Match Magic

windvexer:

Match magic is a versatile and easy
sort of spellcrafting. Unfortunately, fire is a necessity so this is
not for people who can’t light matches.

The basic concept of match magic is
that the matchstick is charged with intent. Then, the match
is burned to release the intent so the magic can go do its work.
As the match burns, watch the flame to divine the success or
manifestation of the spell.

1. Getting prepared

The only thing you really need are
wooden matches. Lighters do not work for this particular kind of
thing because the main focus is on charging and burning the wood, not
the fire itself. I can find a box of 250 large wooden matches for a dollar here.

When you hold a lit match, the match
cannot burn all the way down (or you will really burn your fingers!)
This may lead you to feel like the entire spell has not been
released. There are three solutions I have found and perhaps one will
resonate with you depending on your beliefs:

a. Mark a line on the match with a
pencil, and put the intent only on the burning end. When the flame
reaches the pencil mark, blow it out. All the intent will be released
without your fingers being burned.
b. After the match is lit, carefully
and firmly grasp one end with a pair of tweezers. This will allow the
entirety of the match to burn, releasing all the intent.
c. Recognize that the bit of unburnt
match left over works to ‘ground’ the magic in your life, helping
keep the intent attached to the physical plane as it goes about and
does its work in the ethereal or astral.

If you choose, you may watch the
match burn down in order to divine the success of the spell, or the
path it will take during manifestation. The shape of the charcoal may
also give you a clue as to the success of the magic. However, in
order to read the omens in the flame, you should have a good
understanding of what a regular, mundane match looks like when it
burns. Get your box of matches and decide on a few things:

• Will you be holding all your matches
  perfectly horizontal, or vertical, or in some other fashion?

• Will you be holding the match with
  your fingers or some other tool?

• How long will you allow each match to
  burn?

Ensure that you are wherever you are
likely to do your match spells most often (it may be over an altar,
or for me, my desk). Turn off any fans in the area, close windows,
and generally reduce any drafts as much as possible.

When you have an idea of how you want
the little ritual to go, light about ten uncharged matches in your
working area and carefully observe how they burn. Note how high the
flames tend to go, how quickly the flames move along the match, in
what way the wood curls when it is burned, et cetera. Carefully save
these burned matches (you could also take a photo) and use them as a
control group to compare against your magical matches. You may or may
not notice a distinct difference between how your plain matches
compare with your magical ones; my magical matches tend to burn in a
corkscrew shape and the flames often reach much higher.

2. Understanding the nature of match
magic

Match magic is not a big kickass sort
of spell. It can be powerful and forceful, but it is more like a
paintball gun than a cannon. The wood itself can only hold so much
energy, and the energy is released quickly instead of through a long,
steady burn. This is really more like quick fix-it Band-aid magic
than anything else. Here is what I have found match magic to be
appropriate for:

• Motivation
• “Get me through the day/this
  class/this meeting”
• Quick fix for anxiety, although only
  for a short amount of time
• A nudge for someone to do something
• Gaining focus for a task ahead

Because the matches burn so quickly,
they are also appropriate for on-the-go devotionals or to add quick
power to an existing spell. Many of us will leave tea lights on an
altar to empower something; if you cannot leave a tea light burning,
charging and burning a match may be a sufficient substitution.

Here is one paradigm explanation for
how match magic “works”: Wood is good at holding magical
intent and charge. The physical item is also excellent as a focus
point. As you gather power, you can store it in the match. When you
intuit that you have collected enough energy for the magical task at
hand, use your magical willpower to imprint your intent on the raw
energy. After you ‘stamp’ your intent in to the energy, the match is
now a self contained charm. However, we want the magic to move ahead
of us and around us in order blaze the trail for our success. When
the match is lit, the energy is rapidly released and goes on its
merry way.

The fire in this spell is
transformative; full of changes. It transforms our intent in to
reality; it releases contained energy in to flowing energy; it
converts one situation in to another.

3. Charging the matches

Do not bother using your own energy
for this kind of spell; you can actually get the energy within the
match quite dense, and you may end up draining yourself. Instead,
call upon an external energy. If you ground with a root system, you
can call upon the powers of the earth to work for you. If you can
gather energy from the space around you, do that – you can also use
energy stored in crystals, or whatever other method you typically use
for raising spell-energy.

In this spell, your energy is the
wheel, not the clay – call upon energy from something else and use
your magical reservoir to shape it.

Before you begin, ensure you have a
simple statement of intent. The statement is probably better off
being positive instead of negative. Here are some examples:

POSITIVE:

• I will get all of my homework done
  today

• Laura will skip class today

• That dog will be silent today

NEGATIVE:

• I will not be sleepy

• My bills will not come in the mail
  today

• John will not call me today

Hold a single match in your hand
(marked with a pencil if that is how you prefer to do it). Call
energy to you and direct it in to the match. At first the energy may
be very thin and in a cloud around the matchstick. Compress the
energy down until it is all contained within the wood. Draw up and
compress more and more energy until you feel you have gotten enough.
The matchstick may seem to be glowing very brightly, if you can ‘see’
energy, and if you can feel energy the matchstick may make your skin
feel quite weird. Using your magical will, keep the energy within the
matchstick contained. Simultaneously use your will to stamp your
statement of intent in to the energy, forming it and molding it so it
is programmed to your will. If you don’t get what I mean, just
imagine that the matchstick is full of all this raw, smooth energy.
Then mentally shout at it until you intuit that the energy is
programmed.

After this, you may wish to do a
sealing action (“so mote it be”). Then immediately light
the match and hold it in the same way you did during your practice
runs. Watch the match burn and see if you can determine how the spell
will go. Blow the match out when it is time and keep or discard the
charcoal and leftover wood however it feels right to you.

If you wish, call appropriate and
relevant energies instead of just using whatever. Air energy is
appropriate for focus and mindfulness, while Mars energy is
appropriate for acts of aggression.

Because the spell is released with
fire it will by nature be quick to take effect and quick to burn out.
Keep that in mind while writing up your spells.