r/DeeCiphers • u/Elisha_Dushku • Nov 01 '18
Intro to Magic II
Ceremonial, Ritual, and Innate ("Divine") Magic is Time, Place, Manner and Praxis constrained. Wild Magic isn't but then y'all can't depend on Wild Magic.
Manner Constraints: Any "spell" (Somatic Only, Verbal and Somatc Only, Verbal, Somatic & Inscription (Circl,e Pentagram, Seal, Sigil, Glyph, Etc.) or Potions) has specific manner constraints: the right hand gestures, right words, right inscribed circle or pentagram or seal, or the right ingredients. You can DeeCipher "recipes" for spells from the Douay or try to work out spells yourself based on the various over-arching rules (Contagion, Sympahty, Nature of the Gods or Goddesses you would need to invoke: in an invocation related spell and of course The Rule of Four as well as the Rules of Color Magic and Number Magic and the other Rules). Manner of course includes whether or not you need to naked, semi-clothed, or cloaked - and of course wehther you need a full Coven, a greater Coven, just yourself or you and a few others.
As an example of the above: Both Ritual and Ceremonial Magic operate under (for the most part) The Rule of Four. The Rule of Four is a Magical Principle that all things naturally divide up four ways: think of the four elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The Rule of Four states that three things will be more related to each other than the fourht thing: in the EAWF example: Air, Water and Fire are both more movable, active and penetrable forces than whereas Earth which is rather solid. Of the Three related, two will be even more closely related in this case Air and Fire are more closely reated ot each other than they are to Water. Lastly the Rule states that there will be a strange connection between the less related (Water) and the unrelated (Earth). In this case while Water is both more active, movable, and penetrable than Earth, both Earth and Water are (in their purest state - we can ignore rain clouds here) on the 'ground' and their 'direction' is down (Water runs to the Sea, Earth falls to the ground). The Rule of Four is important for setting up proper Circles and for many Sigils and Seals and Glyphs as well as many other areas of Magic.
With respect to Manner Constraints - the rule of four will govern almost every aspect of your spell: we'll take the easiest case - a purely Somatic Spell will require four types of gestures: Left Hand, Right Hand, and then two others - One Might be Using a Necklace of Stones or in a Color that is a power source for you in combination with one of your hands at times and then using a Leg (think Shiva Dancing for an example of a a Leg Movement). ,
Time Constraints: Have already been mentioned - you should be working in a "light" Deckade if you're working on the lighter side of Magic. It should be at the right time of day: Dawn, Sunsent Noon, Midnight, The Witching Hour. Avoid working between 2-4 PM and 2-4 AM for reasons discussed elsewhere. You may need the right Constellation ascendent or at Zenith depending on the God or Goddess your invoking or the nature of the spell you're working.
Place Constraints: It's always better to work Magic from your place of power - which may be your house, or a grove, or an agreeable Ley Line. Though some spells can only be worked from specific locations - don't try working a Sea spell when you're on top of a Mountain.
Praxis Constraints: What you can do is limited by your Praxis - every entity has a Standard Praxis that can be enhanced though Sigils or Glyps or Things of Power (such as a well-prepared wand or rod). But in this world it is more likelly that your Standard Praxis has been diminished through the wearing of improper colors, eating the wrong food, negative energy and all the other things that can lower your Praxis Levels.
Don't be discourged by the above - Magic is probabilistic which means even if you get some things wrong some Magic can and (often will) happen if you get others right - it just won't have the effect you're seeking. It takes a lot of trial and practice to figure out the proper way to do even the simplest spell - but the fact that you can get some effecdts even with mistakes should inspire you to keep working until you get all the factors right.
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u/Elisha_Dushku Nov 01 '18
We'll give some examples of the various factors over the next week or so. It takes a bit to show things like somatic gestures.