When you first start out working with your magic, you probably won’t know how to craft your own spell. In fact, it can take years to become comfortable coming up with witchcraft spells.
While it isn’t necessarily difficult to create your own spell since you have tons of flexibility, you do need to make sure that your ingredients, method, and incantation make sense. Throwing a bunch of random herbs together won’t get you any results because generally, specific herbs work for certain purposes.
Many new witches use tried and tested spells for this reason. And I have to admit, I still use other peoples’ spells from time to time. Though I’ll often change a few ingredients or pull inspiration from spells that others have written, I find that I at least need to see some recipes in order to get my creative juices flowing.
The unfortunate thing is that it’s hard to know when a spell is just gibberish (or something the author threw together in order to sell the book without actually testing it) versus when a spell is legit. You don’t want to put a ton of time and effort into a spell only to realize that the recipe was wrong in the first place!
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about witchcraft spells and how to source them, so today I’m writing this post so that you’ll hopefully have a good idea of where to look for spells and how to know which witchcraft spells are legit.
How Do You Know If A Spell Is Good?
We live in the age of information, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
This means that you have lots of witchcraft spells and variations to work with. It also means that you’re able to double check the ingredients in a spell to figure out if it’s legit.
However, you can easily be overloaded by information, especially if you’re working on a type of spell you’ve never done before.
For example, I recently became interested in justice/court related spells. I’ve worked quite a bit with money spells, love spells, luck spells, and protection spells, but the area of justice is new to me. I had to spend a lot of time researching herbs, colors, and associations before I was able to judge which spells could be effective.
In the past, I would have learned these tools from a local witch or maybe even an ancestor. Spells were tried and true because they came from people we trusted.
Today, this is no longer the case. Instead, we need to muddle our way through tons of online resources in hopes of finding a bit of knowledge.
There are luckily a few ways that you can tell if a specific witchcraft spell will work. You may need some experience to truly be able to decipher the validity of a spell, but reading through this list is a good place to start.
4. The Spell Uses Real Techniques & Ingredients
Witchcraft isn’t as simple as snapping your fingers. Over time, certain ingredients and techniques have been combined to create witchcraft because these tools and techniques actually work energetically.
Any legit spell should use real ingredients. That means you’re working with herbs, crystals, candles, string, poppets, jars, etc. Of course, you can definitely substitute things, but make sure that most of the ingredients you’re using have energy. A spell based only on synthetic ingredients just won’t work that well.
Similarly, the techniques of any spell should be well-established. Jar spells, candle spells, and many other types of witchcraft spells have been practiced and honed for centuries.
Don’t grab a spell with techniques you’ve never heard of just because it seems easy. Chances are, it won’t work.
3. The Techniques & Ingredients Align With Your Purpose
You can’t just throw together any ingredients and expect your spell to work. Your ingredients have to be specific to your purpose. For example, lavender works well for a self-love spell, but it might not work for a fiery motivation spell.
When you find a spell that you like, do a bit of research to make sure all of the ingredients have the right associations for your purpose.
Similarly, make sure that the techniques fit in with the energy of your spell. Candle spells work well for quick, potent magic, while jar spells take longer but hold up better over time. If you need something done quickly, a jar spell might not do the trick.
2. The Spell Can Truly Be Accomplished
Is the goal actually possible? If you’re doing a spell to buy a new home tomorrow, you may need to rethink your outcome. Make sure that your spell can really work!
1. You Like The Spell’s Style & Structure
The most important thing about any spell is that you actually like it. Witchcraft spells should sit well in your gut before you begin working.
The spell might be good but it might not be right for you. Any spell should be in a format that you like to work in and should feel good to you before you begin.
The Best Online Resources For Witchcraft Spells:
I’m definitely wary of giving out resources for witchcraft spells because NOT all of the spells on these sites will be good. It’s impossible to find any one site filled with incredible spells!
However, when I’m first beginning to research a spell online, these are usually the sites that I use.
5. Tumblr:
I typically start on Tumblr when I’m first researching a spell. I haven’t used Tumblr since I was in middle school for anything else, but I do think it’s a good resource if you’re brainstorming about anything spiritual.
For example, I’ll type in “luck spell” and browse through the results. Sometimes, I find a full spell that works for me, while other times I simply start here to get into the mentality of my spell.
If I see certain herbs, crystals, colors, etc. come up, then I’ll hop on Google and research those associations for my specific type of spell.
I’ll also gather ideas about how I want to prepare my spell (whether as a candle spell, jar spell, etc.) and what verbiage I want to use.
Some of my favorite resources on Tumblr are:
I rarely pull entire spells of Tumblr because I have no idea who came up with the spell, but I will use bits and pieces from each spell to craft my own.
However, you should definitely be careful because not everything on Tumblr is great! Remember to use the list above in order to cross-reference a spell before dumping hours of work in.
4. Reddit:
I’m definitely a huge fan of Reddit, especially when it comes to witchcraft spells. I tend to stick to these forums:
Typically, there are all sorts of questions in these forums (not just those relating to spell work) but I’ve also found some great inspiration for spells. Sometimes, I’ll read a question about a spell that I never even considered casting. Reddit is a great place to brainstorm and come up with totally new ideas.
I also use Reddit to ask about certain ingredients if I’m stuck.
3. YouTube:
If you’re more of a visual learner then you may prefer YouTube. When I was first starting out, I found it helpful to watch a witch perform a spell from beginning to end.
There are some reputable witches on YouTube that you can watch and whose spells you can copy exactly. Some of the best channels are:
2. Pinterest:
Though interest doesn’t often have full-on spells, I find that it’s good for incantations. Say you already have your spell set (ingredients, techniques, etc.) but don’t have the specific words that you need to say. Pinterest is a great place to browse and find wording that you can use or alter as needed!
1. Instagram:
While I think that Instagram is typically better for fun little infographics or general witchcraft knowledge, the Reels section does have a few legit spells. I like how you can vet witches on Instagram more easily than you can on TikTok.
If you’re interested in seeing spells visually, head to the Reels section and search for spells in general or a specific type of spell. Again, I recommend this more as research and less as a copy-and-paste activity.
The Best Book Resources For Witchcraft Spells:
Many, many, many witchcraft spell books out there are filled with BS spells. In fact, the authors probably didn’t try every spell because they simply wanted to sell a book!
There are a few gems, but they tend to be either older books or books written by reputable witches who are experienced in one specific area. Sometimes, anthologies are written by a group of witches so they can offer various spells, but again you need to make sure that you vet these witchcraft spells before diving in.
I will say that while I use online resources for research, I cast from book spells much more often. I find that these spells are well thought out and that the ingredients match my purpose, while witchcraft spells found online often cut corners.
I would definitely recommend that you get a few large anthologies. These are basically spell dictionaries that will have tons and tons of spells for just about any purpose. You’ll be able to sort through and modify these spells as you go.
My favorite books for witchcraft spells include:
- Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
- The Spell Book for New Witches
- 1001 Spells: The Complete Book of Spells for Every Purpose
How To Get Ingredients That You Don’t Have:
If you find the perfect spell but don’t have all the ingredients, you may be able to substitute. Look up similar ingredients that function in a similar way.
For example, you will want to substitute herbs for other herbs that have the same properties, keeping in mind how they may function. I will often substitute black pepper for cayenne pepper, but cayenne pepper will definitely give the spell a stronger kick, so I try to stay aware of that.
Think about the energy of the thing you’re substituting and try to see how different it is from the original ingredient. If the energy doesn’t bother you and the substituted ingredient is still traditionally known to help for your purpose, go for it!
Otherwise, I recommend purchasing the ingredients that you need. Some ingredients can easily be bought at a local grocery store, but others are harder to come by.
I purchase most of my ingredients (including herbs, crystals, jars, incense, candles, and just about everything else) on Etsy. I like to find really specific ingredients that are often organic or homemade and feel that the energy is better coming from a seller instead of a large, corporate site.
Sometimes, I’ll also head to the shops in downtown Salem for a specific ingredient. Local metaphysical shops are a great resource but not all of us live in areas where these shops are readily available, so I would definitely be prepared to shop online if need be.
This may mean that you won’t be able to cast your spell immediately, but remember that good spells take time. Preparation and planning really are key!
