. You don’t need to worry about casting a circle, doing a bunch of meditation, trying to raise energy, etc. Don’t worry about all of the extra stuff that you can add to spellcasting. You will get to that with time.

Right now, you just want to be focused on casting that spell, getting that first hurdle out of the way so that you can begin to really learn what works for you magically.

3 First Time Spells To Try

Here are three easy-to-cast magical spells for you to try. Don’t worry too much about picking exactly the right spell, just pick one and get casting! You can always try a new spell later if you aren’t in love with the first one you pick.

Wishing Candle Spell

This spell is great for general attraction purposes. Whether you need a little extra cash, you want to attract a new person in your love life, a new job, or a new friend, you can use this for anything you want to draw into your life. Hell, you could even cast this spell to attract the right witchcraft books and teachers into your life!

You Will Need:

• A small white candle (chime candles and birthday candles are perfect)
• A candle holder
• A piece of paper and a pen
• A neutral oil like olive or almond oil
• Something sharp to carve with, a toothpick works well

Start by getting clear on what you want to attract. Magic responds well to specifics goals so instead of attracting “new love”, which could be anything from a pet to a new romance novel, ask for something like “a new romantic partner who is kind and stable”. Write this down on your paper. You might write something like “I attract a new romantic partner who is kind and stable” or “I receive an unexpected $500”. 

Take your white candle and carve your name and a word or symbol that represents your intention into it. If you want a romantic partner, you could write “love”. If you want money, you could simply draw a dollar sign.

Take a drop of oil and rub it over the entire candle. You don’t need a lot, just enough to cover the candle in a thin layer of oil.

Place your paper under your candle holder and light the candle. Take a moment to envision the end result, whatever it is that you’re trying to attract. Stay with this visualization for as long as it feels good. Allow your candle to burn down completely. Remember not to leave your candle unattended! You don’t have to sit and visualize the whole time it’s burning but you DO need to stay in the same room as it.

Good Luck Bath Spell

This bath spell is perfect for boosting your luck. This can be used before job interviews, travel, or if you don’t have a specific situation in mind, simply to boost your luck in general (who couldn’t use a little extra luck?)

You Will Need:

• Epsom or dead sea salts
• One bay leaf
• Mint (a mint teabag is fine)
• Allspice

Prepare your bath salts. If you prefer, you can put your herbs into a tea ball or reusable tea bag to keep your tub clean. Run your bath and add all of the ingredients. Once your bath is full, say the following incantation.

“I call luck and good fortune my way. May my path be paved with serendipity and may fortune favor me.”

Get into your bath and enjoy soaking. I recommend getting your head in the water at least once. The spell will soak into your energy and begin attracting good luck into your life.

Honey Jar Spell

Honey jars are used in situations where you want to make people favor you. This is useful in all kinds of relationship work, but it’s also fabulous for making your boss or coworkers treat you better, improving your chances at a promotion, dealing with any kind of minor personal conflict or legal issue, and creating a more pleasant, peaceful environment with the people around you. You can even do this spell if you don’t have a specific individual in mind, simply replace the targets name with a group like “my family”, “my neighbors”, or “my coworkers”.

Honey jars are slower to take effect so don’t expect dramatic change but over time, you should begin to notice a more positive disposition toward you in those you’re working to sweeten. This spell can be worked indefinitely by carving and anointing a new candle whenever the old one burns out so you can maintain the spell and its  results for as long as you need.

This spell can be cast a single time but it works best when you return to it repeatedly. Pick a day of the week or month and work the spell the way I describe on a regular basis.

You Will Need:

• a glass jar
• paper and a pen (not a pencil)
• honey
• cinnamon
• allspice
• clove
• a white or yellow candle

First, write a petition like the one shown here. Write the name of the person or people you wish to  target so that it forms a small square of text. Turn the paper 90 degrees and then write your own name on top, crossing the target’s name. Finish by writing your petition in an unbroken circle around the names. Do not pick your pen up! Your petition might be something like “[your  boss’s name] is always impressed with my work and wants to give me a  promotion” or “[mother-in-law’s name] finds me charming and thinks I’m such a good match for her son”.

Fold the paper toward you. Turn it 90 degrees and fold it again. Place the petition in your jar and cover it with the honey and spices. The paper must be completely covered. Secure the lid tightly.

To work the spell: Take your candle and carve your name with your targets name under it. Adhere the candle to the lid (just melt the bottom and let a little hot wax drip on the lid so the candle sticks), light the candle, and allow the candle to burn completely. Feel free to visualize your desired outcome or meditate as the candle burns. To work the spell jar repeatedly, just carve and anoint a new candle every week or month for as long as you want to maintain the results of the spell.

Congratulations! If you’ve cast your first spell, you are officially a spell caster. This is just the first step on the incredible journey of spiritual growth and magical power.

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