If you came here thinking that you'd find a list of spells designed to make you gorgeous, rich, and popular, you're going to be disappointed. Spellcasting is a very personal thing for most witches--I say "most" because there are some who hand out spells indiscriminately--and you'll find that the spells that work best for you are the ones you write yourself. What you'll find here are some guidelines to help you get started, and some basic correspondence information, like which spells work best when done with a yellow candle on a Friday of the waxing moon.
First of all, let's talk a little about what a spell is. A spell is not some kind of supernatural action, where you wave your magic wand and poof your heart's desire appears in a flash of light. Spells involve the shifting and concentrating of natural energies already present, to increase the possibility of the desired effect. Do they always work? Not necessarily, and not necessarily the way you intended them to! (Kind of like the Christian idea that God always answers prayers, just not always with the answer we wanted.) They don't work quickly; certainly not in the way the girls in the movie "The Craft" were able to change their hair color. (For a change that quick, your best bet is still Revlon!) Spells can take days, weeks, even months to bring the desired results.
I'd also like to stress the importance of trying more mundane methods to get what you want. We frequently tell newcomers to Wicca that they should exhaust all the mundane means of achieving their goals before they try any spells. We don't say this because spellcasting is so dangerous or difficult, but because you don't want to become so dependent on spells that you can't do anything for yourself. Not only that, but if your non-magical life is not aimed in the same direction as your spell, you will definitely not get the results you want. For example, cast a spell to help you lose weight, then dine on pizza and beer every night. You either won't lose the weight, or you'll lose it in a very unexpected way, like having a limb amputated. You also need to be able to work out all the permutations of your spell, to make sure that you are harming no-one by acting on your desires. It is not necessary to have a list of all the possible side effects and negate them ("So long as no-one dies, and the house doesn't burn down, and I don't get hurt at work, I'd like to have $10,000 please..."); in most cases, providing it is a responsibly thought out spell, simply appending the words "An it harm none" will be enough of a safeguard. And you want to avoid manipulating people--a spell that says "Please have my rich father write me a check for $10,000" is not accpetable. If he wanted to write you the check, he would; don't force your wishes on someone else.
Let's try writing a spell together. Since one of the spells I get the most requests for is a love spell, we'll try this one.
First of all, let's talk about the mundane things you can do to encourage love to enter your life. Take a good hard look at yourself and see if you are really doing all that you can. Do you socialize? Bathe regularly? Do you, most importantly of all, like yourself and believe that you are worthy of love? Do you feel that you are attractive? Perhaps you need to try a new hairstyle, exchange glasses for contacts, lose 10 lbs, or simply start making a point of going when your friends invite you to go out with them. Believing that you are attractive is often all it takes to make other believe it as well. Is there anything about you that is keeping you from accepting love? Do you have left-overs from previous relationships, abusive parents, or physical or mental problems that cause you to push people away? If you've noticed a pattern to your relationships, or that you tend to go for the same kind of abusive lover over and over, you may need to work through these problems before you are ready. Talk to a trusted friend, a parent, or even a counselor if need be.
Now that we've discussed the more mundane things you can try, let's move on to the actual spell work. Consulting our color chart, we find that pink is a color generally associated with love, white with happiness and peace, and yellow with wisdom, always useful in a relationship. Looking through the herb list, we find that roses are associated with love, lavendar with peace and happiness, and iris with wisdom. And checking our list of days, we find that love spells generally work best when performed on Fridays, and since we want to attract or increase love, we want a time when the moon is waxing. We'll make a potpourri with rose and iris petals and lavendar flowers, which can be made into a sachet to carry or to keep under our pillow. We'll use white, pink, and yellow candles, scented with the three herbs we've chosen, and incense of the same. Set up your altar or spell table, and head for the bathroom.
The actual structure of the spell is completely up to you. I do recommend bathing first, and using the bath as a visualization technique to rinse away all the negativity and fears that are keeping you from the love you deserve. You can cast a circle, or not; dress or go sky-clad. Burn your incense while visualizing your life as it will be when you find your mate. Make a talisman of the potpourri to carry with you. The candles can be used for several nights as you meditate, concentrating on your desire to find love. Recite a verse, either original or borrowed, asking the Goddess to aid you in your search. Look at yourself in a mirror and see all your good qualities; see yourself as a mate might see you. I like to do spells either last thing at night so they can "steep" while I sleep, or first thing in the morning so I can return to my altar and the still-burning candles throughout the day. You may want to repeat elements of your spell during the day, or over a period of several days.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the correspondences. If pink reminds you of your ex-husband who beat you to a pulp regularly, then it would probably not be appropriate to use in a love spell. If you need money now to pay a forgotten bill, you don't have to wait until Thursday if today is Saturday. Women, you will probably find that the days of your moon-time are very powerful ones for you. And doing a diet spell during a waxing moon will not negate it. These correspondences are guidelines, and with time and practice, you will come up with your own.
