by A.C. Fisher Aldag
Spells, incantations, chants, prayers. Many Pagan, Wiccan and Ceremonial Magick spells end with the words “So Be It” or “So Mote It Be”, to cause the words to become Law. Asatru has the practice of Galdr, using the voice and the power of the Runes to bring word into manifestation. The Khemetic paths have the concept of Mhaat, represented by a feather, meaning that words can be measured against the weight of a feather to determine truthfulness. If every word that is spoken is literally true, then all words spoken by an individual will become truth. Many cultures use prayer or chanting, and almost every civilization taps into the power of sacred song. Breath and voice give rise to spiritual power, which enacts result. Words bring force into form. Optimal situations are brought about by the energy of the spoken word.
When performing acts of verbal magick, we must be very cautious about using precise words to invoke the desired condition. The Power of NOT must be considered. How many times have we heard a parent say, “Don’t do that, you will fall”? Or heard someone announce “I am trying not to gain more weight”? This semantic problem sometimes occurs even in the midst of a magickal ritual. “Let there not be any more war in the Middle East.” Unfortunately, the Gods, or the Universe, or the Powers That Be may only hear the end of the statement. The parent has declared “You will fall”. The individual has spoken the words “Gain more weight”. And all of the participants of the rite have summoned “More war”. Of course, our intent is exactly the opposite. We wish for our children to be safe, our physical body to be healthy, and for our world to be peaceful. Thus, we must NOT state what we do NOT want to happen. We must avoid invoking the negative. We must resist the power of NOT.
When we are speaking our will into manifestation, we must ensure that we say exactly what we mean. It is best to make positive statements about what we desire to happen. The parent might say, “Please keep your feet on the ground.” The leaders of a magickal rite must carefully consider the message that they wish to announce to Deity or the Universal Mind. Use positive declarative statements. “We invoke peace in the world. We request that all nations cooperate. We ask that people get along with each other.” If you ask for it NOT to rain during your picnic, the Rainbirds may hear sense feel the word “Rain”, and the idea of rain will be entered into the cosmic register. The reality of a rain shower might be the result. Instead, we should request “Good weather during our picnic, sunshine until five o’clock.” This statement deliberately avoids mentioning the R word. Often, we receive exactly what we ask for – even if we do NOT know what we’re requesting!
Our will may be spoken into reality during a spell, prayer or a religious ceremony. Yet sometimes, Deity and the natural world may have other ideas. If you request nice sunny weather for your picnic, you may get your wish. However, if the local area has experienced a drought for the past month, the farmers are praying for rain, the frogs are singing in the rain, and Nature truly needs it to rain, your little working for sunshine may go ignored at this time. The spirit beings may choose NOT to respond to your spoken word. We must respect that the universal consciousness often has worldwide best interest at heart.
To help ensure that we get what we actually want from our verbal request, it’s beneficial to consider exactly what we desire. Give thought ot time, place, situation, person, and any other issues. Write down your prayer in advance. “Ceres, dear Goddess of Agriculture, please bless my garden. Help my plants to be healthy, and to produce enough vegetables for me to feed my family this summer. Grant us enough vegetables to preserve by canning for the cold months. So be it. Thank you.” This spoken prayer contains specific time parameters. We want the garden to grow enough vegetables for an exact period. We made sure to say “plants to be healthy” rather than “plants to not be diseased” or “not have insect pests”. We left part of the working open-ended; it is up to Deity to fulfill our desire for “enough”.
Sometimes we must make a declarative statement about a particular condition in order to vanquish that situation. Let’s return to our prayer for peace: “My grandson is serving in the Army, fighting in the war in the Middle East. I pray for his safety. I ask that the war be ended.” The declarative statement is truthful. However, NOT is gone from the prayer. Instead, the magick user has asked for a desired condition. The Powers That Be will hear “War be ended”.
An exception to the power of NOT is during banishing spells or rituals. Many magicians perform this type of working during a waning moon, using energetic tools such as black candles and sea salt to remove certain unwelcome influences. The objective is to stop undesirable conditions from occurring. Intentionally saying the word NOT can be beneficial in these particular circumstances. Speak about a true situation and your desire to discontinue that state of being. “I am unemployed. I do NOT wish to be unemployed. Instead, I wish to have a good job that uses my skills and pays well. Please remove any mental impediments which cause my unemployment. Change conditions which result in my lack of employment. Banish that which impairs my goal of gainful employment. So Be It.”
Of course, after performing a banishing rite, it is best to invoke or summon the desirable condition that is opposite of the situation that you have banished. Once you have removed any influences that cause unemployment, then you may request that you be hired by the perfect employer, in the most wonderful job that is exemplary for you. Leave other options open, as well. The Universal Mind could respond to your request with self-employment or a money grant for study. Be certain to add a caveat about free will and to ensure that no harm is caused to others. You wish to be employed at a fascinating, high-paying job because an employee has retired or a new account has opened, creating a need to hire more personnel – rather than gaining a new career because someone in the company died in a car wreck. “Change conditions that result in my unemployment” could actually mean “Get rid of my new baby so I can work full time without having to pay for day care”. We do NOT want harmful, negative energies to cause pain or trouble for other individuals. We wish for everyone to enjoy the bounty that is available in the world. “Please change conditions that result in my unemployment. Let my will be spoken into reality while causing harm to no other person. So be it.”
One more caveat to the power of NOT: Some magicians who operate within the realm of chaos energy, such as Contrarians or Discordians, may use the spoken word to gain the opposite of their request. They might say, “I want it to rain today” in order to have sunny weather for the picnic. They might use the word NOT to bring force into form in reverse... but this is a large topic that should be explored in another article.
For the rest of us: The power of NOT works in the context of a ceremony, yet we must also attempt to mindfully remove the word from our vocabulary in regular conversation. We wish to experience optimal health, rather than to NOT get sick. Instead of hoping that the car does NOT break down, we want the engine to run smoothly, the tires to stay inflated, and all parts to operate well. You get the idea. Each time we speak, our words hold a power that interacts with the energy present in all things. We purposefully invoke our will, invite our desired condition, into reality. The consciousness present in the universe hears and responds… and we each hear our own words of power and may unconsciously bring about our spoken statement.
When we hear a loved one inadvertently use the power of NOT, we might wish to help them to manifest their true will. When a teenage daughter moans, “I won’t ever get a date!” we may wish to state, “You will find a perfect loving relationship.” Ensure that the individual is simply using an enculturated verbal phrase, so that you aren’t interfering in their own free will. If your son declares, “I do NOT want to attend the prom,” he may be expressing a true desire to avoid the dance. Another way our society uses the word NOT is in a sarcastic manner. “Oh no, it’s NOT going to rain, is it?” “Please tell me that my car is NOT breaking down!” Again, these statements can bring about that particular undesirable condition. The Gods may hear “going to rain” and the Universal Consciousness might act on the words “car breaking down.” We might wish to say, “The car is NOT breaking down. The car will run until we can get it serviced. The car will function perfectly well after the mechanic repairs it.” Thus we bring our true will into manifestation.
Negative words: NOT, never, don’t, won’t, ain’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, is not, will not, did not.