Spells Back Firing

[IEditYourWorld]

Hi all.

I was wondering if any of you have ever had a spell backfire on you or come out unlike how you wanted it to. If so, what kind of spell were you trying to do? What made it go wrong? What were the results?

The reason I am asking is because of something I am writing. I'll explain more as I get more ideas on things that can go wrong with spell work.

Details please.
IEditYourWorld  

[Lady Keigh]

one time last year, i tried doing a healing spell for my mother. you see, she is a recovering alcoholic, and was going through some major withdrawal symptoms. concerned, i tried doing a spell of serenity and a spell of healing to help ease her pain and anxiety... i don't know how, but it ended up with me arguing with her more because instead of stopping she just started drinking again, then me being shipped off to a treatment center for 3 months...  

[Cheetahs Wolf]

well i believe whatever you do onto someone it will come back on you, which is why i suggest only white magick.  

[Esiris]

Cheetahs Wolf

well i believe whatever you do onto someone it will come back on you, which is why i suggest only white magick.

Do you consider Rose's spell to be "white magick"?  

[Morgandria]

Cheetahs Wolf

well i believe whatever you do onto someone it will come back on you, which is why i suggest only white magick.

Why does magic have to have a colour? Not all witches feel that it does, or that magic is limited to black, white, and shades of grey.

---------------------------------------------
As for the actual question:

I've never had a spell 'backfire'. I've had some unforeseen consequences come about, and I've certainly had unexpected results, but that's not a 'backfire' as far as I'm concerned.

Magic can only do what we tell it to do. It's our will and intent that's being sent out and done. It's why one should always consider every possible outcome before one goes about casting - otherwise you open yourself up to those sorts of things.

Quite often we get what we asked for - only we thought we were asking for something completely different.

Rose's spell, for example, worked perfectly well as far as I can see. She asked for serenity and healing for her mother - her mother calmed her anxieties and pain with alcohol. Rose herself got the peace and quiet of a treatment center for healing addictions.

It certainly wasn't what she wanted, but I feel it's what she asked for. It's why it's super important to hammer out exactly what your will and intent is before you empower and release it.  

[TheStarlessSkye]

This is where I really see how real magic can be. I have told people of my beliefs, and they said there's no such thing as magic because they've seen way too much unrealistic witch/fantasy movies.  

[Lady Keigh]

Morgandria

Cheetahs Wolf

well i believe whatever you do onto someone it will come back on you, which is why i suggest only white magick.

Why does magic have to have a colour? Not all witches feel that it does, or that magic is limited to black, white, and shades of grey.

---------------------------------------------
As for the actual question:

I've never had a spell 'backfire'. I've had some unforeseen consequences come about, and I've certainly had unexpected results, but that's not a 'backfire' as far as I'm concerned.

Magic can only do what we tell it to do. It's our will and intent that's being sent out and done. It's why one should always consider every possible outcome before one goes about casting - otherwise you open yourself up to those sorts of things.

Quite often we get what we asked for - only we thought we were asking for something completely different.

Rose's spell, for example, worked perfectly well as far as I can see. She asked for serenity and healing for her mother - her mother calmed her anxieties and pain with alcohol. Rose herself got the peace and quiet of a treatment center for healing addictions.

It certainly wasn't what she wanted, but I feel it's what she asked for. It's why it's super important to hammer out exactly what your will and intent is before you empower and release it.

Your right. Unfortunately, my mother went back to alcohol for her peace of mind, but at least it worked (though not in the way i hoped). As for myself, going to that treatment center was the best thing that has happened to me. I made peace with inner demons that I other wise wouldn't have been able to deal with, and it helped me find coping skills to deal with things with much more ease and less paranoia and anxiety. It didn't exactly 'backfire', it just didn't go as planned. But it's because it didn't go according to plan that made it the best in the end.

Besides, if you really think about, when you cast a spell, you asking the Fates to take control in a way, right? (that is, if you believe in the Fates. I do.)  

[Esiris]

Morgandria

Magic can only do what we tell it to do. It's our will and intent that's being sent out and done. It's why one should always consider every possible outcome before one goes about casting - otherwise you open yourself up to those sorts of things.

Does that mean you wouldn't consider petitioning the Loa to be magic? Or am I reading too much into it?  

[Morgandria]

Esiris

Morgandria

Magic can only do what we tell it to do. It's our will and intent that's being sent out and done. It's why one should always consider every possible outcome before one goes about casting - otherwise you open yourself up to those sorts of things.

Does that mean you wouldn't consider petitioning the Loa to be magic? Or am I reading too much into it?

It depends. Are you simply asking them to do something for you, or are you asking them to aid your own magic? I'd consider the first prayer, not magic, but I also think you can incorporate prayer or petition into magic fairly easily.

I actually do a fair bit of petitioning, myself. I trust the Gods to do what is for the best, sometimes - especially when I don't feel confident in my understanding of a given situation.  

[Esiris]

Morgandria

It depends. Are you simply asking them to do something for you, or are you asking them to aid your own magic? I'd consider the first prayer, not magic, but I also think you can incorporate prayer or petition into magic fairly easily.

I actually do a fair bit of petitioning, myself. I trust the Gods to do what is for the best, sometimes - especially when I don't feel confident in my understanding of a given situation.

In a lot of Vodou- it's mostly petition work. You feed them, they feed you- and you let them know when things aren't working out right.

There are workings you do with them- and you ask their aid (maybe blessing is a better word?) in too.

There's a person who harassed a friend of mine into self-harm. The work we're doing calls on Dantor to help expose the person for what they really are so justice can come. It includes cutting a tongue open and sewing a piece of paper inside it. To me- that kind of work is magic, even if it's with the help of the Loa.

I was thinking it would be like working with a coven maybe? I mean, a group of witches working together to create change isn't too different than a spirit working with a person is it?  

[Morgandria]

Esiris

In a lot of Vodou- it's mostly petition work. You feed them, they feed you- and you let them know when things aren't working out right.

There are workings you do with them- and you ask their aid (maybe blessing is a better word?) in too.

There's a person who harassed a friend of mine into self-harm. The work we're doing calls on Dantor to help expose the person for what they really are so justice can come. It includes cutting a tongue open and sewing a piece of paper inside it. To me- that kind of work is magic, even if it's with the help of the Loa.

I was thinking it would be like working with a coven maybe? I mean, a group of witches working together to create change isn't too different than a spirit working with a person is it?

See, now the working with the tongue is definetely magic. Absolutely. You're asking them to lend their strength to yours - to make your will work stronger. However, say you make a votive offering to the Loa - food, drink, money, what have you - and you ask them to do the will-work for you, without you doing any will-work yourself. I wouldn't call that magic. I don't consider prayer or petition an act of will in and of itself.  

[ncsweet]

When my father-in-law had his stroke, I did quite a bit of healing work for him. On the surface this sounds fairly reasonable, however the end result was that he lingered in pain for about a month before finally passing away.  

[Esiris]

Morgandria

See, now the working with the tongue is definetely magic. Absolutely. You're asking them to lend their strength to yours - to make your will work stronger. However, say you make a votive offering to the Loa - food, drink, money, what have you - and you ask them to do the will-work for you, without you doing any will-work yourself. I wouldn't call that magic. I don't consider prayer or petition an act of will in and of itself.

Maybe it's a matter of shades? I'm not sure I could tell where your view of magic and petitioning end and begin when I'm in the middle of it- for me they blur together.

I'm sorry for your loss ncsweet.  

[oOGarrettOo]

I've never had a spell backfire. Like everyone, I've had some unforseen results, but I work differently from most people, so it's hard for me to have things happen that I wasn't at least somewhat expecting.

ncsweet

When my father-in-law had his stroke, I did quite a bit of healing work for him. On the surface this sounds fairly reasonable, however the end result was that he lingered in pain for about a month before finally passing away.

Did sort of the same thing for my grandmother, but when we found out her liver was going we just asked for the least amount of pain possible. We weren't expecting her to pass away a couple days later, but I'm grateful for it.  

[Cheetahs Wolf]

Esiris

Cheetahs Wolf

well i believe whatever you do onto someone it will come back on you, which is why i suggest only white magick.

Do you consider Rose's spell to be "white magick"?

i was only replying to iedityourworld and voicing my opinion on it