Raising Power

A Witch's power is raised from her own body. There are other ways to work magic that draw power from other sources, but our power is our own life force.

Ways to raise power for working magic include:

Dance and movement: most often in a circle, with mounting intensity.

Sound: chanting, singing, toning, drumming and other percussion methods. Traditional shamans, whose way of working is similar to that of western Witches, often use drumming, and often have personal songs of power that have been given to them by their sprits.

A chant or song of power often relates previous feats of magic that the Witch has performed.

Altered breathing patterns: deeper and/or more rapid than normal.

Incenses and other aromas:  The sense of smell has great magical power. Over time you can program yourself to respond to a certain scent in a certain way, and use a specific scent for a specific magical purpose. Roses for love, cinnamon for wealth, rosemary for protection--these are traditional associations, but any association that a Witch makes regularly in her own practice will be effective for the Witch who uses it.

Sewing, weaving, knotting: especially effective for building a charge into an object you are creating.

Erotic energy: you can build this alone or with a partner, in order to lend power to a spell.

Mind-altering substances: drugs and alcohol have had a time-honored place in the magical traditions of many cultures. However, because of the corrupt role which such substances more often play in our own culture, they are not a good starting place for a novice magic-worker.

Stimulating the skin by rubbing, massage, scratching, scourging. Power is raised by doing this just below the pain threshold, which varies from one person to another.

Power may be raised by more than one method for any given spell.