What Makes a Witch Powerful?

Power. I can't begin to unpack all of the sludge that human beings pack into the connotations of this word. Instead, I'd like to direct this topic to what really matters as we consider the concept of power particularly as witches.

As always, the following is my opinion and speculation. It is bound to bend the point on some witches' hats, so if you don't like it, you can leave a comment below. Remember though that I retain the ability to delete you if you write disrespectfully. How's that for power?

Most of us probably have the idea that a witch's power is like the energy bar of a magical character in a video game. Really "powerful" witches have a larger power bar than weaker ones. Spell casting uses up this power so that weaker witches can't cast as much or use powerful spells the same way really powerful witches can.

Hogwash. Power is not quite like the gasoline that fills up a fuel tank. There are times when it can seem this way, because your spell work can influence your stamina. Your stamina rests completely in the body, which uses energy that can become used up. But that's not what most witches are talking about when they talk of powerful witches. More so, I think they mean that a powerful witch is one who can get things done and, when they receive their intended result, they receive it in spades. Anyone can do this, so if you think because of the circumstances of your life, you will never be one of those powerful witches, you are wrong about yourself.

When it comes to spell work, there is only one thing that matters: the spell succeeds. Even if one has very little stamina, or if a witch is new to spell working, success can be frequent. Does this mean that the newbie witch is inherently powerful? It does not.

Let's review what makes a spell succeed. You may find it helpful to review the entry on the Witch's Pyramid.

1. Intent. You know what you want and you can clearly and accurately visualize it being in your life.
2. Concentration. You are able to retain that vision in your mind's eye without it wavering.
3. Ecstasy. You are able to reach an emotional/ecstatic high to force the intent to radiate outward.
4. Confidence. You have no doubts that your spell will succeed.

If you can do all of these things, a spell will succeed. You don't even have to be a witch to do it. I have experienced non-witches who have these abilities as a result of some other profession - being an actor, for example - who have reported to me that they have suspicions that if they want something badly, it will come into their lives. They didn't realize they were doing spell work. Spell work is an occult practice, which only means that it's a practice that not many people know about. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time. The hatching of butterflies is also occult - not many people witness it - but it happens all the time.

What all this means is that what really makes a witch "powerful" is actually skill, because each of the abilities listed above can be developed, through practice, by anyone. I'm not at all suggesting that these abilities are easy to learn. They each contain within them lessons that are difficult and confusing. The witch's work is to walk whatever path is required to learn those four abilities. Most likely, one will have to deal with one's own internal ego to master them. So rather than say that a witch who is good at spell work is powerful, it may be more correct to say that the witch is skillful or practiced. Even if your stamina fails and you are a puddle on the floor, you can still cast spells quietly inside your mind.

You may still be asking, "But what about the raw energy that witches use to make spells happen?" If you think that you, or any witch, is restricted by a font of power that can run dry when it is tapped too heavily, you are still in the video game mindset. If you ever find that your spell work fails, this is likely the cause, because you believe that your power can be all used up, so your spell no longer has the confidence to continue and will dissipate before it causes real change.

Instead, consider the infinite and divine web to which we are all connected. The planet on which we walk, the air we breathe, the sun, moon and stars that shine light on us, and the innumerable deities to whom we can appeal, are all a part of the natural web that connects us. If you can use up all the power residing in the earth, then you will deplete the power for spell working. If you can use up all the power of the sun, then you will deplete it. If you can use up all the power of every star in the sky, then you can deplete it. Why would you ever think that the fountain of power could ever run dry? The aether - that stuff from which all spells originate - is limitless.