When you are capable of designing your own rituals, without depending upon spellbooks, you will be able to truly say you are a witch. You will be free of others ideas and conceptions and able to create magic based upon your own knowledge and inspiration. It is a tremendously freeing moment when you perform your first original ritual, one that you will remember as a turning point in your journey in the craft. The point of this site is to help you achieve this step in your magical development. By utilizing the tables of correspondences; the information on the powers and uses of herbs, candles, crystals, and other materials; and putting this together with wording that is appropriate to your intent; you will be able to write and perform your own original rituals.

Rituals may be done for religious reasons or for more practical ones, both types are rituals. Often the sort for a practical purpose is referred to as a spell, and the performing of it is referred to as casting a spell. Not all rituals are done for magical purposes, but all spells are. There is no reason why one could not combine a devotional portion with a spell in the same ritual. The only times that spells are not a part of ritual are the Sabbats and Esbats, which are reserved for religious purposes, at other times the two purposes may be combined.

Rituals follow a basic pattern. The circle is cast, the purpose for the ritual is stated in a spoken spell, and any actions are performed. Thanks are then given and the circle is opened. The casting of the circle is discussed in another section, see Casting the Circle. Here we will discuss the spoken spell, the actions performed, and giving thanks. This includes the use of correspondences; incense, oils and other herbal preparations; crystals; candles; and other magical basics to add to the strength of your ritual and aid in it's success. Visualization of the achievement of the goal or intent is also very important and we will discuss this as well.

The first step of designing a ritual is determining the elements to include, what correspondences will you use, do you want to use a candle as a focal point, will you be using crystals or herbs to add power to your ritual? Consult the tables of correspondences and determine which coincide with your ritual intent. Find the planetary correspondence for your purpose first as it is the most basic of them all. You can determine the timing of the ritual based upon this information, find the day that is ruled by that planet and you know when to perform the spell. After you have the day you can chose from the hours on that day, ruled by the planet. If you want to use candles look up the color correspondence for your intent to determine the color candle to use. If you would like to add crystals to your altar arrangement for the ritual you can consult the section on crystals to determine which would be most useful. Find an incense that is appropriate if you would like to use one during the ritual. Once you have these bits together you are ready to move on to the wording of the spell.

The spoken words of the ritual communicate your desire. They are to be spoken aloud, not read silently. The sound of your voice conveys the meaning of the words to the universe, allowing your desire to begin it's way toward manifestation. The words used should be specific enough to describe your desire or goal clearly and completely. If a particular date or person is involved in achieving your intent it should be stated clearly. If your intent is more general, your wording can be more general as well. You do not have to justify your desire, argue your worthiness to re