Sympathetic Magick and the Law of Similars
To understand how spells work, it is necessary to understand the concept of “sympathy” and what's known as the Law of Similars. Sympathy, in a magickal sense, means that a designated item, when properly used, has the power to affect something or someone because of the symbolic relationship between the item and the target of the spell.
Candle magick often makes use of sympathy. A love spell, for instance, might utilize two candles to represent a couple. To heal a rift between the two individuals, a witch might move the candles a little closer together each day over a period of time until the candles are touching. Poppets (discussed in Chapter 13) embody the concept of sympathy and the Law of Similars. The early Egyptians utilized poppets in spellcraft, carefully forming and dressing the dolls, and adding incantations that described the poppet's desired effect on the person it represented.
Little did our ancestors know that scientists who study subliminal perception would confirm their magickal practices. Today, figurative representations play a part in everything from advertising to religion, affecting the subconscious in specific ways.
The Law of Similars states that there is a divine fingerprint in nature that gives clues to an item's spiritual function. For example, red plants can be used in magickal cures for blood problems. A heart-shaped leaf might be a component of a love spell. A phallus-shaped stone could be utilized in a spell for male virility.
Like their predecessors, contemporary witches still consider an item's shape, color, and other physical attributes as indicators of its magickal significance. In this manner, witches believe they are giving greater dimension to the energy of a spell, therefore an outcome will manifest more satisfactorily.
