How long does it take for a spell to work and how do you know if is working?

A spell begins to take effect immediately upon casting it. But as a spell is a willed change in the energy patterns of the Universe it may take a while for you to see the "ripples". A metaphor of how it works is that a spell is a pebble dropped into a lake. You as the caster determine the size of the pebble, if the lake is still and the pebble large you will see results immediately, but if the lake is stormy and your pebble small, your ripples are indeed there but you may never be able to distinguish them. Sometimes, a desired effect may be beyond your individual ability to achieve, (you need a 20 ton boulder) this does not mean that your spell was a failure but that the prevailing forces were such that the power from your one spell could do little to affect the overall direction of the tide, but it still affected it even if you personally couldn't see any results. AS in most things patience and careful observation will be useful to you when you are looking for the results of a spell. Also if your spell was unable to change the tide too much or to your satisfaction, think of another way to go at it, head-on isn't always the most effective way. A lever is a very powerful tool but only if you put it in the right place, it won't move very much if it is placed beside the boulder or on top of it, it needs to be under it. A spell can be a lever, but it too must be aimed at the right place or it's results will be marginal. This is why it is important to be in tune with yourself and with Nature, so that you will be able to recognize where to put your "lever" and to know when the lake is too stormy for your "ripples" to be seen.

This page last modified 1/17/99